-Sorry guys, I am away visiting friends at another university dawn saahhth. But I got to watch a streamed version of the 3rd period and boy did the Pens look scary, again. Mike Rupp had his second straight game with a goal, off a Crosby feed. Fleury just made an insane acrobatic save a few moments before and before you know it the Pens were off to the races and BOOM, the puck was shot past Nittymaki for a 4-1 lead late in the 3rd.
-Gogo, Letang, and Mckee were all playing very well. Mckee had 7 blocks, Eaton blocked a shot in his chest, Adams blocked several shots, etc. The team is sacrificing and getting contributions from everyone in the lineup. Gonch had two blistering slap shot goals (one was deflected by Duper) in this game and Guerin added one as well. Before his firing in February of last year, former Pens coach Michel Therrien taught the Pens some important things: accountability on defense and the ability to play with everyone. The 2nd is referring to how many times Therrien would switch up the lines when the team was losing or even winning.
-Even Byslma mixes his lines up a lot and Godard/Rupp are seen with Crosby some games, Rupp with Geno, Adams with TK and Staal, and so on. This Pens team isn't just about Sid, Geno, and Fleury although some nights we just can't help but call them the stars of the night. But last year's playoff run and this year's 7-1 start are attributed to a team mentality. Every defenseman and every forward lines 1-4 is contributing each and every game. Rupp and Mckee were considered to be mediocore additions before the season got off. Now they're being praised everytime they hit the ice. Mckee leads the NHL with 28 blocked shots and Rupp hits and skates better than most 6'5 guys.
-The Lightning are a better team defensively than they were last year. Adding guys like Walker, Ohlund, Veileux, Miller, and Tanguay can only help your team. But the chemistry and gelling process still takes time. Tonight they were victims of too many stupid penalties. Hooking, slashing, and holding are all caused by laziness and lack of speed. They commited 7 minor penalties overall but the Pens only scored on one of those.
-The St. Louis Blues and their unique young core of talent roll into town on Tuesday night. The game will be on Versus therefore I will go jump off a bridge because DirecTV doesn't carry that channel. Amazing.
-IN MIKE RUPP WE TRUST
No comments:
Post a Comment