The Top-5 Players For Pittsburgh During October
Oct 5, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Chris Kunitz (14) and defenseman Matt Niskanen (2) congratulate center Sidney Crosby (87) after Crosby scored a goal against the Buffalo Sabres during the first period at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
What an October it has been for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Leading the Metropolitan Division with record of 11-4-0 through 15 contests, Pittsburgh has clearly been one of the most, if not thee most dominating team in the Eastern Conference so far this season.
Registering 40 goals and averaging 3.14 goals-per-game during the 13 games they played in October, the Pens’ offensive game has been terrorizing to opposing goaltenders, which is expected with all the talented scorers they possess.
Although their offense has translated nicely to the scoreboard, they somewhat struggled defensively.
Surrendering 35 goals, which is just five short of what they logged offensively, is still a number they’d like to reduce for November. They continue to have problems with lackadaisical play and zone coverage, which is the kryptonite that has burdened Pittsburgh for quite some time now.
Despite giving up that many tallies, the team ranks top-10 in the league (8th) for goals-against with an average of 2.36 a game. And a lot of that has to do with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who leads the league with ten wins — nine for the month of October.
But when you’re looking at all the injuries that plagued the team during October, you almost have to be satisfied with the way they’re able to remain stable.
Losing forwards’ Beau Bennett, Chuck Kobasew, James Neal, and defenseman Rob Scuderi to significant injuries, the team also was without defenseman Kris Letang for the majority of the month with a nagging lower-body ailment. So all things considered, the team made out pretty well in the standings without those big name players.
There were however a specific set of skaters that stood out in my mind — players that contributed vitally and helped propel Pittsburgh to the top in the Eastern Conference.
So without further or do, here are my top-five players for the month of October.
Number Five: Defenseman Matt Niskanen
Oct 15, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Edmonton Oilers left wing Taylor Hall (4) and Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Matt Niskanen (2) skate after the puck during the first period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Pens won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Tying for third amongst active skaters in the plus/minus category (+10), defenseman Matt Niskanen was one of the Pens’ best assets both offensively and defensively for October.
Picking up the slack without defenseman Kris Letang in the lineup for most of the month, Niskanen was an effective insertion to the power play, as well as contributing vastly towards preventing opposing teams’ from scoring.
In the nine games he performed in for the month, he collected eight points (1G, 7A) and currently ranks fifth on the team in scoring.
Speculated to be the outcast at seasons’ end due to an influx of defensemen in the system, the former first-round selection isn’t letting that get in the way of him outperforming other players this season.
Showing little to no ill-effects of the turnovers he squandered last season, Niskanen has taken a more careful approach towards his puck management, and has been a sufficient contributor on the forecheck for the team.
Although he’s still got a long way to go in terms of continuing to prove he belongs here, Niskanen’s month of October couldn’t have been more productive by his standards. Sure he’d probably want to reverse some of the mistakes he made, but that’s every athlete’s prerogative.
While it remains to be seen if Pittsburgh will attempt to retain him following the 2013-14 campaign, his current play is certainly boasting his resume, and the organization has to be pleased.
Number Four: Forward Evgeni Malkin
Nov 1, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) carries the puck up ice against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Although October wasn’t necessarily a eye-popping display by forward Evgeni Malkin, he still earned the title of Pittsburgh’s number-four best player for the month.
Registering ten points (3G, 7A) through 13 October contests, Malkin had a six-game point streak from Oct. 8 to Oct. 21, in which he potted three goals and five assists during the stretch.
He also helped finish off the win against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 19, when he beat goaltender Roberto Luongo on a razzle-dazzle backhand shot during a shootout.
However, Malkin has had problems with puck management.
Owning an unimpressive minus-1 rating, the 27-year-old has been the victim of committing one too many turnovers, resulting in a number of odd-man rushes for opposing offenses.
Malkin is a big-time playmaker there’s not questioning that, but sometimes his style can be a little too reckless, causing the defense to be left out to dry when he loses possession. If the former MVP can improve on his puck distribution, he’ll help prevent those scoring chances for opponents.
Despite not putting up as many points as he probably normally would, Malkin is still giving the team plenty of opportunites to put the puck in the net. In his defense, he’s seen multiple linemates due to the injuries to James Neal and Beau Bennett, so we can assume he’ll start piling on the statistics once they return.
Malkin remains a top option for Pittsburgh — obviously.
Number Three: Forward Chris Kunitz
Oct 19, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Chris Kunitz (14) shoots a slap shot against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Rewarded with a brand new three-year contract during the offseason, forward Chris Kunitz continues to display why he was so important to retain.
For the 13 games in October, Kunitz recorded 13 points (6G, 7A), skated to a plus-11 (now plus-12), and is currently riding a four-game goal scoring streak.
Leading the team with three power play tallies, the 34-year-old winger has made a living in front of the net, resulting in multiple goal-scoring opportunities off rebound attempts.
Currently ranking second on the team in shots (52), Kunitz is getting just as many chances to deliver as he did last year, and there’s no reason to believe he’s going to stop any time soon.
Contributing with two game-winning goals, when the team needs to bury the biscuit most, he’s been there.
He’s recognized offensively, however, he’s just as effective on defense. Providing the team with a sufficient forecheck night-in and night-out, Kunitz does a phenomenal job in creating space and time for his teammates.
It was a big month for Kunitz, which isn’t surprising considering the type of year he had last season. From now on, critics can no longer label him a second-tier player.
Number Two: Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury
Nov 1, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) reacts to the crowd after being named a star of the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Scarred with two consecutive playoff debacles, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury avoided reminiscing the horrendous outings and had himself a fantastic October.
Currently leading the league in wins (10), Fleury delivered nine of them during October and only lost two. Owning a 1.83 goals-against-average and a .929 save percentage, number-29 has thus far shown the organization he can still hack it in net.
Becoming the winningest goaltender in Penguins’ history on Oct. 3 against the New Jersey Devils, Fleury became the 47th netminder ever to reach 250 victories, and he also recorded his 24th career shutout in that game as well.
Awarded with the NHL ‘Third Star’ for the opening week, Fleury started the season winning seven consecutive games, and five of those victories came at home — which was a career-high for him to start the year.
Allowing a career-low 14 goals through the first eight contests, the 28-year-old former Stanley Cup champion looks as though he’s been rejuvenated under the tutelage of new goaltender coach Mike Bales — who helped guide the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goaltenders’ to lead the American Hockey League (AHL) in goals-against-average last season.
Ranking as one of the top goaltenders in the league to this point, if the season were to end today — which would be rather premature — only San Jose Sharks’ goaltender Antti Niemi would compete with him for the Vezina trophy (best goaltender).
We’ll see if he can keep it up for this month (November), considering he’ll be receiving a heavy workload while backup goaltender Tomas Vokoun is sidelined.
Number One: Forward Sidney Crosby
Nov 1, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) carries the puck up ice against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Like this comes as a surprise — captain Sidney Crosby was dominant in October.
Leading the league in points (23), 21 of them came in the first-month of the season, and he registered a point in 11 out of the 13 contests the team had.
Starting the season on an eight-game point streak, the 26-year-old wiz kid recorded six multiple-point games, and led the team with 52 shots-on-goal for the month — a statistic in which he still leads in (56).
Honored as the NHL’s ‘Second Star’ for October, he was also named the ‘Third Star’ for the opening week and the ‘Second Star’ for the following week — contributing to how masterful a month he had.
Notching his eighth career hat-trick in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 12, it was his first three-goal game since Dec. 2 of 2010.
We’re running out of things to say about Crosby considering he continues to persistently terrorize opposing defenses, but as long as he’s in the league, he’ll be running the show.
You probably should count on him putting up the same production in November — and for that matter the rest of the season.