Another game, another workman-like effort and another win for the Pittsburgh Penguins. They're up to 4-0 on the road off the latest result against Ottawa. All summer long we heard "hangover this", "not enough rest and time off" that, but the players haven't seemed to notice or let that bother them much at all. Pittsburgh's been business-like this year; effort in, wins out. So far it's worked.
- On a night where the two big boys didn't find the scoresheet, the 3rd line produced. Tyler Kennedy's two goal effort was another big night (another game winner too) and Jordan Staal iced the game with a goal in the third period.
- Three goals in as many games for Staal now, they're using him in his traditional center role, but also picking and choosing spots to get him up on Evgeni Malkin's line. Staal got a shift with Malkin and Sidney Crosby on the powerplay too, gotta find a way to get the big guy some minutes and Pittsburgh is using him more fluidly than in year's past. With good reason, as the results have been there.
- If we lived in ancient Greek times, a poet might write a diddy about Kennedy's slapper from just inside the blueline that smoked Pascal Leclaire. Instead TK only gets a couple pixels on some blogs, such is the times.
- Marc-Andre Fleury was again rock solid with 30 saves on 31 shots. 9 of the shots came off the old Shark sticks of Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo, Fleury only saw three total shots off of the Sens top gunners of Daniel Alfredsson, Alexei Kovalev and Jason Spezza.
- Solid night for the raccoon-eyed Craig Adams: 2 assists, +3, 3 blocked shots and 4 hits in 13:17 of work for Adams. His brothers-in-black-eyes (Michael Rupp and Eric Godard) had good nights too with Rupp picking up an assist and 2 hits. And Godard, well he played.
- Bad night for the powerplays units on both sides -- or a good night for the penalty kills if you're a "glass half full" type of person. Pittsburgh went 0 for 4 with the man advantage and Ottawa faired even worse going 0-5 including, an extended two man advantage. Better believe coaches are going to go to the video to pin-point missed chances and blown opportunities on both meeting rooms tomorrow.
- In what's becoming a trend, the Pens are answering goals against them quickly. The very next shift after Michalek opened the scoring, Bill Guerin drove the net, collected his own rebound and buried it while falling to the ice. That seemed to take a lot of wind out of the sails of the Ottawa players and crowd, who never really got back into the game again.
Ottawa looked out of sync and never found a rhythm, their own off night or a product of the Penguins frustrating them and making them look bad? As always, it's probably a combination of both. Anytime you go on the road and play a solid road game and take the two points away, it's a good night. Pittsburgh played strong again, bumping their record to an impressive 5-1-0. Another day, another dollar for all-business Pittsburgh Penguins.
The show moves on the road to Carolina on Wednesday, a team that's surely not forgotten about getting swept in the Eastern Conference finals last spring.