Pens unable to sweep season-series Tuesday in Montreal
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-Nobody disputes that Paul Martin has talent. The issue is whether it’s worth $5 million per year. If Martin was making $2-$3 million there wouldn’t be so much trade speculation and perhaps not as much angst directed toward him.
-What was Jason Williams doing in the shootout? I’d have rather seen Matt Cooke or Dustin Jeffrey.
-Vaclav Prospal aka Vinny signed a one-year, $2.5 million extension with Columbus on Wednesday. Theoretically, a team could still trade for him. Theoretically I could dunk a basketball, too.
-The Nashville Predators have some decisions to make, with defensemen Ryan Suter an unrestricted free agent at season’s end and Shea Weber a restricted free agent. The common school of thought is that the organization can keep one but not both, but wouldn’t it be nice have the cap money to Nashville has? They’re at just over $49 million. If you had to choose one to sign, would it be Suter or Weber? Suter will be more affordable, Suter the better player. Tough call.
-Chicago surrendered three third-period goals Tuesday. They’re in the market for a no. 4 or 5 defenseman. Let the speculation begin. Who might the Penguins deal the Hawks and for whom? Chicago has some offensive talent in the minors worth consideration, including Brandon Pirri, Brandon Saad, Jeremy Morin and Marcus Kruger. They don’t have much on the NHL club that matches up with Pittsburgh. I’m finally off the Andrew Brunette bandwagon.
-What did you think of Hal Gill’s audition last night? The only time I remember hearing his name is when Evgeni Malkin worked his magic through him.
-Evgeni Nabokov (Brian) propped up his trade value with a 45-save shootout shutout over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. Thank goodness they signed Rick DiPietro through my AARP eligibility start date.
-Wonder what would’ve become of Jimmy Howard had the Isles let Nabby go to Detroit last year? Would Howard be where his is today (current broken finger not included)? The Red Wings could use the Russian netminder right now.
-When the Penguins “get to their game” up-tempo, offensive end, aggressive forechecking style of play, they’re hard to beat. But that doesn’t necessarily involve the most skilled players, just the ones that buy into that mindset and are elitely conditioned. It’s hard to expect 60 minutes of that every night. It would be nice if coach Bylsma had a secondary system when the first one isn’t working.
-Bylsma needs secondary scoring. Will Jordan Staal provide enough of that? It looks more and more likely that Sidney Crosby will return in 2011-12. Who among won’t be thinking of a new concussion or soft tissue injury every time Crosby collides with something or someone?
-Marc-Andre Fleury showed the Mae West side of him Tuesday night, sort of. When he was good he was very good and when he was bad, he was very bad.
-New Jersey is playing the best hockey in the East. The Devils are riding five-game winning streak with victories over the Rangers, Canadiens, Flyers (in Philly), Pens, and Rangers (in New York). Zach Parise is unlikely to get traded with the team playing so well. Still, it’s hard seeing the New Jersey Devils going deep in the playoffs with Martin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg in the nets.
-The Penguins won 69 percent of faceoffs Tuesday. No player finished with a sub .500 mark in the dot. Montreal is one of the few teams with a worse faceoff percentage, however, and there’s a need for improved results on draws – especially for a team with the third-most faceoffs in the NHL.
-I wonder if ROOT announcer Bob Errey sees a little of himself (stature wise) in Steve Sullivan. That would help explain his love affair with the winger a little bit. Sullivan has picked up his game in areas where he can, but he still can’t shoot or score. All he had to do in the shootout was lift the puck over Carey Price. I’m not sure where this Cal O’Reilly experiment is headed.
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Long shot spoils Fleury’s night, the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Fleury, among the most media-friendly of the Penguins, still had not appeared at his locker well after the game, so his thoughts are unknown.
Malkin shooting for a much higher profile, according to the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Actually, the headline doesn’t match the story at all. There are no quotes from Evgeni Malkin. This is another case of the headline being written by someone other than the author.
Coach Dan Bylsma does refer to Malkin, however.
"In terms of being out there, being with the media, having his face out there, it's a long way from where it was three years ago," Bylsma said. "There's a certain flair and personality with Evgeni that maybe you didn't see three years ago. Certainly, there is some flair there. There's a lot of personality. I think you're seeing more and more of that."
Bylsma also said he expects Brent Johnson to play in 7-11 of the team’s remaining 28 regular-season games.
Targets of the Penguins at the Trade Deadline, from the
Beaver County Times.
Including Jaroslav Spacek’s name on the list degrades that list.
Eight-point games once routine for Mario Lemieux, the
Beaver County Times reports.
Mark Madden takes a look back at Mario’s three eight-point games in 1988-89. I attended the first and last of the three contests, but really wish I’d been present for the five-goals, five-ways night.
Jeffrey looks to hang at center after the Penguins get healthy, the
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
"The legs aren't the issue now," said Jeffrey, who said his knee is 100 percent. "Being able to make plays and protect the puck, those are the things I need to improve. I have to be better with the puck."
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Treasure Life!
JT
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • 
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