Penguins at Canadiens - 01-06-11
PREGAME
Hey, guess where we are:
-No, not quite:
-Yes, we have chili for a chilly night in Pittsburgh:
-As you know, the Penguins will be without two of their more important players in Sidney Crosby and Matt Cooke.
-The Penguins' starters are Tyler Kennedy, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Kris Letang, Brooks Orpik and Brent Johnson.
-Their scratches are Crosby, Cooke and Eric Godard.
-The Canadiens' starters are Mike Cammalleri, Andrei Kostitsyn, Tomas Plekanec, Jaroslav Spacek, James Wisniewski and Carey Price.
-Their scratches are Roman Hamrlik and Lars Eller.
-FSN Pittsburgh provides your lines and defensive pairings:
FIRST PERIOD
18:04: From the slot, Chris Kunitz taps a pass to Lovejoy sneaking in on the left point. Lovejoy golfs a one-timer on net. Price knocks it away with his blocker.
17:46: Maxime Talbot win a faceoff in the right circle in the Canadiens zone. Alex Goligoski takes the puck and deals to Lovejoy at the top of the slot. Lovejoy cracks a one-timer. Arron Asham is in front and re-directs it on net with a backhander. Price makes the initial save but allows a rebound. Asham sticks with the puck and pokes it by Price's left leg. What a play by Asham. He has an elevated role tonight and he's stepping up. Plus, he used to play for the Canadiens according to Paul Steigerwald. Lovejoy and Goligoski get assists. Penguins 1-0.
15:45: Andrei Kostitsyn sneaks in off the left wing and is blatantly tripped up by Kris Letang. No call. That was pretty bad.
14:08: Alexandre Picard snaps off a wrister from the left point. It hits a cluster of bodies in front.
13:52: Asham used to be a Canadien:
x2.
13:23: Letang snaps off a wrister from the right circle. Price fights it off.
13:03: Conner sneaks in from below the goal line and has a backhander denied by Price. Asham has a chance with the rebound but can't bury this chance.
11:51: Brian Gionta hammers a slapper off a loose puck in the right circle. Johnson gloves the high shot and tosses it to Goligoski who moves it up ice.
10:12: A wrister by Kostitsyn is snapped off from the right wing. It gets deflected out of line.
8:41: Off a steal by Talbot, Asham whips a wrister from above the right circle. Price knocks it away with his blocker.
5:44: Kennedy bodies a defender off a puck behind the Montreal net. He deals to Staal in the slot. Staal rips a wrister which clinks off a post.
4:58: Max Pacioretty gets a step on the left wing on Lovejoy. Lovejoy recovers to disrupt his first shot with a poke check. Pacioretty recovers the puck and whips it towards the crease. Johnson boots it out. Pacioretty retrieves the puck again and attempts a wraparound but can't bury it.
3:43: Kostitsyn rips a wrister from the left circle. Johnson boots it away.
2:34: Pacioretty has a chance in the left circle but before he can control the puck, Brooks Orpik thumps him to the ice.
1:50: Kennedy twists in off the left wing and rips a wrister at the cage. Price eats it up.
1:24: Orpik chucks a wrister from the left point. Price punches it away.
0:39: Benoit Pouliot fans a bit on a one-timer from the left circle and puts it wide to the far side.
0:00: End of period. Penguins 1, Canadiens 0.
FIRST INTERMISSION
-No Sidney Crosby? No Matt Cooke? No problem. The Penguins haven't deviated from their universal game plan. They are getting the puck in deep. They are getting physical along the wall and they are winning one-on-one battles.
-Arron Asham has responded to his healthy scratch last night. All the forwards have a chance at an elevated role tonight. But Asham has stepped up in a big way tonight. He's created plenty of scoring chances and was physical down low.
-Ben Lovejoy is another guy who stepped up we thought. He was strong in all three zones and created a few scoring opportunities for the Penguins.
-The "new" first line of Kennedy, Staal and Malkin was strong. They even were strong down low along the boards.
-Price was strong. He had to be. The Penguins pressured him quite a bit.
-Did anyone see Scott Gomez or Mike Cammalleri?
-The Penguins have a 13-5 lead in shots.
-Asham leads the game with four shots.
-Pacioretty leads the Canadiens with two.
-Letang leads the game with 8:34 of ice time.
-Hal Gill leads the Canadiens with 7:56.
-Fire Ray Shero.
-The Canadiens have a 7-6 edge in faceoffs (54 percent).
-Staal is 4 for 7 (57 percent).
-Gomez is 2 for 3 (67 percent).
-Lovejoy and James Winsniewski each lead the game with two blocked shots.
SECOND PERIOD
17:40: Goligoski takes a pass on the left point and wires a slapper on net. Price traps it against his chest.
17:01: Travis Moen works off a check by Goligoski and is denied on a wraparound attempt with his forehand.
16:52: P.K. Subban chips a wrister from the right point. Johnson steers it away with his stick.
16:37: Subban is sent off for roughing Goligoski. Errey says it's a bad penalty. Kunitz, Malkin, Letestu, Letang and Goligoski take the ice.
15:12: Malkin is stripped of the puck in the neutral zone by Moen. Moen gains the offensive zone and rips a wrister form the left circle. Johnson makes the save but fumbles the rebound while trying to distribute it to Goligoski. Moen jumps on it and jabs it on net. Johnson boots it out.
14:33: Just after Subban's penalty expires, Staal rips a feed by Kennedy to the slot over the cage.
13:52: Gionta has a chance in the left circle but Zbynek Michalek kneels down and disrupts his shot enought to send it wide on the near side.
13:33: Coming back from commercial, Hal Gill used to be a Penguin:
12:58: According to Bob Errey, Michalek was in the locker room.
12:27: Pacioretty rips a wrister from the right circle. Johnson fights it off. The rebound is loose in the left circle. Jaroslav Spacek steps up and cranks a one-timer to the far side. It clanks off the far post.
12:19: From the left wing, Mike Rupp zips a pass up ice which springs Malkin off on a breakaway. Malkin attacks the net and goes forehand but the puck slides off his stick before he can pull the trigger.
11:29: Cammalleri is tripped up by Lovejoy. Staal, Pascal Dupuis, Michalek and Orpik take the ice.
9:29: Lovejoy's minor is killed. The Canadiens did little with it.
7:57: Wisniewski fires a slapper from the left point. It hits a body in front and deflects across the ice. Pacioretty recovers it and put it back on net from the left circle. Johnson fends it off. Moen chops the rebound on net from the slot. Johnson eats it up.
7:32: The Canadiens were chipping away this period and finally cash in. Michalek looses a battle one-on-one behind the net with David Desharnais. Desharnais deals it to Darch crashing in on net from the left right circle. Darche whiffs a bit on his shot. The puck comes to Pouliot in the right cirlcle. He's able to bury a wrister. What a play by Desharnais. Darche and Desharnais each get assists. Canadiens 1, Penguins 1.
5:46: Malkin has a chance in on the left wing. He fakes a shot and attempts to cut in side on Picard. Picard sticks with the play and poke checks it away.
5:15: Goligoski has a wrister fought off by Price.
4:03: Subban sneaks in deep on the left wing and has a chance in the circle. Letestu is able to reach behind him and strips the puck away.
3:35: Letang wires a one-timer from the right point. Despite a slight deflection, Price is able to eat it up despite a bit of screen by Gill and Letestu.
2:22: Plekanec uncorks a slapper from the right circle. Johnson eats it up.
0:22: Johnson covers a puck. Plekanec comes barging in and appears to catch Johnson's head with his knee. Johnson swats him with this stick.
0:00: End of period. Canadiens 1, Penguins 1.
SECOND INTERMISSION
-That was kind of predictable. The Penguins came into the game minus their best player and a key forward. They played less than 24 hours ago. They put everything they had in the first period and came away with a lead. We don't know if they were spent physically or just abandoned their game plan, but the Canadiens quietly controlled that period. As a result, they were able to chip away in the Penguins' zone and tie the game.
-The Kennedy-Staal-Malkin line were awfully quiet. That trio needs to step up with Crosby absent.
-Michalek was beaten pretty soundly on the Pouliot goal. He can't allow that to happen. He's here for defense.
-Johnson has been a little sloppy with his rebounds. Thankfully for him, the Canadiens have yet to make him pay in that regard.
-The Penguins have a 20-18 edge in shots.
-The Canadiens led in shots that period, 13-7.
-Gill leads the game with 16:08 of ice time.
-Fire Ray Shero.
-Letang leads the Penguins with 15:58.
-The Penguins have a 17-15 edge in faceoffs (53 percent).
-Talbot is 3 for 5 (60 percent).
-Gomez is 5 for 7 (71 percent).
-Goligoski leads the Penguins with three blocked shots.
-Gomez, Wisniewski and Picard each lead the Canadiens with two.
THIRD PERIOD
19:52: Cammalleri fends off a stick check by Letang and strikes a loose pcuk from the right circle on net. Johnson eats it up.
19:28: On a delayed penalty, Martin puts a wrister towards the net from the left circle. Malkin is in the slot and re-directs it over the cage. The Canadiens touch up. Kostitsyn is sent off for tripping Kennedy. Letang, Goligoski, Letestu, Kunitz and Malkin take the ice.
19:12: Letang from hustling off the left half wall and rips a wrister on net. Price fights it off. The rebound hops to the right circle. Malkin is there and pumps it on net. Price is able to scramble to his left and figihts it off as well.
18:10: Plekanec outworks Letang and company in the Penguins' zone for possession of the puck and kills off roughtly 20 seconds of the penalty. What an effort.
17:22: Kennedy drives to the net down the slot and runs into the back of Wisniewski. Wisniewski falls over. Kennedy is nabbed for interference.
16:55: Johnson steals a poor dump in attempt by the Canadiens and coolly chucks it down ice to Price.
16:44: Shorthanded, Dupuis puts a pedestrian wrister on net from the slot. Price punches it away with his blocker.
16:02: Cammalleri centers a puck into the crease. Kostitsyn is there but punches the shot wide.
15:22: Kennedy's minor is killed. The Canadiens did next to nothing there.
15:02: Kennedy hustles up the left wing and chips the puck up. He pursues it. Spacek and Pouliot pursue Kennedy. All three tumble and crash into Pric and the net dislodging it. Play is halted. Spacek is a little slow to recover to his feet. He eventually does and makes his way to the bench.
14:04: Malkin whips a sneaks wrister from low in the left circle to the far side.. Price juuuuust barely gets it with his glove hand.
12:41: Letang gets trapped up ice. That creates a bit of a two-on-one with Cammalleri and Plekanec against Orpik. Cammalleri taps a pass to Plekanec on the right wing. Cammalleri drive to the net hoping to a return pass. Plekanec tries to feed it back to Cammalleri but Orpik pokes it away. What a play. Coming back from commercial, Dan Potash gives some love to Michel Dion, who prior to Marc-Andre Fleury's recent selection, was the only all-star goaltender in franchise history:
10:55: Staal chips a wrister from above the right circle. Gill sticks his pool skimmer of a stick in the way and deflects it out play.
10:20: Big moment here. Goligoski trips up Darche behind the Penguins' net. That's two minutes. Dupuis, Staal, Michalek and Orpik take the ice.
9:58: Ouch. This is crucial. Johnson collects a dump in attempt. He tries to play it off the glass but ends up biffing on the attempt and puts it 20 rows deep over the glass. That's a delay of game. The Canadiens will have 1:38 of a two-man advantage. Dupuis will serve the minor. They have to score here. Talbot, Adams and Orpik take the ice.
9:40: Adams blocks a big one-timer by Wisniewski above the left circle with his skates.
9:28: Adams flops down and blocks another one-timer by Wisniewksi from a similar spot. Oooof.
9:18: Cammalleri rips a wrister from the right circle wide.
9:03: Orpik blocks a one-timer from the right cirle by Gomez. The puck is cleared.
8:49: Cammalleri guns a one-timer from the right half wall. Johnson fights it off with his chest.
8:34: Martin backhands a puck from out of the defensive zone over the Canadiens' bench. That is also a delay of game penalty. Ouch. More five on three time for the Canadiens. Talbot, Adams and Orpik get the call.
8:20: Goligoski's penalty expires but the Canadies will have 22 seconds of a two-man advantage.
7:58: Dupuis rejoins play. The Canadiens still have 1:34 of power play time.
7:50: Gomez sneaks a pas to Gionaa cross the crease. Giontoa whiff son the feed.
7:12: Staal poek cheks a puck away from Desharnais up ice to kill time.
6:54: Kunitz pushes a puck up the slot shorthanded while fending off Giontao. Gionta interferes with him just enough to knock the puck loose and avoids the penalty. Kunitz crashes into the net and dislodges it.
6:34: Martin rejoins play. What an effort by the Penguins. Wow!
5:41: Letang makes a nice move around Pyatt at the right point goes towards the slot and snaps off a wrister. Price turns it away.
5:27: Letang rips a shot from the left point. Price gloves it despite a screen by Malkin. Subban washes Malkin out and sends him scrambling to the ice.
4:09: Play is halted as Malkin is on the ice in discomfort. Malkin appeared to be tripped up by Gomez in the right circle. Canadiens fans boo Malkin. Vous restez chic de Montréal. Malkin is shown on the bench yelling a few "French" words of his own on the bench.
3:27: Dupuis moves up the right wing with space and pumps a slapper on net. Price steers it to the near corner.
1:01: Malkin chops a slapper from the right point. Price easily steers it away.
0:00: End of period. Canadiens 1, Penguins 1.
THIRD INTERMISSION
-The Penguins lead in shots, 32-22.
5:00: The period begins with Paul Steigerwald comparing Malkin to Gumby:
-We totally see the resemblance. But we bet Gumby is better at penalty shots/shootouts.
2:06: Cammalleri gets the first true good scorign chance of the overtime period. he has a clear shot in the right circle but grips and rips it wide to the far side. He has to get that on net.
1:20: Wisniewski takes a pass at the top of the slot. He has approximately 42 minutes to shoot. He looks up, surveys and booms a slapper from. Despite traffic, Johnson fights it off.
0:20: Battling for a puck in the right wing corner in the Montreal zone, Pouliot gets away with a pretty big clothesline on Staal. No call.
0:00: End of period. Canadiens 1, Penguins 1.
FOURTH INTERMISSION
-Not a lot of offense, but this has been a tremendous, hard-fought game.
SHOOTOUT
-Cammalleri is first up. He glides in directly on net and snaps off a kind of pedestrian wrister. Johnson kicks it out.
-Letang is up for the penguins. He starts off to the right, the cuts to the slot. He pumps his legs a few times trying to confuse Price. He moves in and snaps off wrister. Price fights if off with his glove.
-Subban attempts his first career NHL shootout. he goes wide ot the left, cuts to the crease and tries to sneaks a wrister under Johnson. Johnson attempts a poke check and misses but holds it out.
-Dupuis comes flying in and snaps off a wrister in tight. Price punches it away.
-Gionta glides in, avoids Johnson's poke check and has Johnson beat on the forehand. He's unable to lifts his shot however and is denied by Johnson's left leg.
-Malkin can end it. He moves in off the right wing, jams up Price with a shoulder juke but can't beat him on the forehand.
-Kostitsyn moves in on Johnson. He appears to have Johnson beat on a deke for a moment but loses the puck.
-Letestu moves in, goes forehand, backhand, forehand and has his wrister denied by Prices' glove hand.
-Pouliot attempt his second career shootout. He moves in on net, goes forehand, backhand, forehand and back to his backhand. Johnson commits to the forehand and Pouliot calmly pushes the puck into the empty net with a backhand. Smooooooth. Canadiens 1-0.
-Do or die for Kunitz. He moves in on net and attacks five hole. He is denied by Price who closes the gates. End of shootout. Canadiens 1, Penguins 0. End of game. Canadiens 2, Penguins 1.
POSTGAME
-Considering the circumstances, this isn't a bad loss. The Penguins were playing on the road on the second game of back to back to nights. They were playing without the best player in the world and a valuable contributor. They had seven defensemen and 11 forwards. And they were playing an opponent which has given them fits recently. They got a point on the road. That's not too bad.
-That said, the Penguins had this game under wraps in the first period. They dominated play. They controlled the play in the Canadiens' zone in the first 20 minutes. They probably could've found a way to get a second goal.
-Carey Price was outstanding. Especially early. If he didn't step up, his team is dealing with a bigger deficit in the first period.
-The Penguins didn't get any breaks from the officials. That's not to blame the officials, but how many other officials would have cut the Penguins a break and given them a few makeup calls late in the third period after the Penguins killed off that two-man advantage in the third period? To their credit, the officials didn't just make a call to make a call.
-Speaking of which, the Penguins' penalty kill was clearly outstanding. They killed off five total power plays including one two man advantage.
-You never really realized how valuable Crosby is until he's out of the lineup huh?
-Amazing how ordinary Kunitz looks when he has Letestu as his center instead of Crosby huh?
-Malkin, Staal and Kennedy certainly created some scoring opportunities, but they need to bury a few.
-Brent Johnson was outstanding in his first game since he left the lineup due to a groin injury. He probably deserved a better fate.
-The Penguins led in shots, 32-23.
-Asham led the game with five shots.
-Pacioretty led the Canadiens with four.
-Letang led the game with 26:54 of ice time.
-Gill led the Canadiens with 25:55.
-Fire Ray Shero.
-The Penguins controlled faceoffs, 31-22 (58 percent).
-Talbot was 8 for 11 (73 percent).
-Plekanec was 10 for 13 (43 percent).
-Goligoski, Michalek, Orpik, Gomez, Wisniewski and Gill each led the game with three blocked shots.
-Fire Ray Shero.