Sidney Crosby left on his first shift against the New York Islanders on March 30 after taking a slap shot to his face. Despite playing only 50 seconds and going pointless, the game counted against his season total. He left with 56 points in 36 games and still holds a four-point lead for the Art Ross Trophy over both Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis.
Whether or not Crosby wins the Hart Trophy, that decision will be left for the voters. Our Hockey Buzz poll from a week ago lists Crosby as the runaway winner, but Penguins fans might be a little biased.
His early departure reminded me of another time a Penguins star center was forced to leave a game early and have his streak end in the process.
In a different era, when points came a bit easier, Mario Lemieux strung together a 46-game point streak. He was on a collision course with Wayne Gretzky’s all-time 51-game point streak, but a back injury forced him to leave the 47th game after two periods before recording a point. He was already reduced to playing only on the power play during that game.
Much has been made about Lemieux’s fight with Hodgkin’s Disease. The
Mario Lemieux Foundation does tremendous charity work. But from a hockey sense, some fans might not know about the struggles Lemieux dealt with due to a chronic back problem.
Here’s a
link to a quick little Penguins history lesson for those interested in learning more about Lemieux.
Le Magnifique was unable to tie his own ice skates at times because of back pain.
*****
The 16-team, Pens Power Hockey Buzz fantasy hockey league is down to two teams, MEGA MALK’s and 5 hole special.
MEGA MALK’s is led by – get this – Ray Whitney, who leads the MALK’s with three goals and nine points in the last 14 days. (I have a 1993 autographed Whitney rookie card available for a small fee if you’re interested). Brenden Morrow has the second-highest number of points with three goals and three assists over the last 14 days, as do Vinny Prospal, Steven Stamkos, P.A. Parenteau and defenseman Brent Burns.
Niklas Backstrom, Ryan Miller and Ben Bishop have combined for seven wins in the last two weeks.
5 hole special has ridden the wave of Ovechkin, who has nine goals and 12 points in the last 14 days. Jiri Tlusty has five goals and six points, Marian Gaborik has six points (3G, 3A) and a surprising plus-7 for the Blue Jackets.
Ray Emery and Jimmy Howard have three shutouts between them.
The season ends April 21. Good luck to both finalists!
To all of the participants, thanks for playing. Keep all suggestions/improvements in mind for next season.
*****
"Joe Vitale went from off to off the charts Saturday night against Florida," the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
"The style I play, how I play, it just comes down to energy and being physical," he said. "Almost every aspect of my game is completely in my control.
"Maybe more skilled guys, guys who need to see the ice pretty well and get the feel of it [suffer more from sitting]. Me, I pretty much just skate, hit, do all those things."
JT’s Take: Role players like Vitale might not see the ice on a regular basis in the playoffs, but when they do, they can make all of the difference in the world.
"Crosby’s numbers still good enough for Hart Trophy," the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
"Obviously, when he's been healthy, I don't think there's any question he's been the MVP," Penguins center Brandon Sutter said. "I don't think there's anyone who's done what he has this season when he's been playing."
JT’s Take: When Crosby went down, the Penguins already had 56 points. Only the Montreal Canadiens have more points than that in the East today – and they have 57.
"Penguins sign goaltender Eric Hartzell," the
Penguins’ Web site reports.
JT’s Take: Hartzell is already 23 years of age. The Penguins have Tomas Vokoun for one more season. The team will see how Hartzell fits in the system before committing more than one year to him. Brad Thiessen’s contract is up after this season -- it was surprising to see the Pens re-sign him after last season. Jeff Zatkoff is in play. Matt Murray, the Pens’ 3rd round pick in 2012, is only 18 years old.
"Shoulder injury has weakened star center Malkin’s shot," the
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
“It's tough,” Malkin said, referring to the re-aggravation of his right-shoulder injury — the result of a hit by Tampa Bay's Pierre-Cedric Labrie in the Penguins' win over the Lightning last Thursday.
“I try to play, but it's not how I want. I try to shoot, but I can't shoot hard. If I can't shoot hard, it's tough to play.”
Malkin recorded a season-best eight shots in that win at Tampa Bay, an encouraging follow-up to a six-shot effort in a win at Carolina the previous game.
That production — 14.9 percent of his total shots this season — is more like the MVP version of Malkin, whose other nickname is “The Russian Bully” because, as teammates have explained, he never passes on a shot when on top of his game.
JT’s Take: Malkin’s numbers are down across the board. His health come playoff time is much more important than anything else. Malkin says in the article that his shot is not there yet, but that he hopes it is “soon.”
"Wearing protective gear, Crosby resumes skating for Penguins," the
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Crosby, who was not available for comment per Penguins policy on injured players, did not hesitate while taking passes from fellow injured skaters James Neal and Paul Martin, and his shots on open goal cages did not appear to lack accuracy or velocity.
JT’s Take: Some of Pittsburgh’s biggest stars have worn protective shields after dealing with broken jaws – Dave Parker, Rick Tocchet. There’s still no timetable for a return by Crosby, but skating is a welcomed and necessary first step.
"Bennett learning from Penguins veterans," the
Pittsburgh Tribune-Reviewreports.
Those opinions (on Bennett’s supposed lack of physical play) suddenly have changed.
“He has been physical in his recent games,” Bylsma said. “He was one of our most physical guys in the Carolina game.”
The southern road trip, in fact, was Bennett's best showing during his brief NHL career. Along with being physical in Raleigh, he scored the game-tying goal of an eventual 5-3 victory that clinched the Atlantic Division title.
JT’s Take: Bennett is getting invaluable experience. Bennett’s play cements the feeling many had about him when he nearly made the team out of camp.
*****
The NHL playoffs commence exactly two weeks from today. From
today’s standings, it looks like Pittsburgh will play one of the following four teams in Round 1: the New York Islanders, the New York Rangers, the Winnipeg Jets or the Buffalo Sabres.
Which team presents the best matchup for the Penguins? The worst?
*****
Tweets ‘O the Day
Shelly Anderson @pgshelly 53m
Lines at #Penguins practice; Kunitz-Jokinen-Iginla, Morrow-Dupuis-Bennett, Cooke-Sutter-Kennedy, Glass-Vitale-Adams.
Shelly Anderson @pgshelly
Malkin, again, is skating as an extra forward. #Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins @penguins
Except for Crosby, Neal and Martin (who all skated earlier today), all #Pens on the ice.
*****
Treasure Life, prayers to all affected by the Boston tragedy!
JT
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»