Hurricanes at Penguins - Postgame - 03-20-10
POSTGAME
-Well that wasn't cool. The Penguins were a heartbeat away from going to the shootout, a domain they have mastered this season and BOOM! the Hurricanes get a goal by a very narrow margain.
-That said, the Penguins didn't deserve a win. They allowed an undermanned Hurricanes team to control most of the overtime period and pull out a win.
-Don't discount the Hurricanes' effort in this game. After the game, Carolina goaltender Justin Peters described his team as a guys playing for jobs. The might not have a realistic chance at a playoff spot, but that doesn't mean they're not playing for something meaningful.
-Bottom line: One team played like it had something on the line and it wasn't the Penguins.
-The Hurricanes' blue line is pretty much Joni Pitkanen and five other guys. But that unit was fairly impressive today. They really limited the offensive chances the Penguins saw and played a huge role in Carolina's offense.
-We're officially calling for Dupuis and Guerin to be switched. Put Dupuis back on the third line where's he a better fit and give Sidney Crosby a better scoring option on his wing. Just because Dupuis has had a recent hot streak, that should be a reason to take him out of a role better suited for his abilities.
-We like what Tyler Kennedy brought today. He had energy, he tooks some shots, got busy around the net and even drew a penalty.
-Has Ruslan Fedotenko become the new Michel Ouellet? In other words, no one other than the head coach knows why he's in the lineup and why he's on Evgeni Malkin's wing?
-Ponikarovsky had what seemed like a pretty typical game for him. He was tremendous when he contributed to the Penguins' goals but otherwise, he was hard to notice.
-The Penguins' special teams weren't a problem today. They got one power play goal and shut down all four Carolina power plays, including a two-man advantage.
-Marc-Andre Fleury? He didn't make the save which had to made on the Joni Pitkanen goal. It was a nice shot, but Fleury had a clear look on it and should've stopped it. Period.
-By Crosby's own account, the goal by Jamie McBain went off his glove and into the net.
-McBain's goal was the first of his career. A heck of a way to start your career huh?
-Malkin looked great his first game back. He had speed, some jump and he was very aggressive.
-The Hurricanes ended up with a 29-25 lead in shots.
-Evgeni Malkin led the game with seven.
-Brian Pothier, Eric Staal and McBain each led the game with four shots.
-Pitkanen led the game with 34:30. The dude doesn't leave the ice.
-Sergei Gonchar led the Penguins with 24:50.
-The Penguins led in faceoffs, 28-26 (52 percent).
-Crosby was 12 for 21 (57 percent).
-Brandon Sutter was 11 for 18 (61 percent).
-Brian Pothier and Alex Goligoski each led the game with three blocked shots.
-Jordan Staal's power play goal was his first of the season.