The Pens have traded Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts to Tampa Bay for for a fourth round draft pick in 2009. Should the Lightning sign Malone, the Pens would get a third-rounder instead. It has been obvious for quite some time that neither would be back with the Pens. It’s highly doubtful the Lightning will sign either, but stranger things have happened.
Last October, I wrote a blog asking, Is the Bloom Off Ray Shero’s Rose?. Today, I answer emphatically, no, it is not.
Many people are comparing the Penguins of today to the Tampa Bay Lightning of 2003-04, and coming to the conclusion that the Pens would be better off not following the Lightning model. While I agree that you don’t want to descend into oblivion like the Lightning did, I disagree with the reason most people cite for their fall from grace.
Today, I grade the seasons of every Penguin forward.
The other day, we looked at the goalies. Today, the defensemen are under the microscope.
All season long, I have been grading the Pens game by game. Today, I begin a look at the season as a whole, and how each individual player, as well as management, fared. I start by looking at the goalies.
I suspect Brooks Orpik has played his last game for the Pens. There are too many stories out there about his dislike of Mike Therrien, and he stands to get a huge payday. My guess is somebody is going to offer him more than Shero is willing to pay (a la Scott Hannan, Jay McKee, and we know how those turned out). So, operating on that assumption, what does Shero do?
Dear Mr. Walkom,
Almost three years ago, as the lockout came to an end, the “New NHL” was born. You announced, to much fanfare, that officials were being instructed to enforce the rulebook as written.
Gone were the obstruction tactics of teams like the New Jersey Devils. Hooking and obstruction away from the play were regularly called. Open ice was the rule. The skaters were allowed to skate, the passers to pass, the shooters to shoot.
Today, I bring you no grades. How can you grade something like that? Every single player gets an A, because each and every one of them gave every last ounce of energy they could muster.
It’s all over but the shouting as the Wings take the penuntimate game.
Better late than never, right?
You can’t win if you can’t score
When your best players aren’t your best players…
A defensive masterpiece
When your best players aren’t your best players…
They continue to amaze
A comeback for the ages
In looking at the picks of the Faceoff Factor writers for Round 2, I noticed something very odd. Each and every one of them picked the Pens over the Rangers. Well, except for one lone wolf—yours truly.
It was back to normal in Game 5, with Colorado notching the 3-2 win. Only Game 4 in this series was not decided by that score. It just shows how evenly matched these two teams are. Tonight, for the first time in the series, a team has a chance to close it out. That team is the Avalanche.
In Game 4, one team finally dominated, with the Avs winning 5-1. That broke a string of three consecutive 3-2 overtime games between the two closely-matched rivals. The story of the game, aside from the score, was an ugly third period that prompted Avs coach Joel Quenneville to keep Peter Forsberg off the ice.
Three games, three overtime games. Three 3-2 games. It doesn’t get any closer than this series. Colorado won Game 1 to steal home ice advantage, but the Wild reclaimed it with their Game 3 overtime victory. The teams are right back at it tonight.
Most observers believed that this series was too close to call. They were evenly split on who they thought would win it. So far, they haven’t been disappointed. Both games in Minnesota went to overtime.
A quick glance at the totals shows just how close these two teams are. Goals scored: Colorado 224, Minnesota 220. Goals allowed: Colorado 216, Minnesota 210. But there are subtle differences, too. Minnesota’s special teams were far superior to those of the Avs, and that could prove huge in a long series between evenly-matched teams.
Clinch playoff berth 3/25
Clinch Atlantic Div. 4/2
Finish 2nd in East 4/6
Scoring Race:
Ovechkin: 112 pts
Malkin: 106 pts
Playoffs
Penguins (2) vs. Senators (7)
Setting sail: Boston, Minnesota
Sinking ships: Vancouver, Calgary, New Jersey
A workmanlike effort in a playoff-style game.
Last night’s game against the Islanders was rough-and-tumble, like most against this Ted Nolan team are. It was a game for the tough guys to shine. There was Jarkko Ruutu, smiling and jabbering his way to a three-point night. And there was Georges Laraque, putting up a goal and an assist. But something else was oddly missing from the scoresheet. And no, it wasn’t Sidney Crosby’s name.
So, who needs Crosby, anyway, when you have Ruutu?
Great bounce-back effort
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