The Coon struck for two tonite! Glad to see his energy back in the lineup.
Hey, the Penguins did not overwhelm you tonite but they came away with a workmanlike win that put them only one point behind the Devils in the race for the Atlantic Division title. In addition, the Devils who at one point had a big lead on the Pens with 3 games in hand, now are squarely in the Penguins sites. Winning the Atlantic Division would guarantee at least the third seed in the playoffs, and maybe the second depending on the race with the Northeast teams, Buffalo and Ottawa. Gaining a top seed would guarantee home ice and a more favorable early round match up in the playoffs.
Penguins fans should be very excited about the play of Chris Kunitz tonite. There is a fairly large contingent of fans who do not love Kunitz because he has not scored goals at the rate you might expect of a guy who plays the whole season on Crosbys wing, but his hitting, forechecking, and puck possession skills make him an integral part of the team. If he can ALSO contribute some goals, well the Pens chances of making noise in the post season are infinitely better. It was also encouraging to see the Pens kill an extended 5 on 3 tonight, and then score almost right after the kill as you see so often in the NHL. This Islanders team was coming in here off of a shootout game win last night, and they have not been great lately, so this is a game that the Penguins should have won.................and they did, getting two valuable points in the race. Fridays night game against the Rangers is a real opportunity to make sure that the Rangers stay buried in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, and is a 4 point swing game in the division.
It was fun to watch Pascal Dupuis backcheck like a demon tonite, and man if you dont miscast him as a top six forward, you can really see the value he brings to the team as well. Finally, I liked the physical game Rupp brought tonite. By the way, let the Craps shoot their load NOW as they just tied the game with seconds left v Montreal and will likely extend their win streak to 15. Just imagine how sick their fans will be when they go out in round 2 of this seasons playoffs.
Penguins fans should be very excited about the play of Chris Kunitz tonite. There is a fairly large contingent of fans who do not love Kunitz because he has not scored goals at the rate you might expect of a guy who plays the whole season on Crosbys wing, but his hitting, forechecking, and puck possession skills make him an integral part of the team. If he can ALSO contribute some goals, well the Pens chances of making noise in the post season are infinitely better. It was also encouraging to see the Pens kill an extended 5 on 3 tonight, and then score almost right after the kill as you see so often in the NHL. This Islanders team was coming in here off of a shootout game win last night, and they have not been great lately, so this is a game that the Penguins should have won.................and they did, getting two valuable points in the race. Fridays night game against the Rangers is a real opportunity to make sure that the Rangers stay buried in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, and is a 4 point swing game in the division.
It was fun to watch Pascal Dupuis backcheck like a demon tonite, and man if you dont miscast him as a top six forward, you can really see the value he brings to the team as well. Finally, I liked the physical game Rupp brought tonite. By the way, let the Craps shoot their load NOW as they just tied the game with seconds left v Montreal and will likely extend their win streak to 15. Just imagine how sick their fans will be when they go out in round 2 of this seasons playoffs.
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