I am not really sure what to say about today's game. On paper, one of those games you just should easily win if you are the Penguins. The Panthers were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Friday night, and have a depleted roster due to some trade deadline moves meant to help them long term. The Penguins meanwhile, have a possible divsion and conference title on the line. That said, it was a classic trap game. The Penguins are bad enough in matinee games, I am seriously considering selling my matinee game tickets next year. So they played a Sunday matinee, against a weak opponent with their next two games against Philadelphia, a four point swing with the team in front of them for the division, and a four point swing game against Tampa, the team right behind them to follow. And they sure as hell played like it. The Panthers came to play today, outshooting the Penguins 38-28, and completely outplaying them for most of the afternoon. The Penguins managed to generate just 13 shots in the first two periods, and their putrid power play, was putrid again, going 0 for 3. It is now 3 for its past 55 chances, and if it remains this bad, the playoff run will be SHORT. The Penguins also struggled on faceoffs again today, an issue that Crosby's possible return could correct. To me, today was mostly about two players. Ben Lovejoy got his third goal of the season to tie the game about 2 minutes after Florida took the lead. Lovejoy has just slowly gotten better over the last quarter of the season, and appears to have taken the lead in the run for the 6th defenseman role over Deryk Engelland. Lovejoy now has 3 goals, 11 assists, and 14 points, and is a +10 for the season. His confidence with the puck and participation offensively has been noticeably better of late. But to me, today was more about Marc Andre Fleury, who was correctly named team MVP. Fleury collected his 34th win today, which is tied with several players for second in the league behind Roberto Luongo. Fleury followed up his shutout on Friday with a 37 save one goal performance today, including two more stops in the shootout. Fleury has now stopped 20 of his last 22 shootout opponents, and set a club record for most time elapsed between two goals (150 minutes and 14 seconds). NHL pundits are now talking readily about guys like Jonathan Toews and Corey Perry for the Hart Trophy as league MVP, but I am not sure that Marc Andre Fleury should not be considered for this award. If the Penguins' story this season is as compelling as many think it is, with the Penguins collecting 98 points, and still in strong contention for the top seed in the conference with six games left, then why would you ignore the single biggest reason that this is true when you discuss the Hart? Guys like Sedin in Vancouver, Toews in Chicago, and Corey Perry in Anaheim are truly great players, but have any of them been MORE important to their teams than Fleury this season? If the Hart is truly for the player most VALUABLE to his team, it is tough to think that anybody has been more important to any team than Fleury has been to the Penguins this season. Some other random thoughts from the past couple of games. When I see Jame Neal just overpower goaltenders on the shootout with his wicked wristers, I salivate a bit when I think of him on a line with Crosby or Malkin. Currently, when Neal gets the puck it seems as if he is fighting off at least one if not two checkers at all times. When the opposition has to respect the talents of a world class center, the room that will open up for Neal should make all the difference in the world for him. When he gets it going, look the hell out. I might be in the minority, but the tremendous shootout moves of Kovalev do not make me despise him any less. I have watched him closely the last several games, and I would be surprised if he broke a sweat on most shifts he takes. He may be a world class talent, but I think he is also a world class douche. He might have a few more assists if his linemates had better finish, but his lazy play drives me about over the wall! Matt Niskanen after a good start, looks like the weak link on the blue line right now to me. He had a couple of ugly turnovers again today, and I am not sure that the role of 5th defenseman should just be GIVEN to him. Finally, I like the extra effort Talbot has been showing in Cooke's absence on the penalty kill. Here are some interesting statistics as we await a big week for the Penguins to unfold:
Pittsburgh is tied for third in the entire league for points with 98. Washington also has 98 points, and both teams trail Vancouver with 107 points, and Philadelphia with 100;
The Penguins 45 wins ties them with Philly for second in the league, though the Flyers have a game in hand;
A good playoff statistic for the Penguins is that they are second in the league behind Anaheim in winning percentage in one goal games at .605 and a 23-7-8;
The Penguins lead the league in penalty kill at 86.3% and is tied for second in short handed goals with 12 behind the Islanders who have 13;
It is a good thing that the penalty kill is so solid, as the Penguins are second in the league in penalty minutes per game at 17.3;
The Penguins are among the top teams in all categories except one KEY category, the power play. The Penguins are 23rd in the league at just 15.9%. This is a real achilles heal that needs to be fixed. All in all, a remarkable set of statistics given what this team has been through. At 98 points, the Pens are just 3 points behind last season's total with 6 games left to play. It would be really great to see them surpass last year's point total with all they have been through. The Flyers regulation loss to Boston tonight sets up the biggest game of the year at the CEC on Tuesday night!
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