Sharks 3, Penguins 2 (OT)

So what happened?

Another hard luck single point result for the Pens. A dramatic late goal with 50 seconds left in the third period by Tyler Kennedy sent the game to OT.

They did just about everything they could to stay with the Sharks but just couldn't finish them off in OT. The one thing they could have done better? They went to the box too much early in the game with dumb penalties, especially the Engelland cross check and the Adams hook in the offensive zone (which is the one the Sharks scored on).

Fleury was amazing, making several HUGE saves, none bigger than the same on Marleau on a breakaway in OT. Unfortunately, they were about four seconds short on getting to a shoot out.

Who scored?

Kennedy 2 (13, 14)

The Good?

• Joe Vitalie - 8-0 on faceoffs!!
• TK with two more goals tonight. He's on a tear.
• Antti Niemi was really good, making several saves where he shouldn't have been able to see the puck.
• Flower, as mentioned, was great.

The Bad?

• Too many penalties through the first two periods, and it cost them.
• Brooks Orpik took a shot off of the hand. He left and didn't return. Hopefully it's not bad.
• After Orpik left, the Pens had to play with five right-handed defensemen. Remember when everyone was worried because the Pens had all left-handed d-men?

The Ugly?

• The refs. The amazingly bad non-call on Ryan Clowe for his retaliation hit on Engelland was embarrassing. If you didn't see it, Engelland delivered a solid, clean hit on Heatley. As he (Engelland) was skating away, Clowe knocked him over from behind, right in front of everyone. You can't tell me one of the zebras wasn't watching - everyone takes notice when a big hit is delivered.

Any Surprises?

• What's up with the lights? For the second game in a row, they wouldn't come back on to start the period. This time the delay was almost 20 minutes, leaving Steigy and Errey to talk continuously.

What's their record now? Any important move in the standings?

The Pens are now 36-20-6.

Who's next?

Out onto the road for five games starting with Carolina on Friday night.

Game #62 - vs San Jose Sharks

Game 62

Sharks (34-21-6, 74 points) at Penguins (36-20-5, 77 points)

Why does it matter?
Another tough game against a foe from the other conference. This will be a big challenge. Aside from that, it is the debut of James Neal and Matt Niskanen.

What has been happening lately?

• Pens - Lots of hard work with nothing to show for it on Monday against the Caps.
• Sharks - Since the end of a six game losing streak back in mid-January, the Sharks are 13-2-1 with all three losses coming on the road and by one goal each.

Questions to be answered

• Can the system the Pens play hold up tonight? Consider that they'll have two new players (Neal and Niskanen) that will be expected to fill prominent roles without having had a full practice with the team.
• Who will score if Jordan Staal has to shut down Joe Thornton? The Pens don't have anyone besides Staal that can match up with his size.
• How will Niskanen and Neal fit in on the top power play? I'm especially interested in Niskanen - will he be able to step up to the plate after having his confidence shot in Dallas?

Keys to the game

• Stay conservative as long as the Pens have the lead or the score is tied. This will protect Neal and Niskanen, who don't know the system very well yet (though it will be similar in nature to what they played in Dallas).
• Keep working. The effort and scoring chances were there against the Caps. The goals will come if the effort continues.
• Say a prayer? Joe Thornton's teams are 15-1-2 against the Pens all time (Bruins and Sharks).

Sharks 5, Penguins 0

So what happened?
Right from the start, this was not a good night for the Pens. Rupp was tripped on a scoring chance in the slot about 20 seconds in with no call. It didn't get any better from there. Before all was said and done, Fleury was pulled, Letang was hurt and the Pens had lost two straight for the first time under Dan Bylsma.

Who scored?
Nobody

Any surprises?
The Pens had several good chances in the early-going, but couldn't cash in. I guess we can't call that a surprise given their recent mini-slump.

Any change in the standings?
Division: 1st (two point ahead of New Jersey)

Conference: 1st (tied with Washington)

League: 2nd (tied with Washington)

Who's next?
Back east to play the team with the worst power play in the NHL, the Boston Bruins. Game is on Tuesday night.

Notes:

• The Sharks are really good, but it's just the regular season.
• When Fleury was pulled, you were thinking that maybe if they could find a way to get a goal... but then Johnson allowed one and you knew that was it.
• Hopefully Letang isn't badly hurt.

Game #17 - at San Jose Sharks

Game 17
Penguins (12-4-0, 24 pts) at Sharks (11-4-2, 24 pts)



HP Pavillion, San Jose, California

Setoguchi has been hurt, but he's a dangerous goal scorer when healthy.

Why does it matter?
Another tough road game against a top team for the Pens.

What has been happening lately?

• Pens - The Kings were simply the better team on Thursday. The Pens will look to get back on the winning track.
  
• Sharks - The Sharks started 3-3-1. They're 7-1-1 since and have allowed no more than two goals in a game for the past 6 games.
  

Questions to be answered

• With a power play that is on the fritz, can the Pens generate enough quality scoring chances to win this game?
  
• Can Fleury step up and steal a game? He has been really good in the early going, but has no shutouts yet. Now would be a good time...
  
• With losses in two of their past three, the Pens are in danger of their first slump of the season. Can they avoid it with a W in San Jose?
  

Keys to the game

• Find a way to beat Nabokov.
  
• Special teams - both power play units have been poor lately.

Penguins 2, Sharks 1 (OT - SO - 1-0)

Do you know when was the last time the Pens were in a shootout?

December 3rd.

Seems like forever, right? The last time they won a shootout was November 13th against Philly. It was a good ending to the game tonight, and Sid came through with the winner, going five-hole with lightning fast hands. Fleury made it stand up by somehow stopping Boyle to earn the two points.

Great win for the Pens.

Both teams played a fairly open style, with lots of shooting, lots of skating, and few odd-man breaks. That was the weird part - most of the shots seemed to be from the outside, and there weren't many rebound chances. Both teams seemed content to let their goalies face low percentage chances and play positional defense. I can't think of many scoring opportunities from the slot area.

That makes it all the more funny that both of the regulation goals were scored on junk thrown at the net. Thomas tried to toss a puck back out in front of Boucher, only to have it go in off of either Blake or Boucher's stick. Pavelski was one of three Sharks to crash the net, and the puck just pinballed to him with a wide open cage in front.

Other than that single lapse, the Pens played the best defense possible when you allow 37 shots. I'm not sure if I mean that as a compliment, but hey - they won the game against one of the top teams in the West. I'm sure they'll take it.

Next up: A chance to spoil the love in Toronto on Valentine's Day

Sharks 2, Penguins 1

Just a placeholder post.  I didn't see the game, and honestly all I know about it is that the Pens showed no offense.

Game #10 - at San Jose Sharks

Pittsburgh Penguins (5-2-2, 12 pts) at San Jose Sharks (7-2-0, 14 pts)

Quick preview tonight.  

The Sharks are tough at home so far this year, which is in direct contrast to last year when they struggled mightily early in the season.

The Pens are decent on the road so far this year, the kick in the nuts over the weekend at MSG notwithstanding.

The only problem with these West Coast games is that they're past my bedtime.

As a side note, if you're looking to put some money on the Pens, it's not often that you'll get them at +150...

Let's Go Pens!

Sharks 2, Penguins 1 - Video Highlights

Here are the video highlights from the loss to the Sharks. Get ready for a nap.

You can snooze to the full review here.

Sharks 2, Penguins 1 (OT - SO - 3-2)

zzzzzzzzzzz.....

huh? what? Someone playing hockey?

First period:

Maybe one of the most boring periods of hockey I've ever seen. Other than the Penguins effective penalty kill, there's really not much to talk about. Conklin had a few nice saves, but there wasn't much other than that.

Second period:

This one made the first look exciting. Still nothing doing. Maybe it's just that I was tired when watching the game, but I almost fell asleep.

Third period:

The Sharks score (on a great individual effort by Cheechoo), and now I'm afraid that instead of sending one guy in on the forecheck, the Sharks will just keep all five men back in the neutral zone. These guys make the Devils look daring and offensive.

Shelley ensures he'll never play in the third period again by taking a dumb penalty. Crusher shoots from a bad angle off of a nice pass from Gonchar and scores. Great to see Christensen get back on the good side of things in his first game back.

Overtime:

zzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Shootout:

Crusher starts it off making Nabokov look really bad, scoring pretty easily.

Pavelski managed to beat Conklin with a wrister. I think this shattered Conk's confidence, as all three Sharks did pretty much the same thing (wrist shots, though they went to different places) and all three beat him easily.

Ruutu kept things interesting, but the Letang couldn't get the puck up on his attempt and the Pens went down 3-2 in the shoot out.

Notes:

I'm still bored and the game has been over for a while.

Next up: Off to Long Island for a date with the Isles on Tuesday.

Game #63 - vs San Jose Sharks

San Jose Sharks (32-21-8, 72 pts) at Pittsburgh Penguins (35-21-6, 76 pts)

Quick preview today. The Pens should be anxious for the chance to finish up their slate of games against the Western Conference. They are 8-1 against the West so far this year.

San Jose, by comparison, is just 2-5 so far against the East.

The Sharks own the best road record in the NHL, even though they'd lost three straight on the road before beating Philadelphia on Thursday (who hasn't beaten the Flyers lately?)

This is an important game for the Pens. They have a bunch of road games coming up, and this is a quality opponent at home. No word on the starting goalie yet.

Let's Go Pens!

Pens acquire Nolan Schaefer

The Pens acquired goaltender Nolan Schaefer from San Jose for a 7th round draft choice. Nolan was assigned to Wilkes Barre.

Minor league goalie. 27 years old. Nothing more to see here. Move along.