Well, our boys did rebound very well from a disappointing loss to the Flyers. ?They played another solid game front top to bottom. ?Fleury made some spectacular saves to earn a shut-out. ?Hal Gill scored on a rush with Malkin. ?Yes, Hal Gill! ?The Pens stifled the high-flying Calgary offense. ?This was another great test as we near the playoffs.
Notes on the game:
- How about the defense pinching in, joining rushes and getting the puck to the net. ?Both goals were scored by defenders. ?Letang, who scored the other goal, was born to play hockey the way the Pens are now playing.
- The Pens cut their penalties down to four for the game. ?One was a double-minor for high-sticking. ?
- The Penalty killers were spectacular.
- If I had one complaint, it would be the penalty killers inability, at times, to clear the puck from the zone when they have a good opportunity to do so. ?I have been noticing this for a while now.
Now, did Therrien’s system or coaching style make players so fearful to make mistakes that they could not play their game? ?Most of the players on this team are like flowers that bloomed only after Bylsma took over the reins. ?It has been a remarkable transformation, and I have certainly enjoyed watching it.
Let’s go Pens!
Yeah poor Matt, I hoped the boys let him have it all night long!!!!!!!!! Great game indeed, if the penalty killers have to learn if they get a chance to clear it fire out, put some effort into getting it out or they will be in troubleand find them selves down in the playoffs
definitely a solid game, I didn’t see the “scoring chances” stat, but it didn’t seem like calgary had many good ones. How about that, a solid defensive game under Blysma!
Does it seem to anybody else that the Penguins haven’t been forchecking as hard the last two games? It seemed like they started that passing back and forth between defencemen again instead of that whole north to south thing. Maybe it’s just me, or maybe it’s the level of competition, but it didn’t see like they were forcing plays in the offensive zone as much. They still looked good though!
Pretty hard to find any fault with the game last night. Other than Cooke’s crooked stick!
I got a feeling we are going to see all the Penguins defencemen step up their game with a healthy Boucher waiting to get some playing time.
Bylsma has been really creative and Shero’s trades leading up to the deadline PLUS changing coaches has brought dramatic results. Last night’s game was ‘almost’ perfect and the team is peaking at the right time. Hal Gill should have to take a urine test… that was the best game I’ve ever seen him play even without the goal. Orpik and Gill hit anything that moved and they weren’t love taps but crushing checks. Bylsma decision to switch-up lines especially Malkin’s wingers seemed to keep Keenan off-balance matching lines.
The more I see Malkin the more I think how blessed we are to see such high scale talent here. I think this season that Malkin is the best player in the NHL. This kid is everywhere… offense, defense, forecheck, backcheck… goal scorer and set-up player. This isn’t a knock at Ovechkin at all… but those Russians who claimed during the 2004 Entry Draft that Malkin would eventually surpass Ovechkin as the best player in that draft… were correct. This kid is so Lemieux-ish it isn’t funny.