In a back and forth game, the Penguins take two important points to avoid losing 3 games in a rwo for the first time this season. Joe Vitale scored his first NHL goal, giving the Pens a 1-0 lead in the first period. The Avalanche then scored the next two goals to go up 2-1. Jordan Staal who was a dominant force all night long tied it up at 2-2 with his 6th goal of the season in the second period. In addition, Staal was a monster kiling a 5 on 3 penalty that could have easily changed the outcome of the game if he hadn't. For those who do not think Staal is a second line center, take another look please! He was weak in the faceoff circle tonight, but otherwise the dominant player on the ice all night, on both ends of the rink. Before people denegrate his offensive output over the past few seasons, remember he was geting almost 0 power play time during that time. He is not the offensive juggernaut that Geno USED to be, but he is a great two way player, who can contribute in every aspect of the game. The Penguins made a strong push to end the game in regulation owning the offensive zone time in the third period, and forcing Budaj to make several key saves. In overtime, the Avs owned the territorial play until a tripping penalty was taken. On the ensuing power play, Kris Letang made a great play to keep the puck in the zone, got the puck to Goligoski who ripped a bullet, and Kennedy smashed home the rebound for his 5th goal in 7 games. Kennedy now has 12 goals on the season, and has stepped up his offensive output during a time when the Penguins need it most. Don't look now, but Brett Sterling now has 4 points in 4 games, with 2 goals and 2 assists! Hey, it aint pretty, but when half of your forwards are AHL call ups you take every two points you can scratch and claw from the pack. I am getting the first indications from the different sites I follow that the Penguins are getting serious about a couple of trade opportunities. There have been strong rumors that Kovalev is coming to Pittsburgh, but I think the Penguins are in the drivers seat on that deal, and may wait to see how the trade market evolves over the next week as some new teams may become sellers, and Kovy's 5 M salary cap hit, and inconsistent play make him a "must move" for the Senators. The asking price is supposed to be minimal, and if so, he may be a perfect fit here as he did play his best hockey here, has been a little more productive of late, and surely would add a dimension we currently lack. There are further rumors that Asham's inability to stay healthy this year(one of my bigger disappointments), make Ruutu a possible add on to that trade........I like adding the extra grit we thought we had gotten by adding Asham, but if Ruutu has a year left on his contract, I would pass, and give Asham another shot next year due to the difference in salary. Ruutu is over 1M and maybe 1.5M in cap hit, and Asham is 600K. I like Asham's game when he is healthy. The Penguins also seem to be very interested in Chris Higgins from Florida, and that is a move that I would like to see the Penguins make. He is young, and would be an upgrade to the scoring potential on the top two lines. He could also fit beyond this season. I would love to see them explore the Milan Hejduk option as a rental for this season only. My favorite move for the Penguins would have been Kris Versteeg, but the Flyers paid a steep price with a first and third rounder that given the Penguins injury situation, would have been too risky for the Pens to give up. I have a feeling though, that Ray Shero will make some move that nobody is even thinking about right now! The Penguins have more to move than local talking heads give them credit for without mortgaging their future should they choose to do so. For instance, the Penguins are loaded with NHL ready defensive prospects. They have enough depth to give up a prospect like Strait, Sneep, or Bortuzzo(all of whom have value) to package with a mid round pick or a UFA to be moved for the right player. Do not rule out Tangradi being movable as part of a package to get back an NHL caliber top 6 forward from a team who is a seller. Finally, the silver lining in what has become a dark cloud of a season is the fact that the Penguins are getting LONG looks at their top forward prospects in the organization, and may have found that Dustin Jeffrey, Joe Vitale, Nick Johnson, and Brett Sterling are more capable than they thought. I do not see any of them as top 6 material, but maybe can plug into the third line roles, to free up some cap space for that "scoring" winger they need.
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