So what happened?
You had to know the Pens were going to lay an egg sometime. Given how they've played against Ottawa this year, this wasn't a total surprise. The biggest reasons for the loss? Geno's line was a combined -9. Even if they're not scoring (which would have been okay tonight), they can't be in the hole that much. I know one of those came from a shorty on the power play, but more defensive zone responsibility when you have a shaky goaltender would be smart.
And that brings us to the other reason - Brad Thiessen. He wasn't really at fault on most of the goals, but, for instance, as soon as Spezza started his breakaway (when all five Penguins were way too far into the offensive zone), you knew he was going to score. Steigy and Errey were right - Marc Andre Fleury is more important to the team than a lot of people give him credit for.
Hopefully this one is already out of the memory banks and they're thinking about New Jersey.
Who scored?
Cooke (18, 19), Kennedy (9), Crosby (3)
The Good?
- Cooke had two.
- If you were a defenseman not named Michalek or Orpik then you had a decent game statistically.
The Bad?
- Everything else. Giving up 8 is never good.
The Ugly?
- The backup goaltending situation. Hopefully this won't be an issue in the playoffs, where you can ride Fleury as long as he stays healthy.
Any Surprises?
- I was surprised to see Crosby double-shifted in the first two minutes of the game. I think it was because Malkin needed a skate adjustment, but still, on the front end of a back-to-back?
What's their record now?
The Pens are 46-22-6. They are all alone in fourth place in the conference, two points ahead of Philly and three points behind the Rangers.
Who's next?
The Devils come to Consol for a key Atlantic division game.
No comments:
Post a Comment