Rangers at Penguins - Second Period - 11-28-09
SECOND PERIOD
19:43: Guerin is nabbed for hooking Avery. Cooke, Staal, Orpik and Gonchar take the ice.
19:01: Gonchar clunks a loose puck behind his net and off the boards and down the ice.
18:19: Callahan rips a wrister from the left wing to the far side. Fleury kicks it out with his left foot.
18:05: Drury smacks a slapper from the left point. Fleury stretches out and gloves the shot.
17:43: As Guerin's penalty expires, Pascal Dupuis moves up ice and gets loose on a breakaway. He approaches the net and roofs a wrister that clunks off the glass behind the net. If only that man had a shot. The Rangers generate a few shots there.
15:56: Attendance is announced as 17,122. It is the team's 131st consecutive sellout. It's actually ten tickets short of being a complete standing room sellout. Where are you ten jerks?
14:56: Off a turnover in the Penguins zone, Higgins chops a slapper from the left point. It totally misses the net.
14:28: Del Zotto rips a wrister from the left point. It hits off something in front and deflects juuuust wide.
14:02: Big-time saves by Fleury there. Drury makes a wonderful redirection off a wrister from the right point. It moves in on net. Fleury makes that tough save with his right foot. Higgins is there for the rebound but can't get it by Fleury. Fleury has bailed out the Penguins early in this period.
12:19: Avery swats a loose puck on net from a tough angle on the right wing. Prospal is in the crease and the puck hit his blade and deflects over the cage.
12:13: Prospal is nabbed for high sticking Gonchar. Crosby, Malkin, Goligoski, Gonchar and Guerin take the ice.
12:06: Goligoski moves a puck to Gonchar at the top of the slot. GOnchar smacks a one-timer. It hits a body in front and deflects into the corner.
11:17: Gonchar forces a pass from the left wing. Higgins intercepts it, turns and whips the puck down ice.
10:33: Eaton snaps off a wrister from the top of the slide wide.
10:22: Letang fires a one-timer from the half-wall on the left wing. Valiquette stops it.
10:19: Crosby blasts a slapper from the left faceoff circle. It hits a post and clunks out of play.
10:13: Prospal's penalty is killed.
7:52: From the left wing, Dupuis leaves a drop pass for Malkin. Malkin steps up and blasts a slapper on net. Valiquette knocks it down and covers to freeze play.
7:42: Prospal snaps off w rister from the right point. Fleury eats it up.
6:07: Goligoski snaps off a wrister from the right point. It hits a body in front and goes on net. Valiquette fights it off.
5:59: Rupp whips a wrister from the right wing that sails wide and far.
5:27: The Rangers get traffic in fron tof Fleury and narrow the Penguins' lead to one goal. Prospal distributes a pass from the boards to Gilroy at the right point. Gilroy grips and rips a wrister. Avery is in front and is causing all kinds of havoc for Fleury. Gonchar and Orpik don't help matters by trying to each body Avery away. With a three-man screen, Fleury can't locate Gilroy's shot and gets beat on the stick side. Prospal gets the assist. Avery should get one too. He set that goal up perfectly. Penguins 3-2.
4:31: Dupuis takes a pass in the slot and whips a wrister at the cage. It hits Del Zotto in the leg and hobbles him.
3:14: Del Zotto is nabbed for slashing Guerin. Crosby, Malkin, Goligoski and Gonchar take the ice.
2:25: Gonchar slides a pass to Malkin on the half wall on the right wing. Malkin hammers a slapper that hits someone in front.
1:14: Del Zotto's penalty is killed. That was probably the Penguins' worst effort with the power play tonight.
0:05: Orpik moves up the right wing on a last second attempt at a goal. He can't sneaks it by Valiquette on the forehand.
0:00.3: Does that count!??!?! Eaton gets the puck at the left point and smacks a slapper that beats Valiquette on the far side just as the green light goes on. Officials review the video to see if any time was left on the clock. 0:00.3 was actually left. Eat your heart out Bill Guerin. Wow! Adams and Orpik get the assists. A four-letter word is bellowed from the Rangers' management box next to us. The "Hey Song" is played. Penguins 4-2.
0:00: The teams don't even go out for the faceoff with that little time left. End of period. Penguins 4, Rangers 2.
SECOND INTERMISSION
-Things slowed down that period for each team. We'll give the Rangers the advantage in terms of quality scoring chances. They seemed to get the better quality of shots on net. But the Penguins still have a two-goal lead. Go figure.
-The Penguins' power play looks better, but it still hasn't produced tonight.
-Goligoski and Letang each looked a little better that period.
-The Penguins have a 23-19 lead in shots.
-Higgins leads the game with five shots.
-Malkin leads the Penguins with four.
-Gonchar leads the game with 16:58 of ice time.
-Rozsival leads the Rangers with 15:46.
-Fire Craig Patrick.
-The Penguins have a 25-13 lead in faceoffs (66 percent).
-Crosby is 10 for 13 (77 percent).
-Artem Anisimov is 5 for 12 (42 percent).
-Roszival leads the game with three blocked shots.
-Fire Ray Shero.
-Gonchar leads the Penguins with two.
-EN Reader Megan Kelly spotted this Sergei Gonchar Chelyabinsk Traktor jersey from the old Russian Super League:
