SB Nation - Jay McKee

Christmas special: Giving gifts to the Penguins

Hooks Orpik — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:00:29 -0000

Resident SB Nation blog Canes Country had a great idea and wanted to hand out some gifts to their players. So what do we do with great ideas? That's right, shamelessly rip them.

After the jump, what I'd give to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Craig Adams: A goal. Dating back to his time in Chicago, Adams has gone 66 games in the regular season without lighting the lamp. It's not a necessary facet of his game, but it sure would be nice for him to get one.

Matt Cooke: A silent night or two. Cooke's always in the middle of something, be it a non-stop forecheck or suspect hit -- both giving, or receiving. He's the busiest guy that's hands are always in the dirt, a nice relaxing breather is in order.

Sidney Crosby: An Olympic gold medal, another scoring championship and a second Stanley Cup in as many years. You know, just to put a nail in the coffin about who the best hockey player in the world really is.

Pascal Dupuis: Hands to match his feet. One of the hardest working players in the NHL, if he only had the skill to finish the chances his speed and motor earns him.

Mark Eaton: A little recognition. It aint sexy being a defensive defenseman in the NHL and Eaton may fly under the radar more than any player the Penguins have.

Ruslan Fedotenko: The power the grow the most badass playoff beard ever. And the chance of a long playoff run to be able to do so.

Marc-Andre Fleury: The chance to play in the Olympics and show the world (again) why there's no better goaltender in the world right now when it comes to winning.

BIll Guerin: The fountain of youth. The grizzled veteran is having the time of his life and keeping up with all the young bucks. It can't last forever, but it sure is enjoyable for everyone right now.

Eric Godard: An exercise bike. He only plays 4:46 a night on the nights he even gets in the lineup.

Alex Goligoski: His groove back. The Goose was on the loose in the beginning of the season, but since he suffered an injury he hasn't scored a goal since November 3rd and only has 4 assists in his last 12 games.

Sergei Gonchar: Sustained health. The Pens are an amazing 36-9-8 with Gonchar in the lineup since the beginning of the 2008-09 season and a dreadful 34-29-5 without him. That's a trend that's not a coincidence and not likely to change.

Brent Johnson: An iPod loaded with all the Led Zepellin songs. Give Johnny some of his beloved music to hear while he's backing up Fleury.

Tyler Kennedy: A shave. That mandated mustache (for losing the shootout competition) is looking pretty ragged. It'll be gone when December's over, thankfully for everyone.

Chris Kunitz: A second chance amongst Pens fans. A lot of vocal people jumped on Kunitz's back early in the year for his lack of production, but with 7 points in his 4 games, can he turn the corner and warm the detractor's hearts?

Kris Letang: A new contract at a reasonable rate that keeps him in Pittsburgh for a long time. Afterall 22 year old defensemen with 200+ NHL games (reg and post-season) don't just grow on trees and Letang has so much more still to offer for many years to come.

Evgeni Malkin: Some of Momma Malkin's home-cooking. Geno's followed his Conn Smythe season with uneven results, getting his parents back to America would be a blessing that could only lift his spirits on the ice.

Jay McKee: A bullet-proof vest. He's taken more shots than a diabetic.

Brooks Orpik: A full head of steam to meet a forward entering the zone with the puck on his stick and his head down.

Mike Rupp: That his legend as the Noted one doesn't die down in the new year.

Martin Skoula: A couple nice suits and ties that he can wear in the press box. Nothing personal, his play has been more than sufficient but Skoula watching from above would mean the top 6 defensemen are healthy.

Jordan Staal: A healed up beak. It hasn't stopped his iron-man streak, and hopefully nothing else will.

Maxime Talbot: Momentum. It's been tough for everyone's favorite Superstar to come back from off-season shoulder surgery. He hasn't been able to gain any traction jupming back into the action, but once he gets his legs under him those customary clutch goals will surely follow in the spring months.

And let's not forget about the coaches and management...

Mike Yeo: A comprehensive book and video about power-play strategies, for his own good to take a little heat off a guy who's trying his best.

Tony Granato: The chance to run an NHL team of his own sooner than later.

Dan Bylsma: A bottle. To capture that magic that has him above all other coaches in his brief time behind the bench.

Ray Shero: This year's title of NHL Executive of the Year for all his wise choices that have set the table for all the on-ice success we've seen and that is still ahead.

Mario Lemieux: What do you get the guy that has almost everything? How about another bottle of fine wine and the knowledge of appreciation from Pens' fans around the world for his unparalled contibutions to a single franchise in NHL history.

Finally, a big tip-cap to Pensburgh readers and commenters, who've made this blog one of the fastest growing hockey blogs in the past year. You're the reason that Frank, Dunman, Lavender and myself strive hard to bring you the best and freshest content and perspective around. A joyous, safe and fun holiday for you all, surrounded by those you love the most.

Best (and worst) Free Agent signings by the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2000-09

Hooks Orpik — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:00:19 -0000

Yesterday we took a look at the draft picks, and by popular requests, here's a look at free agency hits and misses.

Free agency has been a tool that Pittsburgh hasn't used much. In the early part of the decade they couldn't afford the spending sprees that drunken GM's went on (like Bobby Holik's $45 million over 5 seasons back in 2002). Then when the salary cap was in effect, they could only afford to add bit pieces and stay under the cap.

Still, we have some guys to review and question -- either how they got the money they did or how the Penguins got such a steal! Yours, after the jump

Worst

#5 - Mark Recchi (signed in summer 2004, two year contract, signed in 2006, signed in summer 2007 one year deal with $1.75 million cap hit)

The term wasn't bad, but the player didn't mesh. Recchi played exclusively with Sidney Crosby, and it didn't seem like he had enough gas in the tank to keep up. Recchi was traded and won the Cup with Carolina in between his stints in Pittsburgh this decade, but by the start of the 2007-08 season he had only 8 points (and 2 goals) in the first 19 games and the Pens waived him.

#4 - Miroslav Satan (signed in summer 2008, one year contract $3.5 million cap hit)

Satan was another player that didn't work out. Though he wasn't terrible with 17 goals in 65 games, that isn't exactly awful, but who envisioned the team waiving him and having him play out 10 games in the minors to stay under the salary cap? Not the ideal situation for either party, though credit Satan's class of never complaining throughout the whole ordeal.

#3 - Dany Sabourin (signed in summer 2007, two year contract with a $512,000 cap hit per season)

Signed back from the Vancouver organization to be a reliable backup, Dany Sabourin was more of just a backup. His presence and contract kept Ty Conklin in the minors in '07 and Sabourin faired so rough the Pens decided to trade him away in '09 after he gave up 3+ goals in eight of nine appearances (some of them in relief).

#2 - John LeClair (signed in summer 2005, two year contract with a $1.8 million cap hit per season)

A part of Craig Patrick's post-lockout re-tool, the 36 year old winger was added to the Penguins. While he had a decent first season with 51 points in 73 games, LeClair was in full decline. He'd only score 2 goals (and 7 points) in the first 21 games of the 2006-07 before it was over. LeClair was waived, placed re-entry waivers, then unconditonally released by Pittsburgh and that was the sad end to a once stellar career.

#1 - Zigmund Palffy (signed in summer 2005, three year contract with a $4.5 million cap hit per season)

Palffy broke the number 1 rule, so he ends up at #1. He literally quit on the team, walking into the GM's office on an off-day and announcing "retirement". Shockingly, he's played in Slovakian league the past two seasons. Palffy had 42 points in 42 games with the Pens and seemed to be a decent fit with Crosby and the Pens. Whether he didn't like then-new coach Michel Therrien's defensive systems, or the losses in Pittsburgh or just felt tired of dealing with NHL level physical abuse, he quit and he's the goat of goats. (The NHL allowed his salary to come off the books upon his "retirement", if you were wondering).

Best

# 7 - Mike Rupp (signed in summer 2009, two year deal for $825,000 cap hit per year)

Ray Shero made an under the radar signing that set off alarms here, but now we see why. Rupp's been a great teammate, wiling to fight if someone's been wronged. But he's also shown an undiscovered scoring touch, scoring 9 goals in his first 32 games in a Pens jersey, when he'd only scored 27 goals in his whole 325 game career prior.

#6 - Matt Cooke (signed in summer 2008, two year deal for $1,200,000 cap hit per year)

Faced with the dilemma of having their resident sand-paper, gritty penalty killing forward demanding a three year contract, the Penguins let 33 year old Jarkko Ruutu go to Ottawa and brought in a very similiar player in 30 year old Matt Cooke. Cooke formed a bond with Tyler Kennedy and Jordan Staal, kills penalties well, and can pitch in limited offensive help.

#5 - Jay McKee (signed in summer 2009, one year deal for $800,000 cap hit)

McKee was looking to raise his profile around the league after being bought out by the St. Louis Blues. That gave him some money, so he didn't need a lot from his new team. The Penguins were needing a defensive replacement for departed players in Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill. Win meet win. And when everyone wins, the Penguins win.

#4 - Ty Conklin (signed in summer 2007, one year deal for $500,000 cap hit)

Conklin was signed as pure depth; he'd start the year in the AHL and only make his way up when Marc-Andre Fleury fell to injury. But when Conklin was in, the Penguins season was in the balance. Conklin went 18-8-5 with a 2.51 GAA and near-league leading .923 save percentage. He breathed life into the Pens season and once Fleury was back they took it within two games of winning it all.

#3 - Mark Eaton (signed in summer of 2006, $1.6 million cap hit per year; signed summer 2008, $2 million cap hit)

One of Shero's first moves in becoming GM of Pittsburgh was signing over a guy he knew from Nashville. Eaton hasn't disappointed, so long as he's been healthy, being a valued part of the Penguins' Stanley Cup winning team. He ranks this high on the list for his years of service, as well as being signed to reasonable contracts twice.

#2 - Petr Sykora (signed in summer 2007; $2.625 million cap hit per year)

Sykora chipped in 53 goals in two regular seasons, including 28 PP markers, and six more in the playoffs. Who could forget the 3 OT game to force a Game Six versus Detroit in the Stanley Cup final in '08. He was signed to score goals, and that's what he did, up to the point it was obvious he didn't mesh into Dan Bylsma's aggressive, skating heavy system.

#1 - Sergei Gonchar (signed in summer 2005; $5 million cap hit per year)

Amazingly, this was considered one of the worst contracts in it's infancy, as Gonchar had a difficult time adjusting to his new team and the unorganized system employed by former coach Ed Olczyk. But once he settled in and the team grew around him, Gonchar blossomed from an offensive-defenseman into a well-rounded #1 guy and leader of a Stanley Cup winning team.

So there you have it. Mind you, these weren't nearly all the signings, and I didn't consider re-signings (like bringing back Gary Roberts or Brooks Orpik) even though that possibly could be considered in-bounds. There's more good than bad, because, well I think the Penguins have managed free agency pretty well. It's not a staple of their team building philosophy, but that's by design. For the most part, free agency was used to augment the existing roster with bits and pieces. The one year it wasn't (2005), it's probably no coincidence that 2 of the 3 most noteworthy contracts are in the "bad" column.

Pens comeback falls short, lose to Carolina 3-2

Hooks Orpik — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:22:34 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Did you know these guys are.......both sponsored by Bauer?

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Hurricanes vs Penguins coverage - Canes Country

For the opening goal, Andrew Alberts (he of 2 goals in his 291 NHL game career before tonight) walked in and had a lot of room when BFF's Erik Cole and Brooks Orpik were tied up right out in front. The Canes would extend the lead to 2-0 when Jussi Jokinen took a great pass by Joni Pitkanen and drove right past Jay McKee and Mark Eaton. Carolina would take a three goal lead when notorious Penguin-killer Ray Whitney dangled around in the offensive zone while no fewer than three Penguins (Ruslan Fedotenko, Kris Letang and Max Talbot) remained stationary.

The tide would turn though, Letang made an excellent pass up to Bill Guerin, who flipped it over for Sidney Crosby. Crosby made one of those unique plays where he kinda chopped at the puck and it winded up in the net. The next shift the Noted One buried it to make the deficit just one.

And just like that, there would be no more scoring. The Penguins pressed and pressed but Carolina goalie Manny Legace was up to the task and wouldn't allow any more. Almost unbelievably, two months into the season this is the Hurricanes first win away from the RBC Center.

Guerin did a good job waking the Pens up with a fight against Gleason. Gleason's hands must be sore after ringing a lot of punches of Guerin's helmet.
The difference of the game turned out to be the power-plays. The Pens anemic PP went another "0 fer" night, this time 0 for 3. Carolina was 1-5. Also the fact that the Canes were able to earn two more PP's by their hard work and puck possession helps too.
Marc-Andre Fleury had an odd night. Didn't seem like he was seeing the puck too well. His defense wasn't helping him out much either in the early going. The whole team was in something of a funk or haze for a while there, it was strange.
If you didn't know Sidney Crosby missed last game with a sore groin, you'd never know based on his play. A solid 26:32 of icetime, he fired 4 shots on goal, a hit, a blocked shot, a takeaway, a giveaway and a 55% winner on 22 faceoffs.
In fact, every member of the Pens (except Jay McKee) was credited with at least a shot on goal. It wasn't for a lack of throwing rubber at Legace that Pittsburgh didn't win.
Credit Carolina for blocking shots; 17 in all. They knocked down six of Letang's efforts. They may be in last place, but they certainly didn't roll over and die.
Not many signs of life (again) from guys like Max Talbot and Ruslan Fedotenko. The wingers have to come through and these guys aren't having much luck.
0-1-1 since waiving Chris Bourque, is the glue of the team gone? (Kidding, kidding).

Being the defending Stanley Cup champs means you catch efforts like this. Doesn't matter if the team across the ice is in first place or last, they're looking to take down the Pens. Luckily for Pittsburgh they have a few days to figure things out and get ready to go to Montreal; where guys like Crosby, Letang and Pascal Dupuis always love to play. Hopefully that shot in the arm can carry through.

Billy and the Kid: Pens beat back the Avs 4-1

Hooks Orpik — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:03:25 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

21 days ago: Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) can't stop a first-period goal by Colorado Avalanche's TJ Galiardi during an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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Avalanche vs Penguins coverage - Mile High Hockey

The newspaper will say 4-1 tomorrow, but that really doesn't do justice to how tight a game it was. For the majority of the game, real estate was tight to come by. The television guys accurately called it "marking up" as if guys were playing defense like they were on the soccer field. There wasn't much open room for good chances. The difference was a quick whistle and the Penguins power-play finally coming through.

T.J. Galiardi opened the scoring for the Avs on the power-play when he steered Darcy Tucker's effort past Marc-Andre Fleury. Jay McKee was in front of the net with Galiardi and has to do a better job to take the man or the stick out of the play.

It appeared Colorado would take the lead into the intermission until the impromptu line of Mike Rupp - Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin struck. Malkin upped the puck up and Rupp and Crosby passed the puck twice and #87 put it in an empty cage past a beaten Peter Budaj. 1-1 at the first break.

There'd be no more scoring until the third period; which was a huge break for Pittsburgh. It appeared Galiardi had his second goal of the game, between Fleury's legs, but the referee from the side angle whistled the play dead, all the while the puck was in motion, and in the back of the net. Unfortunately it's a play that can not be review. It ought to have been a goal. But it wasn't. Just a bad break for Colorado. Things have a funny way of evening up in a long 82 game season and hopefully they'll get the good end of a call soon to make up for it.

With the game still 1-1, the Penguins got a two man advantage. They couldn't quite take advantage of it, but Crosby faked a shot and wired a perfect pass to Bill Guerin for a slam dunk goal.

That effectively ended the scoring, with Jordan Staal and Crosby tacking on empty netters to make the score look wider than it was.

Pittsburgh was no doubt lucky to catch a break on the disallowed Colorado goal, but they also earned the win by out-shooting the Avs 14-1 in the final period of a tie game. They were the better team late.
Crosby set up the goal with a new tool in his offensive arsenal: the fake shot. Teams have to respect him pulling the trigger, he's now tied for second in the league in goals.
Last year, it took until January 30th before Crosby got to 19 goals....This year he's there on December 3rd, almost two months better.
The Pens racked up 38 hits, everyone on the roster aside from Mark Eaton and the two goalies recorded at least one hit.
Ruslan Fedotenko is starting to turn things around...4 shots on goal (and 3 more misses, including a post) show he's firing away. When he shoots, he plays well and produces. He's getting there.
That T.J. Galiardi is quite impressive. In addition to his goal on he night, he had a should-have-been goal and won 71% of his 17 faceoffs.
Matt Duchene might be the future, but the future was not tonight. No points, a plus/minus of -3 (even though he was on the ice for both empty netters), two shots on goal in 18:50.
Paul Stastny, he of a Team USA future, also had a rough night in the final stat-line: No points, -3 (again on ice for both EN), just one shot on goal and only won 36% of his 28 faceoffs.
Both goalies played well, Budaj was tested more than Fleury, but both did well and did not allow any soft goals. Any time the two goalies combined for three goals against, you can be sure both made some saves.
Evgeni Malkin had a somewhat quiet night, but still rang up three assists and helped the power-play get on the board. It was a good night.

It was a good night indeed. Crosby and Malkin put three points in their pocket and the team gets 2 of their own in the standings. It was a quirky, hard-fought one that wasn't easy it looks at the end of the day. But it's still a win.

Now onward to Saturday...I hear an old friend is ready to say hello again...Perhaps you remember him..

New Marc-Andre Fleury blog: On defensive injuries, Team Canada chances and Sidney Crosby

FrankD — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:00:18 -0000

by Frank Franklin II - AP

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I can only imagine things are starting to get pretty tense around Olympic camp for all the team hopefuls. As Hooks pointed out in Wednesday's Olympics post, some guys are a lock, others still on the fringe. Marc-Andre Fleury isn't exactly a lock to make the team, but there's definitely more in his favor than against.

So it comes as no surprise that MAF finds himself on the receiving end of constant questions regarding his hopes of playing for Team Canada. In his latest Radio Canada blog post, Fleury discusses his Team Canada chances, the ridiculous streak of injuries that plagued Pittsburgh's defense and Sidney Crosby's offensive surge. As always, thanks to Pensburgh reader Becky for providing the translation. Her accuracy and speed of translation continues to amaze me.

Take the jump to catch up on MAF's latest.

The question of the day

Hello to all,

Each time I step foot in a new city, I answer the same question from journalists.

Do you believe in your chances to represent Canada in the Olympics? Yes, I believe in them, but the final answer does not belong to me.

If people are talking about me as a logical candidate for the team, it's a good sign. That means that I am still in the race.

The team's directors, starting with Steve Yzerman, will have some difficult decisions to make. Obviously, I would love to put on Canada's uniform in Vancouver, no matter what role they want me to play within the team.

I have already said, jokingly, that I would be willing to fold towels in the locker room in order to achieve that Olympic dream.

Still, I don't want to make myself crazy with this Olympic games business. You can't lose sleep over something that you can't control. The only thing I can do, from now until the final team selection, is to help the Penguins win as many games as possible.

The more games I win, the better my chances.

The Wilkes-Barre Penguins

The month of November was not a very restful one for the Penguins. At one point, five of our six starting defensemen were in the infirmary. Sergei Gonchar, Kris Letang, Alex Goligoski, Brooks Orpik, and Jay McKee, one after the other, all went down in combat.

For a few games, Mark Eaton was the single survivor on the blue line. Honestly, I have never seen a situation like that. It was getting pretty ridiculous, because we were losing a new defenseman with each match.

Martin Skoula, who has held the position of seventh defenseman since the beginning of the season, played some incredible hockey during this difficult stretch. The Penguins also called up Ben Lovejoy, Deryk Engelland, and Nate Guenin from our farm-team in Wilkes-Barre.

The guys from Wilkes-Barre did a more than respectable job for our team. We were thus able to weather that storm without too many defeats. We finished the month of November with a record of 8-6. So that's not too bad...

For the last game, Gonchar, Letang, Orpik, and McKee were back in the lineup.

Crosby on fire

If I still do not know my fate as regards the Canadian Olympic team, Sidney Crosby is already sure of his place. In his last two games, Sid has exploded with 8 points, including 5 goals.

Watching him play in the last several games, I can confirm that he will be ready for the Olympic adventure!!!

I'll speak to you again after the holidays. I wish you, in advance, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2010.

À bientôt,

Marc-André Fleury

November grades and Player of the Month

Hooks Orpik — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:00:23 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Alex Goligoski (getting mobbed here by teammates) was the overwhelming choice of Pensburgh voters to be named Pensburgh player of the month for October...Who will take the honor for November? Vote below!

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To see the report card from October, click here. You voted Alex Goligoski the player of the month, garning 50% of the vote to easily out-pace the other finalists of Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury, Tyler Kennedy and Jay McKee.

While the training staff and doctors probably deserve MVP status for all their hard work, let's look at the players performances for the month of November.

Overall the Penguins were 8-6-0 on the month, but it was a month of stretches. They lost five of seven games from Nov. 5th to the 19th. Then they won five of seven from Nov 20th to month's end.

Goalies	Grade	Comments
Marc-Andre Fleury	C+	(7-5-0, .891 save percentage on the month) A rocky month for Fleury, who got pulled twice. Considering the makeshift defense in front of him, it was about holding on and winning games; which he did reasonably well by month's end. The bar is set high, so allowing three or more goals 6 out of 12 outings is not ideal.
Brent Johnson	B-	(1-1-0, .887 save %) Again Johnson's save % almost exactly matches the starter, and Johnny has done well to stay sharp, despite not getting into many games.

Defensemen
Mark Eaton	B+	(2 goals, 1 assist, -1, 6 penalty minutes) Who would have thought Mark Eaton would be the Penguins' defensive ironman? Eaton picked up a lot of slack in terms of ice-time, being the lone defensive constant.
Alex Goligoski	I	(1g, 3a, -1, 0 PIM in seven games) Battled illness and then eventually missed seven games. Continues to play well when he's been in the lineup, but gets an I for Incomplete since he missed half the games and is back on the shelf.
Sergei Gonchar	B	(1g, 4a, -3, 4 PIMs in seven games) Points in four straight games, fair to say he's rounding back into game shape. Now it's time to get those PP numbers up. We'll give him a grade, since he's been back for a while.
Kris Letang	I	(1g, 3a, +2, 0 PIM in five games) Barely played due to a shoulder injury, but played very well when he was in. His puck moving ability was sorely missed. We'll give Letang an Incomplete, since he missed so much of the month.
Jay McKee	B	(1g, 2a, -2, 21 PIM in eight games) Before the shot blocking master somehow got a finger infection, the highlight of his month may have been getting 19 PIMs in San Jose, or maybe that awesome deke against Boston resulting in a goal.
Brooks Orpik	B+	(0g, 6a, even, 2 PIM in ten games) Since his return from injury the Penguins have won four of five games and Orpik had his most proflific scoring month ever in the NHL even missing time.
Martin Skoula	B+	(3g, 3a, -1, 0 PIM) Skoula proved himself to be a viable NHL defensemen still with his fill in duty. The two goals he chipped in against Atlanta (Nov 20th) were critical in a 3-2 win.
Deryk Engelland	B+	(0g, 2a, -2, 17 PIMs) Engelland was protected (he only played 16:08 a night) but he was good and physical when he was out there. Plus three fights helped keep some sandpaper around.
Nate Guenin	B-	(0g, 0a, -2, 0 PIM) The Pittsburgh product appeared briefly in two games (13:32 per night). He didn't make any glaring mistakes, but wasn't put in many situations in where he could.
Ben Lovejoy	A-	(0g, 3a, +5, 2 PIM in eight games) Lovejoy got the most responsibility of the callups, in terms of minutes and PK time and also faired the best. He had a great plus/minus and generally didn't look out of place in the NHL.

Forwards
Craig Adams	C	(0g, 2a, -2, 10 PIMs) Hardly generating any offensive, and his faceoff percentage is still hovering around 45%. Adams is forechecking hard (lots of hits) and playing well positionally, but that's par for the course for him.
Chris Bourque	D	(0g, 2a, -3, 6 PIMs in 13 games) Has looked like a placeholder for the injured. And the injured are on the mend, so Bourque's time may be running short. November was a great chance for him to prove himself, and it wasn't a smashing success to say the least.
Chris Conner	D	(0g, 1a, -1, 0 PIMs in four games) Made two turnovers that resulted in goals against on Nov 12th, was shipped back to the minors on Nov. 13th.
Matt Cooke	B+	(3g, 4a, +2, 34 PIMs) The good: Cooke supplying some offense, hitting and penalty killing. The bad: Cooke crossing the line with hits on Shean Donovan and Artem Anisimov, drawing a two game suspension on the latter. Gotta take the good with the bad with Cooke.
Sidney Crosby	A-	(8g, 9a, -2, 12 PIMs) Much like the team, Crosby had a tough beginning of the month (only 1 point in first five games) but closed strong, highlighted by the eight points in two games the Rangers to end the month.
Pascal Dupuis	A-	(5g, 1a, -3, 0 PIM) Dupuis' perhaps the surprise player of the month with his offensive output. The Penguins were 4-0-0 when he scored a goal in November.
Ruslan Fedotenko	C-	(1g, 3a, -4, 0 PIM) Not much production for a guy getting top-six minutes, even worse he only recorded more than one more shot on goal in just three games. He needs to get the puck on the net more, so he can get the puck in the net.
Eric Godard	C-	(0g, 1a, even, 16 PIMs) The big guy is only playing 4:56 per game on the year, but he's really trying. He had 4 shots on goal on Nov 25th, his center drive created a goal on Nov 28th. He's lugging around out there with a purpose, even if many of us aren't sure just what it is.
BIll Guerin	B-	(3g, 5a, -2, 13 PIMs) Like Crosby, only one point in the first five games and then a better production in the final two weeks of the month. The goal with 0.4 seconds he scored against Boston on Nov 14th is the stuff of legends.
Tyler Kennedy	I	(1g, 2a, +2, 0 PIM in three games) Kennedy is having a great year and really making things happen with the puck when he's been healthy, which hopefully he is now. He earns an Incomplete this month, since he only got into a few games.
Chris Kunitz	I	(1g, 0a, -6, 4 PIMs) Thought to be nursing injury, Kunitz only played five games before leaving the lineup after Nov 12. Let's give him an Incomplete as well.
Evgeni Malkin	A	(4g, 7a, +8, 4 PIMs) It's probably no coincidence Pittsburgh's won seven of nine games since Malkin returned to the lineup on Nov 14th, and Malkin's registered at least a point in seven of those games. He didn't look himself in October, but he certainly is back to his dominant ways now that he's healthy and rested.
Mike Rupp	A-	(5g, 1a, +2, 10 PIMs) Some [noted] timely goal scoring, a physical presence and no mistakes have made Rupp a cult favorite here at Pensburgh. His hat trick on November 30th gave him a career high in goals, and he's on a 23 goal pace. Can the big guy keep it up?
Jordan Staal	B	(3g, 7a, +1, 19 PIMs) Staal found the scoresheet on 9 of 14 games this month, an important step towards his consistency in generating points.
Maxime Talbot	C	(1g, 1a, +1, 2 PIMs in seven games) Understandably, it's been a little rough for Talbot to shake off the rust and catch up to everyone else in mid-season form. He does have two points in his last three games and is getting his timing back.
Mark Letestu	C+	(0g, 0a, even, 0 PIMs in two games) Didn't look out of place in his brief first taste of NHL action, but didn't stand out either.

Again I think it's a fairly wide-open debate for player of the month: Crosby had the most points and was in all the games. He was also named the NHL's #1 star of the week last week. Malkin came back strong and is looking like he did last season when he won the scoring title. Pascal Dupuis and Mike Rupp are lighting the lamp like no one expected. Defensemen Mark Eaton and Martin Skoula literally held the fort down while the rest of the defensemen were dropping like flies. Jordan Staal shouldered more of the load, and played well.

I'll cast my vote for Crosby, but it's certainly understandable that there will be a lot of different opinions on this one. Feel free to cast your vote and share 'em!

Poll

Who should be the Pensburgh Player of the Month for November

Sidney Crosby (8 goals, 9 assists, played in all the games)

323 votes

Evgeni Malkin (4 goals, 7 assists)

29 votes

Mark Eaton (only defensemen to play in all games of season)

47 votes

Mike Rupp (5 goals this month)

142 votes

Pascal Dupuis (5 goals)

28 votes

569 votes | Poll has closed

Ranking Pittsburgh's offseason signings - who do you feel makes the Penguins a better team?

FrankD — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:15:08 -0000

More photos » by Jerry S. Mendoza - AP

Jay McKee, just one of the players who came on board with the Pens this offseason.

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There are times when any fan base witnesses a signing during the offseason that leaves the collective group of die hards scratching heads, punching walls and crashing message boards with usernames like "KrisBeechStillSucks" and "WhyMikeRupp?" But there also comes a time when that same fan base realizes, "Hey, uh, that wasn't a bad signing after all."

Now there was a healthy degree of doubt and a plethora of questions making way around the interwebs when the Pens announced the signing of a guy like Mike Rupp. And there was even a little doubt with a guy like Brent Johnson. Come to think of it, the Jay McKee signing got a little criticism as well. Oh wait, even Skoula...

You see my point, right?

Whenever a new guy comes on board, it's my firm belief that the fan base wants immediate results. Hockey fans are labeled a lot of things - crazed, loyal, neurotic, insistent, to name a few - but patient certainly isn't one of the labels at the forefront. So I decided now would be as good a time as any to give these guys there due. On a team riddled with injuries that is still finding ways to get it done, sometimes you have to look past the 100-point scorers, third line agitators, starting goaltender and offensive defensemen to really give credit to the guys who consistently get it done.

Take the jump before voting and speak your piece.

Jay McKee

#74 / Defenseman / Pittsburgh Penguins

Height: 6-4

Weight: 203

Born: Sep 08, 1977

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Jay McKee	1	4	5	5	42

For a guy who makes his living as a shot-blocking defenseman, one would've thought it was just a matter of time before Jay McKee went down with some sort of injury. But how many of you actually predicted it would be a finger infection? Up until his injury report from a little over a week ago, McKee was leading all Pens in blocked shots and found himself right atop the league in the same category. When he came on board during the offseason he did so at a discounted rate. Granted it's only a one-year deal AND he had his last contract bought out by the Blues, but the guy is committed to winning. He proves that every time he throws his body down on the ice to block a shot.

Michael Rupp

#17 / Left Wing / Pittsburgh Penguins

Height: 6-5

Weight: 230

Born: Jan 13, 1980

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Michael Rupp	5	2	7	3	34

It nauseates me to no end that the stock photo we have for Mike Rupp still shows him in a Devils jersey, but I'll let it slide for now. The man known around these parts as "Noted," as in "Noted goal scorer Mike Rupp," was on the receiving end of a fair share of criticism before even stepping foot at Penguins camp. "Why?" "Who?" and exasperated "Whats?" all fueled fans to criticize this signing. Reasoning included, but was not limited to, the followng:

Why? - They have Eric Godard for that.

Who? - I've never heard of him.

What?! - What?!

But make no mistake about it. Rupp belongs on this team and this team is better with him. He's everywhere you want him to be and he's doing everything that's asked of him. When you need a guy in front of the net to chip away at rebounds you'll find Mike Rupp. When you need a guy to dig into the corner and knock loose the puck, you'll find Mike Rupp. And more recently exemplified, when you need a guy to stand up for your star forward, you'll find Mike Rupp.

Brent Johnson

#1 / Goalie / Pittsburgh Penguins

Height: 6-3

Weight: 199

Born: Mar 12, 1977

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Brent Johnson	6	300	3	1			15	3.00	146	131	.897	0

Admittedly a back-up goaltender will hardly get as much attention as, say, a forward. But for a team like the Penguins that have had Marc-Andre Fleury out of the lineup for at least three weeks over the past two seasons, it's nice to know there is a formidable talent ready to jump between the pipes when needed. The Pens got that with Brent Johnson. Many (including myself) thought this season was the ideal opportunity for the Pens to call upon WBS goaltender John Curry to fill the second string role. However, Ray Shero once again showed his market expertise and signed on former Capital netminder Brent Johnson to the Number Two spot. So far this season it's been anything but easy for Johnson. Of his three wins not a single one has come in regulation. The first two, Florida on October 23 and Columbus on October 30, ended in a shootout. win His most recent, against Boston on November 14, came within .4 seconds of registering as a loss before Bill Guerin forced OT and the Pens took it down in extra time. So really, the guy's had to work out there for each 'W,' but he's getting it done despite keeping us all on the edge of our seats. It also doesn't hurt that he's a huge Zeppelin fan.

Martin Skoula

#41 / Defenseman / Pittsburgh Penguins

Height: 6-3

Weight: 226

Born: Oct 28, 1979

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Martin Skoula	3	3	6	-2	2

Martin Skoula played 81 games with the Wild last season, scoring 4 goals and picking up 12 assists. This season, with only 15 games on record with the Pens, Skoula is only one goal short of last season's total with still a lot of time to play. While Skoula may be limping around the ice a bit right now with a supposed foot injury, whatever downside or pain he's experiencing is not showing up on the scoreboard. If not for Skoula's two goals the Pens would've fallen short against the Thrashers Saturday night. When you can't get big scoring going from guys like Malkin or Crosby, it's nice to see a defenseman, specifically one not known for scoring, picking up a goal or two to help the cause. The former 1998 first round pick has found his place with the Pens and has really stepped up in the wake of all these injuries.

Video evidence:

Christopher Bourque

#12 / Left Wing / Pittsburgh Penguins

Height: 5-8

Weight: 178

Born: Jan 29, 1986

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Christopher Bourque	0	3	3	-4	10

In all fairness I had to include him. Bourque was claimed off waivers on September 30 and has since been struggling a bit in the Pens' lineup. Or is it just another example of high expectations? FSN seems hung up on producing countless videos and features for the kid, but when his shots go right across the goal mouth or directly into an out-of-position goalie's logo, you tend to consider the reality of root of the animosity. Bourque has three assists over 16 games and is even getting some quality time on the first power-play unit. To his credit the hustle is there and he can, at times, play a strong game that doesn't register on the score sheet. But until (if) he cracks that first goal I feel the criticism will continue.

There is no right or wrong way to register your vote in this poll. It's merely a matter of one's own perception. Who do YOU feel is standing out the most? Who do YOU feel makes the Pens a better team? And just for posterity's sake, I know Ryan Bayda also signed in the offseason but he has yet to play for the parent club.

Now, get on with the voting and debating.

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Poll

Which offseason signing is standing out the most?

Jay McKee

282 votes

Mike Rupp

257 votes

Brent Johnson

11 votes

Martin Skoula

47 votes

Chris Bourque

7 votes

604 votes | Poll has closed

Jay McKee out 2-4 weeks

Hooks Orpik — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:39:22 -0000

More photos » by Jay LaPrete - AP

about 1 month ago: Columbus Blue Jackets' Jakub Voracek, center, of the Czech Republic, passes the puck between Pittsburgh Penguins' Jordan Staal, right, and Jay McKee during the second period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Oct. 30, 2009, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

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Just when it looked like the Penguins could make it a game without an injury, Jay McKee wasn't at practice this morning and coach Dan Bylsma has to announce the news that he's had to do so many times. McKee will be out the next 2-4 weeks with what's described as a "finger infection".

McKee's had issue with broken fingers before, and hey it's pretty hard to play hockey if you can't wrap your fingers around a stick. McKee appeared to be stung and in pain on the bench after blocking one of his five shots on the night.

However the news wasn't all bad, as defensemen Kris Letang and Brooks Orpik were back in practice. Letang was sporting the fimiliar red jersey (meaning no contact), but Orpik had on the regular black jersey. Sergei Gonchar has been wearing the black jersey and practicing regularly for a couple days now as well.

Mark Eaton is now the only Penguins defensemen still in the lineup from opening night. That's not entirely rare in the NHL, but the fact that it's only mid November, and that there's five injuries at the same time is.

No word if the Penguins will have to re-call yet another player from Wilkes-Barre, or if an injured defenseman --likely Gonchar or Orpik, given their practice statuses -- will be able to be in the lineup tomorrow night in Ottawa.

The NHL's injury epidemic

James Mirtle — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:14:38 -0000

More photos » by Graham Hughes - AP

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There is approximately $180 million worth of players injured right now. (I’m talking either LTI or just out for a few games. That’s more than 10 per cent of each team’s available cap space.)

— Elliotte Friedman, HNIC

It's a long list, there's no doubt, and you can't help but wonder if the condensed schedule is to blame. The quarter-way mark in this season is coming up on Friday, and there are an awful lot of bodies banged up.

Don't be surprised if more than one team ends up in extreme cap trouble by April as a result.

A great example of just how big the injury ward is this season is in Pittsburgh, where the Penguins are without their top four defencemen. They somehow pulled out a 5-2 win against the Ducks on Monday with this top six (ranked by ice time):

Mark Eaton: 27:09
Martin Skoula: 18:39
Deryk Engelland: 18:33
Ben Lovejoy: 18:30
Jay McKee: 16:39
Nate Guenin: 14:42

Had to look up a couple first names there... and that ain't good.

Teams like Edmonton, Vancouver and Detroit are just as beat up, and I've gotten more emails the past two weeks asking for man-games lost to injury figures than I can ever remember.

It's getting to the point that health, more than any other factor, is going to determine a lot of the playoff seedings this year.

Cooke, Staal, Guerin fuel a team effort; Pens take down Ducks 5-2

Hooks Orpik — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:26:06 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

about 1 month ago: Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, right, makes a second period save on a shot by Anaheim Ducks' Petteri Nokelainen (17) of Finland during an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh Monday, Nov. 16, 2009.(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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Ducks vs Penguins coverage - Anaheim SB Nation team blog Anaheim Calling

Down seven regular players to injury, it has to be a team effort to get by. The Penguins found it tonight as they got contributions from everyone. Even the power-play kicked in with a goal, snapping a streak of weeks without one. Sure the Penguins gave up a short-handed goal, but hey, one step at a time.

Just a minute and a half into the game, Matt Cooke collected a turnover from the Ducks and deposited it past Jean-Sebastien Giguere for the first goal. Then a few minutes later, the power-play finally broke through when Sidney Crosby rifled the puck to Bill Guerin and the old man whipped it from the high slot for a 2-0 lead.

Anaheim would halve the lead when after some lackadaisical Pittsburgh power-play work resulted in Todd Marchant getting a step on the defense and he beat Marc-Andre Fleury to take the score at 2-1 into intermission.

Jordan Staal made a play short-handed that ended up being the game winner. Credit Deryk Engelland who got the puck, kept his head up and made a great pass up to Staal. As has become his habit, Staal beat the defensemen and used his reach to deke the goalie out. 3-1 Pens.

Early in the 3rd period, Martin Skoula scored his first career goal as a Penguin, shooting a puck from the point past the screen of Mike Rupp into the net. Teemu Selanne got a goal late in the game to bring the Ducks within two goals but Cooke put the icing on the cake with an empty netter for a 5-2

Down their top four defensemen (in terms of minutes played) the Penguins needed and got contributions from everyone. Engelland, as mentioned, made a great pass to make the game-winner possible and also played phyiscal with five hits. Nate Guenin looked confident and comfortable in his NHL season debut, also credited with five hits. Mark Eaton carried the load, playing a lot of the power-play in route to a game-high 27:09 of ice-time. Skoula, as mentioned above, got his first goal. Ben Lovejoy got an assist and generally played well.
Jay McKee, the final member of tonight's defensive corps, was his usual shot-blocking self; getting 5 on the night. The last one appeared to sting him, but he still took shifts deep into the 3rd period. Hopefully it wasn't enough to cause an injury,
Guenin and Engelland I think deserve a little more recognition for their efforts. Neither one of them tried to be a guy like Sergei Gonchar or Alex Goligoski -- they played within themselves. But they played very well. Several little plays showed they made good decisions and executed them well all night long.
Keeping on the theme of team contributions: every Penguin who took more than one faceoff was better than 50% in the circle; led by rookie Mark Letestu who won 75% of his eight draws.
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin absolutely unleashed some rockets on the power-play with slapshots. Judging from those, I'd say about all systems are go for those two. Again though, Crosby got the PP assist but Geno was point-less. This win wasn't about them.
It was about guys like Staal and Cooke. 2/3 of the third line went a combined 3 goals, 1 assist and +5, 5 shots on goal, 6 hits.
Several more "ohh man" moments by Chris Bourque, who didn't win anyone to his bandwagon tonight; including missing another wide-open net.
For Anaheim, they just don't look like they have it all together. Given the talent on their roster, and the fact they won the Cup just over 2 years ago, it's hard to believe they're in last place in the entire Western Conference. Then you see some of the turnovers they make in the game, the careless penalties they take and it sets in a little. They have some pieces, but it's not coming together correctly.

The biggest thing to take away from this game was the team effort. Marc-Andre Fleury got 23 of 25 shots, only eluded by a breakaway and late game goal. The patchwork, mainly minor-league level defense held up very well and they all played well to a man. Grinders showed up on the score sheet and skated hard all around.

More than that, they played a style Dan Bylsma had to like; a lot of puck possesion and controlling the pace of the game. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has a saying that goes something like "the standard of expectation hasn't changed" when it comes to replacements pressed into duty due to injuries. That was the case tonight. Obviously it's impossible to replace the skill of guys like Gonchar, Goligoski and Kris Letang on the blueline, but everyone that got a jersey did his job, and did it well. That's all you can ask.

The Penguins now have a two day break before they embark on seven games in 11 days to close out the month of November, starting off with a three game roadie. The games are about to come but hopefully reinforcements will be trickling in. But the standards of expectation will not, and cannot change. Whoever plays has to produce, and they have to perform exactly like they did tonight.