Wow, I mean Wow!!!!
Our boys in Black – n – Gold put up 2 touchdowns this weekend, 1 in each game. Granted, with all due respect to the tempered among us, Devan Dubnyk of the Minnesota Wild has struggled this year and went into Saturday night’s game with Save Percentage (Sv%) under 0.900%, so the 5 Goals (G) that got behind him should come as no surprise. Furthermore, after he was chased from the net, Alex Stalock, the Wild’s understudy in goal only gave up 1 G on 11 Shots, underscoring how bad Dubnyk has been playing so far, at the start of this season. However, our favorite flightless fowl torched the Wild starter for more goals than Nashville, Colorado, and Winnipeg could manage against the struggling Minnesota net minder.
To speak in the vernacular, “that ain’t hay”.
And even though last night, Winnipeg did put in their backup goalie, Laurent Brossoit, who also was struggling with a Sv% under 0.900%, for our Penguins’ young guns to victimize, let’s remember that last year, our Penguins have had their struggles against teams that they needed to not only beat but cruise past, like they did this Saturday and Sunday. Last year, weaker teams hung around and often times took our Boys of Winter into Over Time (OT) before surrendering, or worse hanging around until they beat us out right. So burying a winless Wild and a Winnipeg team with a defense corps that is a shadow of its former self is still a good sign.
Our Penguins are doing better than last year. So, let’s smile for at least a little while and enjoy seeing our team light up the scoreboard.
Captain Sidney Crosby had a big weekend with 1 Goal (G) and 3 Assists for 4 Points. Assistant Captain Kris Letang also feasted on the weak opposing Goaltending for 1 G and 3 A while piling up a +6. Jake Guentzel joined in the scoring fun, potting 3 Gs for the weekend.
However, the real story for this weekend’s back-to-back series was rookie and Hollidaysburgh’s native son Sam Lafferty. Lafferty had an outstanding preseason with Winger’s Kasper Bjorkqvist and Nathan Legare forming perhaps the only offense force of a rather pedestrian preseason. Unfortunately, our aquatic avians opted to start the season with 9 defenseman and only 12 forwards. So, Lafferty started the season in Wilkes Barre – Scranton (WBS).
The good news though is that he was on the big club this weekend and not plying his trade in WBS. The young forward and former 4th round draft pick had 3 Gs including a game Winning Goal (WG), and 2As, to lead the team with 5 Points (Pnts). He also posted a +5 for his weekends work.
A shout out needs to go to Zach Aston-Reese as well for his labors’. Aston-Reese potted 2 Gs, Against Winnipeg, one of which was the team’s first Short Handed Goal (SHG) He also picked up 2 As. Aston-Reese, like Lafferty finished the weekend at +5 over those 2 games.
Brian Dumoulin led the team in +/- for the weekend at a +7.
After 3 games in 4 days, winning all 3 by a combined score of 16 – 7, the Penguins get 2 days to catch their breath. They don’t play again until Wednesday. Hopefully, the team gathers some momentum while we fans take some times to revel in our team’s dominating performance.
It will be interesting to see what happens when the injured start coming back (assuming that it doesn’t turn into a revolving door right away). Will Lafferty and Adam Johnson get banished back to WBS? I would think WBS would love to get them back. The Baby Penguins lost all 3 games they played this weekend. They haven’t won a game since Johnson and Lafferty were recalled.
Next up, Colorado, Wednesday 7:00pm
Hi TOR!
As I told you in my last post: ” Back in the day, it was Black and lots of goals.”
Well, the Pens applied the formula this weekend!
Very happy to see that! I am also very happy to see the WBS babies doing well in the show. I really would like the Pens management to give a real opportunity to Johnson, Lafferty and Marino. They are good positional players, with some grit and they skate smoothly as well.
If they keep playing like this, it will be a problem to insert Rust and Bjugstad back in the lineup. Both have contracts that could be a potential issue for the salary cap. GMJR may be tempted to trade them, I don’t know.
Captain Sid is on a mission! He is relentless! I wouldn’t be surprised if he is a nominee for the Hart Trophy again this year.
I have a little scoop for you TOR. Two weeks ago, I was in Sherbrooke, Quebec, to watch a hockey game between the Sherbrooke Phoenix and the Baie Comeau Drakar. Sammy Poulin plays for Sherbrooke and Nathan Legare for Baie Comeau.
Sherbrooke won the game in overtime and I was really impressed by Poulin. He was everywhere; charging the net, back checking hard, throwing some good hip checks, setting up incredible plays (the overtime winning goal for instance). Poulin is on a mission just like the other captain in Pittsburgh!
As for Legare, he was not as visible (because Sherbrooke kept a very close eye on him). However, his skating is smooth, he is well positioned and is offensively creative. The Pens have made very good selections. Hope that those two youngsters will be well-developed and well-supported.
Hey Jorenz,
In my mind, I would am thinking that I would keep Rust around if possible for the expansion draft. I think that he could still add a little to the team this year and would be an insurance policy to keep Seattle from taking someone else. He isn’t all that expensive, so could give Seattle depth and while keeping them above the floor of the cap but below the ceiling.
Thanks for the update on Poulin and Legare. While I always look forward to every game, one game at a time, I must admit, I think that next years team may be that much better than this years team. McCann, Kahun, and Simon are all RFAs that those 2 could potentially supplant and amp up the already considerable O on the team. And Galchenyuk is UFA, so there are roster spots that can change out easily next year, if these guys fail to up there game.
Even though Lafferty and Johnson aren’t skating with Sid, I can’t wonder if their enthusiasm is juicing him up to another level. If you look below, Mike mentions about possibly getting Lafferty up with Crosby and Guentzel, that may even drive the Captain higher.He has climbed back into the Scoring race, maybe that can help him win another title and in the process get Guentzel to 50? Not sure if that could happen, but that would be something.
Happy Thanksgiving Day ..to all my Canadian Pen’s fans
Last nights win…a total team effort, with speed, forechecking creating scoring chances.
Love watching the AHL guys up here playing, Lafferty, Adam Johnson…looking like a first line instead of a fourth!!
Hopefully we can keep playing like this, even with all the injuries.
Happy Columbus Day to all the American Pen’s fans
Happy Thanksgiving Day Pens’4ever to you and all of our Canadian followers and thanks for your Columbus Day wishes.
It is good to hear from you.
Agreed, I love seeing Lafferty and Johnson up here. They seem to be injecting some of that needed umpf that was lacking last year because no kids were really in the lineup. I am hoping when things shake out they can stick. At the very worst they will push some veterans. More importantly, they appear to making some veterans trade bait to get Cap relief.
Happy Canadian Thanks Giving.
Speaking of veterans.. Mccann last night looked like he was lollygagging while the rest of the guys where hustling their collective asses off. There was one play where a pens player further from the puck had to go get the puck because Mccann was lazy. I had high hopes for him last year. Sulli must have noticed because Mccann only played 13 mins.
Hey tOR. Pay close attention to Simon in this video. This is what he brings to the table that no one notices, which is good because it’s a penalty.
https://www.nhl.com/video/guentzel-nets-second-of-the-game/t-309834374/c-69609703
Hey Phil,
As much as I liked McCann last year, no not so much this year. Now that the Honeymoon phase is over, he hasn’t shown too much. He didn’t look all that good to me in the Preseason nor now in the 2nd line role. The knock I heard on him was that he was streaky, maybe that is true. Maybe he is upset because he isn’t skating on the top line and hasn’t yet this year and he thought he would. Maybe he just doesn’t have the skill set to run the 2nd line. Maybe, with a stripped down set of forwards, he just can’t carry the line against the better defenders he is now facing. Maybe he really isn’t all that good as a pivot and needs to move back to Wing.
Regardless, he does look lifeless and uninspired. He has become a a passenger. However, he still has more goals and points than Simon.
I did watch that goal and the replay. Simon did go out of his way to run a pick to free Guentzel. He got away with it. At some point, he won’t and he will get hit with an offensive zone penalty for interference. It was blatant.
When someone points to a play like that as why a player should be on a team, my thoughts are; if this is his best attribute he doesn’t belong in the league, if a team has a desperate need for a player with that as his best attribute that team is in a world of hurt, and finally, that skill can be taught to anyone – not like shooting the puck where the goalie isn’t, getting it on goal, and accurate passing.
Would I keep Simon over Kahun right now, maybe. Would I keep over McCann – despite his lifeless performance so far this year, I would not keep Simon over McCann; McCann has 2Gs and 3Pnts, Simon 1G and 2Pnts. McCann is gets 1.28 G/60, Simon 0.63G/60. Simon gets ice time with Crosby and Guentzel and scores that little, McCann hasn’t gotten any time with Sid this season.
I am sorry Phil, Simon underwhelms me. He finally scored last night and great. I am happy for him. I would have rather he scored at least on one of the several golden opportunities he had in the first Winnipeg game, they should have been just as easy of a bunny as this one was.
The Other Rick
When everyone is back and healthy I would like to see
Lafferty replace Simon alongside of Sid.
He’s Sid’s kind of player – High IQ, strong on the puck
and not afraid of the dirty work.
I wouldn’t argue with that Mike. Lafferty goes to the high traffic areas, has tons of speed, and can finish. And as you said he has high hockey IQ
The guy non stops creates space for Crosby and Guentzel plus back checks for them. If you find that only goal scoring on a line is important, I can’t help you.
There is a lot more to hockey.
Creating space is a learned thing. There are lots of players that can create space.
Back Checking/ Hmm… Opposing teams are scoring at a clip of 3.3 GA/60 minutes even strength when he is on the ice, scoring at 11.9%. The team is only giving up 2.7 GA/60 minutes at a clip 8.6%. Since his Defensive numbers are above the average, Simon is dragging the team down defensively.
In the end, goal scoring is the only thing that matters on the scoreboard. He, himself has a hard time hitting the net, let alone beating the goalie and defensively he is responsible for more goals against than the average. Other players have been banished for far less.
I’m with Mike on the whole picking and choosing stats can be made in anyone’s favor. It’s the loser of the argument’s argument.
Didn’t you say how great Sprong was on Crosby’s line even though he didn’t score in 12 games picking and choosing stats there also?
Looks like McCann had a groin pull and that was why he wasn’t moving. That’s good to know. I thought he just got lazy. Two games in a row will do that to you early in the season.
Hey Phil,
Since the name of the game is scoring goals, picking and choosing goals as a stat to look at seems to me to only be a logical choice.
Sprong had a strong showing during his brief cameo on Crosby’s line 2 Januaries ago. But now let’s look at Simon in the year 2019, Simon only has 4 goals in all stretching back to January 1 2019, yet he is still getting ice time on the top line.
Since you won’t let Sprong go away, let’s talk about him, he had 10 goals in that time but he is not in the league right now. He is back in the AHL and so should Simon be down there; a journeyman AHLer like Tom Kostopoulos was.
If you go back to that January (2 years ago) when Sprong and Simon were on Crosby’s line, what I wrote was that I liked both of those kids and wanted to see more of them rather than the complacent veterans who were doing nothing.
Neither of them appear to be working out, but then again, neither are the players I wanted them to replace. However, since this discussion won’t go away, I reiterate, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results may not be the clinical definition of crazy, however with all due respect to any of our readers that are psychologists, it is at least illogical.
But I do understand the tactic of changing the conversation to Sprong rather than Sullivan to defend a coach that really hasn’t done anything for 2 years or more but antagonize his own players and cause them to mutiny.
Every season, you will note that I push for the team to carry 1 -2 rookies; not 1 – 2 veteran rejects from another team but 1 – 2 rookies.
This year, I wasn’t holding out hope (I don’t want people to get hurt just to see kids inject some fire into a team – I would prefer coaches not archaeologists running the team). However, circumstances have brought up 3 of the top 4 kids I wanted to see get some TOI and those kids are producing, at least right now against poor goaltending.
It will be interesting to see what the Pens do if McCann is a no go tonight. I guess they will have no choice but dress 7 D?