SB Nation - Kris Letang

Checking up on special teams: Power play (30th overall), Penalty kill (11th overall)

FrankD — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:56:28 -0000

More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

The PP unit celebrating a goal. Not something you see every day with the Penguins.

Penguins fans don't exactly need any sort of statistic to tell them just how bad the power play has been, but just in case inquiring minds want to know it's not the brightest of spots on this team. When the Penguins have the man advantage, and send out any number of combinations that may include Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and/or Sergei Gonchar, to name a few, they officially rank last in the NHL. Dead last. 30th overall. Worst. Power play. Ever.

Well maybe not ever. But saying the Pens are converting only 13.8% of their opportunities definitely appears better on paper than saying something like, "Oh, they're only picked up 22 goals in 159 attempts." Yes, 159. And unfortunately you can't even chalk it up to making the most of whatever opportunity they get, because the Penguins are second overall in the league for power play opportunities, just one behind Dallas' 160.

So, how about that PK then, huh? At 83% the Pens penalty kill is ranked 11th overall, just a nudge away from Ottawa (83.4%), Minnesota (83.6%) and Phoenix (83.8%). Out of 141 time shorthanded , Pittsburgh has allowed only 24 goals and scored five shorties (second in the league). So maybe there IS a bright spot in the PK. Of course if you want something to be there you can always find it.

I'm not here to point fingers. The blame game hardly produces results. I am, like many Pens fans, genuinely curious as to why/how this power play is not clicking. What are they missing? What is the real issue here?

Last season assistant coach Mike Yeo received tons of criticism for the power play's performance, but if I'm not mistaken Tony Granato is now playing a part in the team's special teams. So can you really blame a coach at this point?

Penguins lead the league in shootout wins with six

FrankD — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:22:37 -0000

More photos » by Don Heupel - AP

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We've had a good share of discussions here on Pensburgh surrounding the concept of the shootout lately. Since it came into effect after the lockout, experts, players and coaches have sided with it or against it. For all that can be said of the shootout though, it's an element of the league that remains until the playoffs. In other words, love it or hate it, you have to deal with it.

But for the Penguins, and especially us fans, we shouldn't have any problem dealing with it. While most of us may be confident enough in this corp of players to think they could take it down in sudden death come playoff time, for the time being it's nice to know that whenever the Pens go up against anyone in the shootout they remain one of the toughest teams to beat.

Following last night's 2-1 shootout win over the Sabres, the Pens are now 6-0 in the shootout. Guys like Kris Letang, Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury just know how to step it up an extra notch and really shine in the one-on-one element.

It may "just" be one extra point at the time, but as we look to close out the first three months of the season, the Penguins have six extra points in the standings because of how well they do after they take it past overtime. It all adds up in the end, especially for a team that gives every indication of a playoff berth.

After the jump, we take a look at how each Penguin shooter (and goalie) is doing in the shootout.

Player	Goals	Attempts
Sidney Crosby	5	6
Kris Letang	3	6
Chris Kunitz	1	1
Evgeni Malkin	0	1
Alex Goligoski	0	1
Bill Guerin	0	2

Player	Saves	Attempts
Marc-Andre Fleury	13	14
Brent Johnson	6	6

Both Fleury and Johnson combine for a .947 save percentage, also the best in the league in the shootout. Buffalo ranks second with .833.

Again, say what you will about the shootout, but this group of guys knows how to get it done. You also have to chalk up some praise for Dan Bylsma, who insists on making a game out of the shootout during practice. Each guy gets a chance to work on some moves, Fleury gets a chance to defend against some of the best shooters in the league and, in the long run, the Pens will be a better team because of it.

The Flower's blooming in winter: Pens beat Buffalo 2-1 in shootout

Hooks Orpik — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 04:15:08 -0000

More photos » by Don Heupel - AP

Patrick Lalime burst onto the scene in 1996 as a rookie as a great goalie with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Kris Letang was 9 in 1996. Go backhand to win it? Don't mind if you do.

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Penguins vs Sabres coverage - SB Nation blog Die By The Blade

Buffalo is a team built in stablity. They've had Lindy Ruff as a coach since July 1997, an almost impossible for an NHL coach (consider that Dan Bylsma is the second longest tenured coach in the Atlantic Division, after just 10 months on the job). They play a hard, strong brand of hockey that all the players buy into, which shows since they're #1 in the East with just 74 goals allowed so far this year.

And Buffalo needed it tonight, as they just played and defeated Toronto last night and didn't have the services of their #1 goalie (Ryan Miller) and their #1 pure goal scorer (Thomas Vanek, injured) tonight. Even without Miller, their team defense shined and made Pittsburgh play their game in their building, which the Pens were able to hang in there for 65 minutes.

Jason Pominville opened the scoring with a wrister from in close that Marc-Andre Fleury had no chance on. Chris Kunitz would convert late in the first period to tie it up 1-1 on a seeing-eye puck that Buffalo backup Patrick Lalime had no chance on. Beyond that, the goalies and defenses would not be cracked until the shootout. Plenty of chances abounded for both sides, but they either missed the net or were answered by the goalies.

As I mentioned in the last recap: the Pens shootout specialists in Fleury, Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby give them such a huge advantage in skill and confidence right now. It showed once again, as Pittsburgh improves to a perfect 6-0 in games decided after 65 minutes. Letang (3 for 6, 3 game deciding goals on the year) made no mistake smoothly going backhand to open thing up. Crosby didn't score (now 5 for 6) even though the puck probably did end up in the net under Lalime. No matter Fleury was perfect going 3-3 in stops (he's now 12 for 13 on the season).

The Penguins story of the game is missing the net. They only got 24 shots on goal, with 20 shots blocked and 19 more missing target. Patty Lalime was playing like it was 1996 all over again, but with 19 misses (several near misses for what would have been goals), it didn't help Pittsburgh's cause.
Evgeni Malkin's penalty woes (that we touched upon in the last recap) continue. He took a lazy tripping penalty 1:49 into the 3rd period and then when that expired, he played the puck when the door swung open, before he left the box, getting an interference penalty. Pensburgh reader JustinM looked it up and found this is as little known rule, 56.2 in the official NHL rulebook. Learn something new every day.
Malkin also singlehandedly missed 7 shots on goal. His sights were just a little off. It seems like he's in a little of a rut right now, but more importantly he's working to get his chances. Once players that skilled get chances, eventually they start to go in the net.
Fleury is now 10-1-1 in his last 12 games; giving up two or fewer goals in 10 of those games, with an outstanding save percentage of .929 in this stretch. He's seeing the puck and making some amazing stops.
Mark Eaton went down with an apparent lower body injury in the 2nd period when he crashed into the boards after defending Mike Grier. Alex Goligoski (24:00 played) and Sergei Gonchar (27:08) picked up a lot of the burden for Eaton. We wait to hear an update on his status.
The Pens power-play went 0 for 5 but they showed great puck movement and got some great looks. It was a case of "a lot of swedish, not much finish", as they just couldn't put it home. But the new design is working.
Buffalo's power-play, for their part, is 1 for their last 23, including 0 for 8 tonight which had a significant 5-on-3 advantage. That they couldn't convert was a key in the game too -- which you have to credit the Pittsburgh PK'ers and Fleury for holding it down.
Paul Gaustad has GOT to make Team USA for the upcoming Olympics. He played 23:24 tonight with a shot on goal, a hit, 2 takeaways, 1 giveaway, 1 blocked shot and won 16 of 25 faceoffs, and a lot of them were won very cleanly.
As an aside, the home team chooses if they want to shoot first or second, and they almost always decide to shoot first, leaving the visitors to shoot second --potentially placing a lot of pressure on them if the initial shot scores. This is just the opposite of a baseball game, where the home team bats second. It just struck me as odd that it's two polar opposites.

On the road, you take what you can get and the Pens use their specialists to earn the extra point. They're up to 51 points, which keeps them on pace with New Jersey for tops in the division and conference. They mucked, grinded and played a game against a tough defensive team, and came out with the win. Guys like Fleury and Letang have to be flying high with confidence, with the only question mark being the health status of Eaton, which we'll surely give you updates in the near future as information becomes available.

The best swag in the Penguins charity gift-baskets

Hooks Orpik — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:38:14 -0000

There's candy in Brooks Orpik's gift basket, but rest assured it is not free.

(image at the courtesy of NHL Auctions)

The holiday season is a time of giving and gifts. The Penguins wives and girlfriends are spear-heading gift baskets for the fourth year in a row. The idea is to fill them with momentos and things the player likes and auction them off to fans, with the proceeds going to charity.

Let's dive into these bad boys and see who's got the best stuff.

This is only what's visible in the pictures, there could be a lot more. Current bid is bolded. Let's look at the top 5:

#5 Chris Bourque -- The former Penguin put a nice basket together, and for the current bid it offers a lot of bang for the buck. There's no fewer than seven autographed items, including a cool old-style logo Penguins shirt/sweatshirt, four Penguin hats and a nice Penguin snowman/woman decoration. $240

#4 Evgeni Malkin -- No less than five autographed items (the mini-stick, a hat, a shirt/jersey, an ornament and a puck) in Geno's basket. Currently the highest price basket. $1,191.87

#3 Bill Guerin-- Four bobbleheads, a signed puck, Stanley Cup champion t-shirt, and I swear it looks like there's a beer in the back left corner of the basket. $720

#2 Max Talbot -- Looks really stocked with more items than the average bag. A #1 fan foam finger, a Stanley Cup bobblehead, a couple hats and a signed shirt/jersey are a few of the visible items in Talbot's basket. Also it comes in a bucket that a lot of places put beer in, rather than the typical basket. $573

#1 Mike Rupp -- A signed replica jersey AND a signed shirt/jersey gives Noted's basket a leg up on the rest. Throw in a remote-control truck, a cool hat (signed of course) and some Starbucks. $524.50

Most creative:

A lot of these are standard with pretty much the same stuff -- signed shirts, Penguin hats, etc. Well, there's one giftbasket that's unique with no sign of any hockey/Penguin merchandise or memorabilia.

Kris Letang -- What appears to be no less than 20 chocolate bars, the board game Operation, and maybe a Metallica CD? No visible Penguin items to be found. $640

Food items are rare this year, but if you're wondering Brooks Orpik does have candy in his (see above). So that's the list of the Pens gift baskets, anything that catches your eye? And if any readers bid/win on a basket, please let us know how it turns out!

Flyers Embarrased Again, This Time in Pittsburgh

Geoff Detweiler — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:41:21 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

FACEPALM! (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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[Box Score] - [Complete Coverage] - [PIT Reaction]

November 16-18. That is the last time the Flyers won back-to-back games. A win over New Jersey, followed by a win in Los Angeles. The team has played fourteen games since then, going 3-11-0. Six points out of a possible 28. That's a point percentage of .214.

Who's still holding out hope that this team is a serious Cup contender? If it was worth it, I'd rattle off a ton of stats about how poorly the team has been playing, but that's an exercise in futility. The team can't score. They can't defend. They can't convert on the power play. They can't stay out of the box. They can't do a lot of things.

The final score doesn't even matter. Brian Boucher let in 6 goals - the last one weak - but he again deserved better. Three goals were scored on blasts from the face-off dot or below during a rush. Unacceptable. A few were rebounds - Guerin's first could be considered a weak goal, but I didn't see an angle showing where the puck was - where the Flyers blew the coverage.

Nothing else matters. The team lost. Again. So, we'll just cut to it.

After the jump, assorted thoughts, Comment of the Night, and Questions with Answers. I'll spare you the "highlights" since a) I'm against torture; and b) the audio is just as bad as the video.

There was a great discussion in the game thread on how much we all hate Pittsburgh sports fans. It was more enjoyable than the game. The start. (There was a very fractured discussion on the same subject here as well.)
Communication and awareness in the defensive zone are clearly lacking. There was a miscommunication between Coburn, Richards, and Carter which made all three look pretty bad, and then Pronger got caught staring at the puck while the goal scorer skated right past him to an open net. Both were atrocious.
Fresh off his suspension, Dan Carcillo was probably the best Flyer on the ice tonight. One goal, one (rightfully) overturned goal, and a decisive win over Craig Adams. Oh, and an amazing celebration back when we almost thought that maybe the Flyers might have a chance.
As pointed out by MarioD, Cote played a mere 0:31 tonight. And believe it or not, that was TWO shifts. His first was cut short by a fight after six seconds.
Six out of 7 Flyers finished the night 50% or better in the faceoff circle. Only Danny Briere failed to do so, and he only took one draw. Richards, Giroux, and Pyorala were all over 60% on the night, going a combined 65% in the dot.
Only two Flyers did not finish the night a minus. Obviously, you can guess one of them is Riley Cote. The other? Ryan Parent. 18:23 of ice time, not one goal scored while he was on the ice. Not even a PP goal.

Questions with Answers:

Is there any carry over from the Scott Hartnell biting/Kris Letang whining incident that happened when these two teams met back in October? A little. Some pushing and shoving, some boos from the crowd, but nothing major.
Can the Flyers keep the intensity up from last night in Boston? No.
Is Braydon Coburn still injured, and are the Flyers rushing him back so Danny Syvret doesn't see the ice? Conspiracy theorists would say yes. Hell, even I say yes.
Power play... yay or nay? Nay.
The Pens PP has been struggling, but they've revamped it. How's the Flyers PK respond? By laying down.

Comment of the Night:

The flyers are like the titanic... They look good until they hit the ice.

EREX21

Now, I'm sure I left a lot out. But really, "it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care."

Fight, fight, fight; score, score, score, score, score, score. Pens embarrass Flyers 6-1

Hooks Orpik — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:07:29 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Brian Boucher got used to this sight tonight.

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Flyers vs Penguins coverage - Broad Street Hockey

The Philadelphia Flyers, if nothing else, are known as a physical rough-and-tumble bunch. The Pittsburgh Penguins matched that willingness with three fights early (and a busy day tomorrow for Dunman!). Hockey is more about just the fisticuffs and the Pens are able to do that too, scoring six of the seven goals from Sidney Crosby, Bill Guerin, two by Jordan Staal, Ruslan Fedotenko and Evgeni Malkin.

One team is in a groove, getting good goaltending and playing strong defense....And the other is not right now. The results were as clear as the scoreboard; a 6-1 virtual whitewashing by Pittsburgh.

Riley Cote was the only Flyer that escaped a minus in the plus/minus column, and he got a grand total of two shifts and 0:31 of ice-time. Conversely, only Tyler Kennedy and Craig Adams were the only Pens that weren't pluses. Just one of those nights.
Shots ended up being 35-27, hardly the edge to demonstrate the zone time and puck control that Pittsburgh had all night long. Crosby, Malkin and Kris Letang led the way five shots on goal a piece.
Strong effort by Marc-Andre Fleury getting in front of 26 of 27 shots. The Flyers did throw them on him, and he was there. Fleury's 8-1-1 and has given up 2 or fewer goals in eight of his last ten games and is sporting a .927 save percentage over that stretch.
About the only place the Pens didn't dominate was in the faceoff circle; Philly won 60% of the draws, no Penguin player who took more than one draw had over a 50% rate.
The blowout allowed the Pens to mix things up. No forward played more than 18:50, much under the season averages of guys like Crosby and Malkin. Defensively, only Sergei Gonchar played more than 20:00 minutes -- and even his 23:39 was under yearly average. Philly, playing catchup, had seven of their players go over the 20:00 minute mark. Might this show up in the second game of the home-and-home?
Brooks Orpik had 2 assists, Eric Godard had a nice flip that got him an assist, Staal wristed a nice shorty and a tap-in rebound, Fedotenko went 1 and 1, as did Malkin....You could go almost all the way down the line. Almost everyone who dressed made nice plays and a lot of them ended up in the net. Just one of those nights.

One of those nights indeed. Pittsburgh re-takes their lead for most wins league wide and the Flyers must be as frustrated as ever. Things change, and change quickly in the NHL. Philadelphia will get a shot in the arm with their crowd --and stewing over their performance -- on Thursday. If the Pens aren't out the gates running, make no mistake, Philly (with a 9-7-2 home record) will make them pay. But if the boys in black-and-gold have another showing like tonight, it'll likely be the same result.

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?

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.

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

A Noted hat trick fuels the Pens 5-2 over the Rangers

Hooks Orpik — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:41:04 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

23 days ago: Pittsburgh Penguins' Mike Rupp (17) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers on Monday, Nov. 30, 2009, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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Winning on the road in the division is never an easy task. The Penguins have had their troubles in Madison Square Garden recently, not winning their in the regular season since 2007. Well, you can throw that out the window with tonight's 5-2 victory. That means in the past 72 hours Pittsburgh has outscored the New York Rangers 15-5, with Sidney Crosby getting eight points by himself.

Only three players would score, two of them you'd expect, and one of them that maybe you should start to expect. Marian Gaborik gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead in the second period when he totally outclassed Kris Letang in front of the net and buried his second attempt by Marc-Andre Fleury. Crosby would answer 11 seconds later, rocketing through the zone and roofing a perfect backhander over Henrik Lundqvist. Noted goal scorer Mike Rupp would find Jordan Staal's trash and deposit it in the net to give the Pens a 2-1 lead. It wouldn't hold to the third period, however, because Gaborik struck again, beating Jay McKee near the front of the net to tie things at two.

The game winner in the third was scored by Rupp, who took advantage of his teammates driving the net and sniped it in top shelf. With about four minutes left Crosby extended the lead to two when he deflected a Mark Eaton point shot for a 4-2 edge. The scoring would be capped on an empty netter when who else but Crosby flipped it to Rupp for a long range goal.

Rupp has now set a career high in goals scored with 8, and in just 28 games. That is a 23 goal pace over one-fourth of the way through the season. This is his first career hat trick in the NHL. It's not like he's scoring because he's getting huge minutes, but as the cliche goes, he's making them count.
Don't look now, but seemingly out of no where Crosby's up to 3rd in the league in points (trailing league leader Gaborik and San Jose's Joe Thornton). His play and production in the past 1-2 weeks has been unbelievable.
Marc-Andre Fleury was better than just 29 saves on 31 shots sounds after the game. He was great, only getting beat on impossible shots by Gaborik. Fleury got plenty of great stops in and while the game was close he really won it for the Pens.
Bill Guerin caught a little bit of crap in the game post about his sloppy first period; a couple puck-handling miscues highlighted by taking a penalty by tackling an opponent in the crease of his own goal, while on the power-play. Guerin made amends with the sweet dish to Crosby on the opening goal.
Playing against brother Marc, brother Jordan had a solid game. 71% in the faceoff circle on 14 draws, an assist and some strong skating that generated a couple good scoring chances.
Gaborik is a monster. The knack on him has been his health, not his skill; and so far so good in New York. He's leading the league in goals and points and seems almost unstoppable at times.

At game's end it was all about Rupp and Crosby tonight. And the league's biggest star wasn't the biggest star tonight, over-shadowed by the Noted goal scorer.

The Penguins will wake up in first place in the East tomorrow morning, and they've humbled the Rangers twice in three days. And now the tide turns a little for the Penguins...They get to have until Thursday off, in fact they only have five game in the next 14 days. And eight of the next 11 will be at the friendly confines of Mellon Arena. They've weathered the storm of four games in six days and taken a 3-1 record out of it. And their noted goal scorer has as many goals on the year as Evgeni Malkin.