Penguins at Lightning - 03-31-11
PREGAME
-Hey, guess where we are:
-No, not quite:
-Greetings on the eve of a world without FSN Pittsburgh. This will be the final Penguins broadcast on the network with it's current name. When Prime Sports became FSN Pittsburgh in 1996, we were 17 and didn't have a drivers license. Today, we're 31 and have a mortgage. Sobering.
-Rest in peace FSN Pittsburgh:
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-EN reader @pamcakes101 is on site and spotted a few Penguins fans:
-This is an interesting game. The Lightning must have a win if it has any hopes of passing the Penguins for fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Penguins don't need it as badly, but getting a win here will go a long way in terms of establishing confidence against a team they'll probably face in the first round.
-If you ask us, the Penguins need to beat the heck out of the Lightning's blue line with the forecheck. Tampa Bay has a couple older, injury-prone guys like Eric Brewer, Mattias Ohlund and Pavel Kubina logging big minutes. Wear those guys out and the Penguins can force some mistakes in the offensive zone.
-The Penguins' starters are Chris Conner, Pascal Dupuis, Maxime Talbot, Paul Martin, Zbynek Michalek and Marc-Andre Fleury.
-Their scratches are Arron Asham, Matt Cooke, Deryk Engelland, Eric Godard, Dustin Jeffrey and Eric Tangradi.
-The Flyers' starter are Steve Downie, Simon Gagne, Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Pavel Kubina and Dwayne Roloson.
-Their scratches are Marc-Andre Bergeron, Randy Jones and Matt Smaby.
-Mike Comrie is back in the lineup for the Penguins. He will center a fourth line with Mike Rupp and Craig Adams.
FIRST PERIOD
19:21: That didn't take long. The Penguins take a penalty. Paul Martin is called for interference against Downie on the right wing wall of the Penguins' zone. Craig Adams, Jordan Staal, Zbynek Michalek and Brooks Orpik take the ice.
18:35: Dupuis steals a puck and races up the left wing. He gains the blue line and cracks a slapper high on Roloson who fights it off.
17:23: Former Penguin Adam Hall attempts a wraparound form the left of the cage. he can't quite tge tthe puck to turn and loses control of it as the Martin penalty expires.
16:42: Chris Kunitz steals a puck off Eric Brewer at the right point and creates a two-on-one with Tyler Kennedy against Mike Lundin. From the left wing, Kennedy deals to Kennedy in the right circle. Kennedy rips a wrister which is no where near the cage. Yeesh.
16:35: Martin fires a slapper on net from the left point. Roloson knocks it down and covers.
15:09: The Lightning goes to the net, gets dirty and gets a lead. Stamkos and Orpik race after a puck behind the Penguins' net. Stamkos wins the battle and even manages to knock Orpik to the ice. Gagne ends up with the puck to the right of the net. Gagne and Downie each get a crack at it. Downie is able to punch it by a scrambling Fleury. It bounces out of the cage really quickly but an official immeiately points at the cage and rules a good goal. Surprising, no review is held. Gagne and Stamkos get assists. Lightning 1-0.
13:03: Kennedy snaps off a wrister from the right circle. Roloson kicks it away.
12:42: Kris Letang snaps off wrister from the left point. It hits a stick and deflects wide.
9:47: After a stagnant three minutes, Martin St. Louis puts ona dazzling display. After Vincent Lecavalier gets away with a hold/tackle on Letang just inside the blue line, St. Louis recovers a loose puck puck on the right wing. He sneaks towards the net and snaps off a nice little wrister by Fleury's on the glove side.What a shot. That was created by the non-call against Lecavalier. Lecavalier and Hedman get assists. Lightning 2-0.
8:39: Talbot get tripped up by Pavel Kubina at the Tampa Bay blue line. Talbot and Kubina exchange pleasantries. Kubina is sent off for tripping. The Penguins need to respond here. Kris Letang, Paul Martin Mark Letestu, James Neal and Chris Kunitz.
8:14: Ohlund gets away with a punch to the face of Kunitz in the right wing corner of the Lightning's zone.
6:51: Letang take a pas on the right point and cracks a slapper on net. Roloson fiths it off.
6:39: Kubina's penalty expires. The Penguins did very little in that two minutes.
5:40: Lecavalier is called for hooking Dupuis. Staal, Kennedy, Alex Kovalev, Martin and Letang take the ice.
5:14: Adam Hall gets loose on the right wing and pushes the puck up ice shorthanded. As he attempts a shot, Jordan Staal chases him down and blocks the puck out of play.
4:26: After Letang forces a terrible pass at the top of the slot and allows a turnover. Dominic Moore races up ice and has a chance from the left wing but his backhander is wide to the near side.
3:44: Kunitz jabs a quick shot from a bad angle on the goal loine along the right win. Roloson fights it off.
3:03: St. Louins snaps off a wrister from the left wing. Fleury fights it off.
2:49: Chris Conner makes a nifty move along Hedman on the right wing and attacks the net. Before he can get a shot off, the puck is knocked away.
1:41: Downie pushes a puck up the left wing, pulls up and moves a pass to Brett Clark trailing in the slot. Clark takes the pass and chucks a wrister on net. Fleury knocks it down and covers.
1:37: Off a faceoff win in thelef circle, Mike Lundin snaps off a wrister. Fleury is able to kic it out with his left leg despite traffic. Tough save.
0:37: Orpik winds up and fires a slapper from the left point which hits a stick and deflects high of the cage.
0:00: End of period. Lightning 2, Penguins 0.
FIRST INTERMISSION
-What a pretty rotten period for the Penguins. The Lightning was much more aggressive. It maintained pressure quite a bit in the Penguins' zone and just jumped on more loose puck. Tampa Bay earned its lead.
-The Penguins' power play continues to be awful. That is all.
-Fleury probably should have made a save on St. Louis' goal.
-The Lightning have an 8-6 lead in shots.
-Kennedy and St. Louis each lead the game with two shots.
-Letang leads the game with 8:49 of ice time.
-Hedman leads the Lightning with 8:03.
-The Lightning has an 11-9 lead in faceoffs (55 percent).
-Hall is 3 for 3 (100 percent).
-Talbot is 4 for 7 (57 percent).
-Brewer leads the game with two blocked shots.
SECOND PERIOD
18:46: Letang controls a bouncing puck at the right point and lobs it on net. Roloson eats it up.
18:40: Off the ensuing faceoff in the right circle, Matt Niskanen gets a slapper on net. Roloson fights it off.
18:01: The Penguins get another power play as Hedman is called for hooking Conner off a faceoff in the left circle of the Tampa Bay zone. It's a really weak call. Letang, Kovalev, Kunitz, Kennedy and Staal take the ice. Kovalev mans the left point.
16:53: Dana Tyrell steals a puck off Kovalev at the left point. Moore takes it and races up the right wing. He spins off a hit by Kunitz and whips a wrister out of play.
16:27: Off a pass by Kunitz in the right wing corner of the Tampa Bay zone, Neal lifts a wrister from the right circle. Roloson hugs it against his chest.
16:01: Here's a shocker. The Penguins' didn't score. Another waste of two minutes.
13:19: Talbot races up the left wing and chops a slapper on net. Roloson steers it to the corner.
12:04: Letestu shuffles a quick shot on net from the right circle. Roloson kicks it out of play.
11:09: Craig Adams controls a puck in the right corner and flips a pass to Letang at the right point. Letang chops it on net. Roloson eats it up.
10:54: Neal gets denied twice in tight by Roloson. Once on the forehand. The other on a backhand.
9:54: Off a turnover by the Lightning it its own zone, Kennedy blasts a slapper from the right circle. It gets deflected wide on the far side. The Penguins have really turned up the heat with their forecheck.
8:32: Downie clocks Jordan Staal in the neutral zone from behind. Downie left his feet to deliver the hit. No call.
8:20: Downie smacks Orpik with a rough clean hit behind the Penguins' net.
8:15: Fleury covers a loose puck. Downie kind of jabs at him with his stick. Orpik crosschecks him. Orpik gets a crosschecking minor. Downie is sent off for slashing. Four on four.
7:12: Neal make a mad rush off the left wing and lifts a wrister from the left circle. Roloson fights it off.
6:45: After he rushes to the net off the right wing, Neal has a little backhander in the slot kicked out by Roloson.
6:43: After Mike Comrie wins a faceoff in the right circle, Zbynek Michalek cranks a one-timer from the top of the slot. Roloson fights it off and out of play.
6:23: After Sean Bergenhim forces his way to the net off the right wing, Nate Thompson has a few chances in tight but Fleury's left leg says no.
6:15: Orpik and Downie return to play.
3:37: After nearly three minute of stagnant play, Teddy Purcell undresses Talbot in the right wing corner of the Penguins' zone and snaps off a wrister. Fleury eats it ups.
2:17: On a delay penalty, Hedman and Kennedy almost get into a fight. Hedman doesn't seem to interested and waits for an official to step in. Downie is sent off for boarding Kennedy in the left wing corner of the Lightning's zone. A pretty stupid play. Hedman and Kennedy get roughing minors. Was Kennedy trying to get some revenge for Hedman's hit on Sidney Crosby Jan. 5? The Penguins get another power play. Comrie, Staal, Martin Letang and Kovalev take the ice.
0:31: And there goes that power play. Neal is called for holding Moore. Four on four for 14 seconds.
0:00.1: Brewer rips a wrister from the top of the slot. Fleury is well out of his crease and gets run over accidently by Stamkos. Back to four on four for 1:29.
0:00: With a faceoff in the right circle of he Lightning' zone. Letestu manages to actually get it on net. Roloson punches it away. Lightning 2-0.
SECOND INTERMISION
-Well... the Penguins were a little better that period. They took the attack to the Lightning. They kept play in the offensive zone for the most part. They also were strong on the forecheck.
-That's all swell and everything, but the Lightning still has a 2-0 lead.
-Roloson has been sharp. There haven't been too many situations where he's been out of position. And his rebound control has been strong.
-The power play is a joke.
-The Penguins have a 20-14 lead in shots.
-Neal leads the game with four.
-Malone, Bergenheim, St. Louis, Lundin and Thompson each lead the Lightning with two.
-Martin leads the game with 18:15 of ice time.
-Brewer leads the Lightning with 15:57.
-The Penguins have a 24-23 edge in faceoffs (51 percent).
-Talbot is 7 for 13 (54 percent).
-Moore is 7 for 8 (88 percent).
-Fire Ray Shero.
-Brewer and Kubina each lead the game with three blocked shots.
-Ben Lovejoy leads the Penguins with two.
THIRD PERIOD
18:27: Just as Neal's penalty retires, Kennedy snaps off a wrister from right wing. Roloson makes the save. Knennedy jabs at the rebound but no dice.
18:19: Kennedy sn aps off a another wrister from the left circle. Roloson right sit off.
18:01: Stamkos returns to play. Not a lot going on there for the Penguins.
16:50: Michalek chops a slapper from the right point. Roloson kicks it out.
16:46: Niskane fires a slapper on net from the left point. Roloson eats it up.
15:54: Letang has a nice chance in the slot. He snaps off wrister which Roloson appears to get a piec eof.
15:29: Huh? What was that? Kovalev keeps a puck in the offensive zone at the left. Rupp controls the puck on the left wall and lobs a seemingly innocent little wrister at the cage. Mike Lundin screens Roloson who is totally fooled by the shot and allows the puck to float by him on the far side. Ouch. Bad goal to give up. The Penguins will take it. Kovalev gets the only assist. Lightning 2-1.
13:48: After a poor turnover by the Penguins in their own zone, St. Louis one-time a loose puck in the left circle on net. Fleury snags it with a dazzling glove save. Someone owes Fleury a beer there. Wow.
13:01: Letang floats a wrister from the right point. Roloson eats it up.
12:33: Conner chucks a wrister on net from the right half wall. Roloson fights it off.
11:29: After a turnover by the Penguins in the neutral zone, Malone has a chance on breakaway. He gets tripped up by Rupp en route to the net. Malone still is able to shuffle a backhander on net. Fleury fights it off. Staal, Adams, Michalek and Orpik take the ice.
9:59: Kubina rifles a wrister from the top of the slot wide on the right to of the cage.
9:29: Rupp's minor is killed. The Penguins dind't allow much to the Lightning there.
8:34: Kunitz air mails a slapper from the neutral zone. Roloson fights it off.
8:08: Bergenheim flies in off the right wing, cuts towards the slot and rips a wrister. Michalek flops down and blocks it.
7:02: St. Louis has a chance in tight denied by Fleury.
6:40: Kunitz gains the offensive zone on the left wing and chops a slapper. Lundin blocks it out of play.
5:58: Lovejoy get clubbed from behind by Nate Thompson from behind in the left wing corner of the Penguins' zone. No call.
5:45: Nate Thompson has a prime chance in the slot but can't beat Fleury on the forehand. He actually fans on the shot.
4:24: On a delayed penalty, Prucell whips a wrister from the right circle. Flery eats it up. Kovalev is sent off for cross checking Bergenheim in front of the Lightning bench. Not a good penalty to take. This is do or die for the Penguins here. The Lightning call a time out to get orgainzed. Orpik, Staal, Dupuis and Letang take the ice.
3:26: Off a turnover by the Lightning in the offensive zone, Talbot pushe the puck up the right wing. As Kunitz drives towards the cage, Talbot lifts a wrister. Roloson eats it up.
2:23: Kovalev's penalty is killed. A big kill for the Penguins.
1:38: Kovalev gets tripped up in the slot of the Tampa Bay zone. No call. He may have tried to sell that a bit
1:16: Downie chucks a long-distance wrister fro the neutral zone on net. Fleury kicks it out.
1:05: Fleury is pulled for an extra attacker.
0:56: Niskanen snaps off a wrister from the left point. It hits a skate in front.
0:44: Lovejoy cranks a slapper rform the left point wide on the near side
0:29: Neal snaps off a wrister from the left circl but his stick breaks.
0:16: Martin chucks a slapper on net form the left point. Roloson kicks it out. There's a rebound but no one in a white jersey is around to cash it in.
0:00: End of game. Lightning 2, Penguins 1.
POSTGAME
-Two thing really stood out in that game to us: The Penguins' incomplete effort and Dwayne Roloson.
-First, Roloson. Give him credit. He played an awesome game. He was rarely out of position. He rarely allowed rebounds. He was just on tonight. He earned this win.
-Second, the Penguins. They pretty much played 35 minutes tonight. They had an absolutely dreadful effort in the first period and waited until midway through the second period to get it going. They dominated this game at points, but by then, it was too late.
-Remember how this power play was supposed to be corrected when Mike Yeo left town? Boy, was that false optimism. Regardless of the coaching and regardless of the personnel, this team just can't find a way to turn its power play into an actual weapon.
-We know he played with two really good playmaking centers in Dallas with Mike Richards and Mike Ribeiro. And we know he's had a revolving door here in Pittsburgh at center with Mark Letestu, Dustin Jeffrey, Jordan Staal and others. But at some point James Neal needs to produce on his own. He has the skill but he just hasn't done it. Neal actually played a solid game, but this team needs him to produce goals. Period.
-Kris Letang looked spent. He had several sloppy plays tonight. His shot wasn't all that sharp. He looks like a guy who has played way too many minutes.
-The Penguins had a 37-24 lead in shots.
-Letang led the game with seven shots.
-St. Louis led the Lightning with four.
-Paul Martin led the game with 27:16 of ice time.
-Brewer led the Lightning with 23:29.
-The Lightning had a 33-31 edge in faceoffs (52 percent).
-Moore was 8 for 9 (89 percent).
-Talbot was 9 for 17 (53 percent).
-Kubina led the game with five blocked shots.
-Michalek, Lovejoy and Dupuis led the Penguins with two each.
-Rupp scored his 20th career goal for the Penguins.