Sidney Crosby and Brooks Orpik lead the Pens past the Maple Leafs 5-4 (SO)
by Hooks Orpik on Mar 28, 2010 10:04 PM EDT
in Game Recaps
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Pensburgh sign behind the bench, to coach Dan Bylsma's left. Not enough thanks can go to commenter Pensareyourdaddy (and Cari for the screengrab)
Back and forth game today, unusual from it's starting time (5:00) to the number of swings in who was winning (7) to the ending (shootout). The Pittsburgh Penguins out-paced the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 in the long run, by virtue of a bounce-back shootout performance by Marc-Andre Fleury.
The game started out rough for the Pens, they yielded two of the first three goals, including one that enforcer Colton Orr chopped in a goal from point blank. Sidney Crosby got the Pens back into things with two second period goals (to pass you-know-who for the current league lead with 47) to give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead. Carl Gunnarsson would bring Toronto right back into the game before the period ended.
In the third, Toronto again pushed a lead this time on a Tyler Bozak PP goal. Power play goals have been rare for the Maple Leafs, who've been in as much of a rut as the Pens have been for preventing them. It would take until three minutes left before Matt Cooke deflected in a Jordan Leopold shot to tie the game.
Shootout time Crosby scored, Fleury stopped and surprise 3rd shooter Pascal Dupuis ended the game.
- Luca Caputi returned to dear old Pittsburgh where he played 6 games in front of the Igloo fans wearing enemy colors. Caputi didn't stand out too much, 15:13 played, one shot on goal.
- Crosby now not only leads the league in goals (for the moment, anyways), but he's also currently #1 in shootout goals. That's first tie-braker for the Richard award if it ends in a tie, right? Just kidding. Kinda.
- Just sayin, part 2: Alex Goligoski and Kris Letang play a combined 9:15 on the PP, with a combined 0 points. Brooks Orpik, 3 assists on the day.
- It wasn't for a lack of trying, Letang led the whole game with nine shots on goal, Goligoski and Letang were 1 and 2 on the team for ice-time, both blocked three shots.
- Crosby took an amazing 49% of all the Penguins faceoffs today. Won 54% of them too. The team is leaning, heavily, on #87 and it's only bound to continue.
- Tyler Kennedy, the flurry of activity: 1 goal, on ice for two goals for (none against), 3 shots, 5 hits. All in only 13:34 of playing time. What's it take for him to get another shift or two?
- A dollar for every time an announcer says that Craig Adams is getting close to scoring a goal. Adams doesn't have the luck, but he's working hard and getting some chances. The blind squirrel has to find a nut sooner or later, right? Calling it now: Craig Adams scores a goal of importance during the playoffs.
- Along with Caputi; Bozak, Gunnarson, Nikolai Kulemin and Viktor Stalberg gives the Maple Leafs some really good young forwards. Once they get experience, they'll be a team to watch in the near future.
Today's win, coupled with the Devils losing 5-1 at home to Philly, gives the Pens an increased chance of winning the Atlantic. Of current, Pittsburgh is two points up on NJ, but the Devils have a game in hand (and all the tie-breakers), so it's definitely anybody's division with now just 6 or 7 games left. The Pens now get two days off, hopefully to return one of (if not both) Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar to the lineup.
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Just had a chance to catch up on the game. Huge day for Sid. Also nice to see a goal from TK in there as well. I think come playoff time we can really expect a lot from him. I believe he’s been playing more injured than his play would lead on for a while and is finally starting to come around from the bangs and bruises from earlier in the year.
Also, another huge thanks to PensAreYourDaddy for the signage, and also Cari for the screen cap. If you keep this up we may need to start talking to graphics peeps to get some logos or something made up for behind the bench. Or even for distro during the playoffs. Thanks again.
I’d also like to take this time to express how much I hate Hooks and his stupid fantasy hockey team in the Mirtle League. I hate Brian Elliott too, but not as much as I hate Hooks.
The End
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.
You’re the Flyers to my Penguins, Frank. Suck it.
Wayne Gretzky had it wrong: 100% of the shots Gary Roberts doesn't take DO go in.
by Hooks Orpik on Mar 29, 2010 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
i have literally no idea what is going on here, but it makes me laugh. that is all.
by katielynn906 on Mar 29, 2010 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Fantasy hockey, my team played Frank’s team and whooped that ass!
Wayne Gretzky had it wrong: 100% of the shots Gary Roberts doesn't take DO go in.
by Hooks Orpik on Mar 29, 2010 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions
I wish we could archive that post or something…classic.
+1 rec
Pensburgh.com
Hockey belongs to the Cartoon Network, where a person can be pancaked by
an ACME anvil, then expanded – accordion-style – back to full stature, without
any lasting side effect.
- Steve Rushin
by Hockey Beard in SLC on Mar 29, 2010 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions
yea were in the playoffs but i mean come on this is sad we get swept by new jersey and now barely a win agaisnt toronto come on boys CLEAN UP YOUR ACT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Toronto has been good after the deadline
I wouldn’t hold it against a depleted Pens team. They won.
Quite frankly, I haven’t missed Gonchar’s sloppy defensive efforts these past couple games. On the PP though he is definitely missed. Quite a dilemma.
And, for the second straight game recap, I agree with you completely. It’s sad, but true about Gonch…what’s happened to his defense this year? How about Orpik though? 3 ass?! Way to go, man. As I said in the game thread, best D man this year.
You know, they played much better yesterday, but this game was 10 times as entertaining.
TK was buzzing in this game; as Errey would say, “Absolutely flyin’ out there!” Sid had another great game…does he get to 50 though? I think he has to to get the Rocket. Also, with the way he’s been splitting the D lately, you just know he’s going to get one of those goals like he did in his first two years.
I also liked that Poni got 17 minutes to Billy G’s 13 today (it was flipped yesterday) and Duper got a chance in the shootout…the coaching staff made good adjustments on those to aspects.
Oh and so much awesomeness on the sign =]
I've told [a 9 months pregnant] Nathalie that she can't have the baby on a game night. I'm not missing a playoff game. -Mario Lemieux in 1993
by PensFan8725 on Mar 28, 2010 11:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Re. Caputi: He was even, with no points, but he had at least a few shifts where his line managed to keep the Pens hemmed in pretty well. And he seemed to be out against Crosby more than once. I’m not saying he was superfantastic or anything, but he played more like an NHL-er and less like a minor-leaguer, which was nice to see.
Also, maybe we’re tired of saying it by now, but I thought the Pens PK looked great again today. Yes, they gave up a goal, but still … I like ’em!
It’s been nice seeing Caputi make that jump fairly smoothly…
The PP goal was cheap. Even though, it was a PP goal.
I've told [a 9 months pregnant] Nathalie that she can't have the baby on a game night. I'm not missing a playoff game. -Mario Lemieux in 1993
by PensFan8725 on Mar 28, 2010 11:18 PM EDT up reply actions
From an outsider’s standpoint, I’m curious to hear how Penguins fans feel about how heavily Pittsburgh has come to rely upon Sidney Crosby to win. Watching last night’s game, I felt if it were not for the efforts of Crosby and some timely saves by Marc-Andre Fleury, the Penguins probably would not have won that game. While it is true that other Penguins, such as Brooks Orpik, played well last night, in my opinion Crosby was the driving force that propelled the Penguins to victory, scoring twice in regulation and again in the shootout and playing the more minutes than any other Penguin aside from Alex Goligoski (who clocked in at a whopping 25:25).
While it is true that with Sergei Gonchar and Evgeni Malkin out due to injury the Penguins are missing two of their key offensive players from their line-up, Gonchar has been in a bit of a defensive slump lately when he has played, and, when compared to past seasons, Malkin has just been slumping, period. If either or both had dressed for this game, it is difficult to say whether or not their presence would have had a positive impact considering their play of late. The Penguins have always struck me as a rather well-balanced team offensively, but watching them last night, it would almost appear that as Sidney Crosby went, so too would go the Penguins, which could be cause for concern so close to the playoffs.
It can be a concern, but in 5 years Sid suffered only one major injury and that was a very unlucky fall into the boards, so him being out is not likely, also: only one team ever has managed to shutdown Sid and they had to play 4 top defensive players against them all the timein order to do so.
And then their is the fact that we can use this to the Sid haters who say that he is not the best layer on his own team let alone the league: He is the most imoprtant/skilled/driven player on this team and in the league, well, the debate shall continue for years, but he is at least equal to AO.
That said, we do need gonch and geno to play very well if we want to make another deep run into the playoffs
There is a knack to flying: it's learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
by Sid the captain on Mar 29, 2010 7:18 AM EDT up reply actions
Ehh
TK didn’t get much ice time but he had a really big impact. Dupuis has been playing like a top six forward for awhile. Plus, even with Malkin slumping, he is still Malkin. Hell, even if he plays half as good as his standard, he is still a top six forward. Add in Staal and his defense, the Pens are set.
I hope when Malkin comes back they role with these lines
Poni-Crosby-Duppers
Kunitz-Malkin-Billy G
Cooke-Staal-TK
Adams-Crosby/Malkin/Staal-Rupp
There are games where I wish that “as Crosby went, so too would go the Penguins” — sometimes he is the only one who shows up and it’s not enough. Crosby is so driven, hard-working, and consistent that if our team truly depends on his efforts, we’re in good shape.
Also, Jordan Staal is a very important player. If he stopped doing what he does we would be in huge trouble, no matter what Crosby does that night. Goals from players like Staal and Dupuis have helped us to win on nights when Crosby doesn’t score.
I agree with the other replies, but would also point out that Malkin is not far removed from a 13-game scoring streak. We should not underestimate Malkin’s impact to the team, whether he is scoring or not. Just look at the fact that until Sunday, Sid had not scored a goal without Geno in the lineup. Having another superstar out there, even if he is on another line, obviously affects the way the opponent can approach trying to stop your number 1 guy, not to mention the opportunities that might be created for the rest of the team if Geno is out there taking up so much of the defensive focus.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Mar 29, 2010 11:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Game photos are available
See pics like the one below and many more over in my game photos fanpost, now available on dvd and blu-ray.
.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Mar 30, 2010 3:49 AM EDT reply actions
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