Game 82 Preview: Penguins At Flyers
Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins
Apr 6, 11:00 AM | Hype this story!
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3:00 @ Wachovia Center |
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| Inside The Game |
| It’s the last game of the season, but the first game back for
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Gary Roberts, who hopes to round into
playoff shape after a three-month layoff due to injury. "I haven’t played for three months, so I’m just going to try and keep it simple and get my legs under me and be part of the team," Roberts said Saturday to Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "The key is to be realistic and know that you’re not going to be at your best initially. I’m going to try real hard … but the key is to look at it and say, ‘OK, I’m going to be a lot better three weeks from now.’" The return of Roberts couldn’t have come at a better time — unless, of course, it happened weeks ago, as originally anticiapted. With the playoffs just days away and with a likely matchup against the physical Philadelphia Flyers, Roberts’ veteran leadership and in-your-face style will serve only to help this young club looking to improve on last year’s first round exit. But the focus, for now, is on this afternoon’s game that has the potential to be a first round playoff preview of what would promise to be a physical and demanding series. The season series saw the Flyers take the first four games, but the Penguins have turned things around, winning the previous three, and hope to win again this afternoon, thus clinching the Eastern Conference title. According to the Tribune-Review, the Penguins are expected to start Marc-Andre Fleury in goal, while Martin Biron is the projected starter for the Flyers. Also, coach Michel Therrien apparently has opted for the win, as the team is expected to dress all of its superstars, including Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Malkin has played in 159 consecutive games after missing the first four games of his rookie season due to a shoulder injury. "I’m tired," he said to Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "It’s OK. Three days off." |
| Standings | ||||||||
| GP | W | L | OT | Pts | Division | Conference | League | |
| Penguins | 81 | 47 | 26 | 8 | 102 | 1, Atlantic | 2, Eastern | 4, NHL |
| Flyers | 81 | 41 | 29 | 11 | 93 | 5, Atlantic | 8, Eastern | 15, NHL |
| Team Statistics | ||||||||
| GF | GA | PP% | PK% | Home | Away | L 10 | Streak | |
| Penguins | 247 | 214 | 20.8 | 80.7 | 26-10-5 | 21-16-3 | 7-2-1 | 1 win |
| Flyers | 246 | 233 | 22.0 | 82.9 | 20-14-6 | 21-15-5 | 6-2-2 | 1 win |
| Team Leaders | |||||
| Stat | Penguins | Stat | Flyers | ||
| Goals | 47 | Malkin | Goals | 31 | Briere |
| Assists | 59 | Malkin | Assists | 47 | Richards |
| Points | 106 | Malkin | Points | 75 | Richards |
| PIMs | 141 | Laraque | PIMs | 202 | Cote |
| Wins | 19 | Fleury | Wins | 29 | Biron |
| Injuries | |||
| Penguins | Injury | Flyers | Injury |
| Eaton, IR | Torn ACL | Briere, DTD Hatcher, IR Gagne, IR Rathje, IR |
Knee Fractured Tibia Concussion Hip/Back |
| Note: Info up-to-date as of 11:00 am, Sunday, April 6, 2008. | |||
Comments
DaBich
Apr 6, 02:39 PM
I am sooooooo looking forward to seeing this game. Hopefully, the Hockey God will bring this team added passion and physical presence. Go Pens!
Justin Maffei
Apr 6, 03:01 PM
Crosby’s out….taking a day off
Sydor, Kennedy, Taffe, and Sabo are scratches as well.
Justin Maffei
Apr 6, 03:16 PM
just saw beech is in too
Commenting is closed for this article.