Sports Empty Netters Penguins at Flyers - 03-24-11
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The Penguins, hockey and more, by the PG's Seth Rorabaugh. |
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PREGAME
-Hey, guess where we are:
-No, not quite:
-The Penguins starters are Tyler Kennedy, Chris Kunitz, Jordan Staal, Paul Martin, Zbynek Michalek and Marc-Andre Fleury.
-Their scratches are Matt Cooke, Eric Godard, Mark Letestu, Eric Tangradi and Brent Johnson.
-The Flyers' starters are Mike Richards, James van Riemsdyk, Kris Versteeg, Matt Carle, Andrej Meszaros and Sergei Bobrovsky.
-Their scratches are Chris Pronger, Jody Shelley and Nikolay Zherev
-FSN Pittsburgh offers your lines and defensive pairings:
FIRST PERIOD
19:17: Matt Carle lifts a wrister from the left circle. Fleury traps it against his chest with his left arm.
16:54: Huge save! After a turnover by Mike Richards in the offensive zone, Kris Letang taps a pass up ice off the right wing boards. Kennedy collects it, moves in on net on a breakaway. He gets Bobrovsky to commit to his right and goes with a forehand. Bobrovsky is able to kick out his left leg and keep the puck out. What a save! That was clutch. Flyers fans offer a standing ovation.
15:05: Kimmo Timonen snaps off a partial one-timer from above the left circle. Fleury gloves it.
13:43: Jordan Staal gets denied in tight by Bobrovsky.
13:10: Ben Lovejoy sneaks a shot on net from the top of the slot. Bobrovsky kicks it out.
11:48: The Flyers get the first power play as Engelland is sent off for interference against Michalek. Craig Adams, Maxime Talbot, Martin and Michalek take the ice.
11:39: Daniel Briere has a chance in tight but Fleury's left foot kicks out the puck.
9:48: The Engelland minor is killed. Great effort by the Penguins that two minutes.
8:03: Talbot taps a backhander from the slot wide to the left of the cage.
7:54: Bob Errey references Talbot's first career goal which was a fluky one against the Flyers back in 2005-06:
6:44: Bobrovsky eats up a re-direction from Kennedy. Great pace to this game so far.
5:27: Kovalev zips up the left wing and forces a cross ice pass to the slot for Neal. Timonen slides down to block the pass. Great play.
4:32: Talk about a fluky garbage goal. Off the left wing, van Riemsdyk fights off a check from Engelland and pushes a feed to the slot. Matt Niskanen attempt to clear it. Mike Richards is there and blocks the clearing attempt with his left skate. The puck flutters up over the left shoulder of Fleury and into the cage. Officials review the goal and confirm the call on the ice. That's a great example of what can happen by simply going to the net. van Riemsdyk and Carle get assists. "Bro Hymn" by Pennywise is played. Flyers 1-0.
3:41: Pascal Dupuis snaps off a quick wrister from the left wing on net. Bobrovsky gloves it.
1:44: Kennedy forces a turnover in the netural zone, circles around the defensive zone and leads a rush to the ofensive zone. He snaps off a wrister from the slot. Bobrovsky kicks it out. Great play by Kennedy.
0:27: Lovejoy can't control a puck in his own zone. Nodl hustles to chase it down in the left offensive zone and swats a shot on net. Fleury fights it off despite having Nodl crash in to him. That's two minutes for goaltending interference. We're not sure about that call. Staal, Kennedy, Neal, Letang and Martin take the ice.
0:25: On the ensuing faceoff, Neal is clipped in the face with a high stick. No call.
0:00: End of period. Flyers 1, Penguins 0.
FIRST INTERMISSION
-That was a pretty even period all around. Neither team really dominated or controlled play for any stretch of time. The only difference was a fortunate bounce for the Flyers.
-Both goaltenders were sharp. We were impressed with Bobrovsky a little bit more than Fleury. Bobrovsky has been struggling as of late. He faced a few quality chances and was up to the challenge.
-Kennedy continues to play the best hockey of his career.
-Kimmo Timonen is a very underrated player in our opinion. He puts up points but doesn't do it at the expense of his defense.
-The Flyers have an 11-7 lead in shots.
-Kennedy leads the game with three shots.
-Briere leads the Flyers with two.
-Letang leads the games with 9:05 of ice time.
-Ville Leino leads the Flyers with 7:44.
-The Flyers have an 8-6 edge in faceoffs (57 percent).
-Giroux is 3 for 5 (60 percent).
-Dustin Jeffrey is 2 for 4 (50 percent).
-Nick Boynton and Zbynek Michalek each lead the game with two blocked shots.
SECOND PERIOD
20:00: The Penguins with have 1:39 of power play time on fresh ice. Chris Kunitz, Letang, Neal, Kennedy and Martin take the ice.
18:59: The legend of Tyler Kennedy grows. Kunitz sneaks up the left wing, gets by a check by Meszaros and zips a nice cross ice pass to the right circle to Kennedy. Bobrovsky challenges Kennedy who rips a sick wrister by the Flyers goaltender on the near side. What a shot. What a pass. And on the struggling power play to boot. Kunitz and Letang get assists. Flyers 1, Penguins 1.
17:20: Giroux forces a centering pass to the slot. Letang collects the pass and taps it down ice out of danger.
16:55: Talbot hustles into the offensive zone and lifts a wrister from above the left circle. Bobrovsky glove sit.
16:34: Richards flings a wrister on net from the left wing. Fleury snags it.
16:18: Mezsaros puts a long distance shot on net. Fleury says no.
15:12: Jeff Carter controls a bouncing puck in the slot in the slot and jabs it on net from in tight. Fleury's left leg denies him.
13:26: Matt Niskanen loses the puck inside the Flyers' blue line. Kris Versteeg pushes it up the left wing. Niskanen hooks and trips him up. That's two minutes. Staal, Dupuis, Michalek and Marth take the ice.
13:12: Briere has a half slapper from above the left circle blocked by Michalek.
11:53: Dupuis gets away with a slash on Leino at the left point.
11:28: Letang pushes the puck up ice and dumps it into the Flyers' zone with a backhander. That essentially kills off the the rest of Niskanen's penalty. Another good effort by the Penguins.
10:45: Off some nifty moves from the left circle, Neal gets denied in tight a handful of times by Bobrovsky.
10:10: Kunitz snaps off a laser of a wrister above the left circle. Despite a slight screen by Braydon Coburn, Bobrovsky eats it up.
9:45: Scott Hartnell decides to make an appearance and has a backhander denied in tight by Fleury.
8:59: Dupuis gains the offensive zone and chops a big slapper from the left point. Timonen is there and blocks it.
8:00: Kennedy takes a pass in the slot and uncorks a wrister. Bobrovsky knocks it dead with his blocker and covers to freeze play.
7:13: What a save! Jeffrey chases down a loose puck below the Flyers' goal line and taps a backhanded pass to the slot. Kovalev is there all alone and immediately punches it on net. Bobrovsky slides to his left and fights off the puck with his chest. Wow!
6:27: Bobrovsky fights off a slapper by Lovejoy from the left circle.
4:56: The Penguins get another chances on the power play as Giroux trips up Staal a bit with a slash. Neal, Staal, Kovalev, Letang and Martin take the ice.
4:11: What action. Neal cuts inside Meszaros in the slot and has a clean chance in the slot but he guns a wrister wide to the right of the cage. The rebound bounces out to Kovalev rushing in off of the left wing. Kovalev chops it on net. Bobrovsky kicks out his legs and knocks the puck out. There's a scramble for the rebound and Bobrovsky is able to cover and freeze play. Wow!
2:56: The Giroux minor is killed. The Penguins generated a few nice chances there.
2:08: Hartnell trips up Talbot inside the Penguins' blue line. No call.
1:43: We get our first notable skirmish of the game following a whistle as Talbot and Richards mix it up after a whistle. For a heated rival, this has been a pretty tame game in that regard. Both teams realize points are more valuable than settling personal disputes.
1:15: Jeffrey takes a tumpble in the right wing corner of the Flyers. zone. He's struggles to recover to his feet and return to teh bench. That doesn't look good
0:49: Jeffrey eventually makes his way to the bench and is helped to the locker room with the assistance of two team attendants. Replays show Carter falling on his right ankle. Ouch.
0:00: End of period. Flyers 1, Penguins 1.
SECOND INTERMISSION
-More of the same that period. Tight checking. Few mistakes. And all-out effort. Both teams want two points desperately and they're each trying to limit mistakes.
-As we said before, this has been a pretty tame game by any standards, let alone for Penguins-Flyers. Not a lot of skirmishes or dust-ups after the whistle.
-Bobrovsky is playing his tail off. He's been the difference for the Flyers. The Penguins have had the better quality of scoring chances but Borovsky has been nearly perfect.
-Kovalev and Neal are just snake bit right now. And things aren't going to get easier with their center, Jeffrey, leaving the lineup.
-The Penguins have a 20-15 lead in shots.
-Kennedy leads the game with five shots.
-Richards leads the Flyers with three.
-Letang leads the game with 18:30 of ice time.
-Timonen leads the Flyers with 14:58.
-The Penguins have a 16-14 edge in faceoffs (53 percent).
-Staal is 7 for 12 (58 percent).
-Blair Betts is 3 for 5 (60 percent).
-Boynton and Michalek each lead the game with three blocked shots.
THIRD PERIOD
18:51: Lovejoy chucks a wrister from the left point. Neal is near the net and re-directs it wide.
17:04: It looks like Talbot and Kennedy are getting some shifts as the first-line center in place of Jeffrey.
16:55: Arron Asham decided to make his first appearance of the night by cross checking Darroll Powe. Dupuis, Staal, Michalek and Martin take the ice.
16:07: Talbot steals a pass off Giroux at the Flyers' blue line. He creates his own breakaway. He moves in on net and snaps off a wrister low. Bobrovsky kicks it out. Big save. Giroux owes Bobrovsky a beer.
14:55: Asham's minor is killed. Another excellent effort by the Penguins that two minutes.
13:41: Conner chips a puck at the red line into the Flyers' zone. He gets socked in the face by Meszaros for his troubles. No call.
13:25: A point shot by Sean O'Donnell is deflected wide.
12:54: Letang takes a pass on the right wing from Rupp. He gets a step on Powe and flies in on net from the right circle. Letang rips a rising wrister which clinks off the cross bar and out of play. Argh.
12:12: Michalek guns a slapper from the right point wide on the near side.
11:15: Lovejoy sneaks up the right wing and chops a loose puck on net with a one-timer. Bobrovsky kicks it out.
11:02: According to the Penguins, Dustin Jeffrey suffered a "lower-body" injury and will not return.
7:56: After a stagnant three minutes, Adams strips O'Donnell of the puck on the right wing of the Flyers zone, circles around and has a chance, but O'Donnell is able to recover and strips the puck.
7:08: Kennedy challenges Timonen one-on-one in just outside the right circle and puts a low wrister on net. Bobrovsky kicks it out.
6:04: Richards get denied in tight by Fleury after trying to jam one in from behind the net. That's the Flyers' first shot of the period. Wow.
4:41: Briere controls the puck behind the Penguins' net, slideto the left, turns and whips a wrister on net. Fleury punches it out.
3:47: Kennedy hustles up the right wing, gains the offensive zone, winds up and pumps a slapper on net. Bobrovsky eats it up.
3:36: Richards gets loose on the right wing. From the circle, he puts a wrister on net as Asham stick checks him. The puck skids in on net. Fleury kicks it out.
2:39: As Coburn knocks him over, Neal punches a wrist shot on net from just outside the crease. Bobrovsky snags it with a glove. Another tough save.
1:59: Versteeg chucks a wrister on net from the top of the slot. Talbot blocks it down.
1:28: Kennedy absolutely smears Nodl along the left wing wall of the Penguins' zone with a hard check. Ouch. Lots of "Ohhhhh's" rain down.
0:20: Conner chips a puck into the offensive zone and attempts a wrister from the right circle. Carle knocks it down.
0:00: End of period. Both teams get a point. Flyers 1, Penguins 1.
THIRD INTERMISSION
-Some intense action.
-The Penguins have a 28-20 lead in shots.
OVERTIME
3:53: Briere circles at the right point and whips a wrister wide to the right of the cage.
2:39: Niskane has a wrster from the left circle blocked by Meszaros.
2:29: Mezsaros leads a two-on-one rush up the right wing against Michalek. Michalek basically does a head first dive and steals the puck away. What a play.
2:08: Letang sneaks up in the offensvie zone, steals a puck and whips a wrister on net. Bobrovsky punches it away with his blocker.
2:01: Letang is in tight and rips a shot high of a wide open net. Argh. he needs to bury that.
1:50: Letang snaps off wrister from the right circle wide on the near side.
0:38: With an icing call, Dan Bylsma calls a time out to give his team a breather.
0:00: End of period. Flyers 1, Penguins 1.
FOURTH INTERMISSION
-What a period. The Penguins went full bore there. They just couldn't bury a few quality chances.
SHOOTOUT
-Leino is up first. He flies in with speed down the slot and goes five hole. Fleury calmly closes the gates.
-Letang gets the call for the Penguins. He sides his way down the slot, dekes a few times and goes forehand. He has Bobrovsky seemingly beat but snaps off a wrister high of the cage.
-Giroux attacks the net down the slot. Fleury fakes a poke check. Giroux shoots five hole again. Fleury closes the gates again.
-Kovlev gets a chance. He goes after Bobrovsky, jams him up with a few moves and beats him by the right leg with a forehand shot. Sick moves. Penguin 1-0.
-Briere must score. He moves in on net and is able to sneak a forehand shot under Fleury. Flyers 1, Penguins 1.
-Neal goes slightly side to the left then goes to his backhand and is denied by Bobrovsky's left leg.
-Richards flies in on Fleury and rips a wrister. Fleury traps it against his body with his left arm.
-Kunitz glides in and sells a fake wrister with a head/leg combination juke move. That opens up Bobrovsky's five hole just enough for Kunitz to snap a wrister through his five hole. What a move. End of shootout. Penguins 2, Flyers 1. End of game. Penguins 2, Flyers 1.
POSTGAME
-What an effort. That was a playoff type of game. Tough but not cheap. You didn't see a lot of stupid stuff after the whistles. Both teams played honest. There wasn't a ton of offense, but this was an excellent game to watch.
-The Penguins just refuse to use injuries. They lose their fourth first line center (if that makes sense) in Jeffrey and didn't change their game. Dan Bylsma and company just plugged in Talbot and/or Kennedy into that role and they just kept plugging along.
-After a shaky game in Detroit Monday, the Penguins' defense buttoned down and really limited a strong Flyers offense. The Flyers didn't get a ton of chances and their only goal came off a fluky bounce.
-Fleury wasn't tested a great deal. He made the saves he needed to.
-Bobrovsky was the best player on the ice. He was the reason the Flyers didn't run away with this. He made so many tough saves.
-Tyler Kennedy is playing some outstanding hockey. He has been for two months. He's all over the ice. He's creating scoring chances. Burying a few. You could make a case for him as the team's MVP for the past month or so.
-Neal and Kovalev were a bit frustrating tonight. They had several quality scoring chances and couldnt' bury them. They were brought in to boost the offense but have been underwhelming in that regard so far.
-The Penguins led in shots, 31-20.
-Kennedy led the game with seven.
-Richards led the Flyers with six.
-Martin led the game with 29:54 of ice time.
-Meszaros led the Flyers with 26:45.
-The Flyers had a 25-24 edge in faceoffs (51 percent).
-Carter was 5 for 7 (71 percent).
-Jeffrey and Talbot were each 4 for 7 (57 percent).
-Michalek led the game with five blocked shots.
-Boynton, Meszaros and Timonen led the Flyers with three each.
-Fleury won his 20th career game against the Flyers. That's his most wins against any on opponent.
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written by Louder_Is_Best, March 24, 2011 - 08:34 PM
Niskanen needs to start playing better, he's not been great the last few games.
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written by saneman, March 24, 2011 - 09:13 PM
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written by Okel Dokel, March 24, 2011 - 10:42 PM
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written by Louder_Is_Best, March 24, 2011 - 10:46 PM
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written by jameshutton, March 24, 2011 - 10:49 PM
I'd say Jeffrey is done for the season. Bummer. But at least sounds like Letestu is close to coming back.
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written by leahbackus, March 25, 2011 - 12:23 AM
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written by saneman, March 25, 2011 - 12:23 AM
If it looks like Pens dont have a chance of getting the first place spot, then they should rest Letang for 2 games. The guy is being overworked and he needs a few days off to recharge his batteries.
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written by KRC, March 25, 2011 - 12:30 AM
I swear, it's like night and day! Baffling! It looked just like a playoff game. Now can we just keep this level of play up?
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written by Boom Shaka, March 25, 2011 - 10:50 AM
I find it funny that when the Pens have a questionable effort and blow a lead there's fifty-odd comments proclaiming that it's time to start booking tee times.
When they put together an outstanding physical effort with tight checking and disciplined defense against the #1 team in the conference, and then beat that team, the comments section gets eerily quiet...
What does that say about what people come here to do?
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written by Boom Shaka, March 25, 2011 - 11:15 AM
I'd disagree. The effort against the Red Wings was spotty, I'll certainly agree. However, the Rangers game was VERY similar to this one...until Matt Cooke.
I can also think of a bunch of really tight games in the last month that the Pens came out on top or at least got a point.
Just a couple off the top of my head.
-Beat the Bruins after they'd won 7 in a row.
-Took the Devils to OT in a great game. Devils only won on a late OT PP goal off a questionable call against Michalek.
-Beat a hot Sabres team who was 5-0-2 in their previous seven games before playing the Pens.
-Took 3 out of 4 points in that weird back to back in Toronto
I think what we've seen over the past month is more like the progression of a team that was a jumbled mess and is now starting to gel under Disco's system.
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