Faceoff Factor

7:30 at Mellon Arena
TV: FSN Pittsburgh, RDS
Probable Goalies: Fleury (Pit), Leighton (Car)

In the past, the hype for a Pittsburgh Penguins versus Carolina Hurricanes game might have been the brotherly battle: Staal versus Staal.  But with one Staal — Eric — flourishing and the other Staal — Jordan — faltering, eyes will be elsewhere tonight.

One area they might gravitate to is the black jersey with number 81 on the back.  Miroslav Satan has scored a goal in each of the previous three games and has a total of four on the season to lead the Penguins.

Eyes might also focus in on Evgeni Malkin, whose 11 points and nine assists lead the NHL.  Aside from his faceoff woes and turnover troubles, Malkin has been the best player in the league thus far.

But, ultimately, the game will come down to the goaltenders.

With two high-powered offenses, probable goaltenders Marc-Andre Fleury and Michael Leighton will have their hands full.

Fleury has picked up this season where he left off last season, stopping anything and everything that comes his direction.

Leighton, on the other hand, is the surprise story so far in Carolina, as he has (temporarily) stolen the starting job from Cam Ward with several strong showings.

On the injury front, the Penguins will be without yet another defenseman tonight, as Hal Gill battles an undisclosed injury.  The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that Darryl Sydor will take his place in the lineup and will be paired with rookie Alex Goligoski.  The other two pairings will be Brooks Orpik with Rob Scuderi and Mark Eaton with Kris Letang.

Also with regard to injury, former Penguin Josef Melichar could play in his first NHL game since the 1006-07 season, but only if injured forward Tuomo Ruutu is unable to dress.

So, with that being said, let’s look at the three keys to the game for a Penguins victory:

1. Defense.  The Penguins have been solid defensively, allowing just 16 goals in seven games, good for ninth in the NHL.  That trend must continue against a Carolina team that averages more than three goals per game.
2. Faceoffs.  As mentioned above, Malkin (34.6%) has been weak on the draw, as has Staal (43.5%) — but Sidney Crosby (55.4%), Max Talbot (58.2%), and Mike Zigomanis (62%) have been spectacular.  They’ll have their work cut out for them with faceoff legend Rod Brind’Amour (56.6%) on the other side of the puck, though no other regular center has reached the 50% level on the draw.
3. Power play.  After a slow start, the Penguins have picked up thier power play to a respectable 21.6%, and with a weak Hurricanes penalty kill (76.9%), the Penguins must take advantage of their time on the power play.