Penguins strength in depth being tested with defensive injuries

Earlier in the year during the opening of free agency the Penguins signed a number of defencemen. In total the Penguins acquired five with them all starting in Wilkes-Barre. So far this season two of them, Ruhwedel and Warsofsky have spent time on the Penguins alongside Olesky who resigned last season. With the injuries the Penguins have sustained to Daley, Maatta, Letang and Dumolin.

Looking back now those signings have been inspired by Rutherford and have ensured we have capable players to call on. All of them, including Di Pauli who was snagged from the Capitals, have been key to the Wilkes-Barre Penguins and in leading them to the second best defensive record in the league with just 62 goals conceded in 29 games.

Daley returned last night against the Carolina Hurricanes in the 3-2 win but since Letang has been injured the Penguins have gone 4-1-2 showing that they can win without him. However, the transition game has been harder to come by and that was evident in the two overtime losses to the Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Luckily for the Penguins Justin Schultz has stepped up to the mark to cover for Letangs absence and so far he has 17 points in 10 games this month. That puts him third in points this month in the entire league behind only his teammates, Crosby and Malkin. Schultz biggest impact has been in the powerplay which has clicked at a rate of 32% since Letang has been injured, that is higher than the previous rate of 20.2% previously. This is obviously a small sample though so should be taken carefully.

As if the defensive injuries weren't enough for the Penguins emerging goaltender Matt Murray left last nights game against Carolina and was declared to be out with a lower body injury. He is week to week which has meant that Tristan Jarry has been called up. Jarry was called up earlier in the season but didn't play. It is probably he won't play this time either depending on how long Murray is out for. The Penguins don't play until 7th of January after tomorrows game.

Whilst most teams would struggle with these sort of injuries to their cores I think the Penguins are able to cope better mostly thanks to Mike Sullivan. He knows how the minor affiliate works and isn't afraid to work with them and this experience brings out the best in them. Here's hoping the Penguins end the year with a high.

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Is Kunitz's time on the Penguins coming to an end?

The Penguins have a good record this season but that doesn't mean of course that everything is perfect.  Nothing is and if it was then we wouldn't lose to Toronto in overtime. There are some questions that need asking and some players aren't putting in the performances that are expected by them. One of those players in Chris Kunitz.

Kunitz has been a great servant to the club since he was traded to us in 2009 from Anaheim but he is now 37 and in the last year of his contract worth $3.85m. Kunitz used to grace the top line but with other trades and signings he has seemingly dropped down the pecking order. Management under both Sullivan and previously Bylsma has seemingly given him time to redeem himself in the top six though alongside Crosby and Malkin but his play hasn't warranted, in my opinion, returning there.

Watching Kunitz it is clear that something has gone offensively. His production has fallen from his career best 68 points in 79 games in the 2013-14 season he has fallen to a .5 points per game player with 40 points twice in 2014-15 and 2015-16. So far this year he has just 12 points in 26 games and has been kept off the score sheet in the last 6 straight. He's only got 2 goals this year, the last being on November the 12th against Toronto.

His 5-on-5 play has dropped the most with him currently sitting on 1.57 points per 60 minutes which is the lowest in his career alongside his iCorsi at 12.06 per 60 minutes. There are a couple of individual stats that trend this way relating to production and you could put this down to his line mates but the likes of Kuhnhackl, Sheary and Rust have come into the league and have been able to produce fairly consistently within their roles.

There is still a role for Kunitz on the team as he is still a serviceable player but I'd have him on the 4th line. With the number of young forwards the Penguins have waiting in the wings I would be disappointed if they re-signed him. Sprong and Guentzel need spaces and keeping Kunitz next year would prevent this. Going forward Kunitz needs to improve or else  I think we could see the end of him in Pittsburgh.

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Crosby continues to dominate

Last night was just another game for the Penguins this time against the Coyotes. And Crosby found just another way to score with him this time batting the puck out of mid-air and past Louis Domingue who had taken over in relief of Mike Smith in net. Crosby has continued to dominate this season in front of net and has adapted his game to find new ways to score, ways in which we haven't seen him score in a while.

Crosby is playing the best he has since before the first of his concussions which he received from David Steckel way back in 2011 in the Penguins infamous first outside game at Heinz Field. They'll return to play there against the Philadelphia Flyers next year on the 25th February. 

So far this season Crosby has 21 goals through 23 games and despite some people hoping, he doesn't look like slowing down any time soon. At the moment he is on pace to finish with 69 goals in 76 games. That would be the best goal scoring season since Alex Ovechkin in 2008-2009. Of course, he will likely have a slump at some point in time, all players do. But he is still having a superb season.

Crosby is one of the most effective players on the power play and whilst this season he has scored at a rate better than last year he has seen a drop in his assists. This is partly due to the power play struggling lately. It has seen an increase in the last two games so it will hopefully trend up.

This season Crosby has seemingly perfected the art of the deflected shot scoring them from a range of locations with seemingly impossible angles. Usually Crosby would stand to the side of the net and that would be his "office" but this year he has a much heavier net presence which has allowed to deflect more shots.

Crosby in the past used to see a revolving door of wingers through either injuries or just poor performances. I mean, there was even a brief moment when Chuck Kobasew played on his wing. Yes, Kobasew. Of course, injuries had their part to play but the point still sticks. Under Sullivan there has been a much more consistent line-up allowing chemistry to build. We had the HBK line last year and Crosby has also seen a solid relationship develop with Conor Sheary and Patric Hornqvist. This has helped bring the best out in him with both knowing the limits of his ability. Sullivan's game style is offence first and if this continues then it seems a matter of time until Crosby hits that 50 goal mark.

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Guentzel and Pouliot sent down, HMK showing chemistry

Jake Guentzel's short-lived time with the Penguins is over. He was sent down alongside Derrick Pouliot to the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins today.  Pouliot was sent down recently for a conditioning stint and whilst Sullivan has said he wants them to play, being sent down again is hardly great. By now you would expect Pouliot to be pushing the team to look at giving him game time in the  NHL.

I'm disappointed in Guentzel being sent down. He played excellently in his 5 game stint, scoring 3 goal and 1 assist. He showed some strong physical presence when paired with Malkin and his hand to eye co-ordination was superb. He didn't take long to score and has shown glimpses of a potential top six player. There is still a long way to go in his career though and if he continues to light it up in Wilkes-Barre then you could see the Penguins make a trade to fit him in.

In the last few games Sullivan has changed the lines around and one proponent we have seen is a line of Hagelin-Malkin-Kessel. This line has done some damage in the last few games and it is a huge threat due to the ability for the puck to pass between the three with ease creating high possession chances. With someone that possess a dangerous shot like Kessel it is just asking for trouble.

Crosby might be leading the team and be tied at the top of the league in goals but Malkin and Kessel are also pacing themselves well at the top of the points table. Malkin currently heads them both with 28 points through 26 games whilst Crosby and Kessel both sit on 27 points. Obviously, Crosby has played far fewer games, just 20 to be precise.

Looking ahead to the festive season and the Penguins have 9 games before their brief Christmas break and aside from the games against the Leafs and Coyotes they're all against teams that are very strong and will be hard to beat. With a busy schedule and two back-to-backs included we will likely see a lot of rotation in goal. I'm looking forward to seeing Murray play again, the team seems a lot more composed when he does. Hopefully, the Penguins can continue their recent good form.

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Penguins forward prospects aren't as bleak as some think

Jake Guentzel has started his Penguins career superbly and has really given Sullivan and the Penguins bench questions to think about when Kunitz and Hornqvist return from injury. Guentzel in my mind has done enough to warrant staying up and that will likely see someone else go down alongside Sestito. Wilson is a likely candidate.

One of the areas where Pittsburgh are criticised is their forward prospects and often people hark on about how we will be a terrible team in a few years. Whilst we haven't got a strong and deep prospect pool like Toronto, or one that drafts deep and well like Tampa, we do have players that can step up and some are showing real promise in the American Hockey League.

Currently the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins are 1st in the NHL through 19 games with a 13-4-2 record alongside a goals for record of 56 with just 37 against. Guentzel was around the top of league in scoring before heading to Pittsburgh with 17 points in 16 games. Since he left Sundqvist has picked up the scoring which is pleasing to see.

During his stint with Pittsburgh last year Sundqvist showed a great defensive game and showed glimpses of an offensive game that needed some work. He currently has 6 goals and 9 assists through 17 games and developing that side of his game could make him an option to replace Nick Bonino when his contract is up.

Carter Rowney signed a new deal in the summer, a two-way deal for two years and has continued his performances from last season which saw him finish with 24 goals and 32 assists. So far he is on pace to have a similarly good year this. With the recent acquisition of Danny Kristo there is a possibility of some increase there due to the familiarity the two have with each other from their College days.

The biggest forward prospects is sadly injured though and Daniel Sprong likely won't be back for another few months. He underwent shoulder surgery in June and isn't expected to be back until January at the earliest. When he does come back he will most likely be sent to the Juniors to finish the year and ease himself back into it.

Next time someone says the Penguins don't have young forwards the above names should mentioned and levied alongside the likes of Rust, Sheary, Wilson and Kuhnhackl who currently play on the Penguins. They just need to give them some time.

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Penguins feast on Rangers ahead of Thanksgiving weekend

Pittsburgh managed to chase Lundqvist again last night after losing to Raanta in a 5-2 loss on home ice on Monday to start the back-to-back with the Rangers. I'm not able to watch full games always due to the time differences but watching the first period there were some clear issues with the Penguins game. A lack of compete from some players, poor passing and a general malaise about the performance.

Malkin's continual poor discipline didn't take long to rear its head with him committing a weak tripping penalty on JT Miller.  The Rangers capitalised quickly and Malkin continued to make poor plays, turning over the puck and not working along the boards. After a poor first period Sullivan must have said something as they came out completely renewed.

There was a bit of puck luck involved but the Penguins continued, four line offense shone through with a constant barrage of shots being directed at Lundqvist and, after he was pulled, Raanta. Scott Wilson scored his first goal in 12 games off a quick reflect shot to the side of Lundqvist before Crosby continued his excellent start to the season with another deflected goal from the right of Lundqvist which completely fooled him.

Phil Kessel hasn't scored as many goal as he or perhaps Penguins fans would hope so far in his time here but he is still such a dangerous player. His shot is out of this world and he needs to have more confidence in shooting. His goal today came on the rush after receiving a pass in the middle before shooting over Lundqvist's shoulder. So far Kessel is a point per game player through 20 games.

Perhaps the best goal of the game came from Conor Sheary who scored after a prolonged shift in the Rangers offensive zone that drained the energy and made them sitting ducks. Crosby's puck luck was evident on his second goal with the puck bouncing off his stick, off of McDonagh and over the goaltender into the net.

The Penguins finished the game off with a deflected goal from Cullen and managed to suppress the Rangers offense for a large part of the game. For over 20 minutes they went without a shot. The Penguins go into the weekend with two games against the Wild and Devils, both on the road.

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Offense questions raised over weekend games

The weekend, from Friday Night to Saturday was a hit and miss one for the Penguins. They did get 3 out of 4 available points but there play at times was below par, especially 5-on-5. Some players looked sluggish and questions about the offensive talent of the defence have been raised.

The Penguins started the two games on Friday night in Brooklyn against the Islanders. Matt Murray returned after a brief scare that he had been badly injured against the Washington Capitals in, that, loss on Wednesday. Murray wasn't troubled much and only surrendered two goals in a 3-2 OT win.

The Barclays Arena in Brooklyn where the Islanders play gets a lot of bad press and you can see why. The ice was questionable at times and there were mentions in the press that it doesn't have the same setup as NHL arenas. The camera angles are also terrible which make watching the game hard.

The Penguins need to address an issue that showed with certain players in the Islanders game and was prominent in the Buffalo game. On 5-on-5 in the two games the Penguins struggled to enjoy the breakouts that they have in the past. Against the two they were pressured heavily meaning that often when dumping the puck it would be immediately picked up by a Sabres or Islanders player.

They did have a large number of chances against both teams with 35 shots against the Islanders and 47 against the Sabres. However, converting appeared to be a problem. It isn't a problem for Crosby, who scored two goals and an assist over the two games. But with the defence struggling more with offence it has seen a bigger reliance on the top six.

With a defence contributing it takes pressure off the forwards and also makes it harder for the opposition by spreading out the scoring. This means they can't just focus on one player. Right now, with 6 defenders having played at least 13 games, only 5 goals have been scored. Letang is top with Daley on 2 with the only other goalscorer being Ian Cole.

So far on the season Olli Maatta has just 1 assist through 18 games and that isn't good enough. Dumoulin also has only 2 assists through 18 whilst Ian Cole and Justin Schultz have 3 and 4 points in total. It could be that they're just struggling to convert and they need to continue shooting but passing needs to be improved, especially on the power play. The 2nd unit is very poor and struggles, improving that will be one way of helping but targeting only the man advantage isn't the best way. It 5-on-5 where improvements are needed.

The Penguins play the Rangers tonight who are one of the best players at 5-on-5 hockey this season. So this will be a test. Guentzel has been called up with Kunitz placed on IR and Hornqvist out with a concussion.

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Kessel enjoying strong start to season

A lot of the attention on the Penguins at the moment in the season is on Sidney Crosby and Matt  Murray as both players are making strong statements at either ends of the ice. Last year the Penguins struggled early on and the change and adjustments meant we didn't get the best out of everyone. Kessel had a decent, but below par season last year. This year is a different question, so far after 13 games he is playing supremely well.

So far the Penguins have been a strong team, currently sitting 2nd in the Metropolitan Division behind the New York Rangers, although they have played two extra games. Crosby leads the Penguins but that is no surprise but Kessel has been a key force which has currently held the Penguins as the 8th most attacking team with 47 games through 15 games.

Kessel has scored in 6 of the teams 15 games this season and is playing like he could break the 60 point plateau as a member of the Penguins. Kessel's chemistry with Malkin continues to show and that is a heavily dangerous duo this season. Sullivan has brought the best out of the two and I would like to see them permanently together on a line more often. The HBK line is great but at times it needs shaking up.

Kessel currently has the fourth most shots on goal behind only Hornqvist, Crosby and Malkin. The only downside is that he is currently only running at a shooting percentage of 8.8% compared to his career average of 10.7%. He is currently on course to finish the season with just 16 goals and that is a worry. Kessel is a wicked shooter and he hasn't been able to find the net lately. Hopefully that changes soon.

So far, Kessel has been impressive. But he needs to shoot more and trust his shot. The powerplay clicking is a big part of that but so far it has been an effective unit this season. If he continues his high possession play then it won't be long before his gets back to scoring. Lets hope he starts against the Capitals.

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Penguins put strong home record up against the Wild

The Penguins enter tonights game on a good streak having won 6 of their last 7 games, losing the other against the Los Angeles Kings in overtime. After an indifferent start to the season the Penguins are now topping the Metropolitan Division and clicking on all fronts.

Pittsburgh's last game, against Edmonton, saw another comeback for a late win. Trailing 3-2 going into the third period the Penguins dug deep and thanks to a late goal from Conor Sheary, his second of the game, the points stayed in Pittsburgh. The game was hyped up as a contest between McDavid and Crosby and whilst McDavid earned three assists Crosby was kept pointless. His play was superb however and he definitely warranted some production.

The Penguins are currently 6-0-1 this season at home going into tonights game and are behind New Jersey and Montreal who remain unbeaten at home. Minnesota head into this game with a 2-3-1 record having lost their last two games away to Colorado and at home to Buffalo.

The Wild are not an easy team to break down and have improved their defence and currently posses a hot goaltender in Devan Dubnyk. Dubynk has let in just 3 goals in his last 5 games. Matt Murray has let in 4 but the Penguins have opted to play Fleury tonight. Following his recent questionable performances and the contrast to Matt Murray's, Fleury really needs to up his game or else his starting spot is going to be lost.

This will be a tough game with the Wild possessing the best PK in the league but the Penguins improved play at even strength recently should see them through for the win. With Crosby's 14 game point streak snapped it would be good to see him start another.

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Pens finish SoCal Trip

Pittsburgh finished their trip to South California with a 5-0 win over the San Jose Sharks yesterday at SAP Center. The  Penguins entered the three game road trip having beaten the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4. Over the three games Pittsburgh picked up 5 out of a possible 6 points. Considering how hard this trip often is, that is an excellent reward.

The first two games of the trip, against Anaheim and Los Angeles, were back to back meaning that Murray made his season debut against the Ducks. Murray lasted played for Pittsburgh in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals and has missed a lot of time due to a broken thumb.

Murray is a hugely different player to Fleury and showed it over the three games. Fleury looks uncomfortable at times and lacks composure and the ability to re-adjust himself and focus on the game at times. When Fleury gives up a soft goal due to either unfortunate circumstances or poor decision making, he struggles to move on from it and it affects his game.

Murray is different. He hasn't, to my memory, given up any big softies like Fleury has. But when he has a poor game or is struggling he is able to compose himself and remained focused. The difference can be huge for the defence in front and it sometimes shows. With Murray there appears to be more confidence from the defence in the goaltender.

At the other end of the ice Crosby continued his lightning start to make up ground on those ahead of him. Over the three games he scored four goals and one assist to bring his season totals to eight goals and two assists through just six games. He is top of the league in goal scored despite playing around six fewer games than those at the top with him.

Crosby has been scoring a range of goals too. Against San Jose he scored two opportunistic goals that give the impression that, right now, anything that can go right for Crosby, will. His goals against the Kings were more "typical" Crosby goals. A goal off a deflection and a quick move with a finish off a rebound.

Through the three games the Penguins defence improved and the fact that it coincides with Letangs return isn't a surprise. He is a great possession player and is also excellent and creating and sustaining a transition game into attack. He does have improvements to make, mostly as a PP QB, but he is a hugely important player.

In all, the trip has been a huge success and hopefully the Penguins can continue their good form into the next few game this week against the Oilers, Wild and Leafs.

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Pens rely on big stars to beat Flyers

Pittsburgh managed to eventually beat the Flyers in Saturday nights game against their rivals in what was a pretty eventful game that finished 5-4. This is Pittsburgh's first of a four game road trip and they relied heavily on their stars showing up to offset the defensive frailties shown across the team.

Being completely honest, the Flyers had most of the chances in this game and should really have won and they would have were it not for an apathetic performance from Mason and their defence. In full honesty, Fleury as awful for the Penguins as well. He looked very uncomfortable and wasn't sure of his decision making at a number of times.

Sidney Crosby had a huge game continuing his superb start to the season with two goals within 43 seconds of each other in the first half. His two goals were part of a quick three goal burst in around 55 seconds that completely turned the game around in Pittsburgh's favour. They were 2-0 down after a rough start with some poor plays by Fleury with an errant poke check and defensive positioning.

Matt Cullen has continued his good start, capitalising off a poor attempt at a save by Mason at the side of the net. Cullen is a quick player and his quick instincts allowed him to wrap the puck around the net for a 3-2 lead. But perhaps the biggest moment and event of the game was Malkin converting his 300th NHL goal in his 653rd game. He is only the sixth Penguin to score 300 or more goals with the team after Lemieux, Jagr, Crosby, Kehoe and Pronovost.

This was a statement by the Penguins offence and the ability to come back from behind, shown against the Sharks as well. But there are still questions hanging over the defence and in particular, Fleury. They need answering.

This was meant to be up yesterday but I had internet problems.

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Penguins head to Philadelphia

The Penguins are travelling across the state to Philadelphia for tomorrows opening season rivalry match-up against the Flyers. This is the first of a four game road trip for the Penguins who head off to South California afterwards to face the Ducks, Kings and Sharks.

The Penguins are heading into the game after a competitive win over the Islanders, 3-2. The Penguins dominated on the man advantage throughout the game and capitalised on poor defensive setups by the Islanders. Crosby is showing no signs of rust through his first two games finishing with a goal and an assist. On the other side of the state Philadelphia go into this game having lost 3 of their last 5 games with the most recent being a 5-4 loss against the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night.

With Crosby back and the top two lines shuffled around the Penguins will need them to link and continue the good play shown against the Islanders. Crosby is riding a five game goal scoring streak dating back to the end of the 2015-16 regular season. He has already had a 7 game streak in early January. The Crosby line had 14 shots between them so that kind of pressure will be big.

Discipline is something that is lacking in the team. Malkin has been a prominent member at fault of this, committing weak penalties at key junctures in the game. The Penguins used to get in all sorts of trouble in rivalry games but under Sullivan they have improved. So far this season the Penguins are fourth in penalties conceded with 38. The penalty kill has not been good and currently sits at 80.0%. Philadelphia's powerplay is 5th best in the league at 26.5%. Staying out the box will be key.

Fleury has been announced as the starter and his record against Philadelphia in Wells Fargo isn't great, a SV% of .903% through 20 games and a GAA of 2.87. That isn't good and so far this season Fleury hasn't been as comfortable as he usually is. Steve Mason is likely to play tonight and has had a rough start to the season posting a .886SV% and 3.15 GAA. Shot volume on Mason is needed, to pressure Mason.

Tonights game starts at 7:00pm and the next match between the two is on the 26th February at Heinz Field as part of the Stadium Series.

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Cullen leading the Penguins early on

Matt Cullen currently leads the Penguins early on and is showing no sign of age slowing him down. Cullen was a superb signing last season on a one year contract for just $800k. He proved to be one of the most value for money signings in the league. Cullen returned after much deliberation over potential retirement and has so far show that his cap hit of $1m. A raise of $200k is absolutely deserved. Cullen is the fourth line player that Dan Bylsma wished Craig Adams was.

Cullen is 40 on November the 2nd and is currently leading the Penguins on scoring with 5 points in 6 games. Obviously, this is very early in the season with only 7% of games completed so far for the Penguins. But, the signs are encouraging and he may well taper off as the season grows due to the physicality, but he didn't last year. Last year 22 of his 32 points came from January onwards.

It is an interesting case as to why Matt Cullen is doing so well for the Penguins. I think if the Penguins were so deep at center, he could play on the third line. Speed isn't an issue for Cullen, shown best in the Penguins 3-1 win in Game 3 of the playoffs. Cullen stripped the defender of the puck and raced past to bury a shot through Lundqvist's 5 hole.

Cullen has been a superb possession driven player this season and through 6 games he has a CF% above 50% in five of them, three are at 70% and above. That includes the 5-1 humiliation against Nashville previously. The only game were Cullen struggled was the season opener. Outside of that, he has helped create a number of chances and part of this is down to his 59.6 FO%. He currently leads the Penguins in this regards, ahead of even Malkin who is fourth on 49.1%.

Hopefully Cullen continues his good play and whilst he will almost certainly see a drop in production if he can keep his off the puck play at the same level, he will be a real asset again. Cullen only need to score more than 22 points to have the most as a 40+ player for the Penguins, beating even what Lemieux set.  Although, to be fair, that was only through 26 games. But with the way he is going Cullen could beat that. Who knows, maybe he returns next year?

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Pens celebrate banner raise with SO win over Caps

Four months after winning the franchises fourth Stanley Cup the Penguins players finally got to witness the banner being raised above the newly named PPG Paints Arena Ice. The banner joins the three others although, rather annoyingly, not in chronological order. Barry Trotz mentioned that the Caps would either watch from the bench or their room and as they were nowhere to be seen, we can assume they watched with jealousy from their locker room.

With the Washington Nationals being eliminated from the MLB play-offs on the same night, the Capitals were hoping to give Washington something to cheer. They started brightly and scored the first goal of the game just 56 seconds in through Andre Burakovsky when he fired through Fleury's traditional five hole weakspot.

The Capitals were ineffective on the extra man and twice failed to convert before Patric Hornqvist scored a tipped shot from the blue line from Letang. Washington originally appealed for a high-stick but it was given after a review. Malkin scored his first goal of the season shortly after and Burakovsky tied it late in the third to send it to a shoot-out.

Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin both went high on Holtby, whilst Letang went low. All three scored with Nick Bonino missing on the first shot. The Capitals ran the Penguins close with TJ Oshie, the best at the penalty shootout in the game and Nicklas Backstrom both extending it. Following Kessel's goal, which had to be reviewed as it was originally thought you have hit the post and stayed out, Fleury stood tall to prevent Ovie.

This was a strong win without Crosby and Ovechkin had a particularly poor game extending his pointless streak in Pittsburgh to 6 games. He had his usual number of shots on goal but failed to produce. Both goalies stood strong but Fleury had the larger workload, stopping 39 of the Capitals 41 shots. The Penguins play Anaheim on Saturday, hopefully Crosby will be back.

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Penguins claim Condon off Waivers

Today is the final day before the season begins tomorrow and the Pittsburgh Penguins made a move in acquiring Mike Condon from the Montreal Canadiens, who they will play next week, on waivers. In response to this the Penguins sent down Tristan Jarry to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. This makes sense really when you think about it. Jarry needs playing time and if he remained with the Penguins whilst Murray was injured he would likely spend most of it on the bench whilst Fleury played.

Mike Condon is on a one-way contract valued at $575k for this year.  Next season he will be an unattached free agent and should Fleury be moved it is possible he returns as a back-up to Murray. Condon stepped in for Carey Price when he was injured and performed well to begin with but the demands of the role became more apparent later on and he regressed to a 2.71 GAA and .903SV% by seasons end through 55 games.

When Murray returns from his injury you can expect that Condon will be sent through on waivers to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and should he pass them he will become one of their top goalies. He will have to battle against Jarry, Maguire and DeSmith however. Musical Goalies.

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Three things to hope for this season

The season is nearly upon us with the banner raising against the Capitals a fine way to open the season as we start our defence of the cup. Pittsburgh are aiming to become the first team since the 1998 Detroit Red Wings to repeat as cup champions. Unlike most teams after winning a cup the  Penguins have kept their core together and only lost Ben Lovejoy and Jeff Zatkoff. This season will be fine to watch and I have highlighted three things to hope for this season if the Penguins are to do well, as many have predicted.

1. Crosby continues his good form and performances under Sullivan

Before Mike Sullivan was brought in Crosby was struggling heavily under Mike Johnston and was not producing anywhere near the expected rate. This was mostly due to the defensive and passive style system that Johnston implemented which nullified offense. After Johnston was canned the speed and skill based system implemented by Sullivan saw a rapid change and the return of a dominant Crosby, feared by all defences. 

Under Johnston Crosby was kept to a poultry 19 points in 28 games whilst under Sullivan he improved to 66 points in the following 52 games and managed to finish over a point per game. Crosby really benefited from the change in system. Crosby is one of the best at quick decisions and he has superb vision. With a fast team others took longer to react giving him an edge. This season he will hopefully continue his performances under Sullivan and, barring injuries, I wouldn't be surprised to see him hit 100 points again.

Typically, after posting this he was diagnosed with a concussion. Lets hope it is a minor injury and just a precaution.

2. The likes of Sheary, Rust and Kuhnhackl take the next step in their game

Pittsburgh really benefited from their young players stepping up when it mattered, especially when they were so unknown which I think really surprised teams. They just couldn't cope with them and when you have confidence, as they did, you can do anything.

With the last season now history they will need to adapt their game as the Penguins speed and skill with be copied across the league. They will need to prove that they're not just flash in the pans either as there are players waiting in the wings to take the chance should it come to them.

3. Matt Murray gets a solid number of games to showcase himself

Matt Murray unfortunately came back from the World Cup of Hockey with a broken hand which means he won't start the season and Tristan Jarry will deputise. However, his injury should only see him miss a short amount of time and he will be able to come back with plenty of the season left.

I want to see Murray face a larger number of games this season, nearer the 40 mark, to see if he is able to replace Fleury as the starter. Fleury shouldn't be a Penguin after this season if we want to keep Murray and this will be the season where Murray needs to stake his claim. He had a good number of games last season when Fleury was out with concussion but I'd like to see him repeat that form, showing it isn't a run of luck.

This season starts on Thursday with the banner raising ceremony against Washington and whilst we will be without Matt Murray and Sidney Crosby, we should be a strong bet to win.

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Jake Guentzel impressing in pre-season

The Penguins are nearly finished with their pre-season ahead of the cup raising banner match against the Washington Capitals on October 13th. A few players, namely Crosby, Malkin, Hornqvist and Hagelin have only just returned from the World Cup of Hockey so will finally be taking to the ice tomorrow. That has given the younger players a chance to impress and potentially take an open spot for the seasons start.

Tristan Jarry has been receiving a lot of praise and has been chosen to be the Penguins back-up goalie whilst Matt Murray recovers from his hand injury. However, another young player impressing is Jake Guentzel, the Penguins drafted him in the third round in 2013. With Bryan Rust suffering from injuries that could rule him out for the start of the season, there is a spot for a few games there.

Guentzel was fantastic for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins down the stretch last season three years at the University of Nebraska-Omaha where he scored 119 points in 108 games. In just 11 regular season and 10 playoff games in the AHL last season Guentzel showcased his impressive attacking talents.

Pre-season games aren't the best barometer of performance, nor are they inducive of guaranteed success for a player. However, they can show the talent a player has and the improvements they have made in their game. Guentzel can play both Center and Left Wing and whilst the Penguins are stacked at center, they're not blessed on the Left hand side.

Guentzel is going to play tomorrow night against Detroit in the first game at the newly branded, PPG Paints Arena. He could play on any line and whilst there is no indication of who he could play with at this moment in time, the best line would be the HBK line. The well vaulted line became popular but I would like to see Kessel with Crosby more long-term and if Guentzel is able to fit in on the left hand side, he could solve the problem of a replacement.

Pittsburgh will get injuries throughout the season, it is part and parcel of our seasons so I think we can be very confident in seeing Guentzel coming up at some point this season when the opportunity present itself, for now, I expect at most he will get a game or two before being sent down for Wilkes-Barres Season to continue his development.

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What does Murray's injury mean for Penguins?

Today it was announced that Matt Murray has suffered a broken hand and will be out between 3 and 6 weeks. It is likely that it is the later as the Penguins won't want to rush him and will take their time getting him back rather than risk further problems down the line. With Murray out though the back-up spot becomes open for a short period of time.

Fleury will of course be the starter now for the period that Murray is out giving him a solid chance to reclaim his starting position back. Should he perform well it would be hard to take it away from him but I think Fleury is the starter in the Penguins mind already. Matt Murray is still young at just 22 years old and could do with a whole season to see if last seasons run wasn't just a good run.

The third wheel from last year, Jeff Zatkoff, has departed to pastures new in Los Angeles to become the Kings new backup goaltender. This opens up a spot in Wilkes-Barre too. The Penguins drafted a number of goalies between the 2012 and 2013 NHL Drafts. Murray being one of those goalies, the other two being Jarry and Maguire.

We can expect Jarry and Maguire to spend the season in the AHL alongside Wilkes-Barres third choice goalie, Casey DeSmith. Maguire is unfortunately injured at the moment but It is possible that Jarry and Maguire also see time in Wheeling purely for game time. The Penguins currently have Leland Irving on a PTO during camp too so if he signed it could complicate things a little more. Saying that, last year the Baby Pens had four goalies to call on throughout the season.

Jim Rutherford has mentioned that the Penguins could dip into the waiver wire to pick someone up after camps are completed for the brief period but I don't see a need to do that. I think the best course of action would be give Tristan Jarry the backup role and in turn give him a couple of games. Then when Murray comes back he can take Jarry's spot who in turn would return to WBS.

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EA NHL heading in right direction

NHL17 has been out for around a week now and I have now had a chance to look at all of the games modes, those new and those returning from the previous iterations. Originally I was a bit sceptical about buying the game as I didn't feel like it had been advertised much and as such there wasn't enough information as to the changes that should make me buy it. Maybe that is because  I live in the UK.

The game, compared to last year, is a lot smoother and cleaner in terms of presentation. Last year saw the first step to a new layout with more colour instead of a dark setting that made reading text hard and I think the contrast of the coloured menus alongside a dark background works better than NHL17. For me, it is too bright but I get why it has been done.

The menus are still simplistic in finding what you want though and their main aim is to be easy to navigate reducing time spent in the menus. There are some modes where it feels like more could be held on single screens, such as the banal requirement to go to your collection to add to sets in Hockey Ultimate Team. Franchise Mode has a few extra tabs too, especially in the player section for free agents or trading. It is something EA should look at.

In terms of actually gameplay, it is similar in terms of game presentation but there are some distinct and more subtle differences to NHL16. You can tell that goaltenders have been worked on as there are clear new animations which open more unique ways to score, or miss. Shooting feels the same and there are aspects of defence, particularly hitting that feels the same and there appears to be a strong weakness and ease to score in repetitive ways, the AI doesn't adapt as it should.



One of the big issues that people have had with this years version is the seemingly worsening ratings for players that have no real life replication if they were to be used. There seems to be no actual thought process behind them rather than just whacking numbers in to make a certain total. They need to revamp the way they rate players, especially when you compare the way that MLB and FIFA do theirs. In those series, players might be low rated but low rated players may be skilled in certain areas that make them worthwhile.

There are new features in various modes. The biggest addition was probably the inclusion of ECHL teams, which is nice to see. Sadly, they're not in the GM mode so you can't send prospects or players from your AHL team down to get playing time. Draft Champions is a new twist on the FIFA FUT Draft too in that you can draft any of a range of top players and play with them to earn some rewards to use in Hockey Ultimate team. It expands the mode and makes it more open.

There's also a new mode completely outside of HUT in the World Cup of Hockey which allows you to take any nation involved in the 8 team tournament and take them to World success. It would have been a big problem and surprise if NHL didn't include it seeing as it is the leagues premiere tournament. It is a great mode and works realistically to real life and is enjoyable to play.

In all, I think there are enough changes to make it worthwhile but it does feel like they could have done better in some areas. I would say there is a clear improvement from last year in actual gameplay and you should buy it if you want a hockey game to play. Overall, I'd give it 6.5/10.

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World Cup of Hockey final rundown

The World Cup of Hockey is just hours away and with all the exhibition games complete attention is turning now to the competition proper with Team USA kicking off the tournament against Team Europe tomorrow at 3:30pm EST. That game is followed by Czech Republic v Canada at 8:00pm

Pittsburgh have a number of interests in the tournament and after hosting the final exhibition games for some teams yesterday the attention is now shifting to the players. The usual suspects are appearing with ties to Pittsburgh with Crosby heading Team Canada and Malkin playing a big part in Team Russia as they looked to come out of a fairly even Group B.

Patric Hornqvist and Olli Maatta are both appearing for their respective Scandinavian nations in Sweden and Finland whilst young star Matt Murray has been given the starting spot for Team North America ahead of Gibson. Many feel that Phil Kessel should have been part of Team USA but with him recovering from a hand injury sustained in the play offs it is best he doesn't player.  Not that John Tortorella could see skill in front of him.

I think it is clear that the two weakest teams in the tournament will be Team Europe and the Czech Republic. Although saying that, Team Europe beat Sweden 6-2 yesterday. Whilst an exhibition game it will give them a bit of hope that they can get some results. Especially if Draisatl can play like he did, scoring a hat-trick.

Czech Republic's team is seemingly devoid of skilled players to pick from and with the likes of Jagr and Elias retired from international duty they need to start looking for the next generation. David Pastrnak at 20 is the youngest but he is one of only four players aged under 25. The Czech Republic also have too players in Jordan and Nakladal that are free agents.

I feel like this tournament will lead up to a USA-Canada final with Canada besting the USA in three games. Canada will top Group A with three straight wins followed by Team USA. The rest of the group will be filled out with Team Europe with the Czechs dead last in my opinion.

From Group B I can see a very tight group and I reckon Russia will miss out with Team North America living up to their pre-tournament hype. Between Sweden and Finland it is incredibly tight to call and really is a coin toss. The game between the two on the 20th will be the decider and looking at the two rosters,  I would have to give it to Sweden. With them winning the group and losing to Team USA in the semi-final.

I'm looking forward to it starting tonight and hopefully it is a good tournament. I just wish it was bigger and more global.

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World Cup of Hockey shows NHL's lack of desire in expanding interest

The World Cup of Hockey is just around the corner and the interest and fervour is building with exhibition games starting this Thursday. For Canadians it is a huge interest and it is also being promoted massively in America. Whilst there is some interest in Sweden, Finland and Russia it is nowhere near the same level as in North America. As for Europe, whilst they have two teams in the Czech Republic and Team Europe the interest just isn't there.

As someone who lives in the UK I haven't seen any advertisement at all here, I don't know if that is the same in continental Europe but I feel like the exclusion of a number of teams and making it 8 teams instead of 12 is affecting the global appeal of the tournament. It is as if this tournament is just for the North American market and it isn't a tournament targeted at all those involved, which is a shame.

The biggest issue I have with this tournament is the inclusion of the two gimmick teams in Team North America and Team Europe. Whilst I'm sure they'll both play well and give everything to win it seems a bit insulting to the likes of Switzerland and Slovakia to exclude them in place of the above teams.

The idea of international tournaments is that those who take part compete for their nations pride. What national pride is there in a group of players thrown together competing? They're even having to come up with a national anthem for the team, which will probably end up being Ode to Joy as that is the official European Union anthem.

This tournament could have been handled better by those in charge but it really is just a tournament for the NHL to distance themselves from the Olympics and give themselves their own money making cash cow to milk every four years. I'm hoping that they will remain in the Olympics and hold the World Cup in four year cycles between them.

I also hope that they'll expand it to 12 teams and invite a number of European teams along with Japan and South Korea. It would give it a much more global feel and could even be open to qualification. But this being the NHL they seem to not really care about the European market where they should be looking to latch onto. It is just over a month until the new season and yet there is no news on a TV deal for the UK, a market which has seen a real boom in interest in the NFL thanks to constant advertising and coverage. The NHL is missing out and it goes deeper than the World Cup of Hockey.

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Justin Schultz signing highlights depth for Pens

The Pittsburgh Penguins signed defenceman Justin Schultz to a one year, $1.4m contract yesterday in a surprising move that has been called excellent on most corners. Schultz was expected to sign elsewhere for a much longer term and higher price considering his performances during the Penguins cup winning run.

The Penguins signing of Schultz really highlights the depth that they have on defence with a number of signings made on Free Agency Frenzy day on the 1st July. A number of signings include players who had played in the NHL recently means that the talent pool is stacked deeply and also provides the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins with a competitive roster that should enable them to qualify yet again for the play-offs.

Justin Schultz was a superb depth player last season for the Penguins after being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers for just a third round pick. He performed exceptionally well and stood up when injuries required him to increase his ice time and take on more responsibilities, including at times the quarter-backing of the power play. Hopefully, we will see more of him this season and he will be able to build on his good run.

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Oilers and Canadiens make questionable trades

Fair to say that the last few hours the Hockey world has exploded with the news of two big trades involving the Oilers, Canadiens, Predators and New Jersey Devils. Meanwhile, Steven Stamkos resigned with the Tampa. Which was funnily enough the smallest of the three stories.

The first trade to break was the trade involving the Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils involving Taylor Hall, taking 1st overall in 2010. In exchange for this they got Adam Larsson from the New Jersey Devils, taken 4th overall in 2011. I don't watch either of these teams a lot but I understand that Edmonton needed help on defence and New Jersey were looking for help offensively.

But, I feel like New Jersey had less to lose as Damon Severson could take his spot in the line-up. The Oilers have been making sounds for a while about moving a forward but most expected it not to be a top tier guy like Taylor Hall. Yakupov was mentioned a lot with the likelihood that they would then target someone in free agency. There are pitiful to that but they're not as bad as moving a guy like Hall.

There's no denying that Adam Larsson is a dependable guy with a lot of promise and talent, but he is yet to show it whilst Taylor Hall has been a constant threat offensively on an Oilers organisation that has been awful for a few seasons. I feel like the Oilers will regret this trade, especially when they're likely to sign Milan Lucic to replace him. Puljujarvi will be a joker in the pack as well, the Oilers seem to be hinging on him to provide as well to replace Hall. That is a big ask on a recently drafted player.

As if that trade wasn't enough, the Montreal Canadiens outdid the Oilers by traded PK Subban to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Shea Weber. Both players are great defencemen and have great assets to their game. They both play defence well and have booming shots that make them a huge threat to opposition teams. However, I feel Subban is a better player.

There are minor signs last year that Weber is declining in the nuances of the game such as possession and corsi chances for and against. He is also on a much longer contract than Subban and it carries him into his late 30's and early 40's. That's a really troubling area for any player as some can really drop off that late and not recover causing their team problems.

Subban's contract however runs through until he is 33 years old, meaning he will be, ideally for Nashville, coming out of his peak years. The actual money in Subban's contract is slightly greater than Webers at $58m to $54m but the length makes it a real win for the Predators.

I think the biggest affect in this trade though would be the effect on the local charities and community in Montreal that PK Subban was a huge contributor to. He gave a lot of time and money to great causes and whilst in his goodbye message he said he would continue, there are going to be some upset people, upset at losing such a great member of their community and someone who generally helped any way he can. Shea Weber could no doubt end up doing the same but the community grew up with PK Subban, so much so that a wing of a local Children's Hospital is named after him. There will be some wounds there, but over time they'll heal.

All in all, I think the Canadiens and Oilers made bad moves that don't help them going forward and will cause them headaches going down the line. But, I guess we will have to see if this holds up.

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Penguins announce development camp

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced their development camp roster, set to begin tomorrow, today. It has a mix of players currently under contract with the Penguins or Wilkes-Barre Penguins, players drafted by the Penguins and unattached free agents. The camp isn't expected to give much information about who we should sign but if a player performs well he can get a spot in the system and then go from there. A couple of years ago the Penguins had Andrej Sustr in camp and he now plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Penguins announced the roster with 4 goaltenders, 18 forwards and 13 defencemen. Included are four of the players selected in the 2016 draft, Gustavsson, Connor Hall, Niclas Almari and Joseph Masonius. Masonius attended last year, not attending are Bjorkqvist and Jones.

Penguins prospects not attending for various reasons are Daniel Sprong, Jean-Sebastien Dea, Dominik Simon and Josh Archibald. Sprong is injured and the others were involved in a lengthy season, they need some rest and will be back for pre-season camp.

There are four unattached free agents on defence attending. Neal Goff from the NCHC who had 5 points and 24 PIM's in 36 games for Western Michigan. Robert Michel and Matt Petgrave are attending from Maine (HE) and New Brunswick (AUS) respectively. The last unattached defenceman is Dylan Zink, a 23 year old who played last season for Umass-Lowell and had 24 points in 39 games.

On forward there are a handful more, without going into detail the most intriguing are probably Reid Gardiner an overager from Prince Albert who had 92 points in 71 games last season and Cameron Hebig who had 69 points in 59 for Saskatoon. There are a handful others and I may go into more detail on another date. The only other notable is Austin Lemieux, Mario's son. He plays in the USHL but is likely there just as a warm body.

It is best not to look too much into camp but we might see one or two signed as there are spaces in Wilkes-Barre and Wheeling.

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Penguins trade Bennett, draft six

The Pittsburgh Penguins were inactive yesterday in day one of the  NHL draft but had a handful of picks to use today, in Day 2. They managed to pick up a third round pick mid-way through the second round when they traded Beau Bennett to the New Jersey Devils for the 77th pick. Bennett will be joining up with Ray Shero who drafted him way back in 2010.

The Penguins looked and picked mostly defence during the draft but they started it with a goaltender from Sweden by the name of Filip Gustavsson. Gustavsson was named the top goaltender in the U-18 Championship for Sweden, where he won silver. He currently plays for Lulea Jr. in Sweden's Jr league but Pittsburgh said they had him down as the best goaltender in the draft. His skills at rebound control are similar to Murray.

Pittsburgh took a Finnish forward with their second pick, their second in the round and the 77th overall. Kasper Bjorkvist currently plays for the Espoo Blues Jr team in Finland's Jr league and scored 66 points in 45 games for them last season whilst also representing Finland internationally. He is heading to America to attend Providence College so we will be able to see more of him this season. Pittsburgh's scouting team suggested he is only two years from being able to turn pro.

Pittsburgh then went with defence, starting with the 77th overall pick they got in the trade for Beau Bennett. After heading to Scandinavia for their first two picks the Penguins returned to the hotbed of Canada and the OHL. Here, they picked Connor Hall from the Kitchener Rangers. Hall played 39 games last year and put up 2 goals and 7 assist. He also appeared in Canada's U-18 team so had promise.

Pittsburgh then turned to Crown Point native Ryan Jones from the USHL for their next pick. A defenceman as well, he played 60 games for the Lincoln Stars last year and put up 30 points in that span, that put him up as the highest scoring defenceman in the team and fifth overall. He has committed to the University of Nebraska-Omaha next season.

Niclas Almari was the next player to be picked as the Penguins hopped back over to Finland for their second Finn. Almari played in the same league as Bjorkvist but for Jokerit's Jr team. He also played internationally at the U-18 tournament and mentioned that he is a friend of Bjorkvists.

Last but not least, the Penguins turned to their 6th round pick and selected Joseph Masonius. He attended the Penguins development camp in July last year. He is currently attending college at the University of Connecticut where he scored 21 points in 34 games.

It is going to be interesting to watch this group develop as there is a wide range of players there from different backgrounds. With three players in the NCAA they should be easier to watch and keep an eye on.

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NHL release schedule

The NHL have released the schedule for the 100th NHL season of operation and 99th of play. The season will start later than usual due to the World Cup of Hockey taking place in late September. This means it will start on October 13th and finish on April 15th 2017.

It was already announced yesterday that the Penguins would start their season and raise the new Stanley Cup banner against the Washington Capitals on October 13th. They will play the Rangers first in a home and home series between November 21st and November 23rd. The Tampa Bay Lightning will return to the scene of their Game 7 defeat on 8th January after the Penguins week long break. Every team has one this season.

Lastly, the San Jose Sharks will entertain the Penguins in SAP Center early in the season on November the 5th with the return trip being penned in for October 20th, even earlier. There are only 114 days until the new season, looking forward to it. Especially with it being the 50th year of the Penguins existence.

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Fleury question raises issues for the Penguins

One of the biggest stories as the Penguins Stanley Cup run ran unabated was the goaltending situation between Marc-Andre Fleury, the seasoned veteran, and the unabashed and supremely confident rookie in Matt Murray. Murray's performances through the end of the season when Fleury was out with injury and in the play offs have raised questions about the Penguins goaltending situation going forward.

Marc-Andre Fleury is signed to a cap hit of $5.75m for the next three seasons, his contract will expire when he is 34 years old and is holds a No-Movement Clause. Matt Murray is a much cheaper and younger option at $620k for this season and only 22. As soon as the Stanley Cup was hoisted there were news reports that Fleury had indicated a desire to be traded, which indicates he is willing to waive his NMC if he feels the trade is appreciable for his career.

The Penguins have pressing cap concerns with the team currently being around $2.4m over the cap. They do have the luxury of LTIR'ing Pascal Dupuis before the season starts for $3.75m of cap relief. This would give the Penguins around $1.35m in cap space at the start of the season. This makes trading Fleury a priority, as otherwise, we would struggle to fill out a roster and would have to keep it the same as it is mostly.

The Penguins need to be smart when trading Fleury though, they need to do it and get a back-up in for Murray if possible. I think that as good as Murray has been, he isn't ready to be a starter yet and should be slowly phased in over this season. Splitting the season with a competent back-up this season makes the most sense. The ideal player would have a 1 year contract, so that next year, depending on progress, Jarry could take the back-up spot. If the Penguins can't get a trade with a back-up coming the other way, then there are targets available in free agency who could share the load this season.

In terms of trade targets there are two teams that I think are the only realistic destinations. The Calgary Flames and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Flames are in a more demanding need for goaltending but there are fewer pieces that the Penguins would be interested in. The Leafs are a much more viable target and a deal around Jonathan Bernier is much more realistic I think than some I have seen. Any deal involving Bernier would the Leafs to retain some salary as well I think, around 15-20% would be enough. His contract is only for one year so his salary at around $3.5m after retention would be something the Penguins could cope with.

Away from trade targets there are a few veteran targets the Pens could go for in the free agency market should they choose to trade Fleury and not receive a goaltender in return. There are two goaltenders, who would be available for a low cost, that I think the Penguins should look at. Al Montoya and Carter Hutton.

Al Montoya is currently with the Panthers and on the end of a 2 year deal worth $1.05m a year. Montoya has been with the Panthers for two seasons now since being signed in free agency after leaving the Winnipeg Jets. He struggled in his first season posting a 3.01 GAA and a .892 SV% but rebounded alongside the improved Panthers last season with a 2.18 GAA and a .919SV%. 

Carter Hutton is looking to leave the Nashville Predators after they extended Mazanec and is looking for an open spot. Hutton has been a good back-up to Pekka Rinne over the last four seasons with his most impressive season being the year just gone where he posted a 2.33GAA and a .918SV%.

Out of the two above I would be more comfortable with Hutton. He is likely going to be cheaper than  Montoya and has played on a team with a better quality defence than the Panthers have. The Pens defence is one of the best in league and I think he could do well behind it. I think either would be okay for their veteran presence and any help they give Murray but Hutton's experience with the Predators tips him over Montoya's with the Panthers.

In all, there are a few options for the Penguins future in goal. Whether it is either by a trade or by a free agency signing after trading Fleury, it will likely happen in the next fortnight as the longer the  Penguins wait the harder to move Fleury and get that cap space it will be. The highest bet is that he is traded as the draft next weekend.

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How the Penguins won the Cup

The Penguins enjoyed their parade today and they completely deserved all the adulation that was being thrust their way. The first title in seven years for the Penguins and the City knew how to party, throwing one of the best parades in a long while. The look on some of the players face just showed how much it meant to them.

The Penguins have endured a hard play offs through four gruelling rounds and 24 games to claim Lord Stanley's Cup at the end. The series against the Rangers feels a long time ago, it was only two months ago but it feels a lot longer. I guess watching so many high stakes games will do that to you.

Usually all teams that win the Cup are up against the cap and that was no different with the Penguins this year, especially after the acquisition of Phil Kessel in the offseason last year. Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston can also attest to the cap tightness. The Penguins however built their team differently to those.

Sure, the Penguins had their go to guys, their stars. Crosby, Letang, Malkin for example. Players that have been there ages and are called upon to make the difference night in, night out. But the difference with the Penguins was the number of players who experienced their first NHL experience this year or weren't even on the roster last year.

The whole third line, the HBK line, were elsewhere last year. Phil Kessel at Toronto, Carl Hagelin with the Ducks and Nick Bonino in Vancouver. That is a big part of the roster and it shows how well Jim Rutherford has done this season to quickly build a team capable of contending. He has removed the grinders and those who were unreliable and replaced them with quality. Daley, Schultz and Hagelin were all acquired during the season.

Despite the large abundance of younger players on the team the veteran in Matt Cullen added a real different type of player, one the Penguins have been crying for in Craig Adams place the last few seasons. Cullen has had a superb season at the age of 39 and it wouldn't surprise me to see him retire. Can you think of a better way to go out? Mentioning veterans we have to mention Pascal Dupuis and his third cup, despite being injured for a long time. He won't be on the Cup straight away but the Penguins will petition for his name to be included and he will be added.

The rookies on the team did a superb job and did much more than anyone could have predicted. With Fleury ruled out long term you could forgive people for being worried about putting Murray in. He had a few games but no experience in the play offs at this level. Murray stood up and it is likely he takes Fleury's job next year. When you add in the scoring and speed of the likes of Rust, Sheary and Kuhnhackl you get the depth needed and the depth that is incredibly hard to stop.

The Penguins have been lucky this season. They were lucky that when they needed goals their rookies in Rust and Sheary stepped up. There were definitely some games were the puck luck went the Penguins way too but when you're champions those things go your way.

I've enjoyed this run and I won't even forget it. The season is now over and we now have to look forward to the draft and free agency. Will the Penguins repeat? Who knows, I hope so.

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Jones stands tall to take Penguins to Game 6

The Pittsburgh Penguins missed out on the opportunity to win the first championship on home ice and the first title for a Pittsburgh team in Pittsburgh for over 40 years. Instead, the Sharks were able to pull out a win thanks to a strong performance from Martin Jones and a rough start by Murray.

Matt Murray has been superb for the Penguins in these play offs but he had probably the worst start of his professional career, allowing the Sharks two early goals to give them a real leg up. A bit awkward that he had a street named after him for the day. It took Brent Burns just over a minute to give the Sharks the lead.

Brent Burns manoeuvred around Justin Schultz to give him an open shot and slide the puck past Matt Murray short side, one of his weakest points. The Sharks captured on their early dominance to race to a 2-0 lead. Couture continued his charge as the play-offs points leader with a neat tip on Justin Braun's point shot that flummoxed Murray.

The Penguins were playing catch up now and they had to respond. They did so in quite a fashion. Evgeni Malkin scoring on a power play after waiting out the defence to open the shot. Just 22 second later, it was tied. Carl Hagelin scoring off a tip on a Nick Bonino shot up close. Just like that the game was level.

The Sharks exited the first with the lead though after Melker Karlsson tucked one through Murray's legs. From that point out it was the Jones show. The Penguins pressed and pressed and by the end of it they had over 44 shots. But, the Sharks held firm and were able to prevent the Penguins from scoring again. Pavelski scored an empty netter to confirm it.

The Penguins will be disappointed with their performance, no doubt. This is a team that has responded time and time again after a loss in these play offs and they will need to again to avoid a Game 7 at home. No-one in the Penguins camp wants that. Rather annoyingly the league has scheduled three day gaps so we'll have to wait until Sunday night to see if the Penguins can finish it off, finally.

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Resilient performance leads Pens to a 3-1 lead

The  Penguins can become champions on Thursday night after beating the San Jose Sharks 3-1 at the SAP center last night. They can become the first Pittsburgh sports team to win the title on their home turf in Pittsburgh in a long time. But, there is still another game to play at least and the Sharks will push.

The Penguins came into this game after a tough loss in game 3 in over time with a point to prove. After losses Murray was unbeaten and dominant in some big games, most notably Game 6 in the Tampa Bay series. The Sharks were expected to come into this game with a big push to tie the series but they seemed a bit slow and tired compared to previous games.

The Penguins controlled the first period and it where grateful to Martin Jones kicking out a rebound to Ian Cole with just over 7 minutes played in the period. Cole shot the puck as it was bobbling to score his first goal of the play offs and ended his 105 game goalless streak. He couldn't have really picked a better time. The game settled down for the rest of the period and was quite chippy but the Penguins held on.

The next goal didn't appear until early in the second period. The Penguins were given their second power play of the evening. Geno had made a few comments before the game about how he needed to take control of the power play and for the second time in these play offs he followed on his promises. After some neat work on the blue line to keep it in Kessel took a shot. Malkin positioned himself next to the post and tapped it in to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead.

The Penguins kept that lead until 8 minutes into the third period when Melker Karlsson scored to finally break Murray for the Sharks. The Sharks could smell blood and pressured the Penguins heavily in the third period. As a result they were able to finish with more shots than the Penguins in the series but they failed to make them count. The Penguins retreated and were able to block a large number of the Sharks chances.

Eric Fehr stuck the dagger into the Sharks hopes at tying the game after Hagelin did an excellent job in keeping the job in the zone right on the line. He spotted Fehr racing into an open lane and passed the puck across. Fehr rifled the shot past Jones to send the Penguins into delirium. The Penguins held on the for the rest of the game and took a 3-1 lead.

With the next game on Thursday I think the Penguins will end it, I hope they do anyway. The chance to win the Stanley Cup at home doesn't come around often. I predict the big guys will step up. This whole team deserves it and I hope it happens.

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Donskoi downs Pens to give Sharks life

The Penguins were a goal away from going up 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final last night but couldn't deliver the winning goal, allowing Donskoi to deliver for the Sharks to give them life and to make the series 2-1 going into Monday's Game 4. Which is now huge. That game is going to see both teams giving it their all.

The Penguins started the game fairly slowly and the Sharks had a few chances but couldn't get any shots off early. The Penguins again were able to outshoot their opponents but failed to get any real quality chances unlike the Sharks. The Sharks are getting quality over quantity and taking their chances, something the Pens could learn from.

The Penguins were lucky to get the lead after a shot by Lovejoy from the line found its way in through Jones. You could have thought that the Pens would put the pressure on and take the game by the scruff but the Sharks came right back and continued to pressure the Penguins defence. Murray had to stand up time and time again. He couldn't do much about Braun's goal where he was screened by his own player, Letang. Based on the periods play though, the Pens would have taken a 1-1 tie going into the first intermission.

The Sharks desire to get on the board really showed in the second period with them dominating the possession of the puck and looking to challenge Murray high up. Despite the Sharks having 9 shots to the Penguins 6. The Penguins managed to edge a lead right at the end of the period. Lovejoy, playing his game of the play offs, took a shot on net which was redirected in by Hornqvist and fooled Jones late. Somehow, Pittsburgh were 2-1 up.

The Penguins just had to see out the third period, a big ask, but do-able. Despite the Sharks only having 7 shots in the third period, they made it count. Joe Thornton sticked up high and earned the Sharks a 4 minute power play. Pittsburgh were able to play the penalty kill superbly and limit the Sharks to just 4 shots on the whole power play, they were unable to stop Joel Ward straight after it expired blasting one from far out in the zone.

Murray should have had that one, it was far out enough to react but it just slipped through. The first bad goal that Murray has given up in a short while. Murray should have maybe done better on Donskoi's over time winner too. The puck was behind the net and Donskoi skated around before turning and firing a shot on his release. The puck went high, Murray's weak spot and crept in. I think Murray was expecting a shot down low and he seemed surprised it found its way in.

Being honest, if you had told me that the Penguins would go into this series with a chance to make it 3-0 in over time of Game 3 I would have taken it. It is 2-1 but the Penguins can respond in Game 4 with the chance of making Game 5 a potential elimination game for the Sharks. Lets go Pens!

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Sheary sends Pens closer to victory

Conor Sheary has had an excellent season. It started with him playing in Wilkes-Barre Scranton and started his stint with the Penguins shortly after Sullivan was hired. Sheary joined on the 15th December and after a decent rookie season with 7 goals and 3 assists in 44 games he has improved in the play offs. Sheary currently has 4 goals and 5 assists in 19 post season games.

The Sharks going into this game were saying all the right things, mentioning the need to make adjustments and you could sense that they would come out all guns blazing to tie the series up going back to San Jose. But, based on the first period, you would be forgiving for thinking that. Pittsburgh again controlled the first period limiting the Sharks to just 6 shots. The Penguins could have taken the lead on the power play after Paul Martin committed a delay of game penalty but the Penguins power play sucks.

The Penguins pressure comes from their speed and depth. Once you think you have gotten rid of one player, another takes their place and continues the forecheck. This was evidenced perfectly on Phil Kessel's opening goal just over 8 minutes into the second period. Dillon was caught on the puck and stripped by Bonino. His pass met Hagelin who managed to pull Jones out of his crease, his cross pass to Kessel gave him an open goal to score into.

The Penguins continued to out do the Sharks on the shot count but the Sharks dug deep, they were perhaps unlucky not to score earlier than the second period through Hertl's diving wrap-around which came off the post. However, they did level the game through Justin Braun with just 4 minutes left. Braun's father in law passed away recently so the emotion for him must have been something. The game really could have gone any way from that point but the Penguins did enough to win it in overtime.

The Penguins had to take their timeout early in the overtime period due to early pressure by the Sharks. But, it was won on a play set up by Crosby off an offensive zone face-off. After winning the draw Crosby played it back to Letang who, instead of shooting, passed it to Sheary into an open spot. His shot went over the shoulder of Jones and into the top right of the net to send the arena into a pandemonium and give the Penguins a 2-0 lead.

The Penguins deserve to be up 2-0. Their speed is giving the Sharks fits but this series is far from over. The Sharks could easily win both games at the SAP Center. They've only lost two games there in the play offs this season. The Penguins are a strong team away from home though. If the Pens win Game 3, then I think we can start believing.

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