Sports Empty Netters Penguins at Devils - 02-05-12
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The Penguins, hockey and more, by the PG's Seth Rorabaugh. |
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PREGAME
-It'll be intrestesting to see if the Penguins can maintain the energy they had yesterday after a big win against a big opponent on the road.
-The Penguins' starters are Chris Kunitz, Evgeni Malkin, James Neal, Kris Letang, Brooks Orpik and Marc-Andre Fleury.
-Their scratches are Aarron Asham, Ben Lovejoy, Colin McDonald.
-The Devils' starters are Patrik Elias, Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, Mark Fayne, Andy Greene and Martin Brodeur.
-Their scratches are Ryan Carter, Cam Janssen and Adam Larsson.
-Root Sports provides the Penguins' lines and defensive pairings:
FIRST PERIOD
17:39: Fleury can't handle a dump in and the Devils strike quick. From the neutral zone, Parise dumps a puck behind the Penguins' cage. Fleury tries to handle it but the puck hops up over his stick. Elias races behind the cage, jumps on the puck and skates to theleft of the cage. As Fleury scrambles back into position, he deals a pass to Kovalchuk above the crease. Kovalchuk strikes a quick one-timer behind Fleury. Put that one on Fleury. Elias and Parise get assists. Devils 1-0.
14:52: Jacob Josefson races into the offensive zone and from above the left circle, he flings a feed towards the slot. Eric Boulton tries to skate after the feed but the great Joe Vitale gets position on him and prevents him from reaching the puck. Vitale ends up crashing into the cage and knocking loose.
14:39: Off a faceoff win, Kurtis Foster flings a wrister on net from the right point. Fleury gloves it.
13:34: Off an odd man rush, Malkin snaps off a wrister which Brodeur knocks dead.
12:11: Tyler Kennedy pounds a slapper from the right wing. Brodeur knocks it down and covers to freeze play.
11:29: Foster sneaks another wrister from the left point through traffic. Fleury eats it up.
10:36: Kunitz hustles into the offensive zone and races into the offensive zone and pounds a slapper on net. Brodeur kicks it out.
10:27: The Penguins get loose defensively and the Devils take advantage. From the right wing, Alexei Ponikarovsky deals a pass to Anton Volchenkov the slot. Volneknov deals to Koalchuk in the left circle. Kovalchuk taps it back to Volchenkov. Fleury overplays the pass to Kovalchuk and is badly out of position for the shot by Volechkov which gives the Devils a two-goal lead. An ugly got to allow. Kovalchuk and Ponikarovsky get assists. Fire Ray Shero.Devils 2-0.
10:21: On the ensuing faceof, the great Joe Vitale is called for slashing. Richard Park, Craig Adams, Zbynek Michalek and Paul Martin take the ice.
8:21: Two minutes later, the Devils accomplished little with their chance.
5:27: After a few stagnant minutes of play, Cooke flings a wrister on net from the right wing. Brodeur kicks it out.
5:34: Off a drop pass from Jeffrey, Dupuis whips a wrister on net from the top of the slot. Brodeur knocks it away with his blocker.
3:09: From the left wing, Sykora tries to tap a pass to the front of the crease for Dainius Zubrus. Zubrus races after it but Letang dives back to deflect it away.
1:08: According to broadcaster Bob Errey by way of stat god bob Grove, the Penguins are 4-7-3 on Super Bowl Sundays.
0:04: Orpik steps up on a loose puck above the left circle and pounds a slapper wide to the far side.
0:00: End of period. Devils 2, Penguins 0.
FIRST INTERMISSION
-What a sloppy period of play for both teams. The Devils and Penguins each looked like they would rather be home watching Superbowl pregame shows instead of playing. The Penguins just happened to be sloppier and the Devils cashed in.
-Fleury hasn't looked sharp. Hindsight is always 20-20, but it might have been a good idea to start Brent Johnson today.
-There was absolutely no flow that period.
-The Penguins have an 11-10 lead in shots.
-Cooke leads the game with three shots.
-Kovalchuk and Volchenkov each lead the Devils with two shots.
-Orpik leads the game with 8:50 of ice time.
-Kovalchuk leads the Devils with 8:02.
-The Devils have a 12-10 edge in faceoffs (55 percent).
-Zubrus is 3 for 5 (60 percent).
-Malkin is 4 for 7 (57 percent).
-No one has more than one blocked shot.
SECOND PERIOD
20:00: At the start of the period, very few bodies are filling the seats in the lower bowl:
19:14: Cal O'Reilly races up the left wing and deals a cross-ice pass to Matt Niskanen in the right circle. Niskanen snaps off a wrister which is off the mark.
19:03: Sykora leads a rush in transition the other way. From the right wing, he attempts a cross-ice pass to Clarkson in the left circle but Tyler Kennedy hustles back, dives and breaks up the pass.
18:51: Malkin is hooked up by Foster in the left circle. That's two minutes. Malkin, Neal, Kunitz, Sullivan and Letang takes the ice.
17:32: Awful. Just awful. Martin fumbles a puck at the right point. Kovalchuk pokes it up ice. Martin tries to body him off the puck but Kovalchuk jumps on his back and twists him away. Kovalchuk picks it up deep in the offensive zone and attacks the net from the left wing corner. Fleury holds out his initial shot but leaves a rebound right to the right of the cage. Dainius Zubrus pokes into the cage. A brutal play by Martin compounded by a terrible non-call against Kovalchuk. It's a shorthanded goal. Fleury is mercifully pulled in favor of Brent Johnson. Kovalchuk gets the only assist. Devils 3-0.
16:58: O'Reilly drives the puck deep into the offensive zone on the right wing. From the right wing corner, he zips a pass to Niskanen at the left point. Niskanen strikes a one-timer which burns Brdeur by his right pad. A big-time response. O'Reilly and Cooke get assists. Devils 3-1.
15:32: Volchenkov chops a slapper from the right point. Fleury knocks it dead and covers.
13:55: After a turnover by Letang in the right circle of the Penguins' zone, Ponikarovsky has a chance in tight but Johnson poke checks it away.
12:15: Volchenkov nudges O'Reilly to the ice in the right wing corner of the Devils' zone. Volchenkov is called for interference. That might have been a make-up call there. Neal, Malkin, Kunitz, Sullivan and Letang take the ice.
12:01: Letang grips and rips a wrister from the left circle. Brodeur fights it off. Kunitz is there for the rebound but can't get a clean stick on it.
11:31: After a poor giveaway by Bryce Salvador, Malkin pumps a half slapper from the slot. Mark Fayne blocks it.
10:44: Matt Niskanen pounds a slapper from the top of the slot wid e of the cage.
10:25: Kennedy pumps a slapper from the left circle. Brodeur fights it off.
10:10: Kennedy sneaks up the right wing and snaps off a wrister to the far side. Brodeur kicks it out of play.
9:40: Off a decent feed from behind the cage by Dustin Jeffrey, Richard Park swats a wrister from the right side of the net wide.
9:09: Steve Bernier flings a wrister from the right wing wide to the far side.
8:38: What a weird goal. Parise fights off a check from Park below the goal line, knocks Park to the ice and and jams it by the right skate of Johnson. That was pure effort by Parise. Bernier gets the only assist. Devils 4-1.
8:27: Things just get better for the Penguins as the great Joe Vitale slashes Brad Mills in the face on the ensuing faceoff. Jeffrey, Cooke, Michalek and Orpik take the ice.
6:27: And two minutes later, the Devils don't accomplish a thing.
5:25: Kennedy fights off a check and flings a backhander fromt he left circle. Brodeur eats it up.
4:47: Sykora guns a quick one-timer from the left circle wide to the far side.
4:08: Letang levls Eric Booulton with a hip check in the neutral zone. Oof.
3:49: Boulton goes after Letang with a solid shoulder check in the Devils' zone. Boulton then appears to spear Letang. Letang responds with a slash. No calls.
3:17: Neal snaps off a wrister from the left circle. It gets blocked away from the cage.
1:38: Matt Toarmina chops a slapper from the left pont wide to the far side.
0:26: Letang chops a slapper from the right point which gets blocked as he breaks his stick.
0:00: End of period. Devils 4, Penguins 1.
SECOND INTERMISSION
-The Penguins just don't have it today. They don't appear to be very focused and have been just very sloppy. Can't expect a team to be sharp for all 82 games.
-Beyond the first or the second goal, it's difficult to blame Fleury for too much of this. Today's game is very much a team "effort" if you get our drift.
-The officiating has been brutal at times. Lots of ugly non-calls and phantom penalties.
-The Kunitz-Malkin-Neal line has been a non-factor.
-The Kennedy-O'Reilly-Sullivan line has produced the most chances for the Penguins.
-The Penguins lead the game in shots, 21-19.
-Kennedy leads the game with four shots.
-Kovalchuk, Josefson and Volchenkov each lead the Devils with three.
-Orpik leads the game with 15:05 of ice time.
-Kovalchuk is right behind him with 15:02.
-The Devils have a 27-20 advantage in faceoffs (57 percent).
-Malkin is 8 for 12 (67 percent).
-Zubrus is 8 for 13 (64 percent).
-Michalek, Jeffrey, Orpik and Parise each lead the game with two blocked shots.
-EN Reader @ULFster82 sends in this photo of the capitvated crowd in Newark:
-Penguins executive Bill Guerin is all business:
THIRD PERIOD
17:48: Andy Greene leads a rush into the offensive zone and taps a pass to Elias on the right half wall. Elias flings a wrister on net as Greene cuts in front on a screen. Johnson eats it up.
14:13: Broadcaster Paul Steigerwald mentions that Ponikarovsky is from the Ukraine:
13:38: From the left circle, Niskanen snaps off a wrister from the right circle to Neal in the right circle. Neal guns a one-timer which Brodeur kicks out.
12:53: Kennedy has a chacne to the left of the cage off some tic-tac-toe passing from Sullivan and O'Reilly but he can't pull the trigger.
9:59: Off a turnover by Martin, Henrique snaps off a wrister from the slot which his off the mark.
9:36: Volchenkov is called for high sticking Malkin. It's an absolutely hideous call as his stick never even came near Malkin's face. Malkin, Neal, Letang, Sullivan
8:46: Malkin guns a one-timer from the top of the slot. It hits a body in front.
8:41: Neal puts a slapper on net from the right circle. Brodeur fights it off. Kunitz chops the rebound but is off the mark.
8:32: Neal puts another one-timer on net from the right circle. Brodeur kicks it away.
8:17: The Penguins finally break through. Malkin takes a pass in the right circle, curls and drags by a crouching Greene and snaps off a pretty wrister through Brodeur's five hole. What a shot. Malkin barely celebrates with his team trailing. Sullivan gets the only assist. The officials should get an assist. At least the power play is the one thing working for the Penguins. Devils 4-2.
7:34: Martin flings a wrister from the left point. It hits a mass of bodies in front.
7:25: Martin guns another wrister fromt he right point which goes just to the right of the cage.
4:40: David Clarkson snaps off a wrister from the right circle. Johnson gloves it.
4:34: Letang tosses Zubrus to the ice below the goal line. No call.
2:32: Battling for position behind the cage, Kennedy and Ponikarovsky crash into the end boards. Kennedy eventually recovers to his feet and makes his way to the bench, retreating to the locker room. It looked like Foster had him tied up. No call.
1:49: Johnson is pulled for an extra attacker.
1:40: Elias air mails a wrister from the ride line wide of the open cage.
0:52: O'Reilly whips a wrister on net from the top of the slot. Brodeur knocks it down and and flings it up ice on a Murphy dump. Clarkon beats O'Reilly to the puck, fends him off and chips it into the cage for one of us:
-Brodeur gets the only assist. That's the 40th assist of his career. Devils 5-2.
0:00: End of game. Devils 5, Penguins 2.
POSTGAME
-The Penguins just didn't have it from the get-go today. They weren't sharp. All 20 players in the lineup can claim a role in this loss.
-Marc-Andre Fleury wasn't very sharp. As we said earlier, hindsight is always 20-20, but it might have been a better idea to give Brent Johnson the start after Fleury pulled out a tough win a day earlier in Boston. That said, heaping this entire loss on Fleury would be absurd. His defense was not sharp.
-Give the Devils credit. They played their game perfectly and earned this win. They deserved this two points.
-If you get behind on the Devils, especially early, it's like trying to fight a boa constrictor. They just choke the life out of you.
-Paul Martin's struggles continue. It's baffling. He played a safe, mistake-free shutdown game last season and was a big reason the team excelled down the stretch as 2010-11 wore one. This season, he looks more and more like a liabilty. We've defended Paul Martin endlessly this season, but everyone reaches a breaking point. We're approaching ours.
-The shorthanded goal notwithstanding, the power-play was an actual asset for the Penguins today. It produced all of their offense.
-In no way shape or form are we suggesting that the outcome of hte game was because of the officials, but this was another brutal display of NHL officiating. Both teams interfered with one another all over the ice. And to compound the issue, there were plenty of phantom calls. Both of Anton Volchenkov's minors were bogus. The NHL is heading in a disturbing direction with its officiating.
-The theory that interference prevented injuries was debunked by the apparent injury Tyler Kennedy suffered. He was hooked to the ice and crashed into the boards due to a non-penalty.
-We despise the plus/minus statistic, but James Neal, Evgeni Malkin and Chris Kunitz were each a minus-4. Ick.
-The Penguins had a 30-25 lead in shots.-Neal led the game with five goals.
-David Clarkson and Anton Volchenkov each led the Devils with four.
-Kris Letang led the game with 22:19 of ice time.
-Bryce Salvador led the Devils with 22:09.
-The Penguins had a 34-31 edge in faceoffs (52 percent).
-Malkin was 14 for 19 (74 percent).
-Dainius Zubrus was 9 for 15 (60 percent).
-Zbynek Michalek leads the game with three blocked shots.
-Zach Parise and Salvador each led the Devils with two.
-Matt Cooke (110 points) moved past Wayne Bianchin, Petr Sykora and Jim Johnson (109 each) for 73rd place on the team's all-time scoring list.
-Cal O'Reilly recorded his first career point with the Penguins.
-Highlights:
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written by mombert41, February 05, 2012 - 12:27 PM
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written by pensheart, February 05, 2012 - 02:39 PM
Disappointing play today by the Pens, but it was a short turnaround between games. A few pluses, on PP and O'Reilly's contribution in his 2nd game.
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written by Hobbs5, February 05, 2012 - 03:07 PM
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written by mcrow1130, February 05, 2012 - 03:20 PM
Tough game today overall for the Pens, but this was set up to be a tough game. Back-to-back afternoon road games, and the Devils are playing really well right now.
The NHL is in a dangerous place right now. Watch any game around the league, and all you see is pre-lock out glutch-and-grab hockey. We're on our way back to boring hockey again.
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written by mcrow1130, February 05, 2012 - 03:33 PM
Could teams be figuring out that the way to play the Malkin unit is to attack it, and not just try to defend it?
It's only been four games since the AS break, so probably too little a sample. But not a good trend.
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