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The Pittsburgh Penguins arrived in Buffalo, NY with the full force of the blizzard that accompanied them. After a decent start by the Sabres it was all downhill for the home team in a 5-1 loss to the Penguins.
The @Penguins set a franchise record by earning their 40th victory in their 57th game of the season, besting the previous mark by 8 games.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 6, 2014Before the start of the game the Buffalo Sabres put on a very nice ceremony that recognized the Olympic players from both organizations. Ryan Miller naturally received the strongest applause, but between the Penguins faithful and the strong contingency of people from Southern Ontario, there was a loud eruption for Sidney Crosby. Evgeni Malkin’s name was also loudly cheered. Local boy Brooks Orpik (Amherst, NY) received a warm reception as well.
It was a nice gesture from the Buffalo Sabres to honor those players. When Buffalo finally digs out of the mess that Darcy Regier created the Sabres will be one of the model franchises in the league. The Harbor Center, which is currently under construction right next to the arena, will take Buffalo’s hockey community to the next level. USA Hockey is increasing its presence in Buffalo and has just recently returned its prospect game to Buffalo. I fully expect more USA Hockey events to start locating to Buffalo after the Harbor Center is complete.
Western New York is one of the best hockey markets on the planet and I’m proud to say that I was born and raised in the WNY hockey community.
On a related Olympic note, Team USA gear has started to arrive to Penguins Head Equipment Trainer Dana Heinze:
USA Coaches bags and gloves pic.twitter.com/CS5y99OOWK
— Dana Heinze (@RealDanaHeinze) February 6, 2014The Sabres held their own for the first 15 minutes of the hockey game and even jumped out to a 1-0 lead but Harry Zolnierczyk scored on a feed from Craig Adams and the Sabres never recovered.
Here is the possession chart that documents the change in game flow:
Here are the game highlights:
I don’t get to frequent as many Penguins games as I would like to in person, but when the Penguins travel to Buffalo it gives me an opportunity to see the team live. Last night I took that opportunity and there are plenty of things you get to see attending the games that just don’t translate well to TV.
It was certainly a treat to see Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and James Neal score the goals they did in person, but those are things that translate well on TV. Here are some of my observations that I otherwise might not have felt as strongly about if I did not attend the game:
I don’t want to see Jussi Jokinen moved off of the Malkin line. Jokinen is a perfect complement to the chaos that Malkin and Neal create on the ice. Jokinen is masterful at finding soft spots in the offensive zone and his hands allow him to facilitate plays with the puck in tight areas. His hockey IQ is very evident as he moves throughout the offensive zone. Losing Jokinen would very much hurt the Pittsburgh Penguins if they are not able to re-sign him. I was incredibly impressed with the chemistry on that line. You don’t mess with that kind of success.
To fully appreciate Paul Martin and Olli Maatta you have to see everything they do away from the puck. Both are incredibly cerebral players and they are always actively positioning themselves away from the puck to make their own life easier on the ice. Gap control gap control gap control.
Nobody will ever confuse Paul Martin’s stick handling ability with that of Pavel Datsyuk but he is amazing at making simple moves that are highly effective. Simple is better on defense and Paul Martin is one of the best examples of that. One of my favorite plays of the night involved Paul Martin and it wasn't anything fancy, it was just him using the goal cage to shield away a Sabres forechecker. He then confidently and assertively skated the puck in front of his own goal and made a slick breakout pass. You could watch Martin become aware of the situation and then slow play it so that the Sabres player had no chance of getting to him. Simple and brilliant.
Olli Maatta is going to anchor the Penguins defense for many years. There is nothing about his game that raises question marks. He will not have a sophomore slump. He is only going to get better. Unreal that the kid is 19 years old, you would never know.
The bottom 6 forward group is worse in person than they are on TV. They consistently get bottled up in their own end and are unable to create time and space for their teammates when they have the puck. Last night every member of the bottom 6 forward group was a negative possession player against the worst possession team in the league. My eyes were telling me that last night and in checking the numbers this morning it confirms what I saw. Brutal. Sidney Crosby was 50% on the night but that number is greatly influenced by the number of times he was spotted on the 4th line. A true sign that those players aren't good enough is the fact they were able to drag Sidney Crosby down with them.
Rob Scuderi and Robert Bortuzzo were the only defensemen on the Penguins in the negative for possession last night, but that is because they spend most of their evening playing away from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
Brooks Orpik might be slowing down as he ages but that shouldn’t be misconstrued as him being a slow skater. He probably does not get enough credit for his ability as a skater.
Crosby and Kunitz need help. Brian Gibbons doesn’t create time and space for his linemates and that is a trait that you need to have when playing with the big boys. When Gibbons is given time and space because of Crosby/Kunitz, he can make some plays. But he lacks the ability to create for himself at the present moment and in the playoffs you need to have a guy who can do that on the top line. Gibbons had a terrific snipe for his goal but I did not leave impressed otherwise.
Crosby 1-1-2 tonight, now has pts in 17 straight vs. Buff (10-18-28), his longest such streak. Also pts in all 14 GP @ Buff (9-13-22).
— Pens Radio Network (@PensRadioNet) February 6, 2014If you need a controlled zone entry Evgeni Malkin is the man for the job. That guy is a machine. Defenders have no choice but to back up when Malkin generates speed in the neutral zone, if they don’t he will blow right by them. Malkin’s spatial awareness is off the charts and when the defense backs in he takes advantage by utilizing crossing patterns with James Neal. Malkin then sets picks on the defenders which allow Neal to unleash his bomb on the unfortunate opposing goaltender. Malkin’s size and puck skills allow him to do things that no other player on the team can do, at times it is Marioesque.
Malkin has 7 goals in his last 11 road games and is now +15 in his last 13 road games.
— Pens Radio Network (@PensRadioNet) February 6, 2014Ryan Miller did not have a tremendous outing in front of his future Olympic Head Coach but I’m not really sure what the realistic expectations are for a goalie on the Sabres playing against a Penguins team that showed up to play. I don’t think this game should have any bearing on whether or not Miller starts for Team USA. The fact remains that Bylsma has a very tough decision to make in choosing Miller or Quick. The very good news for the United States is that either decision gives Team USA a great chance to win.
It was great to see the Penguins live and in person, I was happy to gain some additional perspective on things.
Thanks for reading!
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