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Martin Brodeur Makes History with 104th Career Shutout! New Jersey Devils Vanquish Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0

John Fischer — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:55:57 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

The New Jersey Devils played a fantastic game in Pittsburgh and they congratulate Martin Brodeur for becoming the all-time leader in shutouts with 104. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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What a fantastic game for the New Jersey Devils. The Devils and the Pittsburgh Penguins played one intense game right from the start. This was a game between the two best teams in the league and both teams left it all on the ice. And the Devils didn't just beat the Penguins. They Devils vanquished them by a score of 4-0. They conquered the Igloo. The Devils won all three road games in Pittsburgh.

It was a great, full 60 minute effort by the New Jersey Devils and it will never be forgotten. Tonight, Martin Brodeur earned his 104th career shutout. He is now the all-time leader in career shutouts, surpassing the ridiculous total put up by Terry Sawchuk. And to think, it came against a very hot (remember, they won their last 5 games prior to tonight) Pittsburgh Penguins team. A Pittsburgh Penguins team who was averaging over 3 goals per game on offense. A Pittsburgh Penguins team lead by Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, two of the best hockey players on Earth.

And Martin Brodeur stopped them all. Brodeur made 35 saves and he was fantastic. 8 saves on the penalty kill. Shots from the slot, shots right in front, wraparounds, shots from the point, and point blank shots. The post had to make an appearance to deny Sidney Crosby late in the game, but Brodeur's glove was just as good near the end as it was all season long. Unlike his last shutout - against Buffalo - Brodeur truly had to be great against Pittsburgh. He was better - he was perfect.

And that's how he made history in becoming the all-time leader in shutouts. Thank you, Martin Brodeur.

Here's the recap from NHL.com. Visit Pensburgh for the Pittsburgh point of view, which surely must be filled with disappointment. If nothing else, WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS. Watch Brodeur make big saves. Watch the Devils score some fantastic goals. Watch the Devils triumph in Pittsburgh. All thanks to NHL.com:

The best part about this game going down as one for the ages after Martin Brodeur's record-breaking shutout was that the Devils played a great game against the Penguins. Both teams went hard after every loose puck, they went hard after each other, and only for the middle of the second period did one team fall flat - and the Penguins paid for it with two goals against.

The third line of Jay Pandolfo, Rob Niedermayer (9 for 15 on the faceoff dot), and Nicklas Bergfors was solid against Pittsburgh's top opposition. Pandolfo and Niedermayer in particular were great on the penalty kill tonight, as the Penguins were punchless yet again on the man advantage. The second line of Brian Rolston, Travis Zajac, and Jamie Langenbrunner had a few good chances (Langenbrunner struck the post with a powerful slapshot, he nearly made the game 5-0 New Jersey) and were able to keep up pressure when available. I wish Zajac didn't go 5 for 15 on faceoffs, but that can be forgiven tonight. Even the fourth line was noticeable, namely Vladimir Zharkov hustling all over the place.

But the line of the night wasn't on Pittsburgh. (Though Evgeni Malkin made his presence felt with 6 shots on net and 21:54 of ice time.) No, it was EMP. Patrik Elias-Dean McAmmond-Zach Parise. They were dominant for the first 40 minutes of the game and the only complaint I have for Jacques Lemaire is why did he switch up the top two lines for the third period? Not that ZZ Pops was bad; but there was no need to change. Nonetheless, EMP bombarded the Penguins in the second period. Zach Parise didn't score a goal, but you can't complain with nine shots on net and three assists. He will get his goals soon enough. Dean McAmmond continued to play out of his mind, surely making the fans at the Igloo wonder who in the world is Dean McAmmond. With two shots, two assists and swarming down low throughout the second, they will remember the name: McAmmond. And Patrik Elias did cash in on a rebound for the Devils' third goal and got the puck to Parise who made the rebound that Mark Fraser put in for goal #4 and to send Marc Andre Fleury to the bench. Elias had 3 shots along with his points and the line did as well as they did against Atlanta on Saturday. I don't know why Lemaire split them up, but he did. I want to see this line continue to flourish, if only while they are still hot.

Poor Marc-Andre Fleury! He had some sloppy defensive coverage in front of him, sure, but he was just beat by four great shots on net. Bryce Salvador put his shot perfectly from the point - his goal was certainly no fluke tonight. Niclas Bergfors came down hard on the wing and found the hole to the far post on the power play early in the second. Elias shot was perfectly placed from the loose puck, and Fleury got a piece of Fraser's strike from the high slot but not enough of it. Not even 32 minutes into the game, Fleury concedes 4 goals on 16 shots - two from defensive defensemen even! - and he was replaced by Brent Johnson.

Johnson didn't get to rest much. The Devils kept pushing forward throughout the rest of the game for that fifth goal and came close more than a few times. The Penguins defense righted themselves for the third period; but New Jersey did put 14 on the backup keeper. Jamie Langenbrunner came the closest by virtue of smacking the iron with a slapshot shortly after Fraser's goal. In a way, Johnson should be fortunate that the Devils missed a few passes and shots on scoring chances in the third period. A few other decisions on some of those odd man rushes and the Devils easily score another goal or two.

By contrast, the Devils defense held steady. With about 5 minutes left or so in the second, the Penguins started to bring more and more pressure to get, well, something. You can tell from their puck possession and their body language that they aren't ending the night with nothing. Thanks to Martin Brodeur and some clutch defensive work, the Penguins, of course, got nothing.

Despite the Penguins put 35 shots on Brodeur and the PK allowed 8 shots on net, the Devils made very few mistakes in their own zone. Only twice did they cough up the puck to a free Penguin in their own zone. First, early in the second, an errant pass went right to Evgeni Malkin but Brodeur stopped him cold to bail out the defense. Second, Oduya makes a bad clearance right to a Penguin in the high slot, but thankfully he decides to try and find Jordan Staal with a pass down low and Oduya is able to pick off the pass.

Outside of that, the Devils were dominant in the slot and cleaned up a lot of rebounds. Credit Brodeur too for controlling those rebounds so well, but the 6 blueliners did an equally good job in getting clearances, settling the puck, and getting the puck up to the forwards. They had 12 blocked shots total, and the Pittsburgh offense helped out with 17 missed shots and more than a handful of poor passes on offense that the Devils took away. Johnny Oduya, in my opinion, had a great game. He had 3 blocks, he gave 22:09 of solid work, he jumped up on offense at the right time and without getting caught, and he recovered from one of his few mistakes of the night.

While the year isn't over, this has to be one of the best games if not the best game I have seen from the New Jersey Devils in 2009. They went into the building of the defending Stanley Cup champions; a hot Penguins team, a high scoring Penguins team; and a Penguins team led by Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury having great seasons. A tall order for any team. And they gave a consistent 60 minute effort. They didn't sit on leads, the penalties they took were either necessary or just bad calls by the ref (someone want to explain what Zharkov did for his minor?), and they matched Pittsburgh in intensity and workrate. Even if Crosby scored at the end or the Penguins got a fluke goal, no Devils fan would be unhappy with how well the entire team played tonight. The 4-0 win by New Jersey was honestly earned by the whole team. A fantastic victory rewarded with a four day break through Christmas.

Of course, the star of the night was Martin Brodeur and that's the way it should be. A shutout against anyone is difficult. Moreso when it's on the road and against an elite opponent. But Martin Brodeur has always been a goaltender who doesn't let the hype go to his head. He focused giving his team a chance to win, he played his way and without nerves, and he got the desired result. And so we have seen history tonight.

Thank you all for commenting in the GameThread, thanks to Steve for putting it up, and again thanks to all the readers. Please leave your thoughts about tonight's game in the comments.

And again, thank you, Martin Brodeur. I don't care what others may say, you truly are the best goaltender of all time. Here's a short collection of highlight saves he's made in the past via NHL Network:

Martin Brodeur sets all-time shutout mark, Devils down Pens 4-0

Hooks Orpik — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:29:06 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

about 10 hours ago: New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur makes a glove save in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh Monday, Dec. 21, 2009.(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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Devils vs Penguins coverage - Devils vs Penguins recap - Devils vs Penguins boxscore - In Lou We Trust

Fresh off a five game winning streak, the Penguins looked mostly lifeless against their division rivals the New Jersey Devils. The huge story of the night is, of course, Martin Brodeur. Brodeur set the all-time shutout record, passing Terry Sawchuk with his 104 blanking effort of the night.

Nothing worked well for the Pittsburgh from the get-go, when defensemen Bryce Salvador threaded a puck through several bodies (most of them Penguins) to open the scoring. New Jersey would roar out of the gate when official new Penguin killer Niclas Bergfors drilled a shot by again an obstructed Marc-Andre Fleury. The Pittsburgh PP would get two chances, but convert neither early in the second before Zach Parise, Dean McAmmond and Patrik Elias had a great shift and eventually buried it to stretch the lead for 3-0. Just a few minutes later, about half-way through the second Mark Fraser scored again and it was time to put Fleury out of his misery.

Brent Johnson came in and stopped the bleeding --unfortunately not literally for Jordan Staal who caught a puck to the face. Staal would return at the beginning of the period, sporting a full shield and looking a lot worse for wear. From there the Pens and Devs killed time to the end of the game.

Sidney Crosby rung a shot off the post with about 1:40 left, and with about :40 left Evgeni Malkin had a great chance. Brodeur was up for it, and it was his night.

Frustrating night for everyone in black-and-gold. Max Talbot got baited into a 10 minute misconduct late in the 2nd and threw his helmet when walking to the room. One of those nights where nothing worked.
8th straight game for Malkin taking a penalty, this time a hook. Not to be out-done, Crosby took an interference minor when he slashed the stick out of a player's hands. (Yeah, the bloggers are frustrated too, can you tell?)
Fleury deserved a better fate,on every goal he never got a good look at the puck, or there was a mad scramble in front of him. Hard to fault a goalie when the team in front of him plays so poorly.
Johnson did really well to finish things out, making 14 saves on 14 shots. Things could have gotten really ugly if Johnny wasn't sharp.
Kudos for the Pittsburgh crowd to give a nice round of applause to Brodeur, recognizing his achievement. Almost fitting he breaks the record against a team that he has a .890 career save percentage against and one that's chased him out of the games more than any other.
The lone brightspot was the faceoff circle: the Pens won 59% of the draws, including Crosby's 19 wins on 26 draws (73%) and Staal's 8 wins on 11 tries (73%). But that's kind of like saying Custer's boys got a few good shots in at Little Big Horn.
You think that was a bad joke? Listen to this zinger by Paul Steigerwald on FSN (with about 1:40 left in the game) Referring to how hard former Hobey Baker trophy winner Mike Mottau got hit, Steiggy quiped: "Not as hard as Hobey Baker went down though -- he went down in a plane crash!" He then laughed and apologized for joking about "how he left us" before laughing some more. Yes!

No winning streak lasts forever, sadly, and this is in the flames of Hobey Baker's plane wreckage at five games. Not a bad stretch, but the Penguins have now only scored 1 goal in the past two games. They'll have one chance to feel good about things before the brief Christmas break when the Ottawa Senators come to town on Wednesday.

Game Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Buffalo Sabres

Rafal Ladysz — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:31:27 -0000

More photos » by Don Heupel - AP

3 days ago: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Andrej Sekera, of Slovakia, left, congratulates Sabres left winger Thomas Vanek, of Austria, center, after his goal as Toronto Maple Leafs left winger Jason Blake skates past during the third period of the NHL hockey game in Buffalo, N.Y., Friday, Dec. 18, 2009. Buffalo won 5-2. (AP Photo/Don Heupel)

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Winning isn't achieved by the deserving side sometimes and the Buffalo Sabres found momentum at the hands of both goaltenders Friday. Ryan Miller made the ~~big~~ routine saves and Vesa Toskala fumbled a Toni Lydman shot that would have went wide of the net leading to a second period onslaught. Toronto was intense, quick and the better squad but succumbed to Buffalo much like they in turn do to the Ottawa Senators. With the Senators and Bruins both losing, the Sabres have extra breathing space in the Northeast Division.

Food poisoning or not, the Sabres need to have a sophisticated plan for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury isn't going to gift wrap a goal and he can steal a result too. And where Niklas Hagman and Jamal Mayers missed prime scoring chances, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin won't. These two teams split the season series in 2009 with both winning once on the road.

Ten thoughts on the game below.

First and foremost, Paul Gaustad made his much appreciated return to the line-up yesterday racking up 19:36 in ice time, a plus-one rating and went 12-for-15 in the face-off circle. It was really evident how much he was missed in the last department during his absence. Gaustad's presence is assuring because you always know what you'll get from him and that's a lot if I may say so.
Crosby is having some year with 22 goals and 20 assists in 34 games. On pace for 52 goals, he's added another dimension to his game by firing the puck 128 times on target or 13 less than Alexander Ovechkin albeit he competed in seven more matches. Regardless, Crosby is staggeringly threatening with this new approach.
Miller was brilliant in fending off Toronto so Patrick Lalime will start for Buffalo. In his last game, he stopped 39 Chicago Blackhawk shots for his first victory of the season and has to be looking forward to a second large task in the span of eight days.
Sergei Gonchar has 19 points in 23 games but the Penguins have another exciting offensive defenseman. Alex Goligoski has an impressive 17 points in 25 games along with a plus-12 rating bringing excellent offensive instincts and knowledge. When Gonchar retires, look for this kid to quarterback the Pittsburgh powerplay for years. Sorry Kris Letang.
Buffalo's closest forward to consistent production has been Derek Roy who has ten points in the last 11 games. He had a goal against the Maple Leafs as did Thomas Vanek and the Sabres could use their top levels if they're to one-up the Penguins.
Pittsburgh welcomed Chris Kunitz back last weekend after a one-month layoff and he has two points in three games since. Playing with Crosby and Bill Guerin, the winger is a gritty individual who can hit hard and provide some offense.
Suffering a concussion from a dirty Jarkko Ruutu check, Patrick Kaleta is out again. Nathan Gerbe remains questionable with groin issues. Pittsburgh has a clean bill of health throughout the roster.
Jordan Staal has 14 points in 16 games, Malkin has 17 in 14 and Guerin has 12 in 16. Pittsburgh thrives on the powerplay usually and the Sabres must keep their feet moving to avoid any lazy infractions.
The line of Gaustad, Adam Mair and Matt Ellis was flying yesterday with their fore-checking, cycling and work along the boards. Ellis scored his second marker of the year and for a guy that works as hard as he does, it was well earned.
Pittsburgh and Buffalo are close in a few categories like points, wins, special teams, shots on goal per game and face-off percentage. A back and forth affair is expected between two quick squads that can counter-attack in a heartbeat.

Buffalo hasn't shown worry to facing the more gifted NHL clubs because after all, they are in that position themselves currently. Lalime will look to prove that he can take the reigns in Miller's days off and that would make the season more comfortable for all. Easier said than done when Pittsburgh has no injuries at all.

Optimism vs Pessimism: Flyers play well, still lose to Pens in SO

Travis Hughes — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:28:07 -0000

[TSN Recap] - [Boxscore] - [Pittsburgh Reaction]

Final - 12.17.2009	1	2	3	OT	SO	Total
Pittsburgh Penguins	1	1	0	0	1	3
Philadelphia Flyers	1	1	0	0	0	2

Complete Coverage >

Well, at least they got a point.

Despite doing just about everything right, the Flyers still fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight in a shootout. They controlled five-on-five play, looked solid on the power play, and showed up to the arena tonight with a lot of heart, but still walked away without a point.

There are two schools of thought on this. You can be a pessimist and say that it's the same old Flyers, and no matter how well they played, they still lost the game and that's all that mattered. The penalty kill looked terrible. The shootout looked worse. Moral victories don't matter, right? This team is just bad, and they lost another game.

Or, you can be optimistic. The Flyers played well enough to win tonight, and in a lot of ways, they just didn't get the luck. Marc-Andre Fleury stole yet another game away from the orange and black, and you can't blame the home team for that..

In reality, it's a mixture of the two. There are reasons to be pessimistic. The Flyers still took a few terrible penalties. They looked the opposite of good on the penalty kill. There are reasons to be optimistic. In a lot of this game, played better than the Penguins. The chemistry between Scott Hartnell and Jeff Carter was fantastic, and the team received positive contributions from all four lines.

Regardless of which logic you subscribe to, you can make a solid argument.

After the jump, a few more thoughts, questions with answers, and the comment of the night.

Some more assorted thoughts...

Chris Pronger made a few bad plays on the PK, but none was worse than a clearing attempt in which he put it right on Crosby's stick about 10 feet from the goal. Crosby roofed it to tie the game.
In the first period, Crosby took a high stick to the face, but embellished like the world was ending. On the ensuing power play, the Penguins tied the game at one.
"We know we can play with them." - Jeff Carter
The penalties still need to stop. While Crosby embellished on the first one, it was still a penalty. Throughout the game, the lack of discipline still continues to haunt.
The Penguins practice shootouts, and Dan Bylsma makes it fun for them. Should the Flyers, a team that's historically been terrible at picking up the Bettman point, take up similar preparation?
Dan Carcillo looked quite good as well.
There were a few questionable calls in this one, including one on Carcillo in overtime and a no call on Evgeni Malkin in the third, but they were in no way the reason the Flyers lost the game.

Comment of the Night

Come On Boys! Go out there and bite someone if you have to, lets get this thing turned around tonight. ...

>> M from Pdaddy

Questions With Answers

60 minute effort? 65 minutes, actually.
Can Boosh turn in a solid performance? Continually is coming up huge for the Flyers.
Can the Flyers beef up on the power play and the PK, which both didn't look too great on Tuesday? We didn't get much of a look at the PP, but the PK was the reason they lost tonight.
How does Dan Carcillo play, one game after being arguably the Flyers best player? Looked good on the PP again, as weird as that sounds. All around hard work from Carbomb.
How's Betts look in his first game back? Played about 14 minutes, went 8 for 14 in the faceoff circle. Looked like Blair Betts.

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!

Teams of the Decade: Shooting and PDO

Hawerchuk — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:00:27 -0000

by Bill Kostroun - AP

Play defense, guys!

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We've seen in numerous contexts that the key to winning hockey games is outshooting your opponents: in the long-run (like a decade), your shooting percentage will converge to near the league-average, as will your goalie's save percentage, making shot differential and goal differential one-and-the-same. So it should come as no surprise that four of the top five teams in outshooting their opponents were also at the top of the leaderboard in wins:

	WIN%	GP	SF/G	SA/G	DELTA
DET	645	738	32.6	26.3	6.3
NJD	572	738	30.6	26.2	4.4
OTT	589	738	30.8	27.2	3.6
STL	507	738	28.2	25.9	2.2
DAL	566	738	27.6	25.6	2.0

The Blues are the only outlier here, and it's because they were simply unable to put together a good goaltending tandem before this season. For nearly a decade, they could barely find a league-average starter, but still managed to make the playoffs six times. Given their dominance in shot counts, it was an egregious oversight in the team-building department.

What about the opposite end of the spectrum?

	WIN%	GP	SF/G	SA/G	DELTA
MIN	489	656	26.1	29.1	-3.0
CBJ	399	656	27.2	30.2	-3.0
PIT	458	738	27.3	30.6	-3.3
FLA	455	738	29.1	32.5	-3.4
ATL	390	738	27.2	31.9	-4.7

There aren't many surprises down here either: three expansion teams, a Panthers team that made the playoffs three times in 16 years, and a Penguins team that was bad enough to be able to draft Marc-Andre Fleury, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby in the span of three seasons. Well, there is one exception on that list, the Jacques Lemaire-led Minnesota Wild:

	PDO	SH%F	SH%A
MIN	1011	9.7	8.5
OTT	1009	10.4	9.5
COL	1008	10.2	9.5
MTL	1008	9.9	9.0
SJS	1007	10.0	9.3

PDO is the sum of shooting percentage and save percentage. At a team-level, over nine seasons, with changing personnel, it gets pulled very strongly towards 1000. Clearly, some teams, like Ottawa, Colorado and San Jose, are able to exceed it, usually by having a very good offensive team that gets more power-plays than its opponents. But Minnesota is a clear outlier, pushing its PDO to the top of the league through exceptional defense and suppression of shots in the slot. Montreal's story isn't quite as clear since the Habs cycled through six coaches in less than a decade, but they appear to have had tremendous goaltending as opposed to an exceptional defensive strategy like Lemaire does.

As for the other end:

	PDO	SH%F	SH%A
NYI	992	9.2	10.0
CHI	991	9.5	10.4
CAR	990	9.2	10.2
CBJ	990	8.9	9.9
TBL	989	9.5	10.7

I don't think anybody's surprised to see Tampa at the bottom of this list given their goaltending and defensive woes. Chicago and the Islanders have iced some very bad teams too. Columbus plays adequate defense but has always had trouble putting any goals on the board. But what about Carolina? The Hurricanes have simply had really bad goaltending during the season but have turned it up in the playoffs - Cam Ward has posted .915 and .920 save percentages in the post-season, while an Arturs Irbe/Kevin Weekes tandem hit .938 on the way to a Stanley Cup loss in 2002. We tend to remember Carolina's strong finishes, but they've frequently been very, very bad during this decade.

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.

Monday Links: Barret Jackman for Captain edition

averagejoe — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:00:34 -0000

Well, we have all had a weekend to digest Friday's bed shitting. How are we all feeling?

Blues news

Maybe Chris Gift is right, Barret Jackman sure does sound like a captain. And, he's acting like one following The Loss. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
The Blues are saying the right things about The Loss, but actions speak louder than words. [Belleville News-Democrat]
It's rumor mongering time: Bruce Garrioch, who a few summers ago had Evgeni Malkin packing his bags to head to the Kings, thinks the Blues might try and deal for Eric Staal. [Ottawa Sun]
What do Erik Johnson and Tiger Woods have in common? Besides hanging out with tall blond Swedes, it's that they landed on this list of bad drivers. [Winnipeg Sun]
Need insight from the father of a Blues player. I mean BESIDES Coach Osh. Bob Boyes, father of Brad Boyes if you aren't good at logic, talks about the OHL draft and what his family dealt with. [CBC Sports]

Hockey news

Guess who is still in last in the Central? Hint: It's the Blues. [NHL.com]
Blackhawks beat the Lightning and the Avalanche beat the Flames on Sunday. [Yahoo! Sports]
After only two games Sunday, the NHL has a pretty full slate on Monday ... to compete with Monday night football. [Yahoo! Sports]
Marty Turco probably is on the trading block. [Defending Big D]
Did Christmas come early for Coyotes' fans? [TSN]
Bettman about suspending the owner of the Anaheim Ducks: My bad. [ESPN]
Not really hockey related, but interesting nonetheless, who should light the Olympic cauldron? [Nucks Misconduct]
You ever wanted to hear Red Wings fans instead of just reading them. Well then, your wish has been granted. [Winging it in Motown]

Other links

Since it's not sports, I'm OK with linking to the Bleacher Report. Here's a collection of Tiger Woods' jokes. Enjoy. [Bleacher Report]
Everyone, meet Mike the Headless Chicken. His name is not ironic. [Life]
More offices in America need this. Including mine. [The Chive]
Hollywood recycles more than just old tv shows into movies. [Cracked]

Video

Doc Whiskey wants to help you get in the holiday spirit.

Awesome way to start out the week. Get used to holiday themed videos because that's all I seem to be finding right now.

That's all for this Monday edition of the links. Got something to pass along? Please do at gametimelinks(at)gmail.com.

Malkin nets PP goal in OT, Penguins down scrappy Panthers 3-2

Whale4ever — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 04:07:44 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Steven Reinprecht's 11th goal - his first since ~~2006~~ November 21st - kept the Cats in contention.

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In the end the Panthers indeed gained a point in the standings. And for that we are happy.

Right?

There really wasn't much to complain about with the Cats' effort against a team many figured would roll over them, but Florida-Pittsburgh games are always grudgematches, and tonight was no different. Peter DeBoer - heavily criticized recently for his club's perceived lack of preparation - had his boys ready for just about anything. Except overtime penalty kills...

Shawn Matthias appeared to have lost a couple of teeth after a brutal cross check to the face by Evgeny Malkin (who received a double minor on the play), but came back for more, only to wind up taking the butt-end of yet another stick to the face late in the third (no call on that one).

But that was the extent of tonight's "controversies", which really amounted to nothing. The Penguins, not playing to their traditional strengths, were a bit outside of their comfort zone, allowing numerous odd-man chances to break through the defensive zone. Backup goaltender Brent Johnson - in his first start since November 27th - looked to be channeling Lyndon Johnson at times, displaying the rust inherent from a long layoff, but coming up large when it mattered. He stopped 29 shots in what could have been a bloodbath for a lesser Number Two. That's what good clubs do. Malkin was the hero this time around, burying a Sergei Gonchar pass to end it - quickly - in the overtime period.

Steve Reinprecht and Stephen Weiss (grabbing his 14th of the year) scored for the Panthers, keeping it more than mildly interesting for fans in South Florida.

Tomas Vokoun was phenomenally outstanding at times, especially in the first frame, when he may have represented the entire Cats' defense. Embarrassing though it may be, we're used to it, and presumably so is "T-Vo".

Bottom line: the Pens caught up with themselves and did what they do: win. They are truly a fabulous club which can dig deep to close the deal, late power plays notwithstanding. The Panthers were not humiliated in any sense, and leaving The Igloo with a point is a major positive.

Off to Long Island...

Evgeni Malkin is the boss of the league: Pens beat Panthers 3-2 in OT

Hooks Orpik — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 03:51:04 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Fedotenko is a streaky scorer, seeing him net one might be a sign of things to come in the immediate future.

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Panthers vs Penguins coverage - Panthers vs Penguins boxscore - SB Nation blog Litter Box Cats

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Florida Panthers have already matched up three times this season and every game has ended the same: in a 3-2 win for the Penguins, all going to OT (one ended in a shootout). The Panthers must feel they're this close to getting over the hump and beating good teams around the league like the defending champs, but "this close" has only resulted in two out of a possible six points, which isn't going to cut it.

Steven Reinprecht started the scoring in the first for Florida off on a nifty hand-eye coordination goal to bat a puck baseball style out of the air and in the net. Under three minutes later, Pascal Dupuis took advantage of 18 year old defenseman Dmitri Kulikov making a play an 18 year old sometime makes, when he tripped. Dupuis made a nifty shoulder shake to his backhand which froze Tomas Vokoun and quickly moved back to his fore-hand and unleashed a perfect top shelf wrister.

Noted goal scorer Mike Rupp made a great play in the second period for the second Penguins' goal. Rupp softly dumped the puck in, and as both defensemen (Dennis Seidenberg and Bryan McCabe) went into the corner to retrive it. Noted laid a hit that disrupted both defenseman and Evgeni Malkin ended up with the puck. Malkin walked out of the corner, and found Ruslan Fedotenko all alone in front for an easy,slam dunk goal.

Florida would tie the game early in the third when McCabe jumped out of the penalty box and got a break. Brent Johnson made a stop but the puck eluded him, Johnny sprawled out for it but Stephen Weiss was able to curl and drag just in time and finish on the abanon net to tie the game.

No score until the overtime session, the Pens earned a powerplay when Jordan Staal bulled to the net and was tackled by Jordan Leopold. The ensuing faceoff was won cleanly by Sidney Crosby to Malkin, who passed to Sergei Gonchar. Gonchar and Malkin closed in, Bill Guerin got in a screening position and the puck was passed back to Malkin who quickly unleashed a heavy slapshot to the top corner. Game.

FSN unleashed a great stat, the Penguins are now 22-0-0 when they score 3+ goals in a game. And with the talent they have, it's not terribly difficult to get 3 goals a night.
The Pens are also 5-1 when they where their alternate third jerseys, which some fans consider cursed or bad luck. A couple more wins and that sentiment will fade.
It was a two-headed monster night. The big boys combined for 13 shots on goal (7 by Crosby, 6 by Malkin), 22:09 of ice-time for Geno, 21:54 for Sid, and Crosby dominated in the faceoff circle winning 18 of his 24 draws.
Chris Kunitz eased back into the lineup with 14:14 played and 2 shots on goal (5 total attempts). In fact, tonight was the first game that the Penguins got to use every one of their regulars (no one injured).
With Eric Godard a healthy scratch, Mike Rupp was the low-man with just 9 shifts and 6:09 of icetime, even though he made a great play to setup a goal. In close games with a lot of PP and PK time, the Noted one probable isn't going to get a lot of ice, but it was good to see him do well with what he got.
Pittsburgh officially out-hit Florida 34-13. Home town scoring advantage? The statisticans did charge the Pens with 12 giveaways (double the number of Florida's 6), so they can't be considered totally one-sided.
The much maligned PP went 0 for 5 before Malkin drove home the G-Dub. 1 for 6 isn't great, but in a one goal game, we'll take it.

A hard fought game, but the cream rose to the top with the OT winner. The Pens keep pace with New Jersey at the top of the Atlantic Division, and now we get to look forward to the full lineup getting a home and home series against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday and Thursday. The Flyers have a new coach and are a desperate team that's currently outside of the playoff bubble. You just know it's going to be an intense, playoff-like atmosphere in December.