Penguins at Blues - 10-23-10
PREGAME
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-Hey, guess where we are:
-No, not quite:
-We've been looking forward towards this game. The Blues have a lot of young offensive talent up front and like to attack the net. We know that's what the Penguins like to do. It should be a good game, just like the one in Nashville Thursday.
-The Penguins' starters are Sidney Crosby, Pascal Dupuis, Chris Kunitz, Paul Martin, Kris Letang and Brent Johnson.
-Their scratches are Zbynek Michalek, Eric Godard and Andrew Hutchinson.
-Brooks Orpik returns to the lineup.
-The Blues' starters are David Backes, David Perron, T.J. Oshie, Roman Polak, Eric Brewer and Jaroslav Halak
-Their lone scratch is Tyson Strachan.
-As usual, the Penguins travel well:
-Dan Bylsma and Davis Payne are BFFs:
-The Blues are sporting their really cool third jerseys:
FIRST PERIOD
17:23: Paul Steigerwald mentions B.J. Crombeen is the son of former Blues forward Mike Crombeen. Mike Crombeen scored a series clinching playoff goal against the Greg Millen and Penguins in 1981:
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(Horrible defense by Randy Carlyle.)
16:53: Steigerwald gets the obligatory Alex Pietrangelo and former Penguin Frank Pietrangelo are cousins note out of the way.
16:13: Patric Berglund makes a nifty backhanded pass from the right of the cage to the crease. Andy McDonalds is there re-directs it off Letang's stick and off the left post. Ugh. That was close.
16:00: Dupuis is nabbed for holding. Crag Adams, Matt Cooke, Orpik and Alex Goligoski take the ice. We get a good look at Pascal Dupuis' moustache:
-Michel Goulet not impressed:
14:03: David Perron sneaks up the right wing and snaps off a low wrister. Johnson boots it out to the slot. Craig Adams clears and kills off the rest of the penalty. The Blues didn't really post much of a threat there.
9:31: Jay McClement rips a wrister on net from the right half wall. Despite a screen by Matt D'Agostini, Johnson knocks it down and covers.
8:48: Brad Boyes corrals a puck at the left point and chops a slapper. It hits a Penguins' defenseman's stick and re-directs it on net by accident. Johnson sticks with it and covers to freeze play.
8:41: It's a rough debut for Orpik as he drops McDonald in the right wing corner away from the puck. That's two minutes for interference. Maxime Talbot, Cooke, Goligoski and Ben Lovejoy take the ice.
7:45: Wait... the Maple Leafs once offered Brad Boyes to the Penguins for Robert Lang in 2002-03 according to Steigerwald. But Lang ended up getting hurt left as a free agent?!? Fire Craig Patrick. Seriously, could you imagine Boyes on the wing of Crosby or Malkin?
7:15: Pietrangelo moves a pass to Alexander Steen at the right point. Steen fires a one-timer. Johnson knocks it down and covers.
6:41: The Orpik penalty is killed. The Blues put a few quality chances on net there.
5:19: Mark Letestu tries to hit Vladimir Sobotka behind the Blues' net but Sobotka braces for the contact and sticks Letestu on his wallet.
3:59: Erik Johnson tries to line up Cooke in the neutral zone but Cooke dodges the hit juuuuuuuuuuuuust at the last minute.
3:06: Erik Johnson floats a wrister on net from the left point. Brent Johnson knocks it down but gives up an iffy rebound. Backes is there and chops it with a backhander wide to the right of the cage
1:54: Crosby gets away with an elbow to the face of Barrett Jackman. Jackman responds by punching Crosby in the back and knocking him down.
0:23: Talbot tosses a bouncing wrister on net from the left wing. Halak boots it out to the slot. Rupp is there but punches the wrister wide.
0:00: End of period. Blues 0, Penguins 0.
FIRST INTERMISSION
-The Penguins are lucky they escaped that period with a tie. The Blues dominated play and kept the puck in the Penguins' zone. Anytime the Penguins did get the puck across the other blue line, the Blues had bodies back.
-That said, the score is 0-0 and that's mostly due to Brent Johnson. The Blues didn't exactly put a ton of shots on net, but the ones they did were quality. Johnson was able to fend them off.
-Brooks Orpik looked okay out there. He was physical and skated fairly well.
-T.J. Oshie is all over the place.
-The Blues have a 7-3 lead in shots.
-Steen leads the game with two.
-Goligoski leads the game with 8:00 of ice time.
-Pietrangelo leads the Blues with 7:53.
-The Blues lead in faceoffs, 8-4 (67 percent).
-Backes is 4 for 4 (100 percent).
-Crosby is 2 for 5 (40 percent).
-No one has more than one blocked shot.
-If you're wondering what Brent Johnson looked like during his day ins St. Louis, here you go:
-FSN Pittsburgh comes through with a quality statistic. Teams which Sidney Crosby has never scored against:
SECOND PERIOD
18:53: Crosby flicks a backhander towards the net from the slot. it hits a body or two before Halak gets a piece of it. The puck is still loose as Cooke digs for a potential rebound. Halak eventually comes up with the puck.
18:50: Off a faceoff win, Engelland blasts a one-timer on net from the right point. Halak is square to the shot and eats it up.
17:43: Orpik and Steen battle one-on-one for a puck along the right wing wall in the Penguins' zone. Orpik simply muscles him off the puck and pokes it up ice and out of danger. What a wonderful play.
16:36: A fight breaks out between Adams and Crombeen. Crombeen lands a few rights before Adams begins to fends him off. They mostly wrestle around before officials step in. Give that one to Crombeen.
16:21: Off a rush into the offensive zone, Letang deals to Rupp on the right wing. Rupp immediately lifts a wrister from the circle. Halak gloves it.
15:17: Off a turnover by the Penguins in their own zone, Steen rips a wrister from the slot. Brent Johnson fights it off.
13:07: Goligoski blasts a loose puck on net from the right piont. Halak knocks it down with his chest. It makes a "thud" which actually almost sounds like "halak." Crosby and Rupp go digging for a rebound and hack at Halak. The Blues take exception and give Crosby and company the business. A small scrum ensues but nothing comes of it.
11:25: McClement chips a little floater of a wrister from the left circle. Johnson makes a nifty glove save.
10:28: Oshie moves in off the right point and rockets a rising slapper. Johnson gloves it. Another tough save.
10:05: The Penguins draw their first penalty of the game as Tangradi is held by McDonald in he Penguins' zone. Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Goligoski, Kunitz and Letang take the ice. Malkin has seemed quiet so far tonight.
9:27: Malkin rips a wrister from the left circle. Halak punches it away with his his blocker.
9:07: Letang s nekas a slapper in on net from the top of the slot. Halak fights it off.
8:05: The Penguins' power play expires. They generated a few chances but it was hardly a spectacular two minutes.
6:32: McDonald flies up the left wing, moves by Lovejoy and pushes a backhander on net. Brent Johnson fights it off.
6:05: Dan Potash talks about Todd Reirden's days in St. Louis and mentions how Reirden and Chris Pronger caused havoc for opponents. We're pretty sure it was more
5:30: Roman Polak and Crosby crash behind the Blues' net. Polak gets up and makes his way to the bench. He sprints back to the locker room with a trainer. Scary stuff.
5:24: Steen is called for holding Goligoski. Crosby, Malkin, Kunitz, Goligoski and Letang take the ice.
4:45: Malkin and Goligoski are denied in tight by Halak.
4:35: McClement gets loose on a breakaway. he moves in on net and rips a wrister which totally misses the net.
3:24: The Steen minor expires. The Penguins did next to nothing with that chance.
1:55: Winchester snaps off a wrister from the left circle. Brent Johnson kicks it to the opposite corner.
0:19: Kunitz has a clean shot from the left circle but forces a pass to Crosby in the slot. Jackman flops down and blocks the pass. Great play by Jackman, but Kunitz needs to take the shot. Regardless, Perron is called for interference against Crosby. Malkin, Crosby, Kunitz, Goligoski and Letang take the ice.
0:02: Kunitz snaps off a wrister from the right circle. It gets blocks to the slot. Malkin one-times the rebound righ ton net. Halak eats it up. Goligoski whacks Halak hoping for a rebound. A scrum breaks out. Brewer slugs Goligoski in the face. No penalties.
0:00: End of period. Blues 0, Penguins 0.
SECOND INTERMISSION
-This is pretty surprising. Both teams have tons of scoring potential up front. But we have a 0-0 stalemate.
-The goaltending for both teams has obviously been strong. Johnson and Halak have each made some tough saves.
-The Penguins' power play isn't looking all that hot.
-Has anyone seen Mike Comrie?
-The Blues have a pretty deep blue line.
-The Penguins lead in shots, 22-14.
-Engelland, Malkin and Steen each lead the game with three blocked shots.
-Goligoski leads the game with 17:10 of ice time.
-Erik Johnson leads the Blues with 14:27.
-The Blues have a 17-lead in faceoffs (55 percent).
-Backes is 7 for 12 (58 percent).
-Crosby is 10 for 17 (59 percent).
-Lovejoy and Jackman each lead the game with two blocked shots.
-Todd Reirden from his days as a Blue:
THIRD PERIOD
20:00: The Penguins will have 1:41 of power play time on fresh ice. Crosby, Malkin, Kunitz, Goligoski and Letang take the ice.
18:45: Rupp is dropped along the boards by Brewer. You don't see Rupp get manhandled like that too often.
18:19: The Perron penalty expires with little threat from the Penguins.
16:17: Backes rips a wrister from the right circle. Paul Martin gets a piece of it and deflects the puck out of play.
15:59: Perron dekes back and for behind ttin the left wing corner in the Penguins' zone. Letestu gets the stuck up on him and is called for hooking. Adams, Talbot, Orpik and Goligoski take the ice.
15:34: Boyes re-directs a puck on net. Brent Johnson fights it off. As that happens, Orpik uses Carlo Colaiacovo to tremove the Penguins' cage. Play is halted.
14:37: McDonald cranks a slapper from the righ tpoint. Johnson fights it off. Berglund is in front for the rebound. Brent Johnson's left leg denies him.
13:59: The Letestu minor is killed. The Blues didn't really light the world on fire there.
13:48: Jackman is rattled behind the Penguins' net by Cooke.
12:52: Kennedy lifts a wrister from teh left circle. Halak fights it off.
12:22: Dan Bylsma is using a line of Malkin, Kennedy and Talbot.
11:56: Letang has a chance in the slot and disesh to Tangradi to the left of the cage. Tangradi holds it for a few seconds and launches a shot into the Mississippi River. Letang needs to take that shot.
10:28: Oshie is clipped in the face by Oshie. That's two minutes. Crosby, Malkin, Kunitz, Letang and Goligoski take the ice.
9:35: Crosby grips and rips a wrister from the right circle which clacks off the far post.
8:40: Malkin snaps off a wrister fromt he left circle. Despite a screen by Rupp, Halak boots it out.
8:28: The Oshie penalty is killed. Another tame effort by the Penguins.
6:30: Dan Bylsma is apparently using Michel Therrien's old bingo ball roller to pick the lines at this point. He has a line of Adams, Kunitz and Crosby.
5:59: After a turnover by Erik Johnson in his own zone, Kunitz rips a wrister from the left circle. Halak gloves it with ease.
5:35: Backes rips a wrister from the right circle. Johnson makes the initial save and gloves the rebound in mid-air.
4:20: Cooke smashes Jackman into the boards in St. Louis' zone.
3:45: Kennedy snaps off a wrister from the right wing. Halak boots it out despite having Talbot crash in.
3:38: Perron tosses a wrister on net from the right wing. Brewer charges the net and re-directs the puck. Brent Johnson fights it off. Tough save.
2:35: It takes a while, but Steigerwald finally busts out the "Alex Steen is the son of former Jets forward Thomas Steen" reference:
1:41: Crosby has two chances in tight fought off by Halak. Comrie has a chance on a rebound but pushes it wide to the right of the cage.
1:36: Crosby is denied once again in tight by Halak. Halak is simply tuned in right now.
0:00: End of period. Blues 0, Penguins 0.
THIRD INTERMISSION
-The Penguins have a 31-22 lead in shots.
OVERTIME
5:00: Malkin and Crosby begin the period with Martin and Letang.
4:26: Off a nifty play by Backes, Erik Johnson is stoned in front by Brent Johnson. Huge save.
4:18: It's been sitting there all game. Finally, Errey takes the jump and uses the "Johnson & Johnson" line:
4:10: Oshie simply takes a puck off Martin in the right corner. He turns and distributes to Erik Johnson in the slot. Johnson grips and rips a wrister which beats Brent Johnson under the glove hand. what a shot. What a game. Oshie gets the only assist. End of game. Blues 1, Penguins 0.
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POSTGAME
-If there's any consolation to this loss, it's that the Blues are a pretty darn good team. They faces the last two Stanley Cup champions on back to back nights and came away with four points.
-The Penguins got a point on the road against a quality team which has won ten consecutive home games. It's hard to argue with that.
-News flash. Jaroslav Halak is still pretty good against the Penguins regardless of what jersey he's wearing. He was always in position and rarely had to scramble to make a save.
-The last Blues goaltender to shutout the Penguins was Curtis Sanford who made 21 saves in a 3-0 home win, Dec. 13, 2005. The Penguins would fire head coach Ed Olczyk the next day.
-The power play conked out in a big way tonight. A goal with the man advantage would've been huge obviously.
-Brent Johnson was spectacular. He deserved better.
-Whenever Arron Asham or Jordan Staal return, you have to look at Mike Comrie as being someone who could be benched or even removed from the team. He's contributing very little at this point despite playing with Malkin. We know Dupuis and Kunitz aren't exactly setting the world on fire on Crosby's line, but they at least offer something on special teams.
-Paul Martin was beaten one-on-one by Oshie and that led to the Erik Johnson goal. That'll happen. Especially with Oshie who's a pretty dynamic all-around player. Either way, that wasn't Martin's best moment.
-The Penguins led the game in shots, 31-24.
-Crosby and Malkin each led the game with five shots.
-Steen led the Blues with four.
-Goligoski led the game with 25:33.
-Pietrangelo led the Blues with 23:14.
-The Blues led the game in faceoffs, 25-21.
-Berglund was 6 for 8 (75 percent).
-Crosby was 13 for 24 (59 percent).
-Lovejoy and Jackman each led the game with three blocked shots.
-As mentioned by Bob Grove of the Penguins' radio network, this was the first 1-0 overtime loss in Penguins history. Dang.