Penguins postmortem: Maple Leafs win 7-3

by FrankD on Dec 20, 2008 10:08 PM EST in Game Recaps

Go to Pension Plan Puppets if you want to see Leafs fans gloat.

Did the Pittsburgh Penguins show up to play tonight? I know I saw two teams out there on the ice, but I'm pretty sure only one came to play.

Coming off what some (me) deemed a rally win over the Atlanta Thrashers Thursday night, I was pretty convinced the Penguins were ready to kick off some sort of turnaround to what we can only gently deem a weak start to a new month of hockey. That wasn't the case tonight. The Penguins played like minor leaguers tonight. No heart, no passion and no obvious desire to win.

Trust me, I could find better words and phrases to describe tonight's debacle but I pride a moderate sense of ethics here at Pensburgh.

Speaking of ethics...

Andre Deveaux. When your team has a four goal lead, you back down from a challenge and try to find some sanctity in drawing a penalty? Honor the code. Not to mention you finally decided to throw down later in the game long after Eric Godard is sent off the ice for a game misconduct (same four goal lead I might add) and pick a fight with one of the Penguins' lesser known lightweights? Give me a break. I hope Godard adjusts your jaw on January 31.

Consider this: the Leafs nearly doubled the Pens' shots 40 to 23. Whenever a team is on the receiving end of a ratio like that and can't respond in kind it's going to spell disaster.

On the dimly lit side of things, at least this wasn't a shutout. Marc-Andre Fleury was on the receiving end of some bad bounces tonight. I can clap it up for the Leafs' ability to form some screens in front, something I can similarly point fingers at the Pens' defense for, but all in all this loss wasn't Fleury's fault. Very poor team effort as a whole.

The good: Sykora found the net twice, once on the only PPG of the night. But whatever.

The bad: Bad luck has struck once again

The ugly: The Pittsburgh Penguins

The worthless: Andre Deveaux

Next game: Monday. Sabres. 7:00.

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deveaux...

tried to back off on Fedotenko, and let him get two shots in before he did anything.

if you can’t afford the penalty, don’t take it. Deveaux knew what kind of firepower you guys have on the bench. he was smart enough to not try and give it an opportunity to catch up.

sorry. that’s what happened. as far as “the code” goes, WTF is Godard doing trying to start a fight with Jason Blake…?

"You do dat, you go to da box, you know, uh, two minutes by yourself, and you feel shame, you know, and then you get free."
The Left Coast Lock

by blurr1974 on Dec 20, 2008 10:14 PM EST reply actions

Yeah I kinda agree with Godard on Blake, but at that point he was just looking to get under Deveaux’s skin (or anyone else willing to fight) more than Blake’s.

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by FrankD on Dec 21, 2008 12:36 AM EST up reply actions

I wasn’t that impressed with Deveaux either – then again I was even more unimpressed with Godard. I certainly wasn’t sad to see him sent off with the game misconduct, and that’s an unfortunate thing to be saying about your team. That Jason Blake penalty was just bad – and really unnecessary. He wasn’t getting the team fired up at that point, he was just hindering them even more.

Crosby’s penalty was pretty undisciplined too, he’s taken a few of those this season – not good. Malkin and the giveaways, also not so good, especially the one that ended up in the back of the net. All around bad showing tonight.

It’s even worse because Philly, NJ and the Rangers are all playing pretty well right now. The Pens need to get going if they want to stay competitive in their own division.

by Dayna on Dec 21, 2008 12:25 AM EST reply actions

Crosby is really letting his emotions dictate his action lately. I thought it was just me, but I guess it seems to be a commonality amongst fans this season. Maybe we’ve just become accustomed to seeing him whine more than retaliate, but I’d rather he just bite his lip and skate back to the bench.

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by FrankD on Dec 21, 2008 12:37 AM EST up reply actions

Don Cherry was going off on Deveaux! Plus he had a nativity scene tie and said he wanted to remind everyone that Christmas was baby jesus’ birthday. Odd to hear a guy say that in one breath and basically call Deveaux a bitch in the next.

Goddard was kinda stupid though. It was pretty obvious to me that Deveaux was going to bitch out. There’s a point he’s just got to realize that.

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by JasonB on Dec 21, 2008 12:28 AM EST reply actions

I didn’t catch what Cherry said about him. Care to fill me in?

As for his tie and such – yeah. he’s just obnoxious. I mean, religious affiliation aside, just talk hockey. Every year he reminds fans that Christmas is baby Jesus’ birthday. Thanks Don.

Godard’s penalties were aggravating and I wouldn’t be surprised if Michel Therrien gives him a scratch next game. Maybe call on Cooke to pick up some minutes in the ring or perhaps even Bissonnette. Either way, letting him get away with a slap on the wrists isn’t going to solve this one.

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by FrankD on Dec 21, 2008 12:39 AM EST up reply actions