Blue Jackets at Penguins - 02-26-12
PREGAME
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-We can say it any better:
-It a great day, period. It's in the high 30s, but it's a absolutely pleasant day for late February. There's a ton of sunshine and a few clouds. Shadows descend on Dahntahn:
-There aren't any great days for the Civic Arena anymore:
-This isn't a great photo, but you can see the demolition on the concrete outer "rim" has begun:
-Today's barn:
-Evgeni Malkin is popular:
-The ice:
-The rink:
-A net camera being installed:
-Marc-Andre Fleury is on a winter-themed cover of Icetime:
-Brad Thiessen will be making his NHL debut today. He's probably used to AHL-level competition. When the game begins, he'll be the first player to wear No. 39 since Luca Caputi.
-The previous No. 39s in franchise history are:
-Luca Caputi
-Chris Minard
-Joel Bouchard
-Jon Sim
-Peter Allen
-Mike Needham
-Thiessen might be the best No. 39 in franchise history already.
-The Penguins will be wearing their white jerseys today. The Blue Jackets will be wearing their third jerseys.
-Per the request of a certain blogger longing early 90s alternative music, "3 Strange Days" by School of Fish is played for folks walking into the arena:
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-Arron Asham apparently skipped warm-ups. For what its worth, he was smarting after hitting Lightning defenseman Brenden Mikkelson in the third period yesterday.
-A few sights around the arena. An Asham jersey:
-Petr Nedved:
-Frank Pietrangelo:
-Paul Coffey with a peculiar blue hoodie:
-Martin Straka:
-There are more than a few loyal Blue Jackets fans. Steve Mason:
-Rick Nash in the Blue Jackets' orginal jersey:
-Nash from the 2007 All-Star Game:
-Derrick Brassard:
-You have to be pretty hard core to have Kris Russell and Curtis Sanford jerseys:
-Fans walking in off Centre Avenue:
-Fans heading up to the 200 level:
-Fans viewing the Civic Arena's corpse:
-Today's giveaway is a blue totebag:
-The scourge of St. Patrick Day T-shirt jerseys is back:
-Jacket of the Day: Epic letterman jacket with a old Prince of Wales Conference patch:
-Jersey Foul of the Day: Submitted without additional comment:
-Jerseys of the Day: We have to go with Mark Letestu NHL Penguins:
-And AHL Penguins:
-Warm ups:
-The Penguins' starters are Craig Adams, Matt Cooke, the great Joe Vitale, Kris Letang, Zbynek Michalek and Brad Thiessen.
-Their scratches are Arron Asham, Brent Johnson and Ben Lovejoy.
-The Blue Jackets' starters are Mark Letestu, Rick Nash, R.J. Umberger, Jack Johnson, James Wisniewski and Curtis Sanford.
-Their scratches are Darryl Boyce, Grant Clitsome and Aaron Johnson.
-Nice gesture by Blue Jackets head coach Todd Richards to give Letestu and Umberger the start in Pittsburgh.
-No Jimerson. No picture.
FIRST PERIOD
19:14: Chris Kunitz corrals a loose puck on the right wing wall of the offensive zone and flings it at the cage. It hits a body in front.
18:14: Letestu winds up and cranks a slapper from the right circle. It hits a body in front.
17:59: Jordan Staal lugs the puck into the offensive zone and taps a pass to Pascal Dupuis on the right half wall. Dupuis winds up and cranks a one-timer which Sanford kicks out.
17:06: Tangradi pushes the puck deep on the right wing corner and snaps off a wrister Sanford fights it off. Nash slams Tangradi into the boards behind the cage.
16:09: There's some decent hitting going on. Kunitz drops Ryan Russell in front of the Columbus penalty box with astrong check.
15:43: Derek MacKenzie snaps off a wrister from the right circle. Thiessen deflects it away for his first NHL save.
15:01: Richard Park has a slapper from the right circle blocked by Jack Johnson.
14:41: Brassard flings a wrister from the left circle. Michalek blocks it.
14:02: After some strong work behind the cage by Eric Tangradi, Letang snap off a wrister form the right circle. Sanford eats it up.
13:50: Deryk Engelland pumps a slapper from the left point. Sanford gloves it despite traffic.
13:06: Kunitz snaps off a wrister from the slot which hits a stick and deflects above the cage.
12:51: Malkin races into the offensive zone and backhands a pass to Neal in the right circle. Neal guns a one-timer which Sanfrod eats up.
12:28: After a poor turnover by Nash at the right point of the offensive zone, Kunitz pushes the puck up ice on the left wing, gains the offensive zone and attacks the net. He tries to tuck in a forehand shot near side but Sanford's right pad keeps it out.
12:08: After an ugly turnover by Steve Sullivan in his own zone, Letestu lifts a wrister from the left circle over the cage.
11:01: The great Joe Vitale tries to chip and chase the puck into the offensive zone on the right wing but Johnson stands him up with a check away from the puck. No call.
9:50: Dupuis snaps off a wrister from the left circle to the far side. Sanford right leg kicks it out.
9:27: Letang goes in deep on the left wing, circles around in the corner and deals a pass to Martin at the right point. Martin strikes a one-timer which misses the mark.
9:02: Letang flings a wrister from the left point which Sanford eats up.
8:52: Off a rush into the offensive zone, Johnson taps a feed to Letestu in the slot. Letestu jabs a backhand on net. Thiessen holds it out.
8:01: Orpik winds up and cranks a one-timer from the left point. It hits a body in front. Dupuis chops the rebound at the cage. Sanford eats it up.
6:26: Cooke swings around the left wing corner and backhands a pass to Matt Niskanen at the left point. Niskanen cranks a slapper which Sanford eats up.
5:28: Johnson tees up a slapper from the left point which hits a body in front and hops away from the cage.
2:46: After a few stagnant minutes, Brett Lebda takes a pass above the left circle, moves in with a clean look at the net and snaps off a clean wrister at the cage. Thiessen is in perfect position and gloves it.
1:33: Umberger flings a wrister from the left wing on net. Thiessen fights it off.
0:39: Prospal winds up and chops a slapper from the left poitn wide to the far side.
0:00: End of period. Curtis Sanford Blue Jackets 0, Penguins 0.
FIRST INTERMISSION
-That was a fairly entertaining but hardly spectacular opening 20 minutes. There were plenty of offensive chances - for the Penguisn at least - and a healthy amount of hitting.
-What ever Tampa Bay's Dwayne Roloson didn't do yesterday, Sanford is doing today. He's just tuned in. The puck looks like a beach ball for him. Sanford is making all these saves look routine. If not for Sanford, the Penguins have a goal or two.
-Thiessen was hardly tested. Aside from a slight flub of a puck behind his own net, he looked solid.
-Has anyone seen Rick Nash?
-Letestu might have been the Blue Jackets most consistent offensive threat that period.
-The Penguins are dominating shots, 15-5.
-Letang leads the game with three shots.
-None of the Blue Jackets has more than one.
-Letang leads the game with 7:53 of ice time.
-Fedor Tyutin leads the Blue Jackets with 7:49.
-Faceoffs are even, 12-12.
-Malkin is 6 for 6 (100 percent).
-Samuel Pahlsson is 4 for 7 (57 percent).
-Letang, Ryan Russell and Tyutin each lead the game with two blocked shots.
-Long-time EN reader Lowell Murray spotted a Marty McSorley jersey:
SECOND PERIOD
19:37: It doesn't take long off the faceoff to get the first penalty of the game. Orpik is called for interference against Brassard in the left wing corner of the Penguins' zone. Michalek, Martin, Craid Adams and the great Joe Vitale take the ice.
18:35: Nikita Nikitin makes a nifty move around Staal at the right point of the offensive zone and flings a wrister on net from above the left circle. Thiessen snags it.
17:37: The Penguins kill off the rest of Orpik's minor. Great effort.
17:00: Malkin settles a puck in the slot with his hand and chops a backhander on net. He follows up on the rebound and is tackled by Tyutin. That's two minutes for holding. Malkin, Letang, Neal, Sullivan and Kunitz take the ice.
16:00: From the right circle, Malkin deals a pass to Letang at the right point. Letang golfs a one-timer wide of the cage.
15:53: Sulivan circles out of the left wing corner and slides a pass to Malkin above the right circle. Malkin unloads a one-timer. Sanford eats it up.
15:00: As the Tyutin minor expires, Malkin flings a wrister on net from the left circle. Sanford knocks it dead and covers.
14:50: Malkin settles a loose puck to the left oc the net and deals a backhanded pass to Staal trailing in the left circle. Staal lifts a wrister. Sanford knocks it down and covers.
14:21: Attendance is announced as 18,602. It is the team's 240th consecutive sellout.
13:46: Dupuis corrals a loose puck on the left wing wall and whacks it on net with a slapper. Sanford fights it off.
12:14: Staal chases down a loose puck to the left of the net and taps a little shot into the crease. Sanford is handcuffed by it a little bit but keeps it out.
11:44: Letang tries to carry the puck oof his own zone but is run over by Derek Dorsett. Letang loses the puck and
11:33: Dorsett hits Martin behind the Penguins' net and drops him. Martin gives him a little chop with the stick. Dorsett shoves him back. An official raises his hand.
11:00: On a delayed penalty, Staal chops a slpper from above the left circle. Ryan Russell leans down and blocks it. Dorsett is sent off for boarding Martin. Malkin, Neal, Kunitz, Letang and Sullivan take the ice.
10:33: Malkin unleashes a wicked one-timer from above the left circle. Sanford reads it all the way.
10:11: Sullivan fumbles a puck coming out of his zone and loses it. It end sup on the stick of Nikitin at his own blue line. Nikitin banks if off the right wing boards. It deflects to Nash who is in the slot behind the defense. He glides in on a shorthanded breakaway and snaps off a wrister by the blocker of Thiessen. What a shot. Nikitin gets the only assist. Thiessen didn't have a prayer on that. Blue Jackets 1-0.
9:00: The Dorsett minor is killed. A pretty weak effort by the Penguins.
8:26: The great Joe Vitale flings a backhander from the slot on net. Sanford fights it off.
8:05: The Penguins head back to the penalty box as Dupuis is called for tripping Lebda. Michalek, Orpik, Staal and Adams take the ice.
7:56: Wisniewski chops a slapper from the top of the slot wide to the left of the cage.
6:09: Fedor Tyutin booms a slapper from the left point. Sanford eats it up.
6:05: Dupuis' minor is killed. The Blue Jackets did little with that chance.
5:33: Malkin barges in off the left wing and attacks the net. He loses the puck in the blue paint before he can shoot.
3:52: John Moore booms a slapper from the left point. Thiessen fights it off. Letang skates it out of danger.
2:56: Cooke whips a wrister on net from the left wing half wall. Sanford punches it away.
2:18: Johnson collects a loose puck at the left point and chops a slapper on net that's off the mark.
2:07: Neal tries to shoot a loose puck int he left circle of the offensive zone but Umberger chops his stick in half on a back check. That's two minutes for slashing. Staal, Cooek, Sullivan, Letang and Park.
1:24: Park controls the puck in the right wing corner and deals a pass to Staal in the slot. Staal's wrister misses the mark. Cooke put the rebound on net. Tyutin blocks it.
1:13: Letang controls the puck at the top of the slot and deals a pass to Suliva in the left circle. Sullivan snaps off a wrister to the far side. Sanford gloves it.
0:47: Eventually it was going to happen. Kunitz forces a turnover on the right wing corner. Neal deals to Malkin in the right circle. Malkin snaps off a wrister to the far side which glances off Johnson's stick and deflects into the net by Sanford's right skate. Great work by Kunitz to force the turnover. Sullivan and Neal get assists. The "Woo-Hoo!" song and "Malkamania" videos are played. Blue Jackets 1, Penguins 1.
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0:00: End of period. Blue Jackets 1, Penguins 1.
SECOND INTERMISSION
-That was a pretty ugly period. The Penguins kind of sleepwalked through it while taking too many penalties. The Blue Jackets had some chances but just don't have the talent to bury too many of them.
-Sanford is playing the game of his life. If not for a bad hop of his own defenseman's stick, he has a shutout.
-Thiessen has been strong. The only goal he allowed is a breakaway to a perennial all-star.
-The Penguins have a 26-15 lead in shots.
-Malkin leads the game with five.
-Cam Atkinson leads the Blue Jackets with three.
-Letang leads the game with 18:19 of ice time.
-Nikitin leads the Blue Jackets with 15:47.
-The Penguins have a 26-22 advantage in faceoffs (54 percent).
-Malkin and Staal are 8 for 13 (62 percent).
-Pahlsson is 8 for 14 (57 percent).
-Letang and Nikitin each lead the game with three.
-If you haven't seen Sanford's blue raspberry sherbet pads, here you go:
(Getty Images)
-EN reader @gerg27: spotted a true beauty. Ron Duguay:
THIRD PERIOD
18:49: Pahlsson snaps off a wrister from the left circle. Thiessen fights it off.
18:37: Neal rips a wrister from the left circle. It hits a Tyutin and trickles towards the crease. Sanford swats it away before Neal can reclaim the rebound.
16:40: Nash air mails a slapper from the neutral zone. Thiessen eats it up.
15:48: Malkin forces a turnover in the offensive zone an flings a backhander from the slot. Sandford swats it way with his glove hand.
15:16: Malkin pushes the puck up the right wing and deals a pass to Neal on the right wing. Neal drives a slapper on net. Sanford makes the initial save. The rebound flutters into the air behind him. Kunitz is in the blue paint battling for position with Johnson. It hits off the back of Kunitz's right skate and slides into the net. Officials immediately wave it off and Sanford signals a kicking motion. A video review confirms the call on the ice. We wonder if that was a "no conclusive evidence" type of ruling given the call on the ice. Either way, the game remains tied.
14:10: No doubting that goal. Dupuis recovers a puck behind the cage, circles around to the left circle, turns an flings a wrister which sneaks between the five hole of Sanford and goes into the net. It looked like Johnson screened Sanford there. Ouch. Two goals in as many days for Dupuis. Sullivan and Staal get assists. The "Woo-Hoo!" song is played. Penguins 2-1.
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11:21: After Dupuis forces a turnover in the offensive zone, Staal flicks a wrister from the slot which hits a stick and deflects wide.
10:52: Orpik chops a slapper from the left point. Sanford kicks it out.
10:42: Dorsett whacks Michalek on the hand in the neutral zone. That's two minutes for slashing. Neal, Malkin, Kunitz, Letang and Sullivan take the ice.
10:38: Another non-goal. Off the faceoff in the right circle, Letang swats a wrister from the top of the slot which blows by Sanford on the blocker side. The Penguins celebrate but the goal is waved off again. Officials rule Kunitz made incidental contact with Sanford. Replays appear to show Sanford kind of pushing Kunitz in the back above the blue pain. A pretty weak call.
9:13: No issues with this goal. After furious scrum in front of the blue paint, Park taps a pass to Letang above the left circle. Letang winds up and blows a slapper by Sanford on the blocker side. What a shot. Great concentration by Park to make that little pass out of the scramble. Park and Cooke get assist. The "Woo-Hoo!" song is played. Penguins 3-1.
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5:32: After a few minutes of stale play, Knis fans on a one-timer attempt in the left circle.
5:03: After a strong effort by Cooke behind the net to knock Johnson off the puck, he taps a puck in front of the crease. Tangradi and the great Joe Vitale each chop at it. Vitale is able to sneak it by the left pad of Sanford. That was an all-out effort goal there. Johnson was owned by Cooke on that goal. A rough debut for Johnson. Tangradi and Cooke get assists. It's Tangradi's first point of the season. The "Woo-Hoo!" song is going to need a maintenance day tomorrow. Penguins 4-1.
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4:53: Ant his game has opened up all of a sudden. Atkinson controls the puck on the right wing, gains the offensive zone, draws the defense in and deals a pass to Prospal in the left circle. Thiessen slides to his right but overplays Prospal who snaps off a wristr to the far side by Thiessen's glove hand. What a shot. The penguins were way too loose in their own zone there. This game isn't over yet. Atkinson gets the only assist. Penguins 4-2.
2:50: Nash had a chance to pull within one goal but can't bury it. He gets behind Letang, takes a pass and goes backhand/forehand. Before he can shoot he loses control of the puck.
1:45: Sanford is pulled for an extra attacker.
1:28: Nash snaps off a rister from deep on the left wing. Michalek blocks it. Nash recovers the rebound and flings it on net. Thiessen knocks it down and covers. The Blue Jackets call a time out to get organized.
1:19: Off a faceoff win in the left circle, Johnson booms a one-timer from the top of the slot wide to the right of the net.
1:12: Wisniewski high sticks Neal along the left wing boards of the Penguins' zone. That's two minutes. Sanford returns to the cage. Neal, Malkin, Kunitz, Letang and Martin take the ice.
1:00: The Blue Jackets push the puck to the offensive zone and pull Sanford again.
0:18: Malkin snaps off a wrister from the Columbus blue line. Johnson blocks it wide of the open cage.
0:00: End of period. The "Woo-Hoo!" song is played. Mike Lange informs us of Elvis' whereabouts. Penguins 4, Blue Jackets 2.
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POSTGAME
-It probably was a little bit more challenging than they would have anticipated, but the Penguins earned two points today against a surprisingly competitive Blue Jackets team.
-The Penguins dominated the first period but had little to show for it. They struggled the second period and managed to escape with a tied. Then they turned it one in the third and came away with the win.
-The best part about this game from the Penguins' perspective was that they got offensive from multiple sources. It wasn't just the Evgeni Malkin show. Three of their lines produced goals this afternoon. For all the calls for the Penguins to get a top-six scorer at the trade deadline, they managed to get quite a bit of secondary scoring.
-Brad Thiessen wasn't challenged a great deal, but he handled his first start very cleanly. He didn't make many mistakes, he limited rebounds and made most of the shots he faced seem routine. He looked like an NHL goaltender today.
-Somewhere along the way, the Penguins' power play got good. It's clicking at 20.9 percent, fifth-best in the league. Roughly a year ago, it was an anchor for this team. Now, it's a true weapon.
-We're not sure if it's just a matter of personnel with Steve Sullivan, Malkin and James Neal which has led to the power play's success or if its simply the tactics employed by the coaches. It's probably a combination of both.
-Granted, the opposition wasn't all that great today, but the Penguins' defense managed to cut down on the quality offensive chances it allowed today. Saturday, the Lightning had a few breakaways and odd-man rushes. Today, the Blue Jackets just didnt' get too many quality looks at the net.
-Even before his goal, Kris Letang was having a very strong, very balanced all-around game. He was especially strong in his own zone preventing several scoring chances.
-We wonder if Chris Kunitz is gaining a reputation with officials similiar to the one Red Wings forward/net-front presence Tomas Holmstrom has. Holmstrom has been the victim of phantom goaltending interfernece calls for years just based on reputation. Rightly or wrongly, he doesn't get the benefit of the doubt on several calls. It's almost as if Kunitz is starting to head down that road too. He's had several - we've seen estimates of seven - goals waved off this season due to questionable calls in the blue paint.
-Columbus goaltender Curtis Sanford was surprised by the second non-goal in which officials said Kunitz made contact with him. Sanford said, "I was just getting out in position. I was surprised by the call actually. It went in off our guy's shin guards off the point shot. I thought there was going to be a faceoff at center ice. I wasn't expecting the call. If there was any contact, it was very little. It was at the beginning of the play. It kind of surprised. We'll take that call anyways. It sucks that we didn't counter with it."
-Speaking of Sanford, he was outstanding today. He deserved better. He was tremendous in the first period when the Penguins bombarded him with 15 shots. If not for some bad play and bad luck in front of him, he get this game to overtime at the very worst.
-Jack Johnson had a rough day in his Blue Jackets debut. He had a puck bounce off his skate for the first Penguins goal by Malkin. He screened Sanford on the second one by Pascal Dupuis. And was completely owned by Matt Cooke in a battle on the boards which led to the third goal by the great Joe Vitale. Johnson will have better days in Columbus.
-Rick Nash was mostly invisible outside of the gift of a shorthanded goal he scored. He didn't do a ton today to impact his trade value.
-The Penguins dominated shots, 40-24.
-Malkin led the game with seven shots.
-Dustin Jeffrey, Eric Tangradi and Craig Adams were the only Penguins skaters who failed to record a shot on net.
-Nash and Vaclav Prospal each led the Blue Jackets with four.
-Letang led the game with 26:29 of ice time.
-Nikita Nikitin led the Blue Jackets with 24:55.
-The Penguins led in faceoffs, 37-32 (54 percent).
-Malkin was 11 for 19 (58 percent).
-Samuel Pahlsson was 11 for 20 (55 percent).
-Letang, Nikitin and Fedor Tyutin each led the game with four blocked shots.
-Thiessen became the 48th goaltender in franchise history to record a win.
-Letang recorded his 11th career game-winning goal. He is now tied with Paul Coffey and Sergei Gonchar for second-place on the franchise's list for game-winners among defensemen. Only Larry Murphy (12) has more.
-Malkin now has 497 career points.
-Cooke passed up former captain Orest Kindrachuk for 68th place on the franchise's all-time scoring list. Both players have 118 points, but Cooke (52) has more goals than Kindrachuk (38).
-Highlights: