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The blue line blues: Is Pittsburgh's defense struggling on both sides of the puck?

by FrankD on Feb 8, 2010 11:40 AM EST Comment 45 comments

Sergei Gonchar is currently ranked eighth in the league for most points by a defensemen.

When you look at a team like the Penguins, it's hard to look past the offensive assets along the likes of Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal. Yet at the same time, the Penguins have this group of defensemen known in the hockey world as "offensive defensemen." Unfortunately, it would appear most of this guys are not very potent on the offense as of late.

After the jump, a look at the Penguins' defense that is, in theory, supposed to also chip in a bit on offense.

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Recap: Ovechkin, Caps rally back, drop Pens 5-4 in OT

by Hooks Orpik on Feb 7, 2010 5:09 PM EST in Game Recaps Comment 105 comments

More photos » Luis Alvarez - AP

This battle, Ovechkin. But the war is still in the Pens favor.

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As far as regular season games go, this was one for the ages. In a similar fashion to the seven game playoff series the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals played last spring, both teams were fired up and came to impress. Superstars Sidney Crosby (2 goals) and Alex Ovechkin (3 goals, 1 assist) showed up and left their impression on the game, and the secondary stars of Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Nicklas Backstrom all recorded two points, with Mike Green also finding the scoresheet.

The Pens jumped up early, scoring four of the games first five goals. Crosby scored the only two goals of the first period, Ovechkin cut the lead to one with a breakaway goal. Staal would score the games next two goals, but Eric Fehr would get the Caps within two before the second intermission.

Washington would power back with two goals by Ovechkin in the third to send it to over-time. In the OT, Brooks Orpik took a penalty and Mike Knuble would get a piece of the AO shot to end it.

Just another game, huh?

The game definitely had the physical mark, and the post-whistle roughness of a playoff match. It's obvious both teams don't like each other and behind their leaders in Sid and AO want to pull out all the stops to get the win.
Craig Adams hit Ovechkin into the boards from behind in the first period. While it was a bad and dangerous hit (as any hit from behind into the boards), Adams could have absolutely buried Ovechkin and made it a despicable play if he didn't pull up like he did. It's not a hit anyone should make so demerit Adams for that --the play should have been (and wasn't) penalized -- but Adams could have seriously injured AO if it went through his head to not let up and drill him. And he didn't.
Aside from that play, Ovechkin seemed been hurting in the game, and Crosby pulled up lame after a faceoff. You think either of these guys would miss even a shift against each other? Yeah, right.
The play Malkin made on Staal's second goal would be made into epic Greek poetry in a different age. Geno stopped a clearing bid, kicked the puck from his skates to his stick, threw some sauce out to Jordan which landed perfectly for J-Staal to finish. It's got to be one of the prettiest plays and best efforts of the season.
Good sign for Team USA?: Matched up against Ovechkin as many times as possible, Orpik blocked six shots and seemed to take time and space away for many shifts. Of course, Orpik was on the ice for AO's two 3rd period goals and took a penalty that led to the game-winner, so on second thought, maybe not.
Touching on a point from last games, again here four of the six Penguins defensemen did not register a hit for the second game in a row. Think Ray Shero isn't taking notes? (If you said no, guess again)
For the Caps looking forward, Tyler Sloan made an ill-idvised pass leading directly to a goal; Tom Poti was falling all over the place on two Pens goals and "Three-or-more" let four by. Of course, Jose Theodore doesn't necessarily project to be the starting playoff goalie, but the Caps adding another defenseman (might be youngster Karl Alzner or John Carlson) could be a needed possibility.
Seemed like a quiet game from Green and Alex Semin -- two dangerous players who didn't make their marks offensively. Of course Ruslan Fedotenko, Chris Kunitz, Pascal Dupuis and Bill Guerin didn't produce anything either.
Even though I didn't think he played poorly, rookie call-up Mark Letestu ended up a -2 in just 4:35 of ice-time. Wanna know how you can ensure a demotion to the AHL when you're a rookie on this team? End up like that -- even if it's not necessarily your fault.
14 in a row for the Caps; even when the Red Wings dominate them, others out-shoot them and through injuries/suspensions they keep rolling on. Props to them, obviously, but a win in January/February is a little different than in April/May (as they well know).
In a game so physical, so chippy and with so many confrontations, where are Donald Brashear and Georges Laraque when they're finally needed?

So you bust ass to get to the game under difficult circumstances , play an awesome 40 but then end up losing. Ahh, at least the Penguins earned a point, eh?

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Pens/Caps Overflow thread

Let's keep it goin

1 day ago FrankD 597 comments 0 recs

Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals [The Haiti Relief Thread]

by Lavender on Feb 7, 2010 11:25 AM EST in Game Open Threads Comment 548 comments

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs. WASHINGTON CAPITALS

IN WASHINGTON @ 12:00pm ET

RADIO FEED ON WXDX.com

CAPITALS BLOG: JAPERS' RINK

Hey friends, it's FrankD. Hooks, OlenWhitaker and I have been talking about ideas to raise money in a game thread for the relief fund in Haiti for the past two weeks. Obviously we wanted the game to be on national TV in an effort to get the most comments/readers for the game. Over the past two weekends Hooks or I have been a bit hit or miss with a presence in the threads due to some preexisting plans that took us away from the live broadcasts. Plus, Winging it in Motown had their thread last week, so we were obviously looking to steer comments and attention that way. Thankfully, we both can be on hand for today's Caps/Pens game.

So in an effort to raise money, we tossed around a few ideas. Again, there is absolutely no pressure to go through with this. A lot of people are strapped for cash in this economy. Trust me, I know. If I hadn't landed some decent work over the past month or so I doubt I would've been able to donate. All we ask is that if you have a political reason behind not doing it, you keep it to yourself. The goal is to not make this a soap box for your political views. That's not what this is for at all.

I don't want any money sent to me. I trust your good will to carry through with your word, and so I give you the American Red Cross donation page. There is a minimum donation of $10, but of course you're welcome to give more.

Here are a few ideas we threw around:

"Saving" Haiti : You can donate 10 cents for each save a Penguins goaltender makes from now through the start of the Olympic break. It should (hopefully) come out to about $3 per game. I'll likely round up, not down, to the nearest dollar anyway. (This is the one I'm doing)
Scorers in pennies: We did something like this during the playoffs last season. Every time a Pens player scores, take his jersey number in pennies and add it up. Carry this through to the start of the Olympic break and there's a good chance you can make the minimum donation (It helps that Geno and Sid both have high jersey numbers). Again, round up if necessary.
OlenWhitaker is posting .05 per comment up to 2000. Feel free to check out his post and jump on board with that approach as well.
$1 for each goal a Penguins scorer puts up from now until the start of the break
$1 for each goal the Pens give up between now and the start of the break (This is something I thought other team blogs might be interested in)
And, obviously, a straight donation.

Thanks for reading and considering. Enjoy the game.

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Up next: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and the Washington Capitals

by FrankD on Feb 7, 2010 8:15 AM EST in 2009-10 game previews Comment 13 comments

[SBN Caps blog - Japers' Rink]

Record: 40-12-6 (1st in the East)

Scorers: Alex Ovechkin (39g, 43a), Nicklas Backstrom (25g, 46a), Alex Semin (26g, 32a)

It almost feels pointless to toss up a preview for today's game, seeing as how it's less than 4 hours from start time, but I guess we can at least address a few things.

First off, the Pens made their way to the hotel in Washington at 2 a.m. 2 a.m. Doesn't sound like a four-hour bus ride to me. If not for NBC and the Super Bowl, this game would've been pushed back.
A win will extend the Capitals' win streak to 14 straight. The 92-93 Pens hold the NHL record with 17.
Prepare yourself for the patented Crosby vs. Ovechkin storyline. For NBC, it's still a selling point.
Chris Kunitz may be in the lineup for this one.
If the Pens wake up for only one afternoon game for the rest of the season, let it be this one.

Puck and thread drop at 12 noon. Game on NBC.

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Early morning links: Snow in DC, Crosby the Coverboy and remembering Brendan Burke

by Hooks Orpik on Feb 7, 2010 6:00 AM EST Comment 5 comments

You might already have heard, but it's gonna be hairy for the Pens to get to Washington, DC. I live roughly 5 miles away from the Verizon Center and have 28 inches of snow. The plan: fly from Montreal to Newark, NJ then take a "4 hour" bus ride down to the nation's capital. If you think that takes four hours (even without snow in the region) you've never made that trip. Regardless of time it's gonna take, let's all hope for safe passage. [Post-Gazette]

Sidney Crosby is the coverboy in Canada for Sports Illustrated, and here's the worth-a-read article (thanks to commenter Pensfan8725) [SI]

From all of us here at Pensburgh, we extend our deepest condolences to the Burke family with the passing of their son/brother Brendan. He was a truly brave guy and Wrap Around Curl has a great idea to honor him. She gave a great idea, about progress and how we all (present company included, I'll admit) should find new vocabulary words to insult someone. [Wrap Around Curl]

Sadly, BSH's Travis Hughes reminds us that it's not just the Burke family that's hurting today. [SB Nation]

If you haven't gotten the chance to read this, fix it. Here's the initial story from a couple months ago when Brendan Burke made the exceptionally difficult decision to "come out" to everyone in his life, including his father who basically defines machismo. They way Brian Burke immediately accepted and supported his boy unconditionally says something great about him. [ESPN]

A few months ago Red Wings fans were really high on Ville Leino. Yesterday Detroit traded him to Philly for a player (who they promptly waived) and a 5th round pick. Nothing against a young player finding his way in a new city, but hopefully it won't be Philadelphia. [Puck Daddy]

Caps owner Ted Leonsis extends the invitation to bandwagon fans. [Teds Take]

The Boston Bruins have lost 10 straight games. [Stanley Cup of Chowder]

Former Pens farmhand Matt Carkner has taken some tough lumps from Toronto's Colton Orr this season....But credit to Carkner, he keeps coming back for more. [Silver Seven Sens]

Is Ilya Kovalchuk really as good as his gaudy goal numbers make you think he is? [Behind the Net]

Ryan Miller's got to be the #1, every game, for Team USA. [The Hockey News]

Finally, not hockey related, but congratulations to Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau on his long overdue election to the NFL Hall of Fame. LeBeau still ranks third all-time, amongst NFL cornerbacks, with 62 interceptions. His HOF honors don't even consider his 37 straight years as a coach in which he innovated an entire "fire zone/zone blitz" scheme and won 4 AFC titles and 2 Super Bowls. [NFL.com]

(Now put Dirt Dawson in already, bitches)

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After a long layoff, Pittsburgh's outgunned by the Habs 5-3

by Hooks Orpik on Feb 6, 2010 7:45 PM EST in Game Recaps Comment 14 comments

More photos » Graham Hughes - AP

Marc-Andre Fleury caught a lot of the Habs up close and personal as they'd chase him from the net and win the game 5-3.

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"I don't think we played a very good game today as a team, and that's a very disappointing way to lose a match," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said.

That about sums it up. The Pittsburgh Penguins hadn't played since Monday night, and even though that's not a good excuse for a team of professionals, it certainly showed today. After winning the first three games of the season series against the Montreal Canadiens, the Pens didn't show as much jump as their opponent, had to play catch-up all night long, and never were able to recover.

The first minute of the game was about as crazy as you'll ever see: The Habs struck first 29 seconds into the game when Mathieu Darche bumped into Marc-Andre Fleury behind the net. The refs didn't stop play and the puck made it's way to Tomas Plekanec and he made no mistakes throwing it into the empty net. Justice would strike soon as 1:02 into the game, Jordan Staal took advantage when Ryan O'Byrne tripped over the blueline somehow and drove on Jaroslav Halak. Halak stopped the initial shot but the puck caromed off Pascal Dupuis and into the net.

After Halak made a great stop on Matt Cooke, Roman Hamrlik quickly transistioned the puck up through the zone to Brian Gionta. The diminutive forward out-raced Mark Eaton and all the other Pens and scored a great backhand goal over the sprawling Fleury for the 2-1 lead. The next shift Brooks Orpik took a penalty and Scott Gomez collected Plekanec's trash for a 3-1 edge. Sidney Crosby and Bill Guerin would connect for Guerin's 17th of the year to bring Pittsburgh to a one goal deficit before the second intermission, but that's as close as they'd get.

In the third Darche ripped a slapper from behind the top of the circles that appeared to tip off of Sergei Gonchar's stick. That would be the end of the game for Fleury, who got the hook from Dan Bylsma. Gionta would strike again to erase all doubts in the game after backup Brent Johnson and Kris Letang mis-played the puck behind the net. Evgeni Malkin would receive a nice pass from Jay McKee to score his 2nd short-handed goal of the season on a breakaway, but it was too little too late for Pittsburgh, who'd drop the game by the 5-3 score.

The Pesn were outshot 32-21 and outshot-attempted 71-52. They didn't play with much urgency throughout the game and it showed.
The best Penguin of the game was arguably Pascal Dupuis. 1 goal (3 shots on net), +1, 1 blocked shot and 1 takeaway reads his boxscore. That doesn't show the jump he had in his step or the level of play he brought to his normal line with Malkin and Jordan Staal. Dups was one of the few players in white that showed up.
Plekanec and Gionta stole the show, both were the most dangerous players on the ice and did well to not only convert their chances, but also move their legs to create the chances. It was that type of energy that Pittsburgh seemed lacking.
Marc-Andre Fleury got pulled and had a rough outing, how much do you hang on him, how much burden do you put on the team in front of him? Neither one were there when it counted, I'm inclined to give the Stanley Cup winning goalie (who hadn't faced game shots in 4 days) a pass on this one. It's hard to imagine any goalie stealing this game, especially after Montreal bumped, pressured and got in his space.
Speaking of which, the defense didn't do much to get the hard-crashing Canadiens out of Fleury's way. And after the fact that they crowded him, they didn't seem to "police the crease" with much intensity, as a coach may say. That's a little disappointing, considering the top 6 defensemen are healthy. Don't think that Ray Shero didn't notice the lack of the physical performance.
To add on that: the Pens only were credited with 19 hits and only two defensemen (Orpik and Gonchar) showed up on the scoresheet. And those two guys play together. A team doesn't always have to be uber-physical to succeed, but it's unacceptable when the 2nd and 3rd defense pair can't even throw their weight around, especially when your opponent is gamely crashing the net.
Kudos to Bill Guerin to stand up for Malkin when Geno took a high hit from Ryan White. The boys are still sticking together, and any Penguin will fight for any of his brothers when necessary, as has been the case for a while now. The heart isn't the problem, as much as the focused effort was tonight.
Again, taking the broad scope of things, Pittsburgh took 6 out of a possible 8 points from Montreal in this season's series between the two. Do that to every team, and you're in damn good shape. Small consolation at this point, but keeping it in a better perspective, it doesn't seem so bad.

Tough game after a long layoff in this compressed schedule, and now things get dicey. The Penguins are scheduled to play in Washington tomorrow afternoon. Making it tougher than the Caps riding a 13 game winning streak is the travel plans. The Pens are planning to fly from Montreal to Newark, New Jersey (who got some snow themselves) and bussing down to the nation's capital. There's anywhere from 12 to 30 inches on the way -- trust me, I know-- so it's going to be a difficult trip.

It's no excuse for professionals that have first class accommodations, and no excuse will be offered here or from the team if they don't play well tomorrow. As kids you routinely drive hours on end to games and then maybe play 4 or 5 games in two days. No big deal, even if the conditions aren't ideal and the routines won't be normal, there's no excuse. Time to line up and do what you do: play hockey. Hopefully a little better than they did today.

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