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The Penguins, hockey and more, by the PG's Seth Rorabaugh. |
PREGAME
-Where else would you rather be on a Friday night than watching a preseason hockey game and reading along on some slob's blog?
-And just because he's playing... in honor of Marian Hossa, we bring you Rex Gildo's "Fiesta Mexicana:"
-To review, here are your lineups:
Penguins
Forwards - Pascal Dupuis, Mark Letestu, Jordan Staal, James Neal, Matt Cooke, Steve Sullivan, Craig Adams, Steve MacIntyre, Arron Asham, Joe Vitale, Tyler Kennedy, Evgeni Malkin
Defense - Zbynek Michalek, Deryk Engelland, Paul Martin, Brian Strait, Kris Letang, Joseph Morrow
Goaltenders - Brent Johnson, Marc-Andre Fleury
Blackhawks
Forwards - Daniel Carcillo, Andrew Brunette, Marcus Kruger, Jonathan Toews, Jamal Mayers, Bryan Bickell, Brandon Pirri, Brandon Saad, Michael Frolik, Marian Hossa, Rostislav Olesz, Patrick Kane
Defense - Duncan Keith, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Steve Montador, Sean O'Donnell, Brent Seabrook, Nick Leddy
Goaltenders - Ray Emery, Alexander Salak
-Sidney Crosby has been injured. Shocking news right!?! Thankfully NHL Network decided to get us up to speed with a big banner at the bottom the screen:

-Brent Johnson and Ray Emery are the starters. A fight between these two would be interesting:
FIRST PERIOD
18:37: According to CSN Chicago, the Blackhawks lines and defensive pairings are:
Saad - Toews - Olesz
Brunette - Kane - Hossa
Bickel - Kruger - Frolik
Carcillo - Pirri - Mayers
Hjamalrsson - Seabrook
Keith - Leddy
O'Donnell - Montador
16:59: Dupuis washes out Pirri with a body check near the right wing boards of the Blackhawks' zone.
16:03: CSN announcer Eddie Olczyk lets everyone know Tony Granato is from Chicago. (Downers Grove, Ill.) to be percise.
14:49: From the left wing, Saad, a native of Gibsonia, zips a pass from the neutral zone to the Penguins' blue line. Toews, as dangerous of an offensive player as there is in the NHL. Gets behind the odd defensive pairing of Michalek and Cooke and shuffles a shot on net from the left circle. Johnson kicks it out. Cooke ends up kicking the rebound on net. Johnson settles and freezes play.
13:48: On a delayed penalty, Hjalmarsson tees up a shot and appears to shoot it wide to the far side. Carcillo is in the slot and appears to re-directs it juuuust wide the left of the cage. MacIntyre is sent off for high sticking. He went after Carcillo after he hit Morrow in the corner. It was a clean hit by Carcillo. MacIntyre was just trying to defend Morrow and Carcillo drew the penalty. Adams, Staal, Michalek and Martin take the ice.
12:59: Seabrook booms a one-timer from the left halfwall. Johnson makes the inital save. There's a car wreck in the crease for the rebound but no one can get a clean stick on it.
11:54: Sullivan, a former Blackhawk, backhands a loose puck out of his zone and kills off the rest of MacIntyre's penalty.
11:15: Frolik tries to challenge Martin one-on-one in the right circle and backhands a shot wide on the near side. Martin forced that wide. Great, subtle play.
10:45: Letestu chops a slapper from above the right circle. O'Donnell gets a piece of it with his stick. Emery gloves the re-directed puck to freeze play.
10:05: Pirri booms a slapper from just inside the blue line on the left point. Engelland blocks it to the corner.
9:20: Kane has a chance in tight but chops a wrister high on the near side from the left of the cage.
8:18: Martin appears to get away with a bit of a hook on Olesz. That said, Olesz went down awfully easy there.
7:45: Kennedy coasts up the right wing with Staal in the slot on a two-on-one against Seabrook. Kennedy deals to Staal. Seabrook skates to his right to prevent a shot. Staal deals back to Kennedy who appears to have a wide open net but can't get a clean handle on a bouncing puck.
6:44: Engelland is called for interference. Adams, Dupuis, Martin and Michalek take the ice.
5:39: Seabrook controls the puck at the right point and shows a shot. He fakes then deals a pass to Toews down low to the left of the cage. Toews one touches a backhanded pass to Kane in the left circle. Kane one touches a forehand pass to Brunette wide open to the right of the crease. Brunette shuffles a one-timer attempt wide of the cage. He whiffed a bit on that shot.
5:00: Hossa controls the puck with momentum in the right circle deals a pass to Pirri cutting to the net in the slot. Pirri dekes to his forehand and shoots wide. It looked like Letang may have hustled the shot with a slight backcheck.
4:44: The Engelland minor is killed.
3:36: Pirri flips the puck out of play from the defensive zone. That's a delay of game penalty. Malkin, Neal, Sullivan, Letang and Kennedy take the ice. Sullivan mans the left point.
3:35: Steve Sullivan was the key to the power play all along!?!? Malkin wins the faceoff in the right circle. Letang takes the puck at the right point and deals to Sullivan moving into the left circle. Sullivan takes the pass, tees up, surveys and cranks a knucklepuck which beats Emery's glove on the far side. Kennedy had a slight screen in front. What a shot. Letang and Malkin get assists. Penguins 1-0.
1:29: Kennedy sneaks in on the right wing and chucks a wrister right into the logo on Emery's chest. Emery eats it up.
0:16: Adams appears to get tripped a bit by Pirri along the right wing boards of the Chicago zone. No call.
0:00: End of period. Penguins 1, Blackhawks 0.
FIRST INTERMISSION

-At the end of the period, Blackhawks play-by-play man Pat Foley, one of the best, informs us that Sullivan used to be a Blackhawk:
x1
-That was a pretty blah period. No one really stood out for any stretch of time for the Penguins.
-Sullivan's goal was pretty slick. He waited for an opening and BOOM! He released his shot.
-The Penguins' penalty kill was pretty strong against a pretty strong Blackhawks lineup.
-We know it's the preseason and guys in his position generally get more ice time, but MacIntyre can't be on the ice too much once the regular season begins. He's a penalty magnet.
-Michalek and Martin look like the shutdown tandem they were last season.
-Stats are incomplete. The Blackhawks have an 8-7 lead in shots.
-Toews leads the game with three.
-Neal and Kennedy each have two.
-Keith leads the game with 8:32 of ice time.
-Michalek and Martin each lead the Penguins with 8:17.
-The Penguins have a 13-8 lead in faceoffs (62 percent).
SECOND PERIOD
17:14: Malkin zips a pass from the left wing to Park in the right circle. Park grips and rips a wrister on net. Emery fights it off.
16:07: Martin chops a loose puck at the left point wide to the far side.
13:34: Michalek flips a puck out of play. That's delay of game. Staal, Adams, Martin and Letang take the ice.
13:13: Adams leads a rush up ice on the right wing on a two-one-one with Staal int he slot against Keith. Adams deals a pass. Keith appears to get a piece of it. Staal tries to settle the puck but can't get enough of a handle on it to get a clean shot off.
13:04: Keith misfires on a pass to Seabrook in the defensive zone. The puck is sitting right there for Staal who picks it up and rips a wrister high.
12:41: What?!?! Huh?1? Emery leaves his crease to play a puck in the left circle. Dupuis chases the puck. Emery hurries the play and deals it off the boards right too.... Matt Cooke. Cooke immediately chops the puck at the open cage. Emery squats down near the crease but can't stop the puck. Seabrook is there too but the puck finds a way through him and clunks off the cross bar into the cage. What a bizarre goal. Marc-Andre Fleury would be embarrassed at the stick-handling error. The goal is unassisted. Emery should get one. Penguins 2-0.
11:28: Zbynek Michalek on a breakaway? Sure why not. As he leaves the penalty box, Staal taps a pass up ice to him from the neutral zone. Michalek rushes in but falls down as he attacks the net. There goes his chances at seeing a shootout attempt.
11:10: Hossa enters the offensive zone on the right wing and deals a pass to Pirri cutting to the net. Pirri takes the pass and flicks a backhander on net. Johnson fights it off.
8:41: Carcillo slams Engelland into the boards behind the Penguins' net with a hard check.
8:06: There's a nice garbage goal. Letang snaps a pass/shot from the right half wall to the slot. Letestu re-directs it towards the right of the cage. Vitale is right there to bang it in by the left leg of Emery. Go to the net and good things happen. Vitale gives the coaches something to think about before they make their final cuts. Letestu and Letang get assists. Penguins 3-0.
6:40: Neal snaps off a wrister from the left wing. Seabrook blocks it out of play.
6:35: Off a faceoff win, Engelland snaps off a wrister from the left point. Emery boots it to the opposite boards.
6:06: Per Olczyk, Saad is from Pittsburgh. Twice!

x2
3:53: Hossa rips a wrister from the left circle. Johnson traps it against his chest.
2:50: Brunette has a chance on the left wing but forces a pass. Engelland flops to his knees and blocks the pass. Nice play.
2:36: Neal is sent off for high sticking. Adams, Cooke, Michalek and Martin take the ice.
0:58: Vitale forces the puck up the left wing and eats it in the corner to burn some time.
0:41: Saad makes his case to make the Penguins' roster. On a delayed penalty, Olesz drives around the net and attempts a wraparound on his forehand from the left of the cage. Johnson makes the inital save but the rebound is loose in the slot. Saad crashes in and pokes it by Johnson's right leg. A nice opportunistic goal Letang heads to the box for interference on Saad. The Penguins will have another two minutes to kill. Martin, Michalek, Staal and Dupuis take the ice. Penguins 3-1.
0:04: Seabrook cracks a one-timer from the top of the slot which hits off a stick and is re-directed on net. Johnson is able to boot it out.
0:00: End of period. Penguins 3, Blackhawks 1.
SECOND INTERMISSION

-Just as the intermission starts, Olczyk reminds us Adams used to play for the Blackhawks:

-The Penguins were the beneficiaries of a few lucky bounces there. The Cooke goal was pure luck. But the Vitale goal was the product of having bodies in the right places.
-Vitale is making his case to make this roster. Richard Park better do something to keep up.
-Malkin has been rather quiet tonight.
-Ditto James Neal.
-Joe Morrow has been hard to notice.
-With Patrick Sharp recovering from an appendectomy, Saad might get one of those nine-game "tryouts" for junior eligible players. He's had a very solid all-around camp by many accounts.
-The Blackhawks have an 18-13 lead in shots.
-Toews leads the game with four shots.
-Neal, Cooke and Kennedy each lead the Penguins with two.
-Seabrook leads the game with 16:20 of ice time.
-Martin leads the Penguins with 16:15.
-The Penguins have a 20-18 edge in faceoffs (53 percent).
-The Penguins will have 1:18 of a penalty to kill on fresh ice to start the period.
THIRD PERIOD
20:00: Park, Adams, Michalek and Martin take the ice.
19:16: Seabrook fans on a one-timer attempt in the left circle.
18:39: The Letang minor is killed.
17:51: On a delayed penalty, Sullivan deals a pass from behind the net to Morrow coming on the ice as an extra attacker. Morrow jabs a one-timer on net. It hits a body and is covered by Emery. Frolik is called for hooking Letang. Staal, Kennedy, Morrow, Sullivan and Martin take the ice. Sullivan is on the left wing.
15:58: Malkin goes offsides. That's pretty much the most notable thing to happen on this power play for the Penguins.
14:25: Seabrook rips a shot on net from the left point. It hits a cluster of bodies in front. Pirri is there for the rebound but whips it wide to the left of the cage.
14:16: Cooke coasts up the left wing on a two-on-one with Kennedy against Keith. Cooke deals to Kennedy. From the right circle, Kennedy grips and rips a wrister which clunks off the near post.
13:18: Toews and Brunette each have a chance in tight but can't get a clean shot off. Johnson is able to cover the puck as the world crashes down around him.
11:50: From the right wing boards, Kruger deals a pass to Mayers in the left circle. Mayers leans down to fire a wrister which totally misses the net.
9:48: Things get interesting. Bickel backhands a puck from above te right circle to just in front of the crease. Pirri takes it on his forehand, goes to the backhand and flicks it off Johnson's glove and into the net. Sloppy goal for Johnson to allow. Bickell and Olesz get assists. The Blackhawks just worked hard for that goal. They earned it. The Penguins call a timeout to get organized. Penguins 3-2.
7:57: Hossa blows through Morrow and Letang on a rush to the net. As he approaches, he kind of runs out of space an fails to get a shot off as Johnson fights it off.
7:37: Morrow is called for holding Saad. Big two minutes here. Martin, Michalek, Adams and Dupuis take the ice.
6:56: Staal pusehs the puck up the left wing on a three on two. He deals a pass to Michalek trailing on the left wing. Michalek grips and rips a wrister to the far side which rings off the post.
6:30: Hossa hooks up with Pirri for the third time on a pass which sets Pirri up behidn the defense. Pirri attacks the net but is denied by Johnson. Saad follows up on the rebound but can't punch it by Johnson.
5:50: Seabrook booms a one-timer from the left circle. Johnson kicks it out.
5:42: Keith cracks a slapper from the right point. Johnson makes the inital save. Saad is in tight but can't get a clean shot off on the rebound.
4:36: Sullivan whips a wrister on net from the left wing. Emery covers as Neal crashes in.
3:18: Seabrook booms a slapper from the right point. It hits off Cooke's stick and hops up. Johnson gloves it.
1:55: Frolik has a chance in tight but Johnson fends it off.
1:29: Frolik whips a wrister on net from the left circle. Johnson gloves it. The Blackhawks call a timeout to get organized. Emery is pulled for an extra attacker.
1:23: Pirri and Michalek race for a puck in the left wing corner. Both players take a tumble. An official's hand goes up. A small scrum develops. Replays show Michalek getting knocked down by Pirri before touching the puck. The Penguins' get a powe rplay. Martin, Michalek, Malkin, Kennedy and Sullivan take the ice. Emery returns to the net with faceoff in the Blackawks' zone.
0:57: Emery is pulled again.
0:41: Sullivan winds his way through the neutral zone and deals a pass to Malkin on the right wing. Malkin gains the offensive zone and air mails a shot into the cage for one of us:

-Sullivan and Martin get assists. Penguins 4-2.
0:00: End of game. Penguins 4, Blackhawks 2.
POSTGAME

-We rarely examine much of what a team does in a preaseason game collectively since there are always a handful of AHL players in the lineup. But the Penguins' march to the penalty box tonight was a little concerning. They took a TON of penalties tonight. Sloppy ones too. Penalties plagued this team last season. They can't have a repeat.
-Individually, very few of the Penguins stood out. Evgeni Malkin was mostly invisible. James Neal was completely invisible.
-Zbynek Michalek and Paul Martin played a ton of tough minutes.
-The second Brandon Pirri goal aside, Brent Johnson was tough. He had to be with the Blackhawks pushing in the third period.
-After a few outstanding games, Joe Morrow appeared to take a step back.
-Richard Park was a non-factor.
-Tyler Kennedy made a few things happen.
-Steve Sullivan looked okay for his first game in the lineup with the Penguins. His power-play goal was impressive. But beyond that, he hardly stood out.
-Joe Vitale showed that he wants to make this roster.
-Brandon Saad looks like an NHL player. He's very impressive for an 18-year-old.
-The Blackhawks dominated in shots, 37-19.
-They dominated the third period alone, 19-7.
-Jonathan Toews and Brandon Pirri each led the game with six.
-Staal, Cooke, Sullivan, Kennedy and Malkin each led the Penguins with two shots.
-Keith led the game with 26:51 of ice time.
-Letang led the Penguins with 23:41.
-The Penguins had a 31-29 lead in faceoffs (52 percent).

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