Monday, October 10, 2011

Goaltender duel - Oilers 2, Penguins 1 (SO)

So what happened?

The short version?  Brent Johnson stood on his head for most of this game and kept the Oilers off of the score board.  The power play was unable to get a key goal despite having a five minute major to work with at the end of regulation (and first 30 seconds of OT).  The Oilers goalie (Devan Dubnyk) had something to do with that - he was great.

Who scored?
Letang (1)

The Good?
  • Getting to the power play 8 times.
  • The PK shut down the Oilers.
  • Brent Johnson and Devan Dubnyk were both really, really good.
  • Kris Letang is quickly turning into the best defensemen the Pens have seen in a long time.  He keeps taking his game to higher levels.
The Bad?
  • Another third period lead that evaporated.  It will be interesting to see if this trend continues once the Pens aren't playing teams in their home openers.
  • Other than Letang, the D was able to get involved in the offense with as much success as they had in Calgary.
The Ugly?
  • The power play - one goal on eight chances isn't the end of the world, but the inability to score on the major to close out the game is ugly.  You need someone to step up there.
Any Surprises?
  • Are the good feelings from this successful trip diminished by the blown lead and only one point in Edmonton?
What's their record now?
The Pens are 2-0-1.

Who's next?
The home opener is Tuesday night against the Panthers.

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