Pittsburgh Penguins: The Morning After Toronto News And Notes
Last night was a heartbreaker for the Pittsburgh Penguins as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Pens on home ice. Will the Penguins’ misery end in time for playoff aspirations?
When the Pittsburgh Penguins came off the ice at CONSOL Energy Center last night, I wonder what they really thought about the game they had just played. For fans it was entertaining. Wild, back and forth, with highlight reel saves and a vintage appearance from the greatest player in the game.
For the Penguins, though?
It was an uneven affair, putting up 41 shots on a goalie with no confidence and managing only two goals for the effort. There was a resurgent power play on display that looked capable of scoring at any moment, yet managed to go only 1 for 5 on the night and gave up several shorthanded chances late.
More from Penguins News
- Welcome To The Burgh: Lars Eller
- Penguins Waddle Toward The Season
- Farewell Carl Hagelin
- Penguins Line-up Breakdown vs Stanley Cup Champs Vegas
- Ryan Graves Solid Signing For The Pittsburgh Penguins
There was yet another team in Toronto attempting to bully and intimidate the Pens with physicality and no real answer from the black and gold. And a young goaltender who may or may not never get his chance to shine in Pittsburgh, but whose early track looks destined to run into becoming the #1 goaltender for some NHL team in the future.
At what point do the breaks come and the pies start hitting some other team in the face? Will it happen within enough time in the 2015-16 season to matter?
It’s unfortunate that such a marked turnaround engineered by Mike Sullivan on this Pittsburgh Penguins offense has still left fans and the organization feeling unsatisfied with the results.
About Last Night
Penguins fall to Toronto, 3-2 [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Dave Molinari]
Jonathan Bernier entered Toronto’s game against the Penguins Wednesday night at Consol Energy Center with a goals-against average and save percentage that ranked among the worst in the NHL. By the time the Penguins stopped hitting him with pucks, he just might have turned up in a Vezina Trophy conversation or two.
Penguins vs. Maple Leafs recap: an old fashioned shootout [Pensburgh – Hooks Orpik]
Sheary is starting to look more Brian Gibbons than Tyler Johnson..Weak on the puck and not offering much support out there on the top line, isn’t generating anything really. Hopefully the Pens look to switch something up there.
Penguins lose in shootout, fall to Maple Leafs [City of Champions Sports – Nicholas Milliron]
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Puck Prose
Luckily for the Penguins, goalie for the night Matt Murray was able to step up and make clutch saves when it mattered, and you could here the fans at Consol shouting “Murray! Murray!” for the first time.
Pens Chatter
Baby Penguins Update: December 26, 2015 [Penguin Poop – Rick Buker]
Rookie Dominik Simon leads the Baby Pens with 27 points. He ranks fourth in the AHL in scoring. Scott Wilson has 15 goals—tied for the league lead. Conor Sheary tops the team 19 assists, good for fourth place among AHL setup men. Wilson, Simon, and fellow forwards Jean-Sebastien Dea, Tom Kostopoulos and Carter Rowney presently are on pace for 20-goal seasons.
Four things we learned in the NHL: Murray worth watching [Sportsnet.ca – Jeff Simmons]
However, the 21-year-old netminder stole the show even in a shootout loss, making 34 saves on 36 shots, including a few highlight-reel stops in the process in just his fourth NHL game.
Around The League
AHL migration to California cities is a hockey bonanza [Los Angeles Daily News – Elliott Teaford]
The westward migration of the AHL, hockey’s top minor league, has been every bit the rousing success the Ducks, Kings, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks hoped it would be. Above all, the NHL teams and their AHL clubs are better connected than in the past.
Next: Penguins Lose In Shootout To Leafs 3-2
With Longevity, Patrick Kane Could Become Best American-Born NHL Player [Today’s Slapshot – Craig Morgan]
In 614 career games, Kane has 610 points for a per-game average of .993. Only LaFontaine (1.171) and Mullen (1.001) have a higher average among American-born players, and Kane only seems to be getting better.
Arizona Coyotes Captain Shane Doan Nets Hat Trick; Ties Franchise Goal Scoring Record [Howls It Going?]
It didn’t happen the way he wanted it to, with the Coyotes losing a high scoring affair 7-5. Doan said afterwards, “Obviously you appreciate it and you’re glad you did it, but there’s no joy in scoring in a game like that.”
Player Safety Needs a Latta Help [Along the Boards – Sara Filali]
Looking at player safety, this dangerous play should have at least warranted a major penalty to Deslauriers due to the amount of head contact. Referees can’t be expected to see everything all the time, but with a dirty check like this, the referees cannot miss this call.