Coyotes 4, Penguins 1 - 10-31-08

PREGAME

-Sidney Crosby's "butt" goal is replayed almost right off the bat:

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4o6M7zO4s4]
 
The obvious Crosby-Gretzky comparison starts almost immediately as well.

-The Penguins' scratches are Darryl Sydor, Pascal Dupuis and Paul Bissonnette.

-There goes our Bissonnette-Daniel Carcillo fight prediction.

-Keith Yandle and Brian McGrattan are the Coyotes' scratches.

-Ilya Bryzgalov and Marc-Andre Fleury are the starting goaltenders.

-Tyler Kennedy totally cuts Dan Potash off during the pregame interview. Jerk. We don't feel quite as bad for making fun of his nose now.

-The Consol Energy commercial where that guy flips the switch stays on for 13 minutes.

-Plenty of empty seats in Jobing.com Arena. Something tells us that wouldn't happen in Winnipeg.

-Chris Minard makes his season debut for the Penguins. He will wear No. 32. The last Penguin to wear that number was Alain Nasreddine. Of course, the greatest Penguin to wear that number was the great Dick Tarnstrom.


 
FIRST PERIOD

18:53: Paul Steigerwald reminds us that Coyotes defenseman Zbynek Michalek and Sharks forward Milan Michalek are brothers. We so bet the "Michaleks are brothers" is the "Staals are brothers" of the Pacific Division.

16:40: Olli Jokinen tosses a puck into the crease from the boards. Fleury punches it away.

16:03: Derek Morris fires a slapper from the right point. Minard blocks it.

15:43: Bob Errey makes a comment about Kyle Turris being fed cheesecake by the wife of Darren Pang, the Coyotes' television broadcaster. We can't imagine Pang being married for some reason. We totally see him living in a tree making cookies and screaming "Jumping Jesus!" all the time.

14:02: Steven Reinprecht works the puck out of the corner and zips a quick shot low on net. Fleury covers it up.

13:53: Maxime Talbot works the puck down the left wing and centers it into the crease for Miroslav Satan. Satan tries to shoot it but Mikkel Boedker does a marvelous job backchecking and breaks up the pass.

12:19: It's apparently Sunday night on 3WS as "Shout" by the Isley Brothers is played:

 [View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL9xOLpwI0I]

12:15: Right off the faceoff, Carcillo blocks a shot from the point by Alex Goligoski. It deflects out of play.

9:33: Ken Klee swats a slapper from the right point. Jordan Staal blocks it.

8:43: Ed Jovanovski puts a shot on net. Fleury makes the save despite traffic. Carcillo tries to poke in the rebound but it goes wide.

7:18: Brooks Orpik completely runs over Viktor Tikhonov at the Penguins' blue line.

7:11: Evgeni Malkin gets sloppy with the puck behind his own net. Kyle Turris almost takes advantage of a turnover and tries to jam the puck in. Fleury holds it out with his left foot.

6:24: Steigerwald mentions that the Penguins are getting outshot 7-0 at this point. Good to see those line changes working out.

5:45: Maxime Talbot and David Hale discuss the ramifications of Hustler Magazine v. Falwell. We think.

5:15: Going into commercial, Steigerwald calls out Staal slightly as he mentions Staal has gone 18 consecutive regular season games without a goal while averaging 25 shifts per game this season which is tops on the Penguins. Hmm... Coming back from commercial, clips of Coyotes assistant coach and former Penguin Ulf Samuelsson battering Bruins great Cam Neely are shown. Then Bob Errey says Neely "had" to go into "Dumb and Dumber" because of Samuelsson.

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUvV0BOiE6E]
 
-Quality.

4:35: On a delayed penalty Peter Mueller takes a nice feed from a teammate and directs a pass onto the net. Fleury is able to slide over and kick it out. Fantastic save.

4:27: Leave it to the great Mike Zigomanis to get the Penguins' first shot on goal. Shorthanded, he pushes the puck up ice and blasts a slapper five hole on Bryzgalov who were forgot was actually playing in this game. Bryzgalov hangs on and freezes play.

3:44: Steigerwald refers to Jovanoski by his nick name "Jovocop." We've never understood why that's his nickname. "Tyler The Tiger" makes more sense.

2:30: Someone break out the record book! The Penguins are up to two shots! That has to be some sort of record. Orpik comes won the right wing and fires a wrister that Bryzgalov fights off.

1:34: Boedker blasts a drop pass on net. Fleury shuffles it aside.

0:57: Klee tosses a wrister towards the net. Fleury makes a save but gives up a rebound. The Coyotes can get a stick on it though.

0:00: End of period. Coyotes 0, Penguins 0.

FIRST INTERMISSION

-Well that was ugly. The Penguins were outshot 12-2 that period. Ick.

-Hale and Reinprecht lead the game with two blocked shots each.

-The Penguins had a 9-5 advantage in faceoffs.

-The great Mike Zigomanis was 4-for-4 against his former team.

-Can we call this Zigmanis' Revenge?

-Hopefully for the Coyotes, this is nothing like Montezuma's Revenge.

-Jovanovski leads the game with 8:25 of ice time.

Mark Eaton, who hasn't exactly been all that sharp, leads the Penguins with 7:20.

-While being interviewed by Potash, Minard flashes up a beautiful hockey smile:



-Does that look say "idiot henchman" to anyone else?

-Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" is busted out prior to the start of the period:

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvkKX035484]

SECOND PERIOD

19:47: Right away, Ruslan Fedotenko attacks the net with a backhander. Bryzgalov keeps it out with his left toe.

19:14: Orpik deflects a shot by Mueller out of play.

18:16: Malkin grabs a puck in the corner, moves to the net and tries to jam it in. Bryzgalov stands his ground.

17:38: Malkin steals the puck off an awful pass by Jovanovski. Malkin tries to deke by Morris but falls. He still manages to push a shot on net. Bryzgalov makes the initial save but makes the save. Matt Cooke picks up the loose puck and centers it for Petr Sykora who puts a shot on net. Bryzgalov says no. Malkin tries to poke it by Bryzgalov and does, but the whistle had blown. No goal.

16:18: Kevin Porter uses a Penguin as a screen and whips a wrister. Fleury shuffles it aside.

13:09: Orpik is called for interference.

13:52: Some stupid coyote howl sound effect accompanies the announcement that Phoenix is on a power play.

13:45: Jokinen punches a quick shot on net. Fleury eats it up.

13:17: Crosby zips up ice with the puck shorthanded, blows by Jovanovski and puts a shot to Bryzgalov's stick side. The Coyotes goaltender fights it off.

12:38: Off a turnover by Eaton, Jokinen gets a shot off from in tight. Fleury stands tall.

12:07: Michalek fires a slapper from the point. It misses the mark. Doan collects the rebound and backhands it into the crease. Jokinen punches the rebound in by a prone Fleury. Eaton failed to account for Jokinen on that play. A coyote howl with Joe Satriani's "Crowd Chant" is played. Orpik's penalty had expired so it was not a power-play goal. Coyotes 1-0.

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ3SS38haRw]

11:44: Malkin steals a puck off Hale, zooms by him and gets a backhander off. Bryzgalov fights it off.

11:41: Hale is called for interference.

11:30: It's always better to be lucky than good right? Malkin bombs a one-timer from the right point. It totally misses the net but ricochets into the crease off the backboards. Satan is just to the left of the crease but lunges to poke it in by an out of place Bryzgalov. That was a little lucky, but it was pretty. Coyotes 1, Penguins 1.

10:38: Jokinen blasts a slapper from the left wing. Letang appears to get a piece of it as the shot sails over the net.

8:42: Malkin takes a pass in the slot and tries to move around Jovanovski. Jovanovski holds his ground for the most part, but Malkin is still able to put the puck on net. Bryzgalov with the save.

8:15: Bryzgalov makes a stick save on a shot by Kris Letang.

7:48: Minard has a nice opportunity on in the slot. His shot is blocked by Jovanovski.

7:31: Minard pumps a shot from the left wing. Brzygalov kicks it out.

6:48: Turris tosses a shot on net from the right wing. Fleury knocks it away.

6:30: Bryzgalov covers the puck in the crease. Talbot digs for a potential rebound. A few Coyotes converge on him to protect their goaltender. This the first real skirmish of the game.

5:33: Sykora charges into the offensive zone and slides a pass into slot. Malkin picks it up, moves to the backhand and tries to put it buy Brzygalov. The goaltender's left foot juuust keeps it out of the net. Nice save. Coming out of commercial, Steigerwald mentions that the Penguins have 12 shots this period already while the Coyotes only have six.

5:09: Michalek is called for hooking.

4:48: Malkin blasts a slapper from the left point. Brzygalov stops it with a "thud."

4:41: Crosby sneaks a shot on net from the right wing. Bryzgalov kicks it out with his right leg.

3:49: Satan takes a pass from Crosby in the crease and shuffles a shot on net. Brzygalov covers it up.

3:31: Boedker steals the puck at the Coyotes' blue line and works his way behind the Penguins' defense. Letang is able to keep pace with him, lunges and pokes the puck off Boedker's blade. Fantastic defensive play by Letang.

3:09: Michalek's penalty expires.

2:48: Staal is called for boarding a Coyote in the corner. FSN Pittsburgh puts a graphic up showing the Penguins now have a 19-18 edge in shots.

2:19: Rob Scuderi interrupts a centering pass in the crease and deflects it away. The great Mike Zigomanis scoops it up and clears.

2:01: A little bad luck and a defensive breakdown leads to a Coyotes goal. Hal Gill tries to clear a puck dumped into the corner but puts it into a trailing Shane Doan. Reinprecht swoops in and picks up the puck and gets Scuderi to commit. That leaves Doan wide open. Reinprecht gives him the puck and Doan fires it into an open cage. Coyotes 2-1.

1:45ish: Fedotenko whips a one-timer on net. Bryzgalov eats it up.

0:42: Cooke chips a shot high on net. Bryzgalov gloves it. Errey mentions that Gretzky can be seen on the bench wearing a tie that benefits the Hockey Fights Cancer tie. Errey calls it "his cancer tie." We're not going to crack a joke about cancer, but that sounded very awkward.

0:00: End of period. Coyotes 2, Penguins 1.

SECOND INTERMISSION

-The Penguins clearly played a lot better in that period but ended up with a one-goal deficit. Regardless, the were a lot more aggressive on offense, especially on the power play.

-Shots are even, 20-20.

-Someone must've said something to Malkin. He leads the game with nine shots.

-Jokinen leads the Coyotes with five.

-The Penguins lead in faceoffs, 20-16.

-Zigomanis' revenge is in full effect as he is 6-for-7 in faceoffs.

-Jovanovski leads the game with 16:44 of ice time.

-Letang leads the Penguins with 14:55.

-Mike Yeo gets some face time:



(That's a video tape in the corner of that picture. You're parent used them in the 1980s and in most of the 1990s.)

THIRD PERIOD

19:05: Eaton sneaks in from the left point and rips a wrister. It hits a body in front and deflects away.

17:33: Michalek blasts a slapper from outside the Penguins' blue line. Fleury kicks it aside. Daniel Winnick picks it up and tosses it on net from the left wing. Fleury makes another save.

16:44: Kennedy cruises down the right wing and fires a wrister that totally misses the net.

15:49: Satan sweeps a backhander on net from the slot. Bryzgalov strikes it away with his stick.

15:23: The Coyotes are called for too many men on the ice. Gretzky goes ballistic.

14:54: Goligoski loses the puck at the Coyotes' blue line. Winnick pushes it up ice and dishes it to Doan. Malkin gets back for the Penguins. Doan tries to dish it back to Winnick but Malkin is able to break it up.

14:49: Malkin tees up a big blast from the right point. Brzygalov is able to snag it up with his glove despite traffic. FSN Pittsburgh mentions that Malkin's nine shots in the second period broke Mario Lemieux's team record of six in one period.

14:33: Malkin blast another bomb from the point. It appears to hit a body and kicks back out.

13:33: Somehow the Coyotes generate their second two-on-one during the Penguins' power play. Tikhonov comes up ice with the puck with Winnick. Tikhonov elects to keep it. Letang is able to get down and make a block.

13:27: Kennedy tries to work the puck into the offensive zone and is tripped up by a Coyote. No call.

13:13: Coming back from commercial, Steigerwald mentions Crosby has left the bench.

12:23: Jovanovski blasts a slapper from the left point. It hits something on the way to the net and lands in the crease. Fleury covers it up before Doan can do any damage.

11:44: Boedker pins Talbot against the boards away from the puck. No call.

11:23: Carcillo runs Sykora from behind into the boards. What a stupid play. Malkin tries to go after Carcillo but an official gets between them. A scrum ensues in front of the Penguins' bench. Another official holds back Sykora who is incensed. What a stupid play. No only is that dangerous to Sykora's health, but why would Carcillo put the Penguins on the power play while they're down by a goal? Carcillo is a nice feisty player with some ability, but he's prone to stupid things like this. Errey mentions that Crosby will not return to the game.

11:17: The Coyotes just dug their hole a little deeper. Kurt Sauer jumps for a puck in the air and accidently tips it over the boards. Five-on-three for 1:54. The Penguins need to score here.

11:08: Winnick blocks a one-timer by Malkin at the point. Winnick stumbles for a bit.

10:59: A drive by Malkin is kicked out by Bryzgalov.

10:14: Sykora tosses a pass into the slot. Staal is there but can't get his blade on the puck. A franchise player buries that.

10:05: Satan is nailed for hooking then also gets a 10-minute misconduct. Geez. The Penguins will be without their best player and their top goal scorer for the rest of the game. The Penguins will still have a four-on-three for 42 seconds.

9:35: Goligoski pushes a soft shot to the then from the left faceoff circle. Bryzgalov eats it up easily.

9:23: Carcillo's penalty expires.

9:17: Hale's penalty expires. The Coyotes will have a power play for 1:11.

9:08: Somehow the Penguins give up a breakaway to Kurt flipping Sauer while killing a penalty. He shows his sublime offensive skills by completely missing the net. Actually, a replay shows Kris Letang getting back and possibly deflecting the shot. Letang has played a marvelous defensive game so far.

9:05: Jokinen drives a big blast just inside the Penguins' blue line. Fleury fights it off.

8:14: Talbot takes the puck into the corner in the Coyotes' zone and pins it against the boards. That essentially kills the rest of Satan's minor penalty.

7:22: Steigerwald mentions that Crosby's penalty "is not serious." So for all we know, he could have a dislocated head given how "honest" injury reports are in the NHL.

7:15: Fleury eats up a shot by Jovanoski.

6:44: Jokinen uses a Penguin as a screen and fires a low wrister. Fleury is able to fight it off.

6:13: Jovanoski blasts a slapper from the left wing. Fleury appears to get a piece of it and deflects it away.

5:11: Goligoski makes a poor pass into the neutral zone that Boedker intercepts. Boedker dishes it to Reinprect at the Penguins' blue line, Reinprect sneaks in from the right wing, completely undresses Goligoski and pushes a slight pass through the crease where Porter is able to bang it home by a helpless Fleury. Fantastic move by Reinprecht to create that goal. Goligoski looked very bad on that play. Coyotes 3-1.

3:51: Goligoski chips a backhander on net from the right wing. Bryzgalov knocks it down and covers it. During the stoppage, Steigerwald mentions that Orpik is in a class with Calgary's Dion Phaneuf as the top hitters in the league among defensemen. For what it's worth, we'd stick Montreal's Mike Komisarek in that company as well:

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPbzgJT5ZvA]

2:19: Sykora has a chance in the slot with an open shot. He fires but his stick breaks and the puck slides wide of the net.

1:24: Orpik tries to take out Todd Fedoruk just inside the blue line. Fedoruk avoids the bulk of the hit at the last moment but still gets spilled.

1:05: Fleury is pulled for an extra attacker.

0:58: Tikhonov flips a pass through the neutral zone to Doan at the Penguins' blue line. Doan knocks it down and tosses a backhander into the empty net for one of us. Coyotes 4-1.

0:44: Zigomanis zips a wrister on net from the right side. Bryzgalov fights it off.

0:00: End of game. Coyotes 4, Penguins 1.

POSTGAME

-Obviously there's something wrong with the team right now (no duh) on offense. Is it unfamiliarity with the constant line changes? Is it the injuries on defense? Is it poor coaching? It could be a combination of all three.

-Are we the only ones wondering if Miroslav Satan deserves more of a chance on Crosby's wing? It takes some time to for linemates to get acclimated with each other. Remember how long it took Marian Hossa to click with Crosby? Granted, injuries to each player probably caused that process to take longer than it should have, but Hossa really didn't start meshing with the Penguins' captain until the second round of the playoff against the Rangers. Satan deserves more than a handful of games as an audition with Crosby.

-The failure to score at least one goal with the two-man advantage late in the third was inexcusable. Anytime a team only has three players on the ice, you have to score. There's so much ice for those three to cover.

-We stated this before, but Kris Letang played a fantastic defensive game. He rescued the Penguins on more than a few odd-man rushes.

-Goligoski didn't have a great game, but you need to remember he's still a very raw rookie. The only reason he's in an NHL Penguins uniform is because of injuries to Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney. Otherwise, Goligoski would be in an AHL Penguins jersey.

-Fleury was solid but obviously got very little help.

-Bryzgalov was more than up to the challenge against a team that was willing to put a lot of puck on the net in the second and third periods.

-Its fashionable to say this after they won, but the Coyotes have a nice team. They could sneak in to the playoffs as a seventh or eighth seed. Their biggest problem is playing in the Pacific Division where there are three teams on paper (Anaheim, Dallas and San Jose) who you could consider Stanley Cup contenders.

-We're hardly blaming this for the Penguins' problems last night, but the ice appeared to be an issue last night. Several players had trouble staying on their skates.

-Phoenix had a 30-28 edge in shots.

-Malkin led the game with 10 shots.

-Jokinen led the Coyotes with seven.

-The Penguins had a 30-25 lead in faceoffs.

-The great Mike Zigomanis was 10-for-13 in the faceoff circle.

-Letang led the game with 23:24 of ice time.

-Jovanoski led Phoenix with 23:12.

-Letang and Orpik led the game with three blocked shots.

-Crosby is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

-Game summary.

-Event summary.

-Highlights.