Caps (2-7-1, 0-3-1) at Pens (7-3, 1-2), 7:00 pm ET, CONSOL Energy Center, NHL Network & ROOT Sports
Poll Results:
Question -- Who were your three Penguins stars Tuesday night against the Islanders?
Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury predictably ran away with the win, garnering 60 percent of the votes. What a great game by the Flower on the Island. Simon Despres came in second place with 41 percent, another good call. Sidney Crosby finished third, with 36 percent.
The Islanders had James Neal as the game’s No. 1 star and Kris Letang, no. 2. They’re both great players, but our voters gave them 27 and 13 percent of votes, respectively.
We’ll go with Fleury, Despres and Crosby as our Three Stars. Thanks for playing!
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The Penguins traded defenseman, Ben Lovejoy, to the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday for a fifth-round draft pick.
Here are some of the more notable
fifth-rounders in Penguins history.
2011 Dominik Uher
2010 Kenny Agostino
2008 Alexandre Pechurskiy
1998 Rob Scuderi
1995 Jan Hrdina
1992 Phillippe DeRouville
1980 Doug Shedden
1975 Kim Clackson
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Washington Capitals owner, Ted Leonsis, writes a blog aptly named Ted’s Take.
He posted a thread,
Scoreboard doesn’t tell the story, after the Penguins dumped the Caps, 6-3, Sunday afternoon.
While the blog entry is little more than a statistical recap of the game, the comments following the article were interesting, if not a bit comical.
“Why are Penguins fans permitted to gather on the art museum steps and taunt Caps fans exiting your arena? You are inviting a RIOT. I am sure the DC police would disperse the Penguins crowds if requested. The situation occurs routinely after every Penguins win at Verizon Center and is becoming increasingly dangerous each time.”
The Washington Capitals have blocked ticket sales to the Pittsburgh “412” area code in the past, what’s next?
Here's the
clip of Penguins fans on the steps of Washington, D.C.
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Interesting goalie numbers
Marc-Andre Fleury – Save percentage at even strength (.904, 94-of-104), opposing power plays (.929, 39-of-42), during Penguin power plays (.750, 3-of-4).
Tomas Vokoun – Save percentage at even strength (.952, 99-of-104), opposing power plays (.833, 15-of-18), during Penguin power plays (.500, 1-of-2).
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Pittsburgh Penguins @penguins
Morning skate rushes:
Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Boychuk-Malkin-Neal
Cooke-Sutter-Kennedy
Glass-Vitale-Adams
Defense Pairings:
Orpik-Martin
Despres-Letang
Bortuzzo/Reese – Engelland
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Thursday Game Night Info
-- Kris Letang left the morning skate early. Coach Bylsma said that the lineup was a game-time decision. Letang skated under 20 minutes against the Caps on Sunday, but rebounded with 25:19 TOI on Tuesday.
-- Marc-Andre Fleury will start in goal. Fleury has started all four of Pittsburgh’s home games and is 1-2 with a 3.76 GAA and .825 save percentage at CONSOL.
-- Michal Neuvirth will start for the Capitals. Neuvirth has never lost in regulation to the Pens. He holds a 2-0-2 mark with 1.46 GAA and .948 save percentage. Both of his wins are shutouts.
-- Last year, Neuvirth took a 4-3 overtime loss in his only matchup at Pittsburgh.
-- The Islanders became the first team to outshoot Pittsburgh on Tuesday, taking 34 shots to the Pens’ 25.
-- The Pens have scored the first goal in nine of 10 games, with the Islanders’ Casey Cizikas netting the only first goal from an opponent.
-- The Caps are dead last in the NHL with five points.
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Faceoff Facts from Sunday’s Pens-Caps
Pens
Joe Vitale was the only player with a winning faceoff mark, going 8-3
Brandon Sutter went 6-9, including 0-3 in the offensive zone
Evgeni Malkin won 5 of 14 faceoffs
Sidney Crosby went 12-14. He went 5-2 in the offensive end, but 2-7 in the neutral zone
Caps
Mike Ribeiro went 11-8 against the Pens
Joey Crabb was 0-6
Nicklas Backstrom went 7-7
Jay Beagle went 8-5 and didn’t have to guard against Arron Asham
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Game Notes
Chris Kunitz had three, no four goals, Sunday in Washington
Crosby tallied three assists. He took an early Alexander Ovechkin hit which pushed him into goalie Braden Holtby, but that failed to slow him down.
Brooks Orpik (28:11) and Paul Martin (27:41) led in ice time; Kris Letang skated 19:57.
Tomas Vokoun allowed three goals on 24 shots, including one on a crazy carom, and got the win.
The Caps’ Mike Green took a huge hit by Letang and then scored a goal moments later. Green led Washington in ice time (25:18).
NBC’s Mike Milbury ripped Nicklas Backstrom during the second period intermission. “He looks like a fish out of water … totally out of it,” Milbury said. “He can shoot the puck, he can’t pass the puck. This is a good, good player but something’s gone wrong here…This is just not the player we’ve come to know and appreciate. This is a sloppy, slow-paced player. There’s something wrong in Washington and Adam Oates is awash in problems. He better sort it out in a hurry.”
Mike Ribeiro was the only Washington player with two points (1G, 1A).
Braden Holtby let in a couple of soft goals under his left arm. He stopped only six of 26 shots and should have probably been pulled when the Pens scored to make it 4-2.
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Wednesday NHL Notes
Former Penguin Jaromir Jagr beats ex-Pen Ryan Whitney 1-on-1 for an overtime goal.
Speaking on the NHL Network, Jagr had this to say about transitioning from the KHL to NHL.
“These rinks are too small (to move with the puck), you have to shoot it right away. It’s not like Europe when you can hold it as long as you want.”
Moving from the NHL to KHL sounds like it’s easier than switching from the KHL to NHL. Evgeni Malkin’s shots are down in the early going. Perhaps he would be best served firing the puck more frequently rather than looking to make plays.
There was talk of the Stars’ Alex Goligoski serving as a healthy scratch Wednesday. Across Twitter and even on Pittsburgh radio, the trade sending Goligoski from Pittsburgh to Dallas was repeatedly mentioned as Goligoski for James Neal.
Matt Niskanen might be on IR right now, but he deserves at least a mention from the trade, doesn’t he?
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Treasure Life!
JT
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • 
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