SB Nation - Matt Cooke

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.

Snapping the trap: Pens outwork Habs and win 3-2

Hooks Orpik — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:07:55 -0000

More photos » by Graham Hughes - AP

8 days ago: Pittsburgh Penguins' Sergei Gonchar, center, celebrates after scoring against the Montreal Canadiens with teammates Sidney Crosby, right, and Pascal Dupuis during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Montreal, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)

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Penguins vs Canadiens coverage - Habs Eyes On The Prize

The Montreal Canadiens seemed content to let the Penguins fire shots off from all angles. The Pens put a barrage of 41 shots on Carey Price, whereas the Habs only got 21 pieces of rubber on Marc-Andre Fleury. Puck possession was another story. Pittsburgh cycled circles in the Montreal zone, a relentless attack that generated a lot of pressure. This can be partially illustrated in the total shots launched. The Penguins attempted 80 shots on goal (39 either got blocked or missed the target), compared to Montreal's total of just 46. When you have the puck in the zone, you work it and you try to shoot. That the Pens did this at almost a 2-1 rate shows the dominance.

Scoring was opened in the first period when, off of a cycling effort (told ya it was key), Bill Guerin flipped a beautiful cross-ice pass to Sergei Gonchar, who was pinching down as Penguin defensemen did all night long. Gonchar drilled it by a helpless Price.

Matt D'Agostini would get the equalizer in the second when he snapped a shot by Fleury. Less than three minutes later, the Habs would take an unlikely 2-1 lead when Roman Hamrlik unleashed a monster shot from afar on a screened Fleury. The goal was scored on a power-play, which is something that the Penguins apparently don't remember that you're allowed to score on those.

Before the period was over the Pens would tie it up, Matt Cooke deflected a Gonchar shot in to tie things up. Then, we see that when you go to the well enough, good things happen. Brooks Orpik threw an awesome stretch pass all the way up the ice for Pascal Dupuis. Dupuis ripped one of his patented slappers, and while Price got 38 of 41, he couldn't get that one.

Montreal would get another goal, if not for another quick whistle that negated a goal. Again, similiar to a situation last week against Colorado, an out of position referee thought Fleury had the puck and blew the whistle. This time it wasn't such a quick whistle, as the puck was tied up (though certaintly not covered) for a little bit which gave the ref reason to blow it dead.

Sergei Gonchar had himself a night: one goal, one assist, six shots hurled at net on a team high of 25:26 of ice-time. A well deserved first star of the night.
Power-play woes continue to dog the Pens. 0 for 5 tonight in another fruitless effort. Sometimes getting things set up is the problem, sometimes not. Sometimes inactivity seems to hurt, sometimes not. Often though, they're just not executing, as perplexing as it seems for a unit that boasts as much talent as they have.
Brooks Orpik had a great night too; not enough can be said about the stretch pass he made to Dupuis on the game winner. He also ended up being a +3 on the night, which is a pretty good sign in a 3-2 game.
The Habs tried to clog up the neutral zone the best they could, often times with only one half-hearted forechecker and four guys holding their real estate. It didn't seem to bother the Penguins, who had no problems dumping, chasing and doing some dirty work down low. It shows in the numbers when you see Tyler Kennedy (5 shots, 1 hit), Ruslan Fedotenko (4 shots, 1 hit), Matt Cooke (1 goal, 2 shots, 3 hits), Craig Adams (2 shots, 4 hits). The pluggers plugged away.
Carey Price was almost the story of the game. He didn't have many idle moments when the Pens weren't pressing him. But his shaky glove hand betrayed him at the end.

So that's the game and another win on the road. The Habs and their fans were smarting over the quick whistle negating a goal, but the fact of the matter is they got out-worked and out-chanced all night and didn't really deserve to win the game.

Up next may be the ultimate trap game. Consider: The Pens embark on a home-and-home against their rivals the Flyers next week, but first they'll be playing in their blue jerseys against a feisty opponent that relishes playing against them in the Florida Panthers. Hopefully they bring the same effort they showed tonight in Montreal, they'll need it.

Blackhawks defeat Pens 2-1 in OT

Hooks Orpik — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:14:06 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Niemi was in the zone and saw the puck all night long.

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Blackhawks vs Penguins coverage - SB Nation blog Second City Hockey

Sans Sidney Crosby, the Penguins had to dig deep when they faced a Chicago Blackhawks team that used much of the skill and style that Pittsburgh's gameplan.

Much of the night featured a lot of skating, a lot of fast-paced hockey going in both directions and stellar goaltending play by Marc-Andre Fleury (29 saves on 31 shots) and Blackhawks' backup Antti Niemi (32 saves on 33 shots). Old "friend" Marian Hossa opened the scoring when he went hard to the net, collected the puck and put it past Fleury.

The score would remain 1-0 Chicago for most of the game, neither team could solve the defenses of their opponent. Until Dan Bylsma called a timeout with about 1:40 left and let assistant coach Mike Yeo draw a play up. They pulled the goalie and stationed Jordan Staal all the way out against the far boards on the blueline, in an ominous lurking position. Recent call-up Mark Letestu won the faceoff, Evgeni Malkin wheeled the puck around and threw it to the net. Staal swooped in and beat Niemi on the second chance.

It wasn't to be for Pittsburgh on this night. In OT, Kris Versteeg got to a loose puck in the crease before Tyler Kennedy could neutralize him and ended it.

Without their leading scorer, Pittsburgh struggled to generate points, but it wasn't for a lack of effort or shots. 33 shots on goal were fired at Niemi, led by Bill Guerin's 6 and Kennedy's 5. While taking nothing away from Niemi, who was solid, a bunch of the Penguins shots were coming from low percentage angles and distances.
Minus Crosby (one of the top faceoff men in the league), the Penguins used nine different forwards for at least one faceoff. Out of all of them, only one had a better than 50% night.
And that was Crosby's lineup replacement of Mark Letestu. Letestu had a solid night, in addition to his clutch offensive zone faceoff win, he did win 56% of his 16 draws, he had 4 shot attempts (1 getting through, 1 hit a post) and a hit in 13:52 of ice-time. Acquitted himself very well on this night.
Speaking of, it showed some stones and intuition by the coaching staff to use a guy in his 3rd career NHL game in an important faceoff against old veteran John Madden, who's made a career out of doing things like winning defensive draws. Mike Yeo is an easy (and reasonable) punching bag for Penguins fans....But the unusual and creative play he drew up for the last moment worked exactly to perfection. So you have to tip your cap to him tonight.
Chicago also earned a cap tip for their hard fought win. They're a good young team with a lot of skill up front, but some of their defensemen shined tonight: Brent Seabrook has 9 hits and 2 blocked shots, Duncan Keith frustrated Pens all night and skated a game high 31:24. Brian Campbell had the primary assists on both goals.
For teams that don't see too much of one another, unpleasantries were exchanged early and often; highlighted by Keith getting a shot on Matt Cooke that upset Cooke. The hit was to the head, away from the play, and from behind; similiar to what just got Cooke suspended for two games. If the league is truly serious about policing shots to the head, they need to review this tape.

So in a somewhat disappointing fashion that the Penguins claw back into the contest with time running out, just to have Versteeg unleash the dagger in OT. First OT/shootout lose of the year as well. Against a goalie in a little bit of a groove -- Niemi was working on 150+ minute scoreless streak -- it's a night where you have to get out taking what you can get. It's only one point against a similiar team.

Two Pickets to Tittsburgh - Hawks 2, Pens 1 (OT)

McClure — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:38:38 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

It is written. I have spoken. So put this in your pipe And smoke it.

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This will be brief, as again, I have professional-grade drinking to do. Tonight's matchup lived up to the hype, and it definitely had a playoff type atmosphere. There was certainly a LOT of animosity between the two teams for only playing once a year, as exhibited by the exchange of pleasantries early on between Duncan Keith and Matt Cooke. Keith was lucky to only receive two minutes for his 200-foot charge, and Marian Hossa buried one of the few rebounds Marc-Andre Fleury (in top form) allowed all night on the ensuing four on four. Patrick Kane led the rush, and fought off two defenders along the boards to feed a late Brian Campbell, whose shot Hossa put home. That Kane, I tell ya- too soft, and lazy.

In the second, it once again became the Antti Niemi show, who had an answer for everything Pitt threw at him. There were no penalties after the early going, and the teams traded chances throughout. Last night's game appeared to be catching up with the Hawks. Pittsburgh finally drew even with the extra attacker when a puck kicked free to Jordan Staal who as all alone and had 6x4 to shoot at.

Into overtime, VERSTEEG! ended it by poking his own rebound past Fleury after a Brian Campbell-led rush. Hawks go home happy, 2-1.

Observations

Niemi was once again stellar. Let the goalie controversy begin anew.
While the Penguins did have a lot of quality chances, the Hawks did a nice job of clearing pucks from the middle of the ice
The ice seemed to be in even shittier condition than it usually is at the Igloo, as many pucks rolled off sticks for both teams
On the flipside, however, the Igloo does play some kickass jams during stoppages- note "3's and 7's" from Queens of the Stone Age during the second
Matt Cooke is a turd burglar. He burgles ALL the turds.

Player of the Game

Once again, Antti Niemi played an excellent game, stopping 31 shots, many of them in spectacular fashion.

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

Up next: Marian Gaborik, Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers (again)

FrankD — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:15:10 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Steve Valiquette unfortunately doesn't look like he'll be starting again tonight.

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[SBN Rangers blog - Blueshirt Banter]

It's really a shame Matt Cooke can't be around for this one. On one hand I think he already answered for his actions in the latter part of Saturday's game when he and Ryan Callahan threw down in the third period. However I also feel as if playing in front of the Rangers faithful at MSG would've only fueled his fire (and maybe taken a bit of heat off some of the top guns).

But probably not. Even though Sean Avery went for Crosby's head the other day - an interesting situation where Sid actually ducked out of the way and sent Avery tumbling to the ice - expect NYC fans to have their diving chants and "Crosby sucks" cheers going strong.

The Rangers are 2-3 on home ice for the month of November and can close that out at .500 with a win. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, are 3-5 on the road this month.

Expect Henrik Lundqvist tonight. It won't show on the injury report, but I suspect Stephen Valiquette is out with a bruised ego. There's a reason why he didn't start a game against Pittsburgh for almost an entire decade. That showed on the scoreboard Saturday night.

Avery might have to answer for the public embarrassment that is his life. You know, that incident when he jumped Ruslan Fedotenko. Rematch? Or will Eric Godard have to step up for his teammates and take the punk down? That is, of course, if he's not already preoccupied with Donald Brashear. Last fight I remember Tenks getting in was against Colby Armstrong, whereby instead of breaking Colby's face he instead broke his hand and missed a few weeks. I'm sure Tenks has fought here and there since that incident last season, but that's the one that stands out the most in my mind.

Marian Gaborik didn't register a goal on Saturday's loss but did pick up two assists to pad his season total of 35 points. He's currently second in the league in that category, two behind Joe Thornton. Frankly Brooks Orpik did an excellent job of shutting him down, so we can only hope for a repeat effort tonight. The only good look I remember Gaborik getting was early in the first when he got in close on Fleury and just couldn't manage to lift the backhander over MAF's mitt. Other than that, he assumed more of a playmaker role than goal scorer one. On a team that doesn't exactly possess many goals scorers that's a solid trade off. To put that into perspective for ya, Gabby leads the Rangers with 19 goals. The next two players closest to him are Vinny Prospal and Alex Kotalik with six goals each.

Puck and thread drop at 7:00. Let's see the Pens close out November on a high note.

Rangers News: Matt Cooke suspended 2 games for hit on Anisimov

Jim Schmiedeberg — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:25:41 -0000

The Canadian Press is reporting that the NHL has suspended Penguins LW Matt Cooke 2 games for his hit on Artem Anisimov in last night's loss to the Pens.

Pittsburgh Penguins left-winger Matt Cooke was suspended for two games without pay by the NHL on Sunday for a deliberate check to the head area of New York Rangers centre Artem Anisimov on Saturday night.

Cooke, also suspended for two games in January, is considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Because of that, he forfeited US$29,268 in salary based on the number of games (82) in a season, rather than the number of days (193). The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

Cooke was assessed a minor penalty for interference at 7:39 of the third period. Anisimov was injured on the play and did not return to the game.

Here is the video of the hit:

Matt Cooke suspended two games for hit on Artem Anisimov

FrankD — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:23:14 -0000

Well, we all saw this one coming. I don't think a single person doubted that Matt Cooke would receive some sort of suspension and/or fine for his hit on Artem Anisimov. Well, he's been hit with both. For once you almost wish Cooke would've taken a page out of Sean Avery's book and missed completely on his "alleged" cheap shot attempt on Crosby that sent him tumbling to the ice as Sid ducked out of the way.

From the Post-Gazette:

Cooke will miss Monday night's game against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden as well as one Thursday against Colorado at Mellon Arena.

He will be eligible to return for the Penguins' home game against Chicago Saturday.

As part of his punishment, Cooke will forfeit $29,268.30 in salary, with that money going to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

Anisimov didn't return to the game after that hit. It'll be interesting to see if he's out there on Monday for the rematch.

Poll

Did you think the hit was worthy of a suspension?

Yes

139 votes

No

84 votes

Questionable

82 votes

305 votes | Poll has closed

Sunday links -- Matt Cooke to be suspended? Gonchar and Pens at odds? Bill Guerin's effort too low?

Hooks Orpik — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:50:44 -0000

Check out 2:35 of the youtube. "It's f-in hat night", the new "it's the f-in Catalina wine mixer"? [Three Rivers Blog]

TSN insider Bob McKenzie says that the league may review Matt Cooke's hit on Artem Anisimov last night for possible suspension or fine. [Twitter account]

Empty Netters takes a hard line on Cooke and says he deserves suspended. Given that the hit was away from the play, targeted the head and the offender's last name is Cooke, I have to agree that discipline could and probably should be on the way. [Empty Netters]

The Confluence takes a look at the fine line Cooke walks, and occasionally crosses. [Kuklas Korner]

Stats and details on the Penguins success in the first 25 game segment of the season. [Tribune Review]

The same clown from Ottawa who said the Penguins were preparing to trade Evgeni Malkin (two weeks before they re-signed him) says that the Penguins and Sergei Gonchar aren't agreeing on extension figures. [Ottawa Sun]

I'm guessing the odds you see an article on Puck Prospectus this week about Sidney Crosby hurting the Penguins is pretty low. [Puck Prospectus]

Faceoff Factor calls out Bill Guerin's effort. I don't see it, Guerin's got six points (3g, 3a) in the last eight games, including that last second buzzer beater. 39 year old players don't play like they're 19 or 29, gotta save a little in the tank for the long haul. [Faceoff Factor]

Craig Rivet and Max Talbot frienemy Dan Carcillo had quite the series of fights. [Puck Daddy]

Crosby v. Ovechkin was the fourth biggest hockey story of the decade. JP asked on his site if it'd be higher or lower next decade. I'm going to push and say it'll be about the 4th biggest story next decade too. The three bigger stories? NHL player involvement in the 2014 Olympics, the next CBA negotiations and the Penguins dynastic 11 straight Stanley Cups. [Puck Daddy]

Former Penguins prospect Angelo Esposito tore the same ACL again. Hard not to feel bad for someone who's career has seemingly peaked at age 15 or 16. [Bird Watchers Anonymous]

As a little aside, who would have guessed that Pascal Dupuis would have the more goals so far this season than everyone involved in that trade....Combined. The scoreboard (with NHL goals in parenthesis) is Pascal Dupuis (7) to everyone else (5). Marian Hossa (2) Colby Armstrong (3), Erik Christensen (0), Esposito (0) and a first round pick that was Daultan Leveille (0). Now that Hossa is back, figured I had to use that stat now.

Chicago's cap crunch might make defenseman Cam Barker the odd man out. Hear that, Mr. Shero? [Faceoff.com]

Hat trick on hat night; Pens spank Rangers 8-3

Hooks Orpik — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:29:55 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Amazingly, John Torture-rella's head didn't explode during the course of this game.

Browse more photos »

Rangers vs Penguins coverage - Rangers vs Penguins boxscore - SB Nation blog Blueshirt Banter

On a night when we welcome back three very important players (defensemen Alex Goligoski and Kris Letang and forward Tyler Kennedy) the Penguins kicked it back into high gear. Maybe it was that they were mad about a poor performance yesterday in Long Island, but Pittsburgh showed what they're capable of, ringing up right goals on poor Stephen Valiquette. That's right, it's hard not to feel a little sorry for Valiquette after the barrage he faced.

Marc Staal opened the scoring swooping in and beating birthday boy Marc-Andre Fleury. The Penguins would close the period very strongly, scoring three goals before intermission: Evgeni Malkin started things off, Sidney Crosby scored on a crazy angle and then Maxime Talbot got his first of the year. Crosby got the assists sandwiched around his goal, giving him a three point period.

The second period saw two defensemen for either team notched goals; Matt Gilroy got the Rangers within a goal before Mark Eaton got what would eventually be the game-winner. Thirty three seconds into the third period, former Penguin Michal Rozsival again brought NYR within a goal, when he made it 4-3. Sidney Crosby scored his second of the night to bring the Pens up 5-3 and then the wheels really fell off on the Rangers.

Pascal Dupuis literally scores on a knucklepuck from way out. Bad goal for Valiquette to allow. Then on the next shift, Matt Cooke hit Artem Anisimov away from the puck and was assessed a deserved minor for interference. This drove the Rangers for vengeance, as the Rangers really picked up the extracurriculars. Goon Donald Brashear tried to fight Cooke, but the Monster wasn't looking to go up in weight class. Big Brash was slapped with 4 minutes in penalties and Crosby got his hat-trick goal in the ensuing PP, 7-3 Pens. Tyler Kennedy tipped a Kris Letang shot to close the scoring on the back-end of that double minor penalty.

Cooke would drop the gloves with Ryan Callahan to atone for his hit, both earning a 10 minute misconduct to ensure their nights would be over. Then Aaron Voros tried to pick a fight with Jordan Staal and Sean Avery, being Sean Avery, basically jumped Ruslan Fedotenko from behind when the play went the other way for whatever reason. Avery got an instigator and a misconduct for his troubles, and Fedotenko wasn't penalized at all.

Hat trick on hat night. That Crosby sure has a knack for timing.
It was good to hear the crowd going crazy for Fleury; chanting his name and happy birthday for him in the closing moments of the game. Fleury had a couple flashy saves, but he wasn't the star of the show tonight so it was interesting to see the fan's love affair with him extend to a game where he wasn't the main storyline.
Five points is Crosby's highest single game total since he got six [1g, 5a] against Philadelphia on December 13th 2006.
Nice to see Cooke answer the bell with his scrap with Callahan. He's often been a guy to hit and run, with only now six fights since the lockout. The Code said he owed a Ranger a fight after the hit on Anisimov, so good to see him get it out of the way. We'll cut him a break for not responding to Brashear, right? I wouldn't want to fight that big guy either.
Craig Adams has now gone 35 regular season games as a Penguin without a goal (he does have three playoff goals). It's been since last December 16th -- when Adams was a Chicago Blackhawk -- since his last regular season goal. Goal scoring isn't a key tenet of Adams' game, but it seems like he's been getting good chances lately. The red light may be coming on sooner than later for him.
Two assists each for Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski. Tyler Kennedy got his goal and attempted 8 shots on the night. Welcome back, boys.
Michael Del Zotto -- a legit contender for the Calder Trophy -- caught a tough one tonight; ringing up a -5 in the plus/minus column. That'll sting.

In a great twist of scheduling, the Penguins travel to Manhattan for a Monday night game, the next for both teams. Tonight's game got really chippy at the end, it'll be interesting to watch if any of the post-whistle activities carry over. The tension is sure to be at playoff-level intensity. The Rangers surely won't be throwing out old Valiquette again, it'll be the King. And you know coach John Tortorella is gonna be pissed and have his boys ready to bounce back.