Pens blow another lead in the Big Apple
Games this early in the season don’t seem like a big deal … but tonight’s was.
The Pittsburgh Penguins blew another lead to the Rangers and surrendered more points to the current Atlantic Division leaders. With both teams likely battling each other for the division crown all season, every head-to-head matchup is huge.
Penguins 2 - Rangers 3 F/SOT
Yes the Rangers have four games in hand over the Penguins. And yes, their lead is still just six points with that advantage.
However, each game the Pens lose to New York gives them less breathing room as the season progresses. This game WAS a big deal and is a big loss.
Pens lose in Buffalo, look to rebound against Devils
In a reverse of what has seemingly become Pittsburgh’s trademark this season, the Penguins lost 4-3 after a 3-2 advantage going in to the third period.
The Sabres’ Drew Stafford and Paul Gaustad each tallied goals in the final frame to push Buffalo to the win. Gaustad netted the game-winner at the 16:36 mark and was a product of constant pressure in front of the Penguins’ rookie goaltender John Curry.
Janne Pesonen recalled
Pesonen
Forward Janne Pesonen was recalled by the Pittsburgh Penguins today and is expected to dress against Buffalo Friday night.
The recall is likely in response to forward Maxime Talbot’s recent foot injury. Talbot was struck by a puck in the back of his left foot against the New York Islanders on Wednesday and is currently listed day-to-day.
In Pesonen’s case, though, his play is deserving of a recall.
Jordan Staal spurs comeback, Pens win 7-6 in OT
The Pittsburgh Penguins came back from a 5-2 deficit to beat the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. Jordan Staal led the way with a hat trick to send the game to overtime. The in OT, Staal fed Ruslan Fedotenko for the game-winning goal to beat the same team that celebrated with the Stanley Cup at Mellon Arena.
Previewing Oilers vs. Pens, tonight 7 p.m.
Edmonton Oilers
Coming off a four game road trip and four days of rest, the Penguins return home tonight to face the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers (6-5-1, 4th Northwest) had a heartbreaking loss against Columbus on Wednesday in the midst of a seven game road trip, but hope to rebound tonight against the well-rested Pens.
The Oilers’ Mathieu Garon beat out Dwayne Roloson as the starting goaltender at the beginning of the season. Thus far, the two have split time with Garon going 3-3-0 with a 3.18 GAA, while Roloson has gone 2-2-1 with a 2.78 GAA. Since Roloson started Wednesday in Columbus, the Pens will face Garon tonight.
Pens score 6 goals, end 3 game skid
Pittsburgh 6- St. Louis 3
Going into Saturday’s game the Penguins had not won a game in St. Louis since 1998. After a three game road skid, the Pens knew they would need a big performance from the entire team.
1st Period:
The Penguins came out quick, tallying the first four shots of the game. However, the Blues dominated the physical play, which lead to a Barret Jackman slapshot from the point. The puck may have deflected off a Penguin defender, but nevertheless, the Blues led 1-0.
Crosby will play tonight, Janne Pesonen recalled (Update)
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced after their morning skate today that captain Sidney Crosby will play tonight in St. Louis. This comes just two days after Crosby left Thursday’s game early due to an undisclosed injury. Crosby was listed as day-to-day, but will play despite the injury.
Janne Pesonen
The Penguins also recalled forward Janne Pesonen this morning, General Manager Ray Shero announced. This comes after Pesonen recorded 2 goals, 7 assists, and a +9 plus/minus rating in seven games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. A native of Finland, Pesonen was signed as a free agent this past summer. It is unclear at this time whether Pesonen will play tonight, or who he will replace.
UPDATE: Ruslan Fedotenko will be out tonight after leaving this morning’s practice with an undisclosed injury. He is currently listed as day-to-day.
Pascal Dupuis was placed on injured reserve also with an undisclosed injury. Pesonen will replace Dupuis on the roster, and will be on the second line tonight with Evgeni Malkin and Petr Sykora. No other lines have been determined yet.
Mark Eaton will also be out for tonight’s game as a healthy scratch, and will be replaced by Darryl Sydor. The new defensive pairings are as followed:
Brooks Orpik-Kris Letang; Hal Gill-Rob Scuderi; Darryl Sydor-Alex Goligoski.
Head coach Michel Therrien also named Gill and Scuderi alternate captains for the month of November. (Penguins.com)
~Dan @ Pittsburgh Puck Talk
Crosby hurt as Pens fall to Phoenix, 4-1
Penguins 1- Phoenix 4
After a poor 11 shot performance Tuesday night in San Jose, head coach Michel Therrien changed the lines in order to generate more offense. Thursday was a perfect opportunity while facing a Phoenix team that had allowed 19 goals in its previous five games. However, to say the Pens came out slow Thursday night in Phoenix would be an understatement.
Pens shake up lines tonight vs. Phoenix (Update)
After tying a franchise low with just 11 shots on goal Tuesday night in San Jose, head coach Michel Therrien decided to split up the “offensive sparkplug” of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
Through the first 10 games of the regular season, the Pens have allowed 337 shots against, second most to Anaheim, and a -75 shot differential, second worst to Tampa Bay. Fortunately, these statistics do not represent the team’s record of 5-3-2. This comes thanks to some terrific goaltending from both Marc-Andre Fleury and Dany Sabourin. The Pens have one of the lowest goals against averages in the league, at a mere 2.1, good for third best.
However, the team will have a new look Thursday night versus the Coyotes. Here is a look at the new lines:
Pens score 4 in the third, beat Canes
Carolina 1- Pittsburgh 4
The Penguins came away with a strong thrid period performance Thursday night vs. Carolina. Down a goal through 40 minutes, the Penguins poured it on scoring four goals in the final 20 minutes.
1st Period:
It took only 11 seconds for the Penguins to get their first scoring chance against the Canes. However, for Paul Bissonnette, that was not enough. Bissonnette dropped the gloves against Dan LaCouture only two minutes into the game in order to get his team fired up. Bissonnette continues to impress with his fierce personality, winning the fight to try to ignite his teammates.
Team Info
Atlantic Division Standings:
1. New York Rangers: 17-8-2 , 36 pts.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins: 14-6-3 , 31 pts.
3. Philadelphia Flyers: 11-7-5 , 27 pts.
4. New Jersey Devils: 12-8-2 , 26 pts.
5. New York Islanders: 10-12-2 , 20 pts.
Next Game
Pittsburgh Penguins @ New York Rangers- Dec. 3 , Madison Square Garden , 7 p.m. EST
Last Game:
Devils 1 - Penguins 4 FINAL
Team Leaders:
Points: Evgeni Malkin - 39 points (10 G + 29 A)
Goals: Sidney Crosby - 13 goals
Assists: Evgeni Malkin - 29 assists
PIM: Eric Godard - 51 PIM
+/-: Evgeni Malkin/Sidney Crosby — +11
GAA: Dany Sabourin - 1.84
SV%: Dany Sabourin - .930
The Challenge:
Dan and my familes both have season tickets to the Penguins. Therefore, we both get the amazing opportunity to attend quite a few games each season. This year we are making ourselves responsible for the fate of the team for the games we attend. Whoever is apart of more points by the end of the year will win … well something — we haven’t determined what yet!!!
Standings:
Dan - 8 points
Chris - 7 points
