Game 39 Preview: Let's Take This Outside!
Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins
Dec 31, 03:57 PM | Hype this story!
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1:20 @ Ralph Wilson Stadium |
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| "Outside" The Game | Sorry for the poor pun |
| What better way to kick off the new year
than to watch a nationally-televised game involving the Pittsburgh
Penguins that will make NHL history? I guess not dealing with a
New Year’s hangover would be nice, but let’s not get greedy. Tomorrow afternoon, the Penguins will travel to frigid Buffalo to play the Sabres in a Winter Classic outdoor game at Ralph Wilson Stadium. If the game cannot be played due to poor weather, it will be rescheduled for Wednesday at 7:00. And now on to the preview… With temperatures expected to be in the mid- to low-30s, things are looking good. The only complications could be wind and/or snow accumulations. To counter the wind, NHL officials have decided that, in the third period, goaltenders will switch sides with 10 minutes remaining. This will allow each team an equal opportunity to play with and against the wind. To counter the snow, rink crews simply will use zambonis. As far as the teams are concerned, the advantage would appear to go to the Penguins, who have three players "experienced" at playing outdoor games. Goaltender Ty Conklin and forward Georges Laraque were part of the NHL’s Heritage Classic between the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens four years ago, while forward Adam Hall played in the NCAA "Cold War game" between Michigan State and Michigan in 2001. Goaltender Ryan Miller, who was Hall’s teammate at Michigan State in 2001, is the only Sabre to have played outdoors, and he seems to have an idea of how to stay warm. "As a goalie, you get used to wearing your helmet a certain way. I don’t know what I’m going to wear underneath that would make it feel the same and keep warm," Miller said to Ira Podell of the Associated Press. "That might be a good solution, get some of that carpet tape and tape the tuque to my helmet or something." Goalies sporting tuques, mouths breathing steam and, (maybe) snow in the air will make for some great visuals, but the goal is to win and, of course, to stay healthy — something Penguins forward Gary Roberts was worried about until breaking his leg in Saturday’s preview game. With the veteran grinder out of the lineup, the Penguins will be forced to look elsewhere for leadership, and must continue to play with courage, despite missing others, including starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, key energy player Maxime Talbot and top defender Mark Eaton. Riding a three-game winning streak, the Penguins are playing with confidence, despite having trouble finding the back of the net. Much of that has to do with sound goaltending from Conklin, who spent most of the season as the starting goalie for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. Saturday, he became the third Penguins goaltender to record a shutout this season. "He’s pretty confident back there, and some plays he’s almost like a third defenseman," Sidney Crosby said to Alan Robinson of the Associated Press after Saturday’s game. |
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| Standings | ||||||||
| GP | W | L | OT | Pts | Division | Conference | League | |
| Penguins | 38 | 20 | 16 | 2 | 42 | 3, Atlantic | 7, Eastern | 15, NHL |
| Sabres | 37 | 19 | 16 | 2 | 40 | 3, Northeast | 9, Eastern | 19, NHL |
| Team Stats | |||||||||
| GF | GA | PP% | PK% | Home | Away | Outdoors | L 10 | Streak | |
| Penguins | 109 | 111 | 18.9 | 80.0 | 10-8-2 | 10-8-0 | 0-0-0 | 6-4-0 | 3 wins |
| Sabres | 114 | 105 | 18.8 | 83.6 | 11-7-0 | 8-9-2 | 0-0-0 | 6-3-1 | 3 losses |
| Team Leaders | |||||
| Stat | # | Penguins | Stat | # | Sabres |
| Goals | 16 | Crosby | Goals | 13 | Roy |
| Assists | 36 | Crosby | Assists | 22 | Pominville |
| Points | 52 | Crosby | Points | 31 | Pominville |
| PIMs | 63 | Malone | PIMs | 53 | Gaustad |
| Wins | 9 | Fleury | Wins | 17 | Miller |
| Injuries | |||
| Penguins | Injury | Sabres | Injury |
| Roberts, DTD Eaton, DTD Fleury, IR Talbot, IR |
Broken fibula Torn ACL High Ankle Sprain High Ankle Sprain |
Stafford, DTD Numinen, IR |
Concussion Heart Surgery |
| Note: Info up-to-date as of 3:00 pm, Monday, December 31, 2007. | |||
Comments
DaBich
Jan 1, 07:16 PM
Great game!!! I was totally psyched up and out and the game didn’t disappoint. The win in SO was a thriller! How about that letang, 4 for 4 in SO??? =D
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