Pens Vs Hurricanes Grades
Mike Adams | Report Cards
Feb 3, 11:00 AM | Hype this story!
They continue to amaze
Offense: B
Well, it was an F after two periods, so that tells you how good they were in the third period. They seemed to have trouble handling Carolina’s speed in the first half of the game. Carolina moves the puck very quickly out of their own end, and that led to the Pens basically having no forecheck at all. They also had little in the way of transition. But that changed in the third. They came with speed at the ‘Canes, and got two goals as a result. First, Christensen made a tough play off an odd-man break. He got cross-checked, but got right back up and whipped home a nice pass from Talbot. That play seemed to awaken the Pens, and they were dominant after that. They added another even-strength goal on a brilliant individual play by Malkin, who basically went end-to-end. He came at Cam Ward with such speed that Ward never had a chance. Just a highlight reel goal.
Defense: B
Same story here. Carolina is a team that likes to shoot from anywhere, and they certainly did that early on. The Pens were pretty awful defensively in the first period, allowing 15 shots. But they allowed only 13 the next two periods combined. Again, it seemed they weren’t prepared for Carolina’s speed. But they got much better as the game went on, and really cut down the scoring chances to almost zero. The only goal Carolina got was off a bad bounce that went right to the well-traveled Sergei Samsonov in front, and he buried it past a startled Conklin.
Power play: A
For once, the power play came through at a key time, as it scored twice in the third period. Once again, both goals followed the KISS principle (that’s keep it simple, stupid). On both goals, they took a long shot that was screened, and they had bodies in front. On each, Ward was able to stop the initial shot, but not the rebound. Dirty goals. That’s how a power play should work. On the first one, the suddenly awakened Ryan Malone (four goals in five games) batted a puck out of the air and past Ward (and just barely over the line). How Mick McGoof didn’t see it cross the line baffles me (oh, no it doesn’t—it’s McGoof). The second goal was almost a carbon copy. But this time it was Sykora batting in the rebound. Amazing how effective a “simple” power play can be.
Penalty kill: A
A great game killing penalties. They really didn’t allow the Hurricanes much at all. They stayed disciplined in the box. They did have trouble clearing the puck at times, but kept most everything to the outside. Carolina rarely threatened while up a man.
Goaltending: A
A strong bounce-back performance by Conklin. He was coming off perhaps his worst start against Atlanta. But he was razor-sharp in this one. He did allow some rebounds early on when Carolina was peppering him with long shots. That went away as the game wore on. He was moving the puck all night long, keeping the Hurricanes from establishing a forecheck. And, most importantly, he made several huge saves to keep the Pens in the game the first two periods. They easily could have been down 3-0, but he kept it at 1 and gave them a chance. And the team rewarded him with a win.
Pens goaltending since Fleury went down: 16-7-2, 2.36 GAA, .924 save percentage (Conklin is 12-3-2, 1.93, .940.
Overall: B
They were dominated for two periods, but found themselves only down 1-0. Then Erik Christensen’s goal seemed to ignite them. They totally dominated the third period, and won it going away. The special teams were great, as was the goaltending. And that was enough to carry the day.
And now, the rest of the story…
Erik Christensen: A
He was all over the ice, and had several great chances against Ward. And he finally put one in to ignite the Penguin rally. I thought he should have been one of the three stars. he is playing with confidence right now, and look out when that happens.
The Three Cenors Line: A
You can thank my wife for this name. The second line was comprised of three centers (Christensen, Talbot, Staal), and they looked awesome all night. Okay, maybe they aren’t quite as awesome as the Domingo-Carreras-Pavarotti trio, but they did sing a damn fine tune against Carolina. They were the only line generating chances the first two periods, and the goal they got ignited the team. They worked very well together.
Evgeni Malkin: B
Yes, he had three points in the third period. Yes, he scored a beautiful goal. But that doesn’t totally erase the memory of the first two periods, when he was just brutal. He had one giveaway after another. He seemed totally out of the game, and on another planet. He had one hideous giveaway where he tried to “dippsey doodle” right in front of his own net. But he rallied with a tremendous third period.
Tom Barrasso: F
So Steigy tried to talk to good old Tommy before the game, and Tommy was “not exactly cordial.” Gee, there’s a shock. And they wonder why Ward seems to have regressed this year.
Giveaways: F
They had way too many of them the first two periods. No wonder they weren’t getting many shots.
Faceoffs: F
They continue to get killed in this area with Sid out.
Tonight: 27/62, 44%. Power play: 4/8, 50%.
Overall since Sid went out: 44.5%/47.6%
Striped Buffoon Huh? Call of the Game
The only thing I can come up with is the no-goal call on Malone’s goal. I guess there vision was obstructed (insert joke here). Other than that, they actually called a good game
Monk Moment
Evgeni Malkin’s rush up the length of the ice and around several Hurricanes to score the third goal. He was determined to score on that rush, and wasn’t going to be denied. Breathtaking!
A guide to the game grades can be found here
Comments
DaBich
Feb 3, 12:50 PM
A great third period effort that was rewarded with a win. I was glad to see them get it together…better late than never!
Michael
Feb 3, 12:52 PM
A great third period rally, and very exciting to see.
I just have to say some things about the Ty Conklin situation here.
I really wish more people (Penguins fans) would realize that this is not a “hot streak” nor flash in the pan. Conklin is a late bloomer .. the epitome of late-blooming goalies. We have seen it happen right before our eyes, and we as Penguins fans are extremely fortunate in this.
A lot of people are still saying “look at his history, this can’t continue” .. and they are dead wrong. People can’t seem to understand that Conklin’s__“history”__is history. He is NOT what he “was”. He has bloomed OF LATE .. that’s the whole point. He has taken his game several levels above his “history” .. and we are the beneficiaries of this. He is solid and consistent, and has done it for enough games now since Fleury went down to show that this is not a “hot streak”.
There needs to be a groundswell of (fans/media) energy toward getting Conklin signed before the first day of July .. before other teams can bid on him! Pressure needs to be put on Shero and the Ownership to get this done.
Getting Ty Conkin signed before July is a major priority, and we need to let it be known. Conklin has become one of the very best goalies in the NHL, and we need to get him inked for at least a 3-year contract. The Fleury thing will take care of itself. No need to sign Fleury to a long-term deal this summer. Fleury should have to win the starting job back, if he possibly can .. and I have major doubts that he can .. but I say let him try. Probably one of them would end up having major trade value for us. But there’s no way Conklin should not be Number One when Fleury gets healthy again.
Ashley Gallant
Feb 3, 01:43 PM
Michael – I tend to disagree with you a little bit. I’m not saying that Conklin is merely on a hot streak or that this is just a flash in the pan, but I hesitate to say that he’s truly a late bloomer. I’d like to see him play a season or two of consistent hockey before calling him a late bloomer and putting him with the League’s elite goalies.
I, too, think that Shero should sign Conklin to a contract extention before he becomes a UFA, but I think that they should sign Fleury too. I am not ready to give up on Fleury, and I think it would be a little risky to go with Conklin and treat Fleury as an afterthought.
When Fleury is ready to go, I think that he and Conklin should share the number one spot and see what happens from there. To treat Fleury as a backup will do nothing to help him get back into the game, and it won’t help him get better as a goaltender.
Matt Bodenschatz
Feb 3, 02:18 PM
Ashley, I agree with what you’re saying 100%.
Conklin is proving what he is doing is more than a hot streak. But the fact that he has played 17 games doesn’t automatically qualify him as one of the best goalies in the league or even a late bloomer. He has been in the NHL before and he has done well in the NHL. He’s a capable goalie, without a doubt.
Only time will tell if he is truly as good as he is playing now — and by time, I mean through the rest of this season and all of next.
So, as both of you have said, he must be re-signed before he becomes a free agent. How can it be justified to just let him walk? And, as you said Michael, he should remain the starter this year while Fleury works out his problems. With that being said, Fleury must get ice time and must see a decent number of games, as you don’t give up on a 23-year-old first overall pick in favor of a 31-year-old journeyman.
I like Conklin a lot — he’s been spectacular for the Penguins and is a huge reason why they are in the playoff hunt, let alone 1 point behind the division-leading Flyers. But 17 games does not make a career and does not erase a history of good, but not great play.
Michael
Feb 3, 06:34 PM
Don’t get me wrong .. I don’t want to lose Fleury, and I hope he can be signed to a relatively short-term contract.
My main concern on this issue is simply that we need to get Conklin signed before he becomes an UFA .. before other teams can bid on him. This is absolutely crucial, but I’m gathering that the current consensus thinking is that it’s “OK” to wait until he’s an UFA. That’s flawed thinking .. just plain stupid, if you will. There needs to be a sense of urgency about this.
The longer we wait, the more likely Conklin and his agent are going to want a lot more money (as well as longer terms) on the contract. If too much time elapses, I can easily see the scenario developing where Shero/Ownership end up saying, “Oh, he’s become too expensive now, and he wants too many years” .. which of course creates the excuse to have to let Conklin walk away .. which would be an__unacceptable__gaffe.
Actually the more I consider this, I would get Conklin signed before March. There’s really no reason to wait, and there are many reasons why waiting on this is foolish. His market value is only going to skyrocket as this season winds down, anyway.
I’m telling you these 17 games have been enough to show the proof in the pudding, at least to me. He’s not the goaltender he was! Quite frankly, this ought to be obvious by now. He really is a bonafide late bloomer, and we can agree to disagree on that, ok?
I’m fine with signing Fleury this summer .. to “something”. And I can see your point(s) about needing to get Fleury some icetime yet this season. And as you say, I guess that means the two of them would have to “share” starts, more or less, after Fleury gets back. That’s kind of a tough situation, but .. maybe it’s what makes the most sense at this stage. But for cryin’ out loud, let’s not lollygag around and let Conklin’s value escalate to the point where an excuse has to be copped for why we ‘had to let him go’.
Matt Bodenschatz
Feb 4, 08:46 AM
Michael, first of all, I’m not sure where you get the idea that the consensus is okay with waiting until he is a UFA. I’m quite sure that won’t happen, and I’m quite sure most are at the point where they believe he is worth keeping.
Shero does not work on contracts during the season, and I doubt he’ll change his philosophy for Conklin. And, even if he did, by your logic, why would Conklin even consider signing now? If he has the possibility to earn even more money and to prove himself as a starter, why would it be in his best interest to sign now for less money with a team that has a potential franchise goalie to share icetime with?
I still disagree that he can be considered a bonified anything. Seventeen games is just that — seventeen games. Jim Carey had an unbelievable year as the Washington Capitals goalie in 1995-96. He made the All Star team and won he Vezina Trophy. That apparently meant little, as he was out of the NHL two years later. And the same can be said for Andrew Raycroft, who had a Calder Trophy in his first season and has done squat since.
I don’t doubt at all that Conklin is an improved goalie and that he is different than he was in the past — but he’s played 17 games. That’s a very small sample to draw big conclusions from.
Lastly, I agree that Fleury should get a one or two year deal at most. He hasn’t proven he is worthy of the big contract. And, again, if Conklin’s value stands to skyrocket that much, why would he even consider signing now, assuming Shero wanted to iniate contract talks?
Commenting is closed for this article.