Pittsburgh Penguins
#PaulMartinPowerball: 02.05.12 – $85
It is that special time.
Running Twitter contest for the rest of the season. We will be raising the pot every game.
Huge thanks to GetToOurGame.com for this new PaulMartinPowerball song:
How to play:
1. Get yourself a Twitter account and guess the time and period Paul Martin will score a goal.
Using this screenshot, the goal is scored at 13:51 of the second period.
NOT 6:09 of the second.
2. Copy and paste the following into your tweet, obviously entering in your own guess:
@Pensblog 13:51, 2nd per. #PaulMartinPowerball
Rules:
Enter as many times as you want.
Entries are locked at the opening faceoff. No use jobbing.
Closest time, over or under, wins.
Every game going forward we will add $5 or $10 to the Paul Martin Powerball pot.
Tonight:
$85
Video: Orpik check sends Paille into orbit
On Saturday, Boston Bruins forward Daniel Paille experienced what it feels like to be on the moon. After a center ice hit from Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik, Paille flew a good ten feet (25 according to the announcer) and forgot to pull his ripcord. Time and the law of gravity appeared to stop for a second as Paille seemed to hover over the ice.The hit was clean and everyone came away uninjured. Well played all around – Orpik cleanly lit up a guy skating with his head down through center ice. Paille didn’t run down Orpik to retaliate. The referees correctly swallowed their whistles. Old fashioned hockey at its finest. Now, had this been Sidney Crosby getting lit up…
Video: Orpik crushes Paille
This afternoon, Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik laid out Bruins forward Daniel Paille with this hit at center ice. The Penguins won the game, 2-1.
Fleury leads Penguins over Bruins
Matt Cooke’s game winner early in the third period lifted the red-hot
Pittsburgh Penguins past the host Boston Bruins 2-1 Saturday afternoon.Cooke
was the unlikely hero in a matinee showdown between two of the top
teams in the Eastern Conference. The veteran forward converted a rebound
of a Dustin Jeffrey shot at 1:53 of the final period for his ninth goal
of the campaign.Evgeni Malkin added a first-period marker for the Penguins, who have won nine of 10.Penguins
netminder Marc-Andre Fleury turned aside 28 shots for his ninth
consecutive victory. He outdueled Boston’s Tim Thomas, who made 26 saves
in defeat.Joe Corvo ended Fleury’s shutout bid with 13:15 remaining, blasting a shot from the point through a Brad Marchand screen.Boston has dropped three of its last four games.
Penguins stay hot, beat Bruins
Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 saves, and Evgeni Malkin had a power-play goal to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Boston Bruins 2-1 Saturday, their ninth win in 10 games.
Matt Cooke had the other goal for the Penguins, who rebounded from a 1-0 loss at Toronto on Wednesday that ended a season-high eight-game winning streak.
Joe Corvo scored Boston’s goal, and Tim Thomas stopped 26 shots. The Bruins hadn’t lost consecutive games since early December and two in a row at home since Oct. 22nd and 27th.
Boston was blanked by Carolina 3-0 on Thursday. The Bruins have lost six of 10.
Fleury was back in net after getting the night off in Wednesday’s loss. Before that, he played in 23 straight.
The Penguins grabbed a 1-0 lead on Malkin’s power play goal with 9 seconds left in the opening period. James Neal fired a shot from the point, and Chris Kunitz, positioned in front, jammed at the rebound before it slid over to Malkin, who fired it past Thomas.
The Malkin-Neal-Kunitz line has been carrying the Penguins for nearly two months, scoring 35 of the team’s 67 goals.
Cooke scored at 1:53 into the third when Thomas attempted to clear the rebound but mishandled the puck in the crease. Cooke was booed briefly – like he nearly always is by the TD Garden crowd.
Cooke’s hit on Marc Savard in March 2010 sidelined the center with a concussion. Savard missed most of last season and has been out all this year with post-concussion symptoms.
Boston cut it to 2-1 on Corvo’s goal 6:45 into the third, his first goal since Dec. 10 and just his third of the season. He fired a shot from the point that Fleury didn’t appear to see, snapping the Bruins’ scoreless stretch at 119 minutes, 36 seconds.
After Corvo’s goal, the Bruins controlled play but had limited chances. Tyler Seguin did split the defensemen and get a short wrist shot on Fleury with 2 minutes left.
The Bruins had a four-minute power play after Pascal Dupuis’ high-stick cut Brad Marchand in the second period. Boston was limited to five shots on goal, with its best chance coming when Seguin sent a cross-ice pass to Corvo. But Fleury slid across to make the save.
Marchand also had a decent bid earlier in the period on a backhander from in close.
Neither team had much offense in the opening period, with the Bruins owning a 10-6 shot advantage – though many were low quality scoring chances.
NOTES: Pittsburgh C Sidney Crosby, out since early December, was with the team and skated in the morning. … F Cal O’Reilly, claimed off waivers from Phoenix on Wednesday, made his Penguins debut. … Bruins F Nathan Horton missed his fourth straight with a mild concussion. … Bruins LW Daniel Paille went flying through the air and his stick went as well after a mid-ice collision with Pittsburgh D Brooks Orpik. … The Bruins play eight of their next 10 on the road.
Brooks Orpik Launches Daniel Paielle Airborne With Awesome Hockey Hit (Video)
In Saturday’s NHL game in Boston, Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik launched Boston Bruins forward Daniel Paille airborne at center ice with an awesome high-speed check.
Paille lost his stick and went flying through the air a good 10 feet, landing on his side. However, to Paille’s credit, he got right back up, found his stick, and controlled the puck seconds later.
Penguins commentators gave Orkin the “Subway Sandwich of the Game” award for the vicious, but perfectly clean hit. The Penguins beat the Bruins 2-1.
Video via Sports Grid. H/T Sports Grid.
Holdout Sports is now a member of the Yardbarker Network. Visit us at holdoutsports.com.
Red-Hot Pittsburgh Penguins Battle Bruins, Sharing Much in Common With Animal Namesake
You may have already known that the Bruins are playing the Penguins on Saturday afternoon, but did you know the Penguins are in the middle of a bit of a hot streak? Led by Evgeni Malkin, the Pens have scrapped their way back into the conversation this season — even without Sidney Crosby in the lineup. NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette did a little digging and found some other fun facts about penguins — and the Penguins — that you may not know. Check them out in the above video. Join NESN Nation: In-game home page | Twitter | Facebook Thumbnail…
Penguins’ Crosby skates solo for an hour
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby skated on his own for an hour Friday and accompanied the team on its weekend road trip to Boston and New Jersey.
Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said Crosby will skate before the team’s games on Saturday and Sunday.
Crosby has not played since Dec. 5 due to concussion-like symptoms.
He was recently diagnosed with a a treatable soft-tissue neck injury that doctors say cause some of the same issues as a concussion.
Pittsburgh has gone 13-10 without the 2007 league Most Valuable Player in the lineup.
Crosby had been sidelined for 10 1/2 months before making a dramatic return to the lineup on Nov. 21, scoring two goals and adding two assists versus the New York Islanders.
He collected two goals and 10 assists in eight contests before he was shut down again. Crosby suffered the initial injury in January 2011.
Did Johnson’s KO KO Jonson?
When the Penguins signed Brent Johnson to be Marc-Andre Fleury’s backup three years ago, they knew what they were getting. He was a reserve goalie his whole career, who had 111-94-12 record and a .903 save percentage. You can’t ask for much more out of a backup tender.
And the Pens didn’t have to; in his first year in the Burgh, Johnny started 15 games and went 10-6-1 while allowing 2.76 goals a game and stopping 91% of the shots he faced. Last year, when Fleury slipped out of the gate, Johnson was there to keep the Pens relevant. He went 8-4-2 to start the year and only allowed more than two goals twice.
Then it happened. 41 seconds away from his second shutout of the year and ninth win, Johnny decided to go toe-to-toe with the Isles’ Rich DiPietro. Since DiPietro’s jaw is made of glass, Johnny ended the fight with one punch…and the knockout has been hurting him ever since.
His next game, Johnny gave up seven goals to the same Islanders team he shutout a week earlier, and the Pens finished the year going 4-3-1 in games Johnny played in. That may not seem so bad but his .908 save percentage to finish the year was bookended by the embarrassment on Long Island and an 8-2 loss to the Lightning in the playoffs, in which Johnny gave up four goals on 11 shots.
Things have only gotten worse this year. Johnson had been so bad that Fleury had to play in 23 straight before Wednesday’s loss in Toronto. This year Johnny is 2-6-2 and is one pace for the lowest win total of his career when playing more than 10 games. He’s given up three goals or more in six of his 10 appearances, and for only the third time in his 11 years as a pro, he has a goals against average over 3.00, and his .884 save percentage is the second worst of his career.
But just like the TKO that sent his career into a tailspin, Johnson’s latest start could be the game that resurrects it. On Wednesday, Johnson started his first game since Dec. 3 and he stopped 23 of 24 shots. It was by far the best game he’s played in almost a year, and had he gotten some help from his offense, the Pens wouldn’t have lost 1-0.
With the Pens’ upcoming schedule, they need Johnny to be back to the old reliable backup that can start at a moment’s notice, not the haymaker-throwing wildcard. The Pens are set to play back-to-back days every weekend in the month of February. Johnson’s going to have to play, and he’s going to have to play well, especially if defenses are beginning to solve the Malkin Enigma (the Leafs are ranked 25th in goals against but only allowed one Geno goal – off his chest – in the last two games).
The Pens are in fifth place in the East and they’re only seven points away from retaking the division lead – only 10 points separate first from fourth place in the Atlantic. The Pens play Boston and New Jersey, Winnipeg and Tampa, Philadelphia and Buffalo, and Tampa and Columbus. Of the eight teams they’ll face during their crazy weekend schedules this month, only the Bruins, Devils and Flyers are playoff teams. That means the Pens have a great opportunity to make some moves in the standings.
With 13 games in the year’s shortest month, and with four back-to-back series, Fleury can’t do it all by himself. This is the only time this season that the Pens play on back-to-back days four times in one month, but since Johnny joined the Pens, it has happened four other times. In those 16 games, Johnson went 4-2-2, stopping 88% of shots he faced.
That might get the job done against the Blue Jackets – the worst team in the league – but Johnny needs to find a way to duplicate his performance from Wednesday if he wants to start a game more than once every two months, and if he wants to help the Pens to a playoff run.
After starting every game of the eight-game winning streak, Fleury is on an absolute tear; his 27 wins are third in the NHL and he’s on pace to set a career mark in goals against (he’s only given up more than three goals three times all year). Fleury showed his durability by playing 23 straight games, so he could easily play 10 of the 13 games the Pens have this month; he may even play in both games of two of the back-to-back series (it wouldn’t be the first time), but after Johnson’s performance in Toronto, you have to think Dan Bylsma has more confidence in his backup right now than he’s had all year. That added confidence could lead to a start as early as tomorrow, and the sooner Johnny can ge back between the pipes, the sooner he can prove to everyone that he’s returned to form.
If he can’t return to form, Johnny’s knockout could be what ends up knocking Johnny out…for good.
Penguins update: critical stretch, contract extensions and Crosby’s health
The Penguins were riding high coming out of the All-Star break and rattled off their 8th win in a row before falling to the Leafs 1-0 Wednesday. After a couple road tests Saturday and Sunday against the Bruins and Devils, the Penguins have a chance to make another push in the standings to catch the Flyers and Rangers in the Atlantic Division. It’s critical that the Pens take as many points as possible against the Habs, Jets, Lightning and Ducks before meeting up with the division leaders later this month if they plan on cementing their place among the NHL’s best teams. This month could very well be their most important of the season for the Pens as they continue to fight back from injuries and need to keep the Eastern Conference leaders in sight if they are going to make a late season push for a higher playoff seed.
Look for Malkin to continue exquisite play moving forward, but he will need help if they want to scratch off a couple wins against the powerhouse Bruins …
Penguins sign C Vitale to two-year, $1.1 million contract
The Pittsburgh Penguins signed center Joe Vitale to a two-year, $1.1 million contract extension on Friday.Vitale has three goals and seven assists in 44 games for the Penguins this season.The 26-year-old leads the team in faceoff percentage (55.9 percent) and plays a key role on Pittsburgh’s fourth-ranked penalty killing unit.Vitale was set to become a restricted free agent in the offseason.
Evgeni Malkin Carrying Penguins in Sidney Crosby’s Absence, But MVP Race Is Far From Over
The Pittsburgh Penguins have spent much of this season without the man that many consider as the best player on the planet. No matter, however, as they’ve got another guy who’s not bad himself. Evgeni Malkin has taken his game to a new level this season, and as a result, he’s ensured that the Penguins are able to hang around in the Eastern Conference. He’ll enter Saturday’s matinee tilt in Boston as the league leader in points and second in goals. For those reasons he has to be the runaway favorite for the Hart trophy, right? Not so fast, say…
Penguins sign C Vitale to an extension
The Pittsburgh Penguins signed center Joe Vitale to a two-year, $1.1 million contract extension on Friday, locking up a 26-year-old who has earned a regular spot in the lineup this season.
Vitale has three goals and seven assists while dressing for 44 of Pittsburgh’s 51 games, filling a third- or fourth-line role and serving on the Penguins’ fourth-ranked penalty-killing unit.
Vitale, who made his NHL debut for Pittsburgh last season, leads the team in faceoff percentage (55.9 percent) and has 24 blocked shots. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound St. Louis native would have been a restricted free agent this offseason.
Penguins getting by without Crosby
The Pittsburgh Penguins may be without their team captain and superstar Sidney Crosby, but it certainly has not spelled bad news for their hockey club.Despite being without a player of Crosby’s caliber, the Penguins have won eight of their last nine games. The team is currently fifth in the Eastern Conference but just four points behind the Philadelphia Flyers and seven points behind the conference-leading New York Rangers.For avid hockey followers, this should not come as a surprise for a number of reasons. For starters, it all begins with the return to form by offensive machine Evgeni Malkin.With Crosby out of the lineup, Malkin has raised his game to another level, a level that looks familiar to the one he achieved during the 2008-09 season. In 44 games this season, Malkin has 27 goals and 32 assists for 59 points, which is good for first in the NHL. Furthermore, he has 35 points in the 23 games since Crosby suffered his neck injury on Dec. 5.Malkin has stepped up in a big wa…
Malkin named NHL ‘Second Star’ for month of January
I must have been totally out of it to miss this earlier this week but Evgeni Malkin was named Second Star of the month of January for the NHL. Last month he was named the Third Star by the NHL. Hopefully for the month of February he’ll be named the First Star. In 12 games in the month of January he had 12 goals and 4 assists. But those don’t include the couple of goals he’s gotten to help the Penguins win shoot outs.
For the season, he ranks second in the league in both game-winning (7) and game-deciding shootout goals (3, tied).
The league leading points scorer with 59 points has been unstoppable. He will definitely need to continue his dominance moving forward to help keep the Penguins in the playoff race. Below are a couple of his nasty goals from the month of January.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As9HvNv-oIQ
