Senators at Penguins - First Period - 12-23-09
FIRST PERIOD
19:19: Mike Rupp, starting on a line with Sidney Crosby and Maxime Talbot, picks up a puck just outside the blue line, gains the zone, races up the right wing and releases a wrister which Leclaire fights off.
18:21: Tyler Kennedy controls a puck behind the net and one-touches it to Jordan Staal moving in from the left wing. Staal chops at the puck but it hops up on him.
17:43: Cooke blocks a slapper from the right point.
17:36: After Daniel Alfredsson gets away with a bit of a hold on Brooks Orpik and hauls him down, Milan Michalek picks up the loose puck on the left wing. He zips a wrister on net. Fleury maeks that save. The rebound hops into the slot where Peter Regin jumps on it and lifts it right into Fleury's glove.
17:33: Off the ensuing facoeff, Chris Phillips chops a slapper from the left point. Fleury snags that.
16:50: Chris Kunitz forces a puck up ice and appears to having the makings of a breakaway. Just as he's about to approch the net Phillips hooks him up a bit. No call. Kunitz tgries to retrieve the rebound behidn the cage and is held up by Phillips. That's a call. Phillips is sent off for holding. Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Bill Guerin, Matt Cooke and Sergei Gonchar take the ice.
16:42: Crosby snaps off a wrister from the left half wall. Cooke is in front and deflects it high.
16:10: Gonchar lobs a wrister at the cage from the top of the slot. It hits someone in front. There's a mad scramble but no on can get a shot off.
15:44: Crosby takes a cross ice pass from Malkin int he left faceoff circle and snaps off a wrister which clunks off the far post.
15:23: The new and improved power play is back. Crsoby controls the puck on the right half wall drwas a few devenders in and zips a pss to Malkion on the opposite half wall. Malkin takes the pass and rips a low wrister that beats Leclaire down low. Malkin celebrates with a fist pump. The rest of Mellon Arena celebrates with the "Hey Song." Crosby and Gonchar get the assists Penguins 1-0.
14:59: Before everyone can get comfortable, the Penguins take a penalty. Rupp is nabbed for hooking. Talbot, Staal, Orpik Ndn McKee take the ice.
14:40: Filip Kuba directs a half slapper on net from the left point. It hits a body and deflects on net. Fleury makes the save. Jonathan Cheechoo is there for the rebound but before he can do anything with it, he's run over by Orpik in the crease. The hit dislodges the net and halts play.
14:26: Craig Adams forces the puck down ice to kill some time.
13:52: Fleury fights off a wrister from the left point by Ryan Shannon. The rebound hops to Alex Kovalev on the left half wall. He has a clear net to shoot at but he manages to somehow whack it behind the far post and Fleury and hits the far boards. Tretiak waves his hands in disbelief.
12:59: Rupp's penalty is killed. Solid effort by the Penguins.
12:34: Malkin coasts up the left wing and dishes the puck into the slot. Kunitz crashes in feet first and seem to direct the puck on net. Leclaire holds it out. Kunitz, from his butt, put his hands up to celebrate but an official immediate waves off the "goal."
11:59: Kovalev steals a sloppy outlet pass from the great Martin Skoula in the Penguins' zone, moves in and rips a wrister from the right wing far and wide.
11:07: Crosby moves off the right wing towards the slot. As he's about to release a wrister, Anton Volchenkov hooks him. Play continues as the Penguins maintain control of the puck.
10:51: The Senators finally get control of the puck and play is halted. Gonchar, Guerin, Malkin, Crosby and Cooke take the ice.
10:42: Guerin controls the puck on the left wing and snaps off a wrister which Leclaire gloves.
10:22: Malkin takes a pass at the left point, moves in and fires a slapper that gets deflected wide.
10:03: Malkin snaps off a wrister from the left half wall that Leclaire fights off.
9:44: Malkin's playing with a purpose tonight. He moves in to the slot and snapsoff a backhander that gets deflected wide.
8:48: Just as the penalty to Volchenkov espires, Ruslan Fedotenko rips a wrister high from the left wing that misses the mark. The Penguins were very strong that two minutes.
8:05: Kennedy hustles up the right wing and snaps off a wrister which Kuba deflects.
6:55: Off a clean faceoff win by Regin against Adams in the Penguins' zone, Volchenkov blasts a one-timer that beats Fleury from the top of the slot. THat was a pretty clean goal. Regin gets the only assist. Russians are apparently the only ones able to score tonight. Penguins 1, Senators 1.
5:13: Kovalev controls the puck behind the net, fighting off a check from Letang. He emerges to the right of the cage, he slides a pass to Kuba at the left point
4:52: Kuba chops a slapper from the left point that gets deflected wide by Fedotenko.
4:30: On a delayed penalty. MIchalek re-directs a feed from the right wing on net from the slot. Fleury makes the save and covers the rebound. Michalek digs for the puck. Kunitz takes exception and battles with Michalek. Fedotenko is nabbed for roughing. Mercifully, the Penguins gets a television stoppage. The Senators controlled the puck in the Penguins' zone for at least a minute. Staal, Gonchar,
4:10: Adams catches Daniel Alfredsson in the corner with a shoulder to the chin. Alfredsson goes down and his helmet comed dislodged. Play is halted as Michalek jumps Adams and they wrestle on the ice. As officials try to separate those two, Alfredsson recovers and immediately goes down the ramp to his team locker room. We don't think Adams intentionally went after the head there, but he sure has heck made contact. That should be a penalty, plain and simple. We don't care if the intent is there or not. Intention should not matter. It doesn't with other penalties. Why should this be any different. As it is, Michalek is the only one to gake a penalty. Four on four for 1:40.
3:26: Kovalev takes a pass on the left wing, gets behind Crosby and sneaks in on net. He shoots five hole but Fleury closes the gates.
3:00: Vochenkov backhands a puck from the right half wall that flutters in on net. Fleury snags that.
2:35: Kuba snaps off a wrister from the left wing. Fleury collects it.
1:57: The Penguins scored... but wait.... no they don't. Crosby collects a puck shot in from the right point. It hits off the back boards and comes to Crosby. he dishes a pass to Malkin on the right of the crease. Malkin punches the puck in for an easy "goal" but it's waved off. Fedotenko is nabbed for slashing Phillips' stick in half. Staal, Adams, Orpik and McKee take the ice.
1:25: Kovalev cranks a bit slapper from the right wing. Fleury eats it up despite a heavy screen by Cheechoo.
1:18: Back to four-on-four. Cheechoo is called for boarding Letang behind the Penguins' net. Four-on-four for 1:20.
1:10: Off a nifty give-and-go, Crosby takes a pass from Malkin and snaps off a wrister from the right faceoff circle high and wide.
0:41: Malkin moves in off the right wing, towards teh slot and releases a wrister wihich Leclaire fights off.
0:27: Malkin gets dropped pretty convincingly by Phillips behidn the Senators' net.
0:00: End of period As teams leave the ice, Matt Carkner tries to start something with Cooke. Cooke doesn't bite.
FIRST INTERMISSION
-That was a really up and down period. The Penguins controlled the first half and the Senators slowly took back control.
-Both goaltenders have been sharp.
-Lots of special teams play this period. That has really seemed to stunt the flow of play.
-Malkin is energized by the new linemates and/or he knows Tretiak is in the house. Either way, he's playing his most inspired hockey in at least two weeks.
-The Senators actually have a huge 24-9 lead shots. That said, we wouldn't exactly call a ton of them high quality chances.
-Kovalev leads the game with five.
-Guerin and Malkin each lead the Penguins with three.
-Croby leads the game with 9:37 of ice time.
-Kuba leads the Senators with 9:27.
-The Senators have a 14-10 lead in faceoffs (58 percent).
-Regin is 4 for 5 (80 percent).
-Crosby is 5 for 9 (54 percent).
-Kuba leads the game with three blocked shots.
-Dupuis leads the Penguins with two.
-Ironically enough, Tretiak is sitting above the Herb Brooks sign on the Ring of Honor on the west end of the arena.