Penguins at Blue Jackets - Second Period - 10-30-09
SECOND PERIOD
20:00: We forgot to mention this but Brooks Orpik and Bill Guerin are your alternate captain tonight in place of Sergei Gonchar and Malkin. The Penguins will have 22 seconds of power play time left to start the period. Crosby, Guerin, Kunitz, Goligoski and Letang are on for the power play.
19:37: Dorsett's second penalty is killed. The Penguins didn't generate much of a threat with that power play.
19:05: Play is stopped and Crosby limps to the bench in some discomfort. Replays show him getting dumped by Vermette on a low check off a faceoff.
17:57: Crosby has remained on the bench so we suppose he's fine.
17:23: Conner makes a nice steal on a backcheck in the neutral zone. He takes the puck up ice and whips a wrister high and wide to the far side.
16:50: Crosby has returned to the ice.
16:40: "LET"S GO PENS! LET'S GO PENS!"
16:26: Jason Chimera steps up and punches a shot on net from just inside the blue line. Johnson makes the easy save.
15:15: Jakub Voracek snaps off a sneaky wrister from the right wing. Johnson steers it away.
14:23: The Penguins get sloppy in their own end and Nash makes them pay once again. Vermette controls the puck behind the Penguins' net with lots of space and time. He dishes it to Nash on the right wing. Nash kneels down and snaps off a wrister to the far side that just gets by Johnson. What a shot. The Penguins gave Vermette too much room to operate with there. Vermette and Mike Commodore get assists. Blue Jackets 2-0.
13:20: During a stoppage, Chipotle Burritos are given away. They must put a Chipotle in Consol Energy Center. They simply must.
12:27: Bourque takes another penalty. This time for hooking. That's his second minor of the night. Adams, Eaton, Cooke, and Orpik take the ice.
11:33: Fedor Tyutin tees up a slapper from the left wing that goes wide to the far side.
10:46: Brassard throws a shot/pass into the slot. Vermette is there and tips it wide.
10:27: Bourque's penalty is killed. Columbus had more than a few chances there.
10:11: Mason makes a dazzling save on Crosby. Kunitz sneaks a pass to Bourque in the slot. Bourque makes a sneaky pass through Methot's legs on a backhand. Crosby is right there coming in from the left wing with the open cage. Mason just gets a piece of it with his glove hand and deflects it out of play. Big-time save.
9:59: Guerin is nabed for hooking Dorsett. Eaton, Staal, Cooke and Orpik are on for the kill.
8:55: Vermette has a chance on a backdoor play but McKee (Who else?) blocks the shot.
8:41: Adams snaps off a wrister from the left wing. Mason fights it off.
8:05: That was unreal. The puck gets played down ice. Kunitz has a chance at a breakaway. He chases down the puck. Just as he's about to collect it, Tyutin dives and knocks the puck back towards his net and takes out Kunitz's skates. Kunitz is still able to get a shot off from his stomach. Mason makes the save. Crosby collects the rebound on the right wing and puts a quick wrister on net. Mason makes the save. Crosby collects the rebound, goes behind the net and distributes a pass to Kunitz to the left of the net. Kunitz is able to squeeze off a wrister that just gets by Mason on the glove side. Wow. What a sequence of events. Kunitz wil have 40 goals by Thanksgiving now. Crosby gets the only assist. Kunitz should get one also just for creating that chance. Blue Jackets 2-1.
6:59: Guerin's penalty is killed.
5:37: Johnson hugs a shot from the right wing by Voracek and freezes play.
5:28: Brassard as good of a chance as he'll ever have in his career and Johnson desnies him. Brassar
4:45: Nash twists Mark Eaton inside out and charges the net with the puck. He loses control of it. Vermette jumps on it and
4:15: Pahlsson is nabbed for hooking. Guerin, Crosby, Kunitz, Goligoski and Letang are on for the power play.
3:33: Crosby dishes a backhanded pass into the slot for Guerin. Guerin smacks the one-time feed wide of the cage.
2:45: Tyutin gets away with a trip on Guerin near the Penguins' bench.
2:10: Pahlsson's penalty ends. He comes out of the box and takes a pass from Dorsett on the right wing. He immediatley gives it back to Dorsett in the slot. Dorsett is able to lift a pretty nice backhander by Johnson on the stick side. Heck of a shot by Dorsett. It's his first goal of the season. Pahlsson and Vermette get assists. Blue Jackets 3-1.
0:30: "LET'S-GO JACK-ETS! LET'S-GO JACK-ETS!"
0:16: Stralman pumps aone-timer on net from the slot. Johnson fights it off.
0:13: Rupp is called for interference on Mason. Crosby, Kunitz, Orpik and Eaton take the ice.
0:00: End of period. Blue Jackets 3, Penguins 1.
SECOND INTERMISSION
-The Penguins evened things up a bit in terms of the aggression and controlling the play, but they're now down by two goals.
-The Penguins' defense is sloppy. They're giving the Blue Jackets far too much time and room to work with in the offensive zone.
-Johnson's not all that sharp. His rebounds have been iffy at best.
-There's still very little going on in terms of chemistry beyond the first line.
-The Penguins' power play looks like a power play playing without Gonchar and Malkin.
-The Blue Jackets have a 23-17 lead in shots.
-Nash leads the game with six.
-Kunitz leads the Penguins with four.
-Letang leads the game with 14:39 of ice time.
-Vermette is right behind him with 14:38.
-Columbus has a 21-15 lead in faceoffs (58 percent).
-Brassard is 4 for 5 (80 percent).
-Staal is 6 for 11 (55 percent).
-Kris Russell leads the game with three blocked shots.
-Goligoski, Eaton, Cooke, Fedotenko, Skoula and McKee each have two.
-The Blue Jackets will have 1:47 of power play time on clean ice.