We have the start of a good trend which will help the Penguins out a lot. No, it is not Sidney Crosby who was fantastic last night. The more important trend is Matt Murray stringing together three great games in a row since coming back from his injury. Matt Murray has stopped 108 out of the last 112 shots he has faced. It’s been a while since he’s been able to be consistent. We already know Sidney Crosby is going to be great. Murray is one of the question marks that will dramatically impact the team’s ability to be a true contender. Early returns are encouraging.

Sidney Crosby had a three assist night. He’s done that many times before. What he hasn’t done regardless of who is calling the shots on the bench is penalty kill on a regular basis. This seems to be changing the last few games. Here is a snap shot of Crosby’s career on the PK



As you can see it wouldn’t take much for Crosby to eclipse his career high in PK minutes he set back when the Penguins won the first Stanley Cup of this era in 2008-09. A bonus of using Crosby on the penalty kill is the other team will be wary of his presence. Sometimes a skilled offensive player can find more time and space killing a penalty than 5v5 because screw ups on the power play usually involve the team with the man advantage to be flat footed or pushing forward. People who watch the Penguins on a regular basis have seen the Penguins cede plenty of these opportunities. The other benefit is that more time is burned from the power play because players like Sidney Crosby won’t just blindly ice the puck when they can manipulate the other team for more time and space.

Sidney Crosby has three shorthanded goals in his career and has none since the 2010-11 season. He has five assists and none since the 2009-10 season. I’m not looking for him to lead the forwards in penalty killing ice time, but I also don’t think a few 30-45 second shifts on the PK are going to drain his tank either. I would like to see this trend of him playing on the PK continue. You’d probably get some offense out of it, too.

Now if only Mike Sullivan could put Crosby out with Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel after TV timeouts or the end of the period...

Last night was a good view into the Carolina Hurricanes season. They had more shot attempts, more scoring chances, and more chances from high danger areas. They don’t have finishers. Maybe one day some of those draft picks they got for Jeff Skinner will be able to score 26 goals before Christmas like Skinner has this year.

The Hurricanes are 14th in the Eastern Conference and looking at another wasted season. It’s been nothing but wasted seasons for Jordan Staal. This is his seventh season in Carolina after playing six in Pittsburgh. He hasn’t played in a single playoff as a member of the Hurricanes. He also has no siblings on the team anymore. His best years were spent with bad deployment and poorly constructed rosters. Even if the team turns it around Staal’s best years have already been wasted. As far as hockey decisions go it has been a complete disaster in Carolina for Jordan Staal.

The Penguins have won five out of their last six games and will go for their fourth consecutive victory on Thursday when they host the Detroit Red Wings.

Thanks for reading!

Join the Discussion: » 48 Comments » Post New Comment

» Penguins news and notes

» Getting your Penguins fix

» My thoughts on Penguins thoughts

» It's their fault

» Still alive, for now