By Dejan Kovacevic | Trib Total Media columnist
Looking ahead to faceoff …
Game: Penguins (5-3) vs. Washington Capitals (2-5-1)
Time: 12:38 p.m.
Site: Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
TV, radio: NBC, TSN2 (Canada), WXDX-FM 105.9
Here is the official live summary.
Here is the the Trib’s Penguins page. Rob Rossi is on the scene.
Great game yesterday. Hope these guys continue their rejuvenation with a “W” this afternoon against the Caps.
Let’s Go Pens!
JAL’s Scene From an Italian Restaurant Morning Links
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUz48xw_OiM
Washington Times
Penguins could ‘bring out best’ in Capitals
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/feb/2/penguins-could-bring-out-best-capitals/
Pensburgh
I love it when a good plan comes together
http://www.pensburgh.com/2013/2/2/3945794/dan-bylsma-coaching-strategies-kris-letang-penguins
Washington Post
Capitals-Penguins preview: After slow start, Washington not lacking for motivation in rivalry matchup
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/capitals/capitals-penguins-preview-after-slow-start-washington-not-lacking-for-motivation-in-rivalry-matchup/2013/02/02/02313412-6d80-11e2-bd36-c0fe61a205f6_story.html
Scene From an Italian Restaurant Billy Joel 1977 Restaurant in the song is Fontana di Trevi
i USED to think that i despised all Billy Joel songs. then i heard some other people cover some and thought, not bad. not my thing, but i got it.
so it’s not the songs that bothered me. it’s HIM.
Ah. The Big Game.
Penguins (5-3-0)
Forwards:
1st: Kunitz – Crosoby – Dupuis
2nd: Boychuk – Malkin – Neal
3rd: Cooke – Sutter – Kennedy
4th: Glass – Vitale – Adams
Scratches: Jeffrey – Tangradi
Defensemen
1st: Orpik – Martin
2nd: Despres – Letang
3rd: Engelland – Bortuzzo
Scratches: Lovejoy
Goaltenders:
Starter: Vokoun
Backup: Fleury
Injury List:
Niskanen (ankle)
Capitals (2-5-1)
Forwards:
1st: 17 Wojtek Wolski – 9 Mike Ribeiro – 8 Alex Ovechkin
2nd: 90 Marcus Johansson – 19 Nicklas Backstrom – 20 Troy Brouwer
3rd: 25 Jason Chimera – 83 Jay Beagle – 42 Joel Ward
4th: 26 Matt Hendricks – 15 Joey Crabb – 16 Eric Fehr
Scratches: 85 Mathieu Perreault
Defensemen:
1st: 27 Karl Alzner – 52 Mike Green
2nd: Tom Poti – 74 John Carlson
3rd: 55 Jeff Schultz – 36 Tomas Kundratek
Scratches: 44 Roman Hamrlik
Goaltenders:
Starter: Braden Holtby (first career start vs Pens)
Backup: Michal Neuvirth
Injury List:
Brooks Laich (groin)
Jack Hillen (upper body)
Suspension:
John Erskine (3-game suspension due to Friday’s elbow to the face of Wayne Simmonds)
Stats – Capitals
WSH PK startetd 11-for-18 (61%), now have killed 20 of the last 23 (87%)
Goals – 2.25
Goals against – 3.38
PP% – 15.2%
PK% – 75.6%
FO% – 48.0%
Time to put together a winning streak.
If you don’t see your current residence below, please sign in with a reply to this post.
Dejan, are we going to have a Superbowl thread tonight?
Dejan’s Lunatic Nation – at the Trib,
Arizona – Tucson, Chandler, Phoenix, Sunnyslope
Arkansas – Rogers
Austrailia – Mackay
California – Bakersfield, San Francisco, UNION CITY, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Hollywood, Huntington Beach, Yuba City, Solana Beach, Yorba Linda, Yuba City*, Edwards, Long Beach, Modesto, Davis
Canada – Toronto, Winnipeg, Moncton – New Brunswick, Ontario – Muskoka
China – Beijing
Colorado – Ft Collins, Estes Park*, Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs
Connecticut – Cos Cob, Bridgeport, Wallingford, Norwalk, NEWTOWN
Costa Rica
Czech Republic
Delaware – Newark
Denmark – Greenland – Thule*
District of Columbia
Florida – Palm Harbor, Orlando, Valrico, Gainesville, Daytona Beach, Oviedo, Tampa, Jacksonville, Sarasota, Palm Beach Gardens, Cape Coral, Coco Beach (Major Nelson and Mary Ann), Niceville (Red Neck Rivera), St Petersburg, Pembroke Pines, Ft Lauderdale, Palm Beach Gardens
Georgia – Marietta, Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Acworth
Germany – Leverkusen/Cologne
Hawaii – Honolulu
Idaho – Mountain Home, Coer d’Aline, Mountain Home AFB*
Indiana – Indianapolis, Burns Harbor, South Bend, Bicknell, Ft Wayne
Iowa – Bettendorf, Humboldt
Illinois – La Salle, Peru, Payson, Chicago, Palatine (3 inmates there), Lincoln Park, Grayslake, Algonquin
Japan – Tokyo
Kentucky – Louisville, Bowling Green, Lexington
Louisiana – Slidell
Maine – Bangor
Maryland – Arnold, Odenton, Severn, Baltimore, Waldorf, Hagerstown, Chevy Chase, Hampstead
Massachusetts – Boston
Michigan – Kalamazoo, Eaton Rapids, Lansing, Ann Arbor
Mississippi – Biloxi
Missouri – St Peters***
Montana
Nebraska – Omaha
New Hampshire – Barrington
New Jersey – Chesterfield, Princeton, Roxbury, Lebanon, Lincoln Park, Berkeley Heights, Somerville, Hammock, Barrington, Delran, Pennsville
New Mexico – Mike
New York – New York, Smithtown, Manhattan, Long Island, Nyack
Nevada, Las Vegas
North Carolina – Asheville, Hickory, Charlotte, Raleigh, Charleston, Wilmington, Chapel Hill, High Point
North Dakota
Ohio – Cincinnati, Columbiana, Westerville, Green, Hilliard, Toledo, Louisville, Columbus, Perrysburg, Pickerington, Youngstown, Cleveland, Olmsted Township, Liberty Township, Warren, Oregon, Wintersville, Austintown, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base*, New Philadelphia, Powell, Canton, Salem, New Albany, Bloomingdale
Pennsylvania – Downtown, Hopewell, Indiana, North Wales, Franklin Park, Forest Hills, Lansdale, Philadelphia, Du Bois, Reading, Crafton, Arnold, Wexford, Mt Lebanon, Canonsburg, Lancaster, Huntington, York, Boiling Springs, Philly suburbs, Morningside, Harrisburg, Lawrenceville, Bradfordwoods, Norristown, Hanover, Clearfield, Sewickley, DuBois, Plum Boro, Slippery Rock, Wilks-Barre, Sharpsville, Bessemer, Greensburg, Washington, Imperial, South Side, Duncansville, Newville, Sheppton, Grove City, Butler, Allentown, Ross Township, Blairsville, Flood City (Johnstown), Overbrook, Danny’s Hoagies, Baldwin, Economy, Sharpsville, Erie, North Huntington, Bellfonte, West Mifflin, Kennywood, Pleasant Hills, Beechview (Mad Turk, No 200), Macgunie, Mechanicsburg, Uptown, Cambria County, Mon Valley, Salisbury, Coraopolis, Emsworth, Cranberry Twp, Garrett, O’Hara Township, McCandless Township, 115 Federal Street, Bethel Park, Harrison City, Penn Hills, Kittanning, Dover, Lebanon, Upper St Clair, Rennerdale, Oakland, Scranton, Moon (RMU), State College, Erie, Penn Twp, Stowe, Elizabeth, Hermitage, Easton, Carlisle, Finleyville, Belle Vernon, Madison, Sellersville, Waynesburg, Warren, Beaver Falls
The Philipines
Rhode Island
Singapore
South Carolina – Duncan, Longs, Columbia, Bluffton, Greensville
South Korea – Seoul, Mike
Sweden
Tennessee – Smithville, Nashville
Texas – Tyler, San Antonio, Belton, Houston, Katy, Plano
Utah – Salt Lake City, Provo
Vermont – North Bennington
Virginia – JAL, Hampton, Rescue, Richmond, Front Royal, Woodbridge, Suffolk, Warrenton, Springfield*, Virginia Beach, Fairfax, Arlington, Yorktown, Henrico, Aldie, Manassas, Newport News
Washington – Seattle, Nine Mile Falls, Spokane, Sammamish
West Virginia – Martinsburg, Morgantown, Wheeling, Mt Olivet
Wisconsin – Madison, Oshkosh, Hortonville
Wyoming – Caspar, Lander
305 locations represented in the blog,
Honorary members
Beano
Lemonaid Guy
The Gunner
Mr Roberto Clemente
Mike Lange
13 countries
43 states, plus the District of Columbia, missing 7 states, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Hawaii, Alabama, Kansas and Oklahoma
Two planets, at least confirmed
Honorable mention, England – London – Lisa
Asterisks denote confirmed hero’s, military, police officers or firemen/ladies
2/3/2013 10:28 AM
LETS GO PENS
DK: Yes, that thread is ready to go. Will be posted after Penguins game.
Some thoughts on Despres…..is he better suited for the role he is playing the last couple of games alongside Letang. He seems much more confident, aggressive and efficient. Is he asked to play differently in this role versus the role he played early on beside Engelland? Are his talents better suited for ths or is he simply playing better?
I’m a big fan of Despres, thought he should have started in the top six… same with Bortuzzo. The more minutes you play, the more you get into the action and the more you get to feel confident in your decisions. Despres wasn’t going to get that feel by playing 10 minutes per game or being paired with a liability like Engelland.
I’ll be interested to see what the Pens do when Niskanen returns from the ankle injury and both Despres and Bortuzzo continue to play well. Will they finally put Engelland into the 7th defenseman role he justly deserves. All about skill at this point, not fists.
With Shero’s history of going after veterans at the deadline (Roberts,Kovalev,Hossa) I noticed today that Iginla is a guy that might be moved at the deadline. He seems to be like a guy that Shero could target for the Crosby line. The further into the season we get the less the contract becomes an issue. I could see Despres being part of a deal.
I could see a situation in which Iginla is willing to be traded to Pittsburgh to play the final few years here on a line with Crosby. The question is, what would the Flames want for him and do the Penguins have the assets/depth to move a young player or two and possibly a conditional number one pick.
Some hits early in this one with Neal hip check on Ovechkin and Ovechkin cross-check into Orpik.
as predicted… Ovechkin finishes checks on Despres and Crosby.
1-0 Pens
Crosby wins faceoff, moves back to Martin and a well-placed wrist shot deflects off the Dman and into the net.
1-1
Letang destroys Mike Green, slow to get up and lucky to be left all alone for one-timer. Poor coverage in the defensive zone and a bad change.
2-1 Pens, missed it…
Cooke from Engelland & Bortuzzo
So when does the new Sunday column start?
What a pass by Malkin (on the PP no less) to Kunitz to LW side of net for quick one-timer tip shot.
5-2 Pens
Cripes what’s with Holtby’ s glove???
I don’t know, he’s better than this but so far, he’s had some real bad games.
Yah. Not much support but those 2 were brutal….takes the wind out of your guys…
Upon every year he returns to television my wife will comment that, if he had the mustache, Mike Milbury would look exactly like Hitler.
Well, a bit dicey but that should have put this one in the hopper
Fire Bylsma…said no one ever…
I’ll stick to Shero giving him the 48-game season and the playoffs. If they don’t get out of the first round, he should be canned.
Not exactly sure what this means but the Pens haven’t had a problem winning games during the regular season. If the Pens have another first round collapse Bylsma could still be in trouble.
I just laughed at the complete overraction the other night with the Islanders, 6 games in. They got a long way to go. We’re gonna see good, bad and ugly. Shero’s gonna make a deal or two. This team will look different come playoff time. Provided the defense and goaltending can get consistent, and i know thats a big if, I like their chances.
I think the 3 biggest losses in terms of players that are most noticeable in the playoffs are Hal Gill, Rob Scuderi, and Max Talbot.
Gill and Scuderi just seemed to block anything and everything in sight and Talbot just had the ability to make the most impact with the smallest of talent.
You just said soooo much here, TJ…and nailed it.
Coaching the season far different than 7 game series vs the same team. The latter requires adjustments which Bylsma has been unwilling or unable to make.
I’m with Eric – another first rd exit will be unacceptable.
I actually thought last yr v Phl was unacceptable but I don’t call the shots lol!
I think it all comes down to how you are playing entering the playoffs, your health and how you match up against different opponents.
Changing coaches can make a difference, BUT not always positive. Sometimes it can have the opposite effect.
Totally agree that coming in hot can be huge – LAK showed that. I do not think that is all it comes down to. You must have a system that can adjust over a long series no matter how hot u are coming in. IMO that has been Bylsmas’ s issue last 3 years. I believe this year is his last chance to correct t that.
Hat trick 14!!
crazy, he should have already had the hat trick… should be 4 goals now.
Once again, another tough one to pick..
my 3 stars…
#3 – Letang
#2 – Crosby
#1 – Kunitz
That’s fair. Also think Martn-Orpik
improving every game. Maybe we’ll get some of what we paid for in Paul Martin…
Nice win by the Pens!
Had to bail right when the Pens went up 5-2 to go coach my son’s basketball game. One of the opposing coaches was like minded and decked out in a Pens hat, so that was all right with me.
Looking forward to the Pens continuing to build on the positives of this game and nice to see Kunitz get the HT.
Take care all and enjoy the Superbowl.
Randy in RVA