Latest NEWS -- 5/17/08 - Nightime Edition

Gary Roberts May Play Tomorrow

*Kudos to The Sidney Crosby Show*

By Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Penguins winger Gary Roberts, who has been battling pneumonia, practiced with the team today and said he could be ready to play tomorrow against Philadelphia in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final.

Article: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08138/882810-100.stm

By Paul, KuklasKorner.com

Q. How did Gary Roberts feel after practice today?

COACH THERRIEN: He felt pretty good we’ll see tomorrow.

Q. Think he’ll play tomorrow?

COACH THERRIEN: We’ll see tomorrow.

Article: http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/hockey/comments/coach_therrien_today/

Malkin and Sykora Miss Practice

By Kevin Gorman, Pittsburgh Tribune Review

Penguins center Evgeni Malkin and right wing Petr Sykora, both out sick, did not skate today at the RMU Island Sports Center.

Both are expected to play against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Eastern Conference final Sunday at Mellon Arena.

In their absence, Kris Beech and Jeff Taffe skated with Ryan Malone on the second line.

Article: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_568050.html

By Paul, KuklasKorner.com

Q. I guess is there any concern about Malkin and Sykora for tomorrow?

COACH THERRIEN: They should be ready for tomorrow. They should be there.

Q. Is it just a sickness?

COACH THERRIEN: A sickness. And we believe at this time of year rest sometimes can be more important than practice, and they should be there tomorrow.

Article: http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/hockey/comments/coach_therrien_today/

Q&A with Michel Therrien

By Paul, KuklasKorner.com

Q. How important is home ice advantage throughout the playoffs for you guys?

COACH THERRIEN: Home ice is huge. And you work really hard through the course of the season to get home ice. We felt comfortable in that building. We like to play in front of our fans. Our fans have been great, and we’ve got their support. And that’s why we’re glad that Game 5 is going to be home. We’re glad that we have home ice advantage, because we’re a tough team to play in our building.

Q. What do your guys have to do to avoid playing the kind of game that Philly likes to play, as they did for a period or so?

COACH THERRIEN: Well, they played really well in the first period. They were desperate. And we had a hard time in that first period to match that desperation. But I believe in the second and third we started to play the way we’re capable of playing, and we’re going to need to bring that to the next game.

We’ve got momentum, especially in the third period. We could have tied the game. We got some great chances. Biron was good, obviously. So we’ll try to bring the momentum that we got especially in the third period to the start of tomorrow’s game.

Q. Timonen and Coburn, if they come back does that have much impact?

COACH THERRIEN: We focus on our team, how we’re supposed to play. Timonen is a good, obviously, he’s a good defenseman for them. But when we played Ottawa we had a similar thing. They got Alfredsson back in the lineup and it brings some energy.

But it’s demanding for players. Especially when you’re missing so long, you lose your game shape. This is playoff hockey and a playoff game. They’re demanding.

But, for us, Timonen is going to have to be ready to play a playoff hockey game. In the meantime, it’s not about them, it’s about us. And we’re going to play, and we’re going to focus on the way we’re supposed to play.

To Read the Rest of the Article: http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/hockey/comments/coach_therrien_today/

Timonen Will Play; Coburn Might Play

From CBC.com

TIMONEN IS BACK

The Flyers will have Kimmo Timonen (blood clot) back for Game 5. He has full medical clearance to play and he says he is ready.

“I’m ready to go,” he said, coming off the ice today at practice. Later he said, “I hope to be on the ice. I got to trust the doctors that there is no risk at all if I play. The symptoms won’t be gone, they will be the same but it felt pretty good today at practice and that’s why I’m pretty confident I’m ready to go. I talked to is the doctors and our trainers in the last [week]. I just want to make sure there is no risk of me going out there and then something bad happens. I don't want that to happen."

COBURN IS IFFY

Braydon Coburn still has some depth perception issues in his left eye. He may or may not have some concussion symptoms, such as a headache. There have been some hints at such, but Coburn hasn’t been specific. He took a deflected puck to the eye in Game 2 and has not played since. Yet he does expect to suit up tomorrow. “There’s a good chance [I’ll play],” he said. “Everything felt pretty good [at practice]. I felt like I've been off the ice for a couple of days. Wearing the visor is a little bit of an adjustment as well. But it's something I'm going to have to do right now.”

COACH JOHN STEVENS SAYS

Asked what it would mean to his club if both Timonen and Coburn were on the ice for Game 5, he replied, “They're a big part of our team all year, but I think that's true of all the guys. It's great to have these guys being able to be around. But Kimmo's an elite player in the league. He's not just a great player, he's one of our leaders. To lose a guy like that, they're not easily replaced.
"You need a lot extra from everybody in your lineup just to try to close the gap that was left behind when he was out. Cobe's a big guy, plays in all situations, creates speed, good defender. And Kimmo plays in every situation that there is in the hockey game. So to get one or both back would be a great lift for us in a lot of ways.”

Article: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/hnicplayoff/2008/05/timonen.html

Game 5 on NBC

Sergei Gonchar

After a disappointing game 4 against the Flyers for the Pens in which they took a 4-2 loss. The unfortunate player to be reviewed after a bad game for the Pens is that of the Penguins key defender Sergei Gonchar.

After a great regular season in which he was second in points for a defence man behind Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings. He was also leading point scorer in the Eastern Conference on the Powerplay. So overall a great season for him. The playoffs thus far have been good for him as well, but not on a attacking front for a change but a defensive one. He has been instrumental in the Pens success this season in the playoffs. That was clearly shown in Game 3 when he made probably one of the best defensive plays you will ever see (shown below)

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Game 4 however was for much a different prospect as Gonchar didn't really have is best game in a Pens jersey. Spending time in the box early for a silly penalty which helped shift the momentum in the direction of the Flyers as they raced to a 3 goal lead in the 1st period. His defensive play after that was a little slack although the Pens as a whole managed to tighten up. His offensive play didn't really come into action until the third period where he was trying to get the Pens first goal and getting it tied in the dying minutes in which he began to look more like a threat to the Flyers having a few shots blocked. It will not be a game Gonchar will remember as it wasn't his strongest and although he looked a little frail i am sure he will bounce back in Game 5 on Sunday.

Thanks for reading the blog please feel free to leave any comments. The next player under the microscope will be Kris Letang for Game 5 if i can watch the Game, due to early start i may be busy. Otherwise it will be the Game after that.

Latest News -- 5/17/08

Geno is Down

By Bob Smizik, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

What had been the team's best line -- Evgeni Malkin, Ryan Malone and Petr Sykora -- has gone absent. Without the Malkin line performing at or near its highest capability, the Penguins have no skill advantage. After all, what kind of advantage does a supposed skill line give a team when it has scored one goal and three assists in the past three games?

This is the same line that carried the team in the latter stages of the regular season and through the first 10 games of the playoffs.

Seems hard to believe that about a week ago Malkin was being talked about as possibly the best player in the game. He was mentioned frequently as a leading candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy, which goes to the MVP of the playoffs. While Sidney Crosby struggled to score, Malkin was a goal-scoring machine.

But look what he has done lately. His only point in the past three games was the second assist on Malone's score that gave the Penguins a two-goal lead midway through the third period of Game 3. He has managed only seven shots on goal in those three games, compared to 10 in the final game against the New York Rangers. He has been charged with eight giveaways.

There's no Conn Smythe candidacy in those numbers.

"He hasn't been productive like he was in the past," said coach Michel Therrien in a conference call with the media yesterday. "He's going to have to find a way next game to make sure he's going to be productive like he [was] at the playoffs start."

Malkin had two goals against Ottawa, four against New York and two in the first game against Philadelphia.

It was suggested to Therrien that perhaps Malkin was tired. He wore down in the playoffs last year, failing to score a goal in five games against Ottawa, and now, in the third round, he is involved in an even longer season.

Therrien didn't buy it.

"Yes, it is a long season. He had been through that last year. I think he's got more experience this year to play through the schedule that we're facing in the NHL, plus the playoffs. I could understand fatigue would be a factor if we would have played seven games in every round. I think we've had some quality time for rest. And because of the amount of games that we played in the playoffs, I don't think fatigue is a factor."

To Read the Rest of the Article: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08138/882688-61.stm

MT Admits he Made a Mistake

By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It was, coach Michel Therrien said, a mistake that led to Sidney Crosby being on the ice in the waning seconds of the Penguins' 4-2 loss in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final at Philadelphia Thursday night.

Not by Therrien for sending him out, but by the referees for passing along faulty information that prompted Therrien to deploy Crosby even after the Flyers had scored an empty-net goal.
Therrien said yesterday that, in the wake of a skirmish between Penguins winger Ryan Malone and Philadelphia defenseman Derian Hatcher at 19:37 of the third period, the officials told him the Penguins were going to have a 5-on-3 power play.

Add an extra skater who would replace goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to a two-man advantage, Therrien said, and he believed the Penguins had an outside chance to force overtime, so Crosby got the call.

"On a five-on-three, you pull your goalie with 30 [sic] seconds left, and you could have a chance to go 6-on-3," he said. "And we're still feeling that, with a good rush, in 10 seconds we could have scored a goal, and you're still hoping.

"When all the players were on the ice [for the resumption of play, a ref] came to the bench and told us [the Flyers] don't have two minors. They've got one minor. All the players were [on the ice] already. So that was a bad communication from the referee to the bench. They changed their mind."

Twelve seconds after the game resumed, Crosby scuffled with Flyers center Mike Richards, and both were assessed minors for slashing and roughing. During a news conference yesterday, Richards explained their run-in this way, according to a transcript provided by the NHL:

"I was just trying to go through with the puck. I think that he was thinking I was trying to slash his ankles, but, whatever [laughing]. ... I don't think you can frustrate Sid too much.

"He's such a skilled player, and he's so used to getting picked on, I guess, [by] people going after him, physically and verbally.

"So you're not going to frustrate him too much."

Link to Article: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08138/882685-61.stm

Video: MT's Mistake

Pens Fans Buy Stanley Cup Tickets in Detroit

By Greg Wyshynski, Sports.Yahoo.com

When tickets to a Stanley Cup Playoff series that may involve their team go on sale, Pittsburgh Penguins fans are going to know about it. Please recall the 2000 postseason, when the threat of a Pens fan invasion in D.C. forced Washington owner Ted Leonsis to implement a plan that prevented them from purchasing tickets online for Capitals' playoff home games.

On Wednesday, the Detroit Red Wings began a presale for Stanley Cup Finals tickets that required a special code. And guess who just happened to discover that code: The good folks of the LetsGoPens.com boards, who began crowing about the quality tickets they were scoring for Finals games in Detroit. Well, at least with all of these Penguins fans filling seats at the Joe, Mitch Albom won't have anything to complain about.

Link to Article: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/nhl_experts/post/Penguins-fans-snatch-up-Stanley-Cup-Finals-tix-i?urn=nhl,82957

Pittsburgh is a Hockeytown, High TV Ratings

By Barry Horn, The Dallas Morning News

This afternoon's Game 5 of the Dallas Stars-Red Wings series marks the first and last time everyone in Dallas-Fort Worth should have TV access to the Western Conference finals. The 12:30 p.m. start will be available on NBC (Channel 5).

Surely more viewers will tune in to the game than have bothered to find the first four on cable.
Should the Stars, who trail 3-1, manage to extend the best-of-7 series, the Stars and Red Wings return to Versus for the remaining games. For whatever reason, Versus has proved a vast wasteland locally.

The D-FW market has averaged a 1.8 rating for the Red Wings series in the wake of the Stars' march through Anaheim and San Jose. That translates to 43,841 homes. That's worse than awful.

The most positive spin on the ratings is their incremental game-to-game improvement – 1.1, 1.3, 2.3, 2.5.

Now let's compare. In Detroit, where some homes have access to the Canadian broadcasts, the series has averaged a relatively healthy 9.6 rating (184,848 homes) on Versus.

And in the Eastern Conference home markets, Philadelphia is averaging an 8.3 (244,020 homes). In Pittsburgh, which should be known as Hockeytown USA, the Penguins-Flyers series is averaging a 20.2 rating (233,956 homes) on Versus.

Let's translate. In D-FW, 1.8 percent of all homes with televisions have shown interest in the series. In Pittsburgh, it's 20.2 percent.

To Read the Rest of the Article: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/bhorn/stories/051708dnspohorn.2ef524a.html

Video: Flyers Fans Still Have Hope

*Swear Words in this Video*

Latest NEWS -- 5/16/08

Timonen will Play

By Eklund From Hockeybuzz.com,

Timonen spoke to reporters and told them he is out of danger, will skate today and likely play game 5. Various Flyers players also are telling me that Timonen will be in the line-up.

Prior to last night's game Timonen asked to speak to his teammates because he felt the team was too uptight. Not sure that he told him that he was going to be back or not for game 5 if they won...In all likelihood the Flyers kept this super quiet so as not to give the Pens an extra motivation to wrap it up.

Link to Article: http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=15335

Q&A with MT

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By Alanah from KuklasKorner.com,

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Q. The first two rounds, both the Senators and Rangers kind of complained about the officiating going towards the Penguins, and Stevens did the same thing early in this series. Do you feel kind of a backlash that maybe you’re not getting some of the calls that you would have been getting on the first two series because of that?

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COACH THERRIEN: Well, I don’t know. It’s tough for me to say. The one thing I know, since the Flyers complained after Game 2 that they spent time in the penalty box. And it seems that since then they’re really disciplined. We only had two power plays a game. And that’s all I could say. That, yes, they’re disciplined. We’re having a hard time with our speed to be able to draw a penalty.
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Q. Is that affecting your game plans at all? Or affecting your team that they’re not getting some of the of calls that they have come to expect to get?

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COACH THERRIEN: Well, you know what, we’re not going to change our game plan. We’re going to use our speed. I think speed is important to this game. It’s just we try to sell the game with speed. We try to sell the game with the offense. Even if you have to play really well defensively, and it’s just we try to do it with our club.
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We’re not going to change our game plan. We’ve still got to move. We’ve got to be really quick. Because speed usually brings scoring chances. Speed, usually, it’s tough to contain speed. And there are times that the other team has no choice to get obstruction, to get hooks and hopefully we’ll get some calls eventually. We’re not going to change our game plan, we’re going to use a lot of speed.

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Q. Sort of a follow‑up, I’m wondering if you had a chance to take a look at the Jones hit on Malkin midway through the second period last night, hit from behind, behind the net. Just wondered if you had seen it and what your thoughts were on that?
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COACH THERRIEN: Honestly, I didn’t look at the tapes so far. So I’m going to work on it tonight, and I have to make sure the teams are prepared tomorrow for the practice. So I wouldn’t make any comment, sorry.

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To Read the Rest of the Article: http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/hockey/comments/interview_with_coach_therrien/

5 Things we've Learned

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By Scott Burnside from ESPN,com,

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Five things we've learned from Thursday:

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1. Philadelphia coach John Stevens has raised the possibility that his two top defensemen, Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timonen, missing for most of the series, could make a return at some point.

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"Well, we won't know until each day ... but is there a chance? I think there is, either or both," Stevens said after Thursday's Game 4. "The first thing is you have to make sure of is the health of the player here, and we're not going to put anybody at risk. If they're not able to go, we'll keep marching ahead like we are. But if we're able to get one or both back, it would be a huge lift for our team."
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It was thought that Timonen would be lost for the balance of the season with a blood clot in his ankle, while Coburn took a Hal Gill shot to the face early in Game 1 and hasn't felt well enough to play. The return of one, or both, of the skilled rearguards would be a huge boost to a Flyers team that has struggled to move the puck through the neutral zone.

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2. On the Penguins' side of the infirmary, veteran forward Gary Roberts remained out of the lineup for Game 4 with what the Penguins were calling a mild case of pneumonia.
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"He's still sick. He's got pneumonia," Penguins coach Michel Therrien said before Game 4. "It's a mild case, so he's listed day to day. He's not going to play tonight."

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Asked if Roberts was expected back later in the postseason, Therrien was noncommittal. "Yes, yes, hopefully. He's on medication right now, and we'll go from there."

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3. Pittsburgh center Jordan Staal returned to the lineup after spending all day Wednesday jetting to and from his grandfather's funeral in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and scored twice in a losing cause. Landlord and former teammate Mark Recchi helped arrange a charter jet so Staal could be with his grieving family and return for Game 4.
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"He's an unbelievable guy," said Staal, who still lives at the Recchi family compound in Pittsburgh after Recchi was traded to Atlanta. "He helped me out so much throughout my career, such a great friend to me. He and his family have been unbelievable."

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The visit home was difficult. "I don't know if you lost anyone close, but it wasn't easy," Staal said. "My opa was real close to my whole family, especially all his grandchildren. He's an amazing man and I miss him."
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4. Midway through the second period of Game 4, Philadelphia defenseman Randy Jones drilled Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin headfirst into the boards behind the Flyers net. Malkin jumped right up and continued his shift, but we're wondering how a play like that goes unpenalized? This is the same Randy Jones, by the way, that ended Boston star Patrice Bergeron's season early in the campaign with a hit from behind that wasn't all that much different from what we saw Thursday night in Philadelphia.

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5. Both coaches went to a different look with their line combinations Thursday and both were successful. Stevens moved Mike Richards onto a line with Daniel Briere and Scott Hartnell, dropping Vaclav Prospal back to a line with R.J. Umberger and Joffrey Lupul. Lupul scored the Flyers' first goal. Therrien, meanwhile, moved Max Talbot onto the wing with Staal and Tyler Kennedy. The line scored both Penguins goals in the third period with each linemate recording two points.

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Article: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs2008/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=3399509

Video: PHILLY SUCKS!!

Yes Michel Therrien is a Good Coach!

I was strolling through the message boards today and noticed that Michel Therrien’s coaching is a hot topic. I just want to say that MT has done a good job for this team since the day he set foot in Pittsburgh.

• Right from the onset he took a struggling team with no system and led them to a noticeable improvement.
  
• In his first full season with the team, he took a bunch of young and talented players with limited professional experience to their first ever playoff appearance.
  
• Earlier in the year when the PK was struggling a lot of people here and in the media thought he should be using his star players more frequently to kill penalties. Instead, he stuck with his third and fourth liners. They have gotten better and now we can keep our star's fresh for 5 on 5 play. That is a competitive advantage over many other teams.
  
• MAF is playing his best hockey, yet some still insist that MT has somehow handled him incorrectly? How can you come to that conclusion based on his playoff performance?
  
• Brooks Orpik has played great physical defense ever since he got moved to wing. Remember who made that decision?
  
• Many people including myself complained about Jordan Staal's uninspired play early this season. Some thought he should be moved to wing. Now look at him. He is our shutdown center and continues to be a key penalty killer.
  

Michel Therrien has taken a great set of players assembled by Craig Patrick and Ray Shero and molded them into a team on the verge of making it’s first appearance in the Stanley Cup finals. Coaching isn't just about the short term. It's also about the long term. Therrien didn't just turn into a good coach in the playoffs. He was a good coach the minute he arrived in Pittsburgh.

Evgeni Malkin

So game 3 is over and the Pens lead the series 3-0. Now onto the next review in the series, that of Penguins superstar Evgeni Malkin.

After a great first season in which he won the Calder Trophy, even though he seemed to run out of gas towards the end of the season. This season he has come on leaps and bounds since Sidney Crosby was injured with a high ankle sprain. He managed to take the team through this by tearing up the points table and his goals tally second to only Ovechkin in the points race.

After a strong start to this playoff campaign in which he has 18 points thus far and was looking very formidable until game 2 vs the Flyers where he seemed to have a quiet game recording 0 points. The same can be said for game 3 in which he got one assist on the Malone goal. In the game Malkin seemed a little more active than game 2. The point that lies is he wasn't really as productive as he can be, what is this down to? It could be a many factors, maybe his tank is all out, or the Flyers have managed to control him and know what to do to him. I think it is a combination of both mainly the latter. Sid is once again looking like his old self as i mentioned in a previous blog, the Malkin threat has been subdued for the time being. The problem the Flyers now have is they will have to be careful as Malkin being such a skilled player who can make something out of nothing, and that fact still remains however bad he plays he can do one thing to change a game. Although i thought his play in game 3 was better than 2 it still wasn't much to write about and i think the kid needs a rest so a sweep of the Flyers may be a good thing. Also he is still not use to such a long season especially when he has carried them most of the way, it can strain you mentally.

I see another quiet game for Gino but expect him to come out all guns blazing in the Stanley cup finals. "Form is temporary, class is permanent" that is the fact we all have to remember.

Thanks for reading please leave any comments.

The next blog will be on Sergei Gonchar. If anyone wishes for me to do someone else please email me with suggestions at Britishpensfan@pensunderground.com Maybe the next one can be a readers choice.

Detroit SCF Tickets on Sale NOW

BUY THEM UP PENS FANS

Presale, BUY THEM NOW!: http://www.ticketmaster.com/promo/1asedr

Presale Code: 08SCUPSTH

Updated Schedule according to WDVE

If both Detroit and Pittsburgh Sweep:

Game 1-Next Tuesday

Game 2-Next Thursday

Game 3-Next Saturday

Game 4-Memorial Day

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If either Detroit or Pittsburgh goes to game 5

Game 1-Next Thursday

Game 2-Next Saturday

Game 3-Memorial Day

Game 4-May 28

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If either Detroit or Pittsburgh go to game 6

Game 1- Next Saturday

Game 2-Memorial Day

Game 3-May 28

Game 4-May 30

Thanks to SID87GENO71 from the big board!