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More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

If we learned anything from his days in Ottawa, it's that Dany Heatley likes scoring against Pittsburgh.

[SBNation Sharks Blog - Fear the Fin]

[SBN Cali blog - Battle of California]

I'll admit - I was prepared to concede at least one game on this west coast road trip. Prior to playing the Kings, I was ready to make it this one against the Sharks. Now? Not so much.

I wouldn't necessarily call that outlook pessimistic either. The Kings and Sharks are good, much like Pittsburgh, but are currently not affected by injuries to the same degree in which the Penguins are. That easily gives each team a one up over the Pens, so really coming out of this west coast trip 2-1 is, as far as I'm concerned, a success.

3-1 after the trip to Boston on Tuesday would be even better, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.

On Thursday night the Sharks watched their six-game win streak come to an end in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Red Wings. However, they still haven't lost a game in regulation since the Lightning smacked them around 5-2 back on October 22, so San Jose's point streak is still alive and well. It's no surprise then that San Jose sits atop the Pacific with 24 pts (11-4-2) and are serious contenders with Colorado for the #1 spot in the West.

Unfortunately for Pittsburgh this isn't the first round of the playoffs. In other words, San Jose is still a viable threat. Look no further than the top three for San Jose: Patrick Marleau (11g, 11a), Joe Thornton (4g, 17a) and offseason drama queen Dany Heatley (10g, 8a). And just for the record, Devon Setoguchi and his seven goals should not be taken lightly either. Evgeni Nabokov is once again a force between the pipes, holding down a 10-3-2 record that ties him with Marc-Andre Fleury and LA's Jonathan Quick for second most wins by a goaltender (Colorado's Craig Anderson is first with 11).

Again, this game does not end the road trip, although it will send the Pens back east to wrap up the fourth of four on the road against the Bruins Tuesday night. I'd imagine a stopover in Pittsburgh is on the agenda, but I'm no team secretary so I can hardly confirm that.

Puck and thread drop at 10:35. Come by and hang out for the night.

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Checking up on the kiddos: Part 2 (Defensemen and Goalies)

by Hooks Orpik on Nov 6, 2009 1:13 PM EST in Pittsburgh Penguins Prospects Comment 10 comments

Yesterday we took a look at the forward prospects of the Pittsburgh Penguins and how they're fairing in far flung placs and leagues from colleges to junior teams to lower level professional leagues. Today it's time to turn our attention to the goalie and defensemen and how the early part of their season is going in their quest to make it to the NHL.

Goaltenders

John Curry [undrafted] - Curry is now in his third season with the Baby Pens and so far he's putting up personal highs in save percentage and goals against. While it must have been disappointing to see Pittsburgh go out and sign a veteran in Brent Johnson, Curry's been nothing but solid and reliable whenever he's been called on. Johnson only has a contract for this season, so perhaps this season will be Curry's last at the AHL level.

John Curry	Lge	GP	MIN	W	L	OTL	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton	AHL	8	490	5	2	1	18	2.20	242	224	.926	1

Patrick Killeen [6th round pick, 2008] - Killeen has been the workhorse for Brampton (playing in 15 of the 16 games so far). The team is in last place in their division, but that's probably because they are last in the entire OHL in goals scored. Killeen's not getting much support, but it seems he's doing a decent job keeping them in games.

Patrick Killeen	Lge	GP	MIN	W	L	T/OTL	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
Brampton Battalion	OHL	15	913	6	7	2	44	2.89	431	387	.898	0

The rest of the prospects after the jump..

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Detective work: Is Sidney Crosby hurt too?

by Hooks Orpik on Nov 6, 2009 8:15 AM EST Comment 17 comments

Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby (87) gets his third goal of the game when the puck slides under the pad of Montreal Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak of Slovakia, in the second period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009. The Penguins won 6-1. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

9 days ago: Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby (87) gets his third goal of the game when the puck slides under the pad of Montreal Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak of Slovakia, in the second period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009. The Penguins won 6-1. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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Short answer: at one time yes, no and maybe.

Jonathan Bombulie, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton beat writer, posted something interesting in his blog that has flown under the radar. Remember last week when the Penguins called up Mark Letestu when they called up Chris Conner, right after it was released that Evgeni Malkin and Tyler Kennedy were hurt? Letestu spent a short time with the NHL but then he was promptly (and unceremoniously) sent back to the AHL about one day after being officially recalled.

Here's how Bombulie answered the question of "why" to the whole series of events [emphasis mine]:

First, [Letestu] was scheduled to fly with Chris Conner out of Winnipeg on Thursday but there was only one seat left on the plane, so Letestu had to fly out Friday morning. Second, the reason for Letestu's call-up was an injury involving Sidney Crosby, whose availability Friday in Columbus was in question right up to pre-game warm-ups. Crosby was fine, so Letestu was scratched and eventually headed to Toronto to meet his WBS teammates on Sunday.

Playing less than 100% is nothing new to Crosby -- he went the stretch run of the 2006-07 season (including the playoffs) while playing on a broken foot that wasn't disclosed until the Ottawa Senators eliminated the Penguins. In 2007-08 Crosby wasn't at full strength after a high ankle sprain in January bugged him throughout the course of that season. Then last year in 2008-09, he battled through various minor groin and knee injuries early in the season.

After the Letestu call-up, Crosby got two assists in the game against Columbus. However, if the Pens felt they needed Letestu due to Crosby's status on Thursday Oct 29th, he obviously didn't feel right before that point.

On Wednesday the 28th, Sid recorded a hat trick against the Montreal Canadiens, taking no unusual or memorable incidents that may have caused an injury. The Columbus game, where he was in question, he got two assists. However, in the three games since that time, Sid has zero points. Additionally, he has nine total shots on goal in the past four games, whereas he recorded a personal season high of nine shots in the Montreal game.

Much like Malkin didn't seem himself before the team pulled the plug on him, Crosby hasn't really "seemed himself" either these past few games. While he still seems to have good speed and acceleration, aspects of his game -- such as just seven assists in 15 games this season -- is low. Throw out that Montreal hat-trick and he only has two goals in the past ten games, also not usual production.

At the same time, the coaches and trainers advised Malkin to take a couple weeks off to get to 100%. If Crosby were actually injured, it's hard not to imagine that they would do the exact same for the other face of the franchise in #87. The timing would be terrible, there's no doubt Pittsburgh would struggle even more without Crosby and Malkin, but it's only October and now November. Stanley Cups and long playoff runs aren't made this time of year. Keeping your best players fresh and looking out for their long term best interests are more important.

If you were wondering, Crosby felt fine enough (or was so uptight about being taken into the boards awkardly) that he fought Minnesota's Marek Zidlicky on Saturday Oct 31, a couple days after his status was in question.

So is Sidney Crosby injured? Maybe, but obviously not badly enough to miss time. Crosby is a fierce competitor, and like Malkin he probably wouldn't voluntarily sit out for a minor nagging injury. But there's no reason to play him this time of year, if he's uncapable. One thing is for sure, Pittsburgh brass felt enough uncertainty to leave an option open with Mark Letestu. Enough uncertainty to pull Letestu on a cross-continent flight away from a team that could have used him, too.

Where there's smoke, there's not always fire; but this is worth watching, especially given Crosby's recent drought from the scoresheet. Perhaps this was an isolated incident that has long passed. But at this point, you never know. The only thing for sure is that Crosby is still in the lineup. Also, Pittsburgh demoted Letestu and with Kennedy's problems, they only currently have 12 forwards (including Crosby), which would seem to indicate there's no question on Crosby's availability.

There's hasn't been much reported on this, and a guy like Sidney Crosby doesn't often avoid the media microscope, which leads one to believe any possible injury probably isn't as serious as this detective work.

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King Anze and Los Angeles take down Pittsburgh 5-2

by Hooks Orpik on Nov 6, 2009 1:47 AM EST in Game Recaps Comment 10 comments

Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11), of Slovenia, and Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick (32) keep Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Bill Guerin (13) from scoring during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

1 day ago: Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11), of Slovenia, and Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick (32) keep Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Bill Guerin (13) from scoring during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)

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Penguins vs Kings coverage - Penguins vs Kings boxscore

Coming into the game, the Los Angeles Kings were a buzzsaw. 5-0-2 in their last seven; and after tonight they've scored 5+ goals in five of the last seven games. They showed why, with superior zone time, cycling, shots on goal. Usually all the aspects the Penguins outmatch others, that's what LA did to them tonight, and they pulled away late in the third period to get a deserving result, a 5-2 victory.

Right off the bat in the first period, the Kings collected a puck in their zone and rushed it up the ice, Justin Williams crissed, Anze Kopitar crossed and Kris Letang was somewhere in the middle. That's not a good equation. Kopitar showed the skill that's why he's currently the league's leading scorer when he stepped up, smoothly went to the backhand and beat Marc-Andre Fleury cleanly for a goal.

The next shift the Penguins put Jordan Staal out with Chris Conner and Matt Cooke. On a breakout Jay McKee (of all people) ended up driving towards the net. Conner dropped the puck to Staal who slapped it to the net. It found paydirt 1-1.

The very fact a defensive defenseman like McKee finds himself in the position to be a little ahead of the play and ends up driving to the net just shows how much the entire team has bought into the system that Dan Bylsma wants them to play. When Jay McKee is your lead force center driving the net and a guy like Jordan Staal knows to pull up, everyone's clicking, everyone's on the same page. In a nutshell that's why Pittsburgh's had so much success since Bylsma took over.

In the second period Brooks Orpik took a shot that Chris Kunitz and Sidney Crosby waived their sticks at. Kunitz got a piece and it was enough to beat Jonathan Quick. IT was 2-1 Pens after two, despite being out-shot and generally out-played they took a lead into the second intermission. It wouldn't last though.

In the third Kopitar would tie it. He beat Crosby on a faceoff and found Williams for a shot. The shot found Kopitar behind the net (as the puck always seems to find the good ones) and he popped out for the easy stuff in to tie the game at 2.

Following a real sloppy power-play by the Pens (what else is new recently), Dustin Brown made a great pass to Jarret Stoll and he buried it. 3-2 Kings. The very next shift the Kings kept the pressure up, Craig Adams was no match for Alexander Frolov and he fired a pass out that bounced around and Michal Handzus got the goal, with Wayne Simmonds right there to get it too. 4-2 Kings just like that.

And in the "piling it on" folder, the Kings got zone time, they cycled well and drew a penalty. With the extra man they got some great passes, caught the Pens running around and Stoll made a great pass to Dustin Brown for an easy slam dunker. 5-2 Kings.

The goalies really settled down after two goalies in the first 1:10 of gameplay, for a while at least. Fleury stopped the next 24 shots, and the only way the Pens beat Quick was a deflection out front. MAF got victimized in a flurry in the 3rd, but let's absolve him because the Kings applied a lot of pressure and outworked a lot of Pittsburgh players to get their goals.
It's not even that Kopitar scored his two goals: the way he did it was almost effortless and very skillful. If he played in the eastern time zone he'd be one of the most hyped players in the game. He's definitely one of those guys like a Rick Nash or Ilya Kovalchuk that is worth watching any chance you get. A supremely talented player and Kopitar put on one of the best performances tonight that I've seen all season.
It should be noted that Kris Letang played 24:49, and though Kopitar made him look foolish twice, he escaped with an even plus/minus rating. Fellow youngster Alex Goligoski logged 21:32 of ice-time and was a +1.
Not to say the usually solid four more defensive defenseman (Jay McKee, Brooks Orpik, Martin Skoula and Mark Eaton) deserve all the blame; but that foursome combined to have a plus/minus rating of -7 (all were negatives except McKee). Pittsburgh's not going to win many games under those circumstances, especially with the power-play not clicking.
Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin combined for 10 of the Pens total of 23 shots on goal. Guerin got a couple wonderful feeds but couldn't convert (including one that hit Quick's pad and then the post). Can't knock those two for a lack of effort, but the results generally just haven't paid dividends.
Matt Cooke, Pascal Dupuis and Ruslan Fedotenko -- three veteran wingers all relied on for contributions didn't fare as well. That trio combined for almost 47 minutes of ice-time but only got one shot on goal (Fedotenko's) and weren't dangerous. They were flat out overmatched by their counter-parts in guys like Stoll, Brown and Frolov.
Tough night for Craig Adams too. While he registered a game high 8 hits (including one on Matt Greene that dislodged the glass), Adams was a -3 and lost 9 of 12 faceoffs.
As far as diminutive forwards with the first name of Chris go: Conner > Bourque. Maybe it's because Conner's two years older, maybe it's because he's got 54 more NHL games, but whatever the reason, Conner seems more poised, a better skater and makes better decisions with the puck.

Overall, no excuses, the Kings worked very hard, played a superior game, got some solid goaltending and deserved the win. They displayed all the usual tenets of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, but did so with better skill and execution from top to bottom. One can't help but wonder what the outcome would have been if Pittsburgh was fortunate enough to have their four key injured players (Malkin, Gonchar, Kennedy, Talbot) but let that take nothing away from the display LA put on. Sure would be nice to see a seven game series between these two teams, but that is a long ways away.

Pittsburgh's franchise best of seven straight road wins to open a season is now history, but they still have a big chance to have a winning west coast road trip if they get the result in San Jose on Saturday. The Sharks are no easy task, so time to put this one behind us and move north in California to see what can happen.

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Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Los Angeles Kings [Open Thread]

by Lavender on Nov 5, 2009 10:11 PM EST in Game Open Threads Comment 276 comments

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs. LOS ANGELES KINGS

IN ANAHEIM @ 10:30pm ET

RADIO FEED ON WXDX.com

PSEUDO-KINGS BLOG: BATTLE OF CALIFORNIA, FROZEN ROYALTY

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Checking up on the kiddos: Penguins Prospect update

by Hooks Orpik on Nov 5, 2009 2:17 PM EST in Pittsburgh Penguins Prospects Comment 9 comments

A couple weeks into the season, now's as good a time as any to check up on how the Penguins of tomorrow are doing. This is a feature I like to do from time to time, so let's see how the young bucks are doing. Today we'll look at the forwards, and tomorrow will be time for the defensemen and the goalies.

Andy Bathgate [5th round pick, 2009] - the famous namesake of his grandfather is in his second full year in the OHL, playing on a bottom dwelling Belleville team. So far it's been rough.

Andy Bathgate	Lge	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG	PCT
Belleville Bulls	OHL	19	1	6	7	-12	4	-	-	-	-	-

Luca Caputi [4th round pick, 2007]- Caputi, a big time prospect for almost three seasons now, continues to grow in Wilkes-Barre. He's second on the team in goals, and third in penalty minutes. That's what you want out of a power forward, isn't it?

Luca Caputi	Lge	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG	PCT
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton	AHL	10	4	2	6	-2	23	2	-	-	31	12.9

The rest of the young forwards after the jump..

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SBN Power Rankings - Penguins 1st in East, 1st overall

Like I said on the rankings page, atop the rankings while fighting through games without Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar and Tyler Kennedy is a scary thought.

1 day ago FrankD 0 comments 0 recs

Let's take a look at the Los Angeles Kings

by FrankD on Nov 5, 2009 7:15 AM EST in 2009-10 game previews Comment 9 comments

More photos » by Danny Moloshok - AP

Apparently this is how the Kings enter the ice. I get it.

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SBN Cali blog - Battle of California

Frozen Royalty

Game two of Pittsburgh's west coast road trip brings them to the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Kahleefawnya for yet another late game (for most of us at least).

The 9-4-2 Kings are off to a surprisingly good start - good enough to pin them at fourth in the West and just three points behind San Jose in the Pacific.

And hey, just one game after Sidney Crosby did his best Rob Scuderi impression the Pens now go up against the man, myth and legend himself. Of course, Scuds did find himself in an interesting situation a little over a week ago when he landed a textbook hipcheck on Columbus's Jason Chimera. If you look at the hit for yourself (video link), you'll see that it's not so much a dirty hit as it is just a perfect display of what has always been a hit style surrounded by controversy. Was it low? Did he take out the knees? It doesn't really matter at this point. We all know Scuderi from his years in Pittsburgh and no one would say the guy is a goon. Nonetheless, Chimera would be fine and Scuderi would be fined. No suspension.

Jonathan Quick is the guy you'll see in net for the Kings. He's been in net for all Kings games, except one loss, (quick math: making him 9-3-2) and is 3-0-2 in his last five. This might be worth keeping on file: In LA's two shootouts (SJ on 10/28, Van on 10/29) Quick has yet to come up with a W. Compare that to Fleury and Johnson, each 2-0 in the shootout this season.

Other names you want to keep an eye on: NHL point-leader Anze Kopitar (11g, 13a), Ryan Smith (8g, 9a), Dustin Brown (4g, 9a) and Drew Doughty (3g, 10a).

Last season the Pens beat the Kings 4-1 in the only regular season matchup between the two.

Puck and thread drop at 10:30. Be there.

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