Pittsburgh Penguins

I borrowed (slightly altered) the title from Terry Pratchett. If you got the reference, kudos to you. But I figured it was a good time to break down the current state of the lower leagues as they battle through their post-seasons. As you may well be aware, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are currently enmeshed in an uphill battle in Round 2 of the AHL playoffs. In Round 1, we manged to beat the Binghamton Senators in a 3-game sweep. The rest of the Eastern Conference was a hard fought battle, and we didn't find out who our 2nd Round opponent would be until 2 days before the next series began, though it gave our guys a week long break. The 2nd Round against the Providence Bruins started out really bad with 2 away games, losing Game 1 8-5 and losing Game 2 4-2, with Jeff Zatkoff giving up 12 goals in just 4 periods of hockey. Remember, this is the same Zatkoff that finished the season with the league's best GAA and won the Best Goaltending Duo award. Brad Thiessen took over in the 2nd period of Game 2 and held them scoreless for the remainder, but the team was unable to bounce back and Zatkoff notched another L. Game 3 rolled around, back home in WBS, and they chose to go with Thiessen. He played well enough, but the game went back and forth all night, with the score tied 1-1 after 60. Unfortunately, a tricky goal mere seconds into OT and the Pens lost 2-1, trailing the series 3 games to none. At this point, winning the round became nearly impossible, but they were not willing to call it quits yet. But the final two home games, the Pens bounced back, and they bounced back hard. Game 4 last night the Pens walked away winning 3-1, and then kicked it up a notch and won Game 5 tonight 4-0. They head back to Providence to finish the series with Game 6 on Monday and hopefully Game 7 on Wednesday. The odds are certainly against them, very few teams have ever accomplished a comeback when trailing the series 3 games to none: 1942 Maple Leafs over Red Wings, 1975 Islanders over Penguins, and 2010 Flyers over Bruins in the NHL and 2004 Red Sox over Yankees in the MLB. So far Thiessen is the star of the series, only allowing 3 Goals in 11 periods of play and stopping 97 of 100 Shots, giving him a 0.82 GAA and a .970 Save % so far, with 2 Wins (1 Shutout) and 1 Over Time Loss. Add in his Game 3 victory in the 1st round of the playoffs, and Thiessen currently leads all AHL playoff goalies with a 1.08 GAA and a .959 Save %. If anybody can manage a miraculous comeback to take the series, it is him. Unfortunately, he can be a bit streaky. When he is on his game, he is one of the best goalies in the AHL (as shown 2 seasons ago when he made the All-Star team and walked away with awards as both the AHL's Top Goaltender and the AHL's Best Goaltending Duo). But when he is off his game, he struggles, as he did last year. Even during the regular season, he was on fire in January, winning Goaltender of the Month, but at other points in the season struggled and finished with fairly average stats. Even last year in the NHL he was up and down, with two great performances followed by a sub-par performance and then an awful one (3 W, 1 L), finishing strong by allowing no goals in his final showing relieving Fleury to finish a 3rd period. So lets hope his hot streak can hold out for the next 2 games, and the Pens can do what few teams have ever been able to accomplish and move on to the 3rd Round. Of the skaters, currently Chad Kolarik leads the team with 4 Goals, while Brian Gibbons, Riley Holzapfel, Paul Thompson, and Warren Peters (Alternate Captain) have 3 Goals each. Next is Chris Collins with 2 Goals in 7 Games and then Trevor Smith (Alternate Captain) with 2 Goals in 8 Games. Finally is Brian Dumoulin (the lone D goal scorer), Jayson Megna, Zach Sill, and Adam Payerl. Kolarik, Gibbons, Holzapfel, and Smith lead the team with 7 Points, followed by Thompson and Joey Mormina (#1 D and team Captain) with 6 Points. Dumoulin comes next wi

This is a pretty huge deal for the Ottawa Senators. Jason Spezza will be back for game three. From the Montreal Gazette: It might be a lot to ask, but the Ottawa Senators are hopeful Jason Spezza will be just what they need to get back into their playoff series with Pittsburgh. Spezza, who hasn't played since January 27 after undergoing back surgery for a herniated disc, will draw into Ottawa's lineup Sunday for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series that the Penguins lead 2-0. "I'm excited to have a chance to play again," said Spezza. "I feel ready to play." The 29-year-old will immediately add depth to a struggling offence and power play. Spezza could drastically improve the Senators' fortunes.

Because Benstonium is the best:

In Game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Washington Capitals, both Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin dueled like titans while netting hat tricks. The game was heralded like a Broadway show featuring two blazing stars, unmatched by their peers. Four years later, we're back in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals in Game 2 against the Ottawa Senators and Crosby puts on another clinic that also resulted in a hat trick, though this time, he was alone. As it should be. Crosby became the fifth fastest player to reach 100 playoff points which he did in 75 games. Just when you think Crosby couldn't etch his names on anymore lists, he finds another way to show just how supernatural his talents are. No matter how many captains Ray Shero will bring to the Pens, Crosby's work ethic and determination to be the best player in the NHL is what makes him this team's undeniable leader. If the Pens can follow his lead, they will enter the Promised Land. A 60-minute dominant effort, this was not, but the Pens held on to take their first 2-0 series lead since Evgeni Malkin terrorized Cam Ward in 2009. When you look back, it's amazing what a hot goalie and poorly-timed injuries can do to a talented team in the playoffs. While the Pens are looking okay on the injury front (more on that later), they're far too stacked offensively to be stymied by a hot goalie this year. Instead, the concern should stem from the happenings behind the blue line. I've been very vocal about my support for Tomas Vokoun and how much he's meant to the team, but I have to wonder how much longer he'll remain the starter. I don't think there's any doubt that his services were absolutely necessary when Marc-Andre Fleury was faltering, but can Vokoun really be the Pens' "guy" for the remainder of the playoffs (however long that is)? I'm not sure, but I'm not as confident as I was after seeing him in Game 5 against the Islanders. Friday night, Vokoun made some spectacular saves, possibly game-changers, in the second period. At the same time, he was pretty ordinary in allowing three goals in 22 shots. How many of those goals were his fault? I feel that can be argued all night, but the Pens need to tread carefully if the cracks in Vokoun's game start to show. For the record, I don't think his time is up yet, but if the Pens are going to remain consistent with keeping their goaltenders on a short leash, who knows what could trigger Bylsma to pull the hook. However, if I'm going to criticize Vokoun, then I need to spread the love to Deryk Engelland who would've been more effective as a no show. I understand why Bylsma turned to Engelland for this physical match up, but not only was he on the ice for both of the Sens' even-strength goals with less than nine minutes of total ice time, but he didn't even register a hit. If your physical play is what's getting you a spot on the roster, then that side of your game should be present at some point. I say bring Mark Eaton back. While we're discussing poor showings from defensemen, I can't help but feel bad for Erik Karlsson. Clearly he isn't fully recovered from his injury and it's glaringly obvious. He must be feeling the pressure as the reigning Norris Trophy winner and playing only 15:37 has to be a blow to his ego, despite his Achilles probably thanking him. It's incidents like this where you question just how important it is to dress a player who isn't fully healthy. People talk about how Crosby at 50% is better than most players who are 100% healthy, but can you say that for many other players? On top of that, is it worth potentially making an injury even worse? Just some things to consider. Another player who seems to be battling an injury is James Neal. Only a goal and two assists in the playoffs, it's safe to say Neal has hit a wall. He sustained an ankle injury during Game 1 against the Islanders, missed the following two games, and hasn't been the same since. With just under two minutes remaining in the

The Penguins did everything they needed to do in this game. They didn't get great goaltending from Tomas Vokoun, but they got timely goaltending with Vokoun making two huge saves late in the second period. Crosby scored three goals, Brenden Morrow gets credit with the game winner. The Pens are now up 2-0 in the series as it shifts to Ottawa on Sunday night at 7:30. Recap later. If you missed them here are the gifs of Crosby's first and third goals.

Crosby's third goal was a lazer. Troy Crosby was like..."meh."

So much speed. This gave the Pens a 1-0 lead.

The head of Peta probably threw up on himself. If you view this video as just two strange bros killing Penguins in the front yard, it actually makes it funnier than the video's orginal intention.

How much would you pay to re-sign Dupuis? This seems to be a question that comes up between my friends, family, and me. His production is at an all time high with his 38 points in a shortened season (20g, 18a), and 8 points this postseason (league best 6 goals). Not to mention last season total of 59 points (25g, 34a), so the reason why i am so weary of signing him is his age. He is 34 which i understand is not Jager old, but for about 75% of the players in the league he is near the end. Its hard for me to want to spend big money on him because well how good will he be when his speed is gone? I am not saying that his only asset is his speed, but can his game survive without it? I love Duper he is a great part of the team and has been consistant and deserves to get a pay raise, but at what cost are we willing to keep him? Is he worth say 3 to 3.5 million now? In my opinion yes he is at this very moment, but the question is would he be worth that 3 or 5 years from now? I am just wandering what everyone else's opinion might be? How much would you pay to re-sign Dupuis? This seems to be a question that comes up between my friends, family, and me. His production is at an all time high with his 38 points in a shortened season (20g, 18a), and 8 points this postseason (league best 6 goals). Not to mention last season total of 59 points (25g, 34a), so the reason why i am so weary of signing him is his age. He is 34 which i understand is not Jager old, but for about 75% of the players in the league he is near the end. Its hard for me to want to spend big money on him because well how good will he be when his speed is gone? I am not saying that his only asset is his speed, but can his game survive without it? I love Duper he is a great part of the team and has been consistant and deserves to get a pay raise, but at what cost are we willing to keep him? Is he worth say 3 to 3.5 million now? In my opinion yes he is at this very moment, but the question is would he be worth that 3 or 5 years from now? I am just wandering what everyone else's opinion might be?

You could hear the rumbles from Penguins fans and media yesterday after they saw the lines in practice. Chris Kunitz, as habit has been, was bumped from the Evgeni Malkin / James Neal pair back up to his other “usual” line with Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis. Jarome Iginla dropped down to the Malkin/Neal line, with Neal playing slightly away from his comfort zone on the left wing. Many vocal Pens fans had long clamored to unite Crosby+Iginla (keeping Iggy on his familiar right side) and keeping the successful Kunitz+Malkin+Neal line together. It offers a reasonable and balanced scoring punch and Bylsma did that, to success, the past few playoff games. So the sideline coaches and message boarders alike are unhappy with the changes. Why would coach Dan Bylsma continue to tinker when there’s no real reason to do so? Maybe it’s because keeping players on their toes, and maybe even a little uncomfortable also helps keep their performances sharp. Take the biggest fish of all in Crosby. He’s only scored 1 goal in the last five games and has one point in his last two games. While he does have nine shots in the last two and has flashed for several good scoring chances, the puck isn’t going in for Crosby right now. It’s no surprise that Crosby is most comfortable and prefers playing with Kunitz-Dupuis, Sid has publicly admitted as much himself. Those are the guys he’s played much of the last four years with, assuming he’s been healthy enough to play. Maybe playing along his usual wingers could give him a kick-start. And it’s becoming no secret that whichever line has Chris Kunitz on it is the line has been the Penguins best line. There’s probably no coincidence in that- Kunitz plays Bylsma’s system perfectly with pressure on the forecheck, is capable and willing to go into corners and dirty areas to win pucks and is a sneakily underrated in-zone passer with a nose for the net to punch in goals. Give a superstar center that kind of left wing and it’s no wonder he succeeds. Kunitz helps open up more space on the ice for Malkin to operate and Kunitz’s grinding/wear-‘em-down style meshes really well with the down-low game that Crosby loves to play. It could also be a message to Neal as well, who took three minor penalties in Game 1 and admitted that some were avoidable. Placing him off his normal right wing to the left side might be just the thing to draw some of his attention to detail and alert him to play a more mindful game. For Iginla, playing with Malkin could be a benefit too. One thing I’ve noticed of Iginla as a Pittsburgh Penguin is he doesn’t want to touch the puck in the neutral zone too much. Be it for age, style or just his mindset, it often seems like he’s either trying to sneak behind the defense (remember those sky passes Crosby has attempted) or Iginla plays the puck quickly and deftly in the neutral zone, content to differ to a teammate. This quality seems tailor made for Malkin, who LOVES, needs and wants to carry the puck up the ice, establish control inside the blueline and dance around defenders to either look for a shot on goal, or make a pass to an open teammate. Bylsma has seemingly given Malkin+Iginla every chance to work (while most fans clamor for the more established chemistry of Crosby+Iginla) but stylistically in 2013, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense to keep Crosby with his preferred linemates of Kunitz-Dupuis, and keep Iginla in his natural RW spot with Malkin and hope that Neal, who played LW in Dallas, can adjust his game enough. I realize that’s some heavy philosophy and you might not buy into all that stuff. What you have to buy into though is Bylsma’s recent results. Every lineup decision he’s made lately has seemed to pay off. His decision to make line changes and alterations might irk you, and it might to be difficult to understand