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Best (and worst) Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks from 2000-09

Hooks Orpik — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:18:01 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

7 months ago: Pittsburgh Penguins' Kris Letang celebrates his game-winning goal in overtime against the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of an NHL hockey second-round playoff series, in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, May 6, 2009. The Penguins won 3-2. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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Puck Daddy, in celebration of the 2000-2009 "decade" is doing all sorts of lists and rankings, like this one on the best and worst draft picks of this period. A good idea that Japers Rink tweaked for their purposes. Why let them have all the fun (and watch another Penguins blog do it). That's right, only the finest second hand stolen ideas here for you, after the jump!

Keeping in-line, we won't include lottery picks -- so no Ryan Whitney, Marc-Andre Fleury, Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby or Jordan Staal to be found here. Let's get the unpleasant ones out of the way with the five worst Penguin draft picks from 2000-2009. It's unfair and too much of an exercise in hindsight to say the Pens SHOULD have drafted so-and-so, that's a little much. Still, judging who was on the board (especially when they got picked near the time of busts) is useful, even if somewhat painful.

#5 - Noah Welch (Defense, 2nd round, 54th overall in 2001)

Perhaps it's unfair to list Welch here, since he rose to be a fringe NHL'er, but he wasn't the surefire top six guy he was made out to be for Pittsburgh. Notable players drafted in this same neighborhood were: Jason Pominville, Jay McClement and Tomas Plekanec. Welch couldn't play his way into the NHL on a weak Pittsburgh defense that included Josef Melichar and Rob Scuderi (before he progressed into being "The Piece"). That disappointment lands him on this list.

#4 - Brian Gifford (Center, 3rd round, 85th overall in 2004)

Gifford was a swing and a miss, he never developed into an NHL prospect in a draft that featured several good players drafted around him. Gifford's a senior at Denver U now, but that he's not distinguishing himself there (and isn't on anyone's radar).

#3 - Ryan Stone (Winger, 2nd round, 32nd overall in 2003)

Stone may have hit his stride now in Edmonton, but there's no doubt he was a bust in Pittsburgh. Drafted in the talent rich 2003 draft (in the same round as Loui Eriksson, Patrice Bergeron, Matt Carle and Shea Weber), Stone was a whiff by Penguin management. He dredged through a few years in Wilkes-Barre and eight games in Pittsburgh on a 4th line before exiting quietly in the trade that brought Mathieu Garon to the 'Burgh. When you have the second pick in the second round in one of the deepest and most talented drafts ever, you'd like a little more than that.

#2 - Ondrej Nemec (Defenseman, 2nd round, 35th overall in 2002)

Drafting a European defenseman high in the second round, the Penguins thought they added a strong puck mover with good hockey sense. And perhaps they did, but we'll never know. Nemec never showed much desire in coming to North America -- though he did make a brief cameo in Wilkes-Barre at the end of the 2004 season. Then he disappeared back into the Czech wilderness, never to be heard from again. Adding to the sting, the player drafted immediately after Nemec turned into a legit NHL playmaking center (Jarret Stoll) and the next two defensemen selected after Nemec both are NHL regulars (Trevor Daley and Matt Greene).

#1 - Johannes Salmonsson (Winger, 2nd round, 31st overall in 2004)

Salmonsson was advertised as a pure "boom or bust" prospect, and unfortunately was a total bust. He landed on North American soil for 54 games in the WHL junior league in 2005-06, but injuries and a style of play more suited for Europe made that stay short. The first pick in the second round of a draft, more than an almost invisible blip should happen.

Dishonorable mention: Michael Gergen, Shane Endicott and Angelo Esposito

Notice a trend there? All but Gifford (and Esposito) were taken in the 2nd round, which hasn't been kind to Pittsburgh ever since they drafted Greg Malone way back when. Enough of the negative, let's take a look at the Penguins hits in the Top 5 picks of the draft.

#5 - Tyler Kennedy (Winger, 4th round, 99th overall in 2004)

Quick progression is a common place among good draft picks. 2 seasons after drafted, TK jumped to the AHL and less than a year after that he was in the NHL for good, carving a solid niche as an energy/checker with a knack for scoring important goals (10 of his 31 NHL goals are game winners).

#4 - Matt Moulson (Winger, 9th round, 263th overall in 2003)

Moulson was a scorer in college, but the Pens elected not to retain his rights. He spent a few years in LA's system (where he still showed goal scoring touch) before sticking now with the New York Islanders. Moulson (with 14 goals so far in 2009-10) doesn't look out of place on their first line with wonderkid John Tavares, which can only lead Pens fans to wonder how good he might have been alongside Crosby or Malkin.

#3 - Max Talbot (Center, 8th round, 234th overall in 2002)

The knack for scoring big goals applies to no one in the NHL more than Max Talbot. In the two years after his draft, Talbot won the playoff MVP in the QMJHL in both seasons. Proving he could be a regular NHL'er took a little longer, as Talbot bounced between the AHL and NHL for a season before establishing himself in PIttsburgh, which probably speaks to good development just as well as drafting. Surely no one knew Talbot was a surefire "gamer", or else he would have been drafted several rounds higher, but that Pittsburgh selected him is good enough for recognition.

#2 - Alex Goligoski (Defenseman, 2nd round, 61st overall in 2004)

30 spots after taking Salmonsson, the Pens finally broke their "curse" of second round picks. Goligoski, though small, could skate and had great offensive abilities, dug up in Minnesota by Penguin scout Chuck Grillo. Pittsburgh didn't know it at the time, but was the perfect post-lockout defenseman, chosen a few months before the lockout began. He spend time at Minnesota and the AHL getting up to speed, but is now a legit Top 4 defenseman that is good on the PP.

#1 - Kris Letang (Defenseman, 3rd round, 62nd overall in 2005)

In the serpentine 2005 draft, the Pens used one of their consecutive picks on a smooth skating, right-handed shot out of the QMHJL and Letang impressed almost immediately, nearly sticking in the NHL as a 18 year old, before serving a 10 game stint in Wilkes-Barre before jumping full time to the NHL. Not many defenseman can take that career pass and be successful. Letang did.

Honorable mentions: Luca Caputi, Robert Bortuzzo, Michel Ouellet

So there you have it -- some hits, some misses and some development along the way. There's no doubt the story of this decade for the Penguins are all the lottery picks that stocked the organization for Stanley Cup runs, but without filling in the pieces later in the draft, that run wouldn't have been possible.

Poll

Other than the lottery picks, what's the Penguins best draft pick over 2000-09?

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.

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

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.

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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.

Blueshirts are the Pitts: Crosby and Pens crush Rangers, 8-3

Jim Schmiedeberg — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:50:12 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Rangers Head Coach John Tortorella shows RW Ales Kotalik which way the ice is during last night's game against the Penguins

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After giving up 13 goals in two nights to the Lightning and Penguins, the Rangers are long on questions and short on answers. Very little is working for this team right now, and their coach, for all his tough talk and arrogance seems to have absolutely no clue what to do about it.

The Good Ship Tortorella is sinking Ranger fans, and the Skipper seems powerless and/or unable to stop it. The water is coming up over the bow, and most of the team is bailing with Dixie cups.

They still aren't playing hard for 60 minutes, they still aren't getting scoring from forwards not named Gaborik or Prospal, and they are still making far too many defensive mistakes to be considered even a mediocre hockey team.

Plenty of excuses, no answers.

On to the recap, although I can't fathom how anyone would even want to read this, because I didn't even want to write it.

Recap after the jump.......

The Rangers drew first blood on a beautiful backhand goal by Marc Staal, but after that the Penguins came roaring back, with three goals in a span of less than four minutes, and by the end of the night, Sidney Crosby had a hat trick, and the Pens had a 8-3 victory at the Igloo in Pittsburgh. Evgeni Malkin, Maxim Talbot, Tyler Kennedy, and former Ranger Pascal Dupuis also scored for the Pens.

The Rangers flirted with attempts to make a game out of it, but the Penguins had an answer every time. After Matt Gilroy made it 3-2 with a goal with five minutes left in the second, Mark Eaton scored a goal as time expired in the second period. A review of the goal showed that it crossed the goal line with 0.4 seconds remaining in the second.

The Rangers answered quickly in the third, with Michael Rozsival scoring his first goal of the season just thirty three seconds into the period. It ended a long scoring drought for Rozsival, who hadn't scored in 42 games. But again, the Penguins came back fast, came back harder, and put the game away for good.

The luckiest Ranger of the night? Enver Lisin, who was dressed and on the bench, but didn't get on the ice once. MSG announcers talked about Lisin "being taught a lesson" by head coach John Tortorella. Yeah, you sure showed him Torts.

Final Thoughts:

Michael Del Zotto had an especially tough night, finishing -5 for the evening. Can't say I can ever recall a defensemen having a +/- that bad.
Defensive breakdowns notwithstanding, Stephen Valiquette was awful in this game, just flat out awful. He is making it harder and harder for the Rangers to give Henrik Lundqvist nights off.
I almost feel bad for Christopher Higgins, I really do. He's doing all the little things, and getting plenty of chances, the puck just refuses to go in the net for him.
Donald Brashear had a power play shift in this game.......I'll just let that sink in.
Chris Drury had a terrible night as well: -2, a woeful 1 for 6 on defensive zone face-offs, and 6 for 14 on face-offs overall. Boys and girls, if he isn't winning face-offs, he is of no use to the Rangers.
I think Artem Anisimov has earned more playing time. Put him on the first line, and see what happens. What is the worst that could happen, the Rangers lose?
Towards the end of the MSG telecast, John Giannone said the Rangers would be an "angry team" on Monday night for the rematch with the Penguins. I want John to tell me what Ranger team he is watching, because the one I'm watching doesn't get angry.

Rangers vs Penguins coverage

Rangers vs Penguins recap

Rangers vs Penguins boxscore

Penguin links: Pens punish Lovejoy for losing shootout competition

Hooks Orpik — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:25:43 -0000

Worse punishment for losing the shootout competition at practice: serving everyone Gatorade, growing a mustache for a month (see Goligoski, Alex), or having to climb over the glass and ascend an empty arena? I'd say the facial hair would be the worst. [Penguins.nhl.com check the bottom entry]

Great article (from yesterday) about the Penguins marketing campaign and a look at how the Penguins are developing their brand. [Tribune Review]

Jordan Staal is one of about six forwards reportedly fighting for two or three spots, he may be closer than we realize to making it. [Tribune Review]

For his part, Marc-Andre Fleury, may have clinched a spot on Team Canada, but does it matter if he's not going to see any playing time behind Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo? [The Hockey News]

Don't adjust your television: the Penguins will be the debut opponent for the Panthers' new third jersey tonight. [Panthers.nhl.com]

Interesting nugget: Wilkes-Barre's Dustin Jeffrey is tied for 13th in the AHL in points, yet he only has one goal on the season (and that came on a penalty shot). [Penguins Insider]

A look at why Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk got an extra minor penalty for "instigating with a visor" and why this opens up a lot more questions [Hockey Independent]

The Penguins are 6th in Yahoo's! power rankings. Take note that there's three teams in the Atlantic Division in the top 8. Yeesh. [Yahoo!]

Tyler Kennedy is back to practicing, promising to take it slow this time in his recovery. He may be the next player to return from injury, but no word yet if it'll be tonight. [Steel City Sports Fan]

Did everyone see this goal by David Perron? It probably will be a goal of the year contender. [Puck Daddy]

Despite not playing a game since the 2006-07 season, Mike Rathje is still on the payroll (but not on the salary cap) of the Philadelphia Flyers. [Kuklas Korner]

Former Penguin Georges Laraque could be staring down the barrel of at least a 5 game suspension for his knee-on-knee hit with Detroit's Nikas Kronwall. Even though the Red Wing's defenseman will miss significant time with injury, Big Georges says he is "not concerned" because he had no intent and there was only a two-minute penalty called. Methinks BGL's in for a big shock when the NHL suspends him for a while. [TSN]

Let's take a look at the Ottawa Senators

FrankD — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:30:20 -0000

More photos » by FRED CHARTRAND - AP

Chris Neil. Brutal.

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[SBN Ottawa Senators blog - Silver Seven]

The Penguins kick off a short three-game road trip tonight as they head north of the border to take on the Ottawa Senators. In the last meeting between the two, the Penguins skated away with a 4-1 victory thanks to goals from Bill Guerin, Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy, the latter of whom actually scored two of em.

It goes without question that the recent injury report regarding Jay McKee puts the Pens in an interesting situation, as they now officially find themselves with only one of the starting six defensemen from the first day of the season (Mark Eaton). Martin Skoula, announced earlier in the year as the seventh d-man, looks as if he has his work cut out for him over (at least) the next two to four weeks.

On a positive note, Max Talbot makes his triumphant return to the ice, confirmed yesterday by the Trib-Review.

But enough about the Pens - you know what's going on here. Take the jump and check out what's going on with the Senators.

Ottawa (9-6-3) sits 10th in the East and second in the Northeast division after picking up a 3-2 win over the Leafs Tuesday night. Overall the month of November hasn't been all that bad for the Sens, as they've posted a 3-2-1 record that includes an OT and SO win. Goaltender Pascal Leclaire has developed an interesting pattern of W-L-W-L-W over his last five and with any luck the pattern continues tonight and results in an 'L' for the Sens.

But he'll definitely have help from Ottawa's firepower. On a team that consists of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek, it comes as a bit of a surprise to see Mike Fisher leading the team in goals with nine. A hot streak, or is he on pace to top his career-high of 23 set back in 2008? Fittingly Michalek isn't too far behind with eight of his own (he also scored the only Ottawa goal against Pittsburgh last month) while Alfredsson leads the team in total points with 19 (6g, 13a).

Historically the Pens haven't faired all that well on the road in Ottawa. Up until the last win on October 12, the Pens hadn't won a regulation game at Scotiabank since April 2007. A win tonight puts Pittsburgh on a three-game win streak with Atlanta and Florida left to close out the trip before returning home to host Montreal.

Can Pittsburgh get out of this one without an injury? Let's hope so. For those of you wondering how long the Pens have gone without an injury report, please direct your attention to the right sidebar beneath the Pensburgh Twitter feed on the main page. You'll find a handy little "Days since injured" counter that records the days, hours, minutes and seconds since the last injury. This was added during Monday's game against the Ducks. It has yet to record more than two days.

The puck and thread drop tonight at 7:30. Stop by and join in.

Q and A With Former Sabre Dixon Ward

Rafal Ladysz — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:26:34 -0000

Dixon Ward wasn't a major scorer in the National Hockey League but he was someone who you'd want on your team if given the choice. Ward spent five of his ten seasons with the Buffalo Sabres providing defensive zone coverage, secondary scoring, a willingness to get his hands dirty and an attitude that was ready for the playoffs.

A member of the Sabres squad that reached the Conference Finals in 1998 and the Stanley Cup Finals the next year, Ward was a prime example of a player who did many of the little things properly. With 13 goals and 32 assists, his best campaign in Buffalo came during 1997 and his 12 points in 21 postseason games two years later had a part in the Sabres' long run.

Now the Vice President of the Okanagan Hockey School, he continues to keep hockey a part of his life. Recently, Ward was kind enough to lend me some of his time and speak to me about his career on and off the ice.

1) What would you accredit the most for having such a phenomenal rookie season with the Vancouver Canucks?

We had a highly offensive team and I was fortunate enough to get a chance to play in all of the different situations.

2) After 103 games with the Canucks, you spent some time with both Los Angeles and Toronto where your numbers dropped. What were the primary issues playing for those clubs?

In each of those clubs, my role changed. I was played in a different capacity with different expectations.

3) Were you happy with the role you had in Buffalo which was shadowing talented offensive players regularly? Is that the duty you saw yourself eventually performing in the league?

I was happy in any role. In Buffalo, I learned how to be a strong two-way player and really enjoyed the responsibility of playing against the other team's best players.

4) As a defensive forward, you obviously squared off against many stars from opposing teams. Who would you say was the most difficult to keep at bay?

Playing Pittsburgh was always difficult because if you weren't chasing Jaromir Jagr, you had to deal with Mario Lemieux. Both players were very big, strong and tremendously talented.

5) Looking back, do you think remaining in Vancouver would have been great or was the eventual move to Buffalo best for you?

You never know what would have happened so I don't think about it too much. I enjoyed my time in both places.

6) In an interview a couple of months ago, I spoke to your former teammate Jason Woolley about the controversial Stanley Cup defeat to Dallas in 1999. Had the goal been rightfully disallowed, could you have seen the team coming back to win the series?

We certainly could have but you never know if we would have. It was an unfortunate way for it to end.

7) With the playoff experience you had, could you tell me a little about the atmosphere and pressure for players to perform well?

Playoffs were always an incredible experience. It was a chance to rejuvenate yourself and your team. It wasn't so much pressure as excitement and sometimes anxiety. I loved playoff time and usually played my best hockey at that time.

8) Who would you say was the most underrated player you ever performed with?

I would have to say Stu Barnes. He never got a lot of attention but he was one of the smartest players I ever played with.

9) Is there a player you see in the game today who reminds you a little of yourself in terms of style?

I really relate to a guy like Tyler Kennedy in Pittsburgh. He is a great third-line player who can score as well.

10) You competed in Switzerland during the latter stages of your career. How did that experience treat you?

I loved the experience in Switzerland. It was a great place to play and enjoy the game in a different culture and end my career.

11) How did you first get involved with the Okanagan Hockey School?

Near the end of my playing career, I helped my friend and now partner, Alan Kerr with camps in Kelowna. After retiring, I was given the opportunity to become a partner and was excited to get involved.

12) Lastly, what was the proudest moment of your hockey career?

I think being inducted into the University of North Dakota Hall of Fame last week is my proudest moment.

I want to thank Dixon very much for taking the time to speak with me and wish him the best of luck in his future work with the Okanagan Hockey School.

Penguins Injury update: Malkin back soon?

Hooks Orpik — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:58:07 -0000

With six key pieces of the Stanley Cup champions on the shelf, here's a look at their various paths back to the lineup. Unfortunately, lately more have been adding to this list quicker than have been coming off of it, but hopefully that is about to change.

Player	Injury	Notes
Sergei Gonchar	Broken bone in wrist	Injured on October 20th, expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Has missed very little practice time (but hasn't participated fully). Is progressing well, slowly but seems to be on pace for a late November/early December return.
Evgeni Malkin	Shoulder strain	Last played on October 28th, said to miss 2-3 weeks. Malkin upgraded his status to "day to day" and has increased his skating in practice. There's no reason to rush him in November, but it seems the big guy is starting to feel better and stronger, which is obviously very welcomed.
Tyler Kennedy	Groin	Missed about a week in late October, returned and played well in a game on November 3rd, but he didn't feel well and has been out ever since.
Brooks Orpik	Undisclosed	Injured in Tuesday's game, just examined by doctor's yesterday. KDKA's Bob Pompeani told me that Orpik surmised he might be out about a week or so. But official prognosis or time out hasn't been determined yet.
Kris Letang	Bruised Shoulder	Injured November 7th, said to miss about two weeks. No real word on Letang since he suffered his shoulder "contusion", he's on the shelf for the next little while before he's back to the ice for practice.
Maxime Talbot	Shoulder surgery	Superstar continues to practice on his long trip of rehab back to the lineup. No news of late, which is a good thing. He's probably still on pace for a return sometime in December.

Monday Morning Fly By: Injuries around every corner

Travis Hughes — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:00:40 -0000

by Matt Slocum - AP

View full size photo »

Your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news...

Last night's NHL scores... ATL 3, STL 2 (OT) - EDM 5, COL 3
It was a weekend of injuries around the NHL, and brutal ones at that. Most notably, Carolina goaltender Cam Ward suffered a horrifying laceration to his upper left leg on Saturday night when Columbus' Rick Nash's skate came up and caught him. He'll miss at least three weeks, a devastating blow to an already suffering Hurricanes team. [Canes Country]
In Detroit, winger Jason Williams will miss at least two months after breaking his right fibula -- that's his leg, for the uninitiated. [Winging It In Motown]
Alex Ovechkin has been sidelined for about a week now, and in an interview with Puck Daddy, he said that he'll be out about four-to-five weeks. Not so fast, AO. [Japers']
In Pittsburgh, they entered Saturday night's game in San Jose without Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar, Tyler Kennedy, or Maxime Talbot. Add Kris Letang to the list, as he fell with a shoulder problem. He could be out a while, too. [Pensburgh]
Of course, the Flyers weren't exempt on the injury front this weekend. With Simon Gagne, Danny Briere, and Ryan Parent already out, James van Riemsdyk and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen didn't complete Saturday's game. OKT has a concussion and JVR has a fractured pinky finger. Each are listed as day-to-day. [CSN Philly]
As if it were some kind of foreshadowing, Puck Daddy published a list of the top 10 most brutal NHL injuries of the last decade on Saturday afternoon. Randy Jones' hit on Patrice Bergeron and Patrick Thoresen's "potentially ruptured testicle" each make the cut. [PD]
While Danny Syvret has been less than impressive as a Flyer this season, the guy he was traded for, Ryan Potulny, is getting a chance with the Oilers. Until now, he has only played in eight NHL games since the June 2008 trade. [Oilers]
Spectrum seats go on sale today at 10 AM. [BSH]
The Phantoms played once this weekend and fell to archrival Albany 3-1. [Post-Star]
If you don't venture past the main column of this site, you a) have tunnel vision and b) missed out on some good discussion of the current standings system, started by mikefive over the weekend. [BSH FanPosts]
Ron Hextall selling Canada Dry ginger ale, just because. [YouTube]