For the first time this season I actually have come into my "Mad Monday" post with real topics involving the Pittsburgh Penguins to rant about. The Pens were so good coming into this past week, posting a 7-1 record to start the 2013-2014 season. Since last Monday, the Pens have now found themselves on a three-game losing steak, being outscored 9-4.

The Pens are still in first place of the division and they're missing key components so it's far from time to panic. That being said, there are definitely some big concerns to point out.

I'm mad about the Pens special teams right now.  The Pens' special teams is usually an aspect of the game that is a huge strength, especially the power play. Not this year though; and especially not during this three-game losing streak.

In the 0-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche the Pens went 0-7 on the power play. They followed that up with a 0-5 performance on the power play in the 3-4 loss to the New York Islanders on Friday night. In their last three games, all losses, they're 1-15 on the power play. That's just not going to cut it.

Of course all power plays go through droughts, but when you have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin I think you should expect better results. That being said, they're still operating at over 20% on the season, which is still good enough to one of the top power play units in the league at season's end. Unfortunately, right now the Pens' power play is ranked 16th in the league.

Now, they've been without 40+ goal scorer James Neal all year, and when he comes back the power play will certainly be better. The Pens already got Kris Letang back in the lineup, but he's obviously a little rusty. Actually, Letang has been terrible in his first two games back.

The Pens' don't shoot enough on the power play, that's a given. They're still missing the days of Sergei Gonchar as well. They just don't have that shot anymore. There's also way too much passing. I hate to sound like a "yinzer" and say that they need to shoot more but they do. Eric Majeski, blogger for LetsgoPens.com made a good suggestion saying that the Pens should try to use more setups on the power play from behind the net. That is how they scored their only power play goal during this 1-15 stretch.

The penalty-kill isn't much better right now. In fact, it's actually worse. The Pens have the sixth worst penalty-kill in the NHL right now, only killing 76.7% of their penalties. The crazy thing is the Pens are the second most disciplined team in the NHL right now, only being shorthanded 30 times. Unfortunately, they've allowed seven goals on those 30 penalty kills.

So what's wrong? Obviously the penalty-kill being a problem isn't something new for the Pens. Last year they were in the bottom ten in the league in that category as well. One problem is something they really can't fix and that's personal. Jordan Staal, Max Talbot, and Matt Cooke are all gone. They were all the Pens best penalty-killing forwards over the best 4-5 years. Now they rely on a older Craig Adams, Brandon Sutter, and guys like Tanner Glass, and even Joe Vitale.

They even tried to play Malkin on the PK the other night. I suggest they don't try that too much. I'm ok with Sidney Crosby getting some time on the PK though.

The biggest problem is protecting the front of the net. The Pens allow their opponents to generate far too much offense down low, and for some reason they have a hard time protecting the front of their own net. That problem can get even worse if Robert Scuderi misses significant time. Deryk Engelland has the style to play that type of role, protecting the net, but he doesn't have the skill set to go with it.

You can see that here on the power play goal scored by Phil Kessel in Saturday night's loss to Toronto Maple Leafs.



Leafs worked the puck from the point to down by the net, Pens collapsed and neglected Kessel, the Leaf's top goal scorer on the backside. We've seen this before. Again, the concern I have is the Pens aren't even a undisciplined team. What if they start taking more penalties? What if Scuderi is out long-term? The Pens' coaches are going to have to make some strategic adjustments in order to fix their PK  because the personal isn't going to change much.

Saturday Night the Penguins faced off against the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer managed to make 38 saves as he lead the Leafs to a 4-1 victory in Toronto.

The first period was a tough exchange for who could get the most penalties. For the most part back and forth. There were also goals. The first was scored by Pittsburgh when Pittsburgh's fan favorite Kris Letang buried a snapshot behind Toronto net minder James Reimer. An assist would go to Evgeni Malkin.

Letang has more goals than Claude Giroux already LOLZ

Almost 10 minutes later, poster boy Kris Letang with hopes of evening out his +/-  gave gave the puck to Dion Phaneuf who made a pretty sweet pass to Dave Bolland who launched a slap shot behind Flower who was a fair distance out of his crease. That wasn't it for the action though. Shortly before end of the first period David Clarkson of the Toronto Maple Leafs drilled  Rob Scuderi into the boards who would need help getting back to the dressing room and did not return to the game. HCDB said that it was a lower body injury and scuds would be reevaluated on Sunday.



The Second period was a much different story. Though Fleury was not busy, the Penguins were getting a lot of action on Reimer who was not letting any of the 16 shots on net get buy him. That was not the same at the other end. The Leafs only managed to register 4 shots on Flower. To his credit, he saved all of them and the score of 1-1 would be carried over into the 3rd period.

The third period again was a different story. This time, not for the good. My arch enemy Nazem Kadri put the Leafs ahead 2-1 with a goal within the first two minutes of the 3rd period. The Leafs managed to control the game for the most part up until Phil Kessel scored a powerplay goal 17:05 seconds into the third. The game was not over as the leafs scored a open netter to end the game 4-1.

NOTES

This was only Sidney Crosbys second game of the season where he was help pointless.

Marc Andre Fleury ended the night with 26 saves.

The Penguins controlled the majority of the game until the third when they only registered 7 shots on goal.

Crosby ended the game with %40 wining percentage on faceoffs.

Kris Letang had 5 giveaways.

Did I mention Letang has more goals than Giroux?

Dion Phanneuouffe has a hilarious forehead.

OTHER THOUGHTS 

Speaking of Letang, though he could be undoubtedly blamed for the Leafs first and final goal (which was on an empty net when the game was arguably over) to blame him for the entire loss is a bit foolish. This was a team loss. Evgeni Malkin was responsible for a goal after giving the puck away and he took a bad penalty which resulted in a goal against. I don't feel this loss was on Geno either. Sid didn't have a great night either in the faceoff circle or in most aspects of his game. This was a team loss, not a "LETANG SUCKS" loss. We need to remember that this was Letangs 2nd game of the season and he is trying to get chemistry with Scuds who went down and we are not sure when he will return. He then was paired for the most part with Maatta. I think any pens fan will tell you that having two offensive dmen together is bad news, especiallly when you are hoping that Maatta will be able to support Letang. There were times where Letang showed great offense, pinched the point well several times and showed great patience with the puck. I realize there are a lot of people who are not a fan of Tangers game but he is better to have then to play against. Another plus is he scored our only goal. I realize him giving out free pucks to the opposing team is a bad thing, but that can be fixed. You can't always teach a player to have his speed, vision and overall ability.. #HatersGonnaHate

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The last time the Penguins faced the New York Islanders was in the 2013 NHL playoffs where the Islanders had basically melted down and succumbed to what was a very lucky Pittsburgh Penguins team. Flash-forward to Friday night and you saw basically the same Islanders team that continues to matchup really well against this team. Hate to say it, but this was about the most complete looking team the Penguins have played in their first 10 games and the results are not what you want. The Pens walked away from a very disappointing and frustrating 4-3 loss that really was decided in the final 10 minutes of this hockey game. This game came down to capitalization of opportunities for both teams.

Jeff Zatkoff was making his second start of the season, hoping to show that his first NHL game against the Florida Panthers, a 6-3 loss, was nothing more than nerves. The Islander came out strong, as you would expect, cycling the puck really well. Zatkoff came up with the games first big save about four minutes into the game, stopping a shot from Kyle Okposo from the slot. That save would set the tone for Zatkoff (for most of the game anyway) as he looked locked in. The first period can basically be summed up of power play opportunities for both Clubs. The Pens first real opportunity to score resulted in their first power play of the night. The first unit looked strong as they fired countless shots at Evgeni Nabokov but couldn’t find the twine. Soon after, Matt Niskanen was sent off for hooking and the Islanders made quick work of the man advantage as Frans Nielsen threw a shot at the net, which was redirected and saved by Zatkoff. Matt Moulson took a few hacks at the puck to give the Islanders the first lead of the game at 10:14. Jayson Megna, who was making his NHL debut, drew a penalty on Josh Bailey and the Pens went to work on another failed power play. However, as the second power play unit was on the ice, Brandon Sutter make a heck of a defensive play to then lead a rush and put a high shot on Nabakov. Jussi Joiken basically had the puck fall on his stick from the rebound Nabakov gave up and buried it home to tie the game at 1-1. To end the first, the Penguins went on two more power plays (one which carried over into the second period), but just like Ricky Bobby doesn’t know what to do with his hands, the Pens didn’t know what to do with their opportunities. The game started off all Islanders, but thanks to their less and stellar decision making abilities, handed the momentum right back to the Pens.

The second period was just an excuse for Sidney Crosby to show the NHL that his ability to play hockey really sometimes isn’t fair. Crosby took a bad turn over opportunity from the Islanders, and went the other way on a two-on-one with Kunitz. Nabokov chose about the worst positioning possible and gave Crosby essentially a free shot on net which he gladly put in, far post 2-1 Pens. Crosby now has 8 goals and 10 assist on the year. (Insert your own Claude Giroux or Philadelphia Flyers joke here). Somewhere in that period Deryk Engelland had an honestly great shift that made me believe for a second he might actually have found his niche on this team. Seriously, the guy had a good game. This period was more or less about Zatkoff again as he held his ground making a lot of big saves. He wasn’t getting much help out there. Kris Letang, making his debut this season, made a nice defensive play on Bailey to stop what would have been essentially a goal. Bailey pulled of a nice drag of the puck with his stick, a move Zatkoff bit and froze on, but Letang was able to get a stick on the play and clear the danger. Pens had another power play in that period as well, but, well, 0-5 on the night.

 

Fast forward to about seven minutes left in the game, the Pens carrying a nice 2-1 lead and Zatkoff is easing the minds of Pens fans about him being a decent backup. In a matter of about 70 seconds, everything changed. Thomas Hickey took a shot from the point that was rediected by Nielsen’s stick in the high slot. Game all tied up at 2-2. But fear not Penguin fans, there was hero about to be born, at least for, 53 seconds. Vitale and Engelland came rushing into the zone (there was play similar to this in the second) but Vitale knows Engo can’t fin… and then the internet exploded as Engelland tapped in a pass in front of the net and the Pens took a 3-2 lead. A hero is born, the games unlikely star was supposed to ride off into the sunset. But Pierre-Marc Bouchard got a break and remained patient to tie the game up 3-3. A lot went wrong on this play, like a lot. Kobasew not clearing the puck, Maatta being in the wrong position, and Zatkoff gave up what looked to be a pretty weak goal. It was all over for the Pens after that, as Letang made an awful decision to chase down a man deep into the defensive zone essentially leaving a wide open Bailey to fire a point black shot at Zatkoff, who made a great save, but was not able to recover. Bailey gave an unreal second effort and the game went to the Isles, 4-3. The take away from this game is the Jeff Zatkoff played really well, didn’t get much help. But he showed that his just isn’t an NHL caliber goalie. He is not to blame for this loss, but he did not help his own cause.

When Ray Shero brought in Tanner Glass last season, he was looking for a solid 4th line contributor -- someone with some versatility and physical toughness at a relative bargain.  In his years with Vancouver and Winnipeg, Glass scored a handful of goals but was mainly known for his physical presence.  That puts him in a large pool of potential 4th line players like Craig Adams, Joe Vitale, and Dustin Jeffrey.  Glass is making some $400,000-$600,000 more than these players per year, $1.1 million to be exact, so expectations for him are a bit higher.  

Whether you agree with the Glass signing as a fan, this is the reality for the Penguins.  When you have almost half of the team's salary cap tied-up by five players, Shero needs to try to find some 'lightning in a bottle' while sifting through the 'bargain bin'.  Glass' first season with the Pens was during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, and to say he was unspectacular would be a great understatement.  His lone goal came on April 11 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Bylsma placed Glass on the ice for a power play with the Pens up 5-2, and had the team feed him the puck to try to get him out of his scoreless streak.  He broke through, but it was the king of meaningless goals, and it did nothing to jump-start his season.  He finished with two points and a -11 +/- rating.  It was a failed experiment that left many fans, including myself, wanting the Pens to move ahead with some of the younger forwards and leave Glass out of the mix for the 2013-14 season.

(Photo courtesy of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

I was fortunate enough to attend the opening night game this season at Consol Energy Center.  A few players stood out to me during the game.  Aside from the usual suspects like Crosby and Fleury, I was stunned at what I saw out of Tanner Glass.  He only had a little less than 10 minutes of ice time, but he made his presence felt.  During this game against the Devils, he was actually one of the faster players on the ice.  He stole the puck on the penalty kill, from Jaromir Jagr no less (bonus points), and immediately went the other direction for a breakaway scoring chance.    He was very physical, both in the hitting department and with a fight against Ryan Clowe.  It was the kind of game that could really jump-start a player's season, and I think it has for Tanner Glass.

If you follow my weekly posts, I wrote earlier this season about why I thought this Penguins' team is soft.  I detailed them losing a lot of the grit with players like Matt Cooke and Tyler Kennedy playing elsewhere.  The team needed Glass to step up and bring a better effort this year, and so far he has delivered.  Through nine games, he already has more points than he did last season, scoring one goal and two assists.  He is third in the league in hits with 39, and that is with the leader, Justin Abdelkader, playing two extra games.  He also delivered a mind-blowing 10 hits against the interstate rival Philadelphia Flyers last Thursday.

The way Tanner Glass has played so far this season is exactly what Ray Shero was hoping for when he signed him in July 2012.  Maybe it just took him a full season to settle into his role, or maybe he realizes he needs to do a lot better in a contract year.  Whatever the case, he has solidified his role on the team as a 4th line starter, and is starting to convert fans who previously wrote him off into believers.  All of a sudden, a Glass that was completely empty is half full.

Roster moves abound as Pens welcome back Kris Letang, and keep rookie Olli Maatta on NHL roster for remainder of season.

Good Morning friends, family, and Penguins fans alike. It is Friday, and as always is A Great Day For Hockey.

I would like to get every one of you off to a tranquil start today, so please join me in this meditative technique.

Close your eyes, look deep inside and search your hockey loving soul. Imagine our defense, solid and fast, keeping our net minder out of trouble as they have through the early stages of the new season. Feel the vibrations of the hit as the opposition is sandwiched with the boards and plastered to the glass. Visualize Olli Maatta cruising behind the net, dishing the puck to his forwards for a drive up the ice, and see the frustration in the other team as Scuderi clears the crease of a sure goal...





Now take all that, and insert an All-Star defenseman with flowing black locks and a penchant for big time Power Play Goals.

Hard to believe that our perennial Norris Trophy Caliber blue-liner has not seen his first minute of game action yet.

Tonight, Friday Night at Consol Energy Center, all of that is poised to change.

The Penguins have been missing a key part of their team, and it has not been more apparent than in the two minutes following an opposing teams penalty. Kris Letang, who has been out of action with a lower-body injury since September 27th, practiced paired with Rob Scuderi, and took back his rightful spot on the 1st Power Play. Letang's return to the man advantage situation could not have come at a more opportune time, as the Penguins have gone scoreless over their past seven power play attempts.

Other than his absence on the Power Play, which has been a problem for the Black and Gold as of late, The Penguins have done an incredible job making up for the void on defense left by Letang, who (should all go acording to plan) will make his regular season debut tonight against the Metropolitan Division rival Islanders on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Washington Place. Much of the weight left by the injury to #58 has been beautifully lifted by returning defenseman Rob Scuderi, a member of the Penguins 2009 Cup Championship team, and first year phenom Olli Maatta, who has been playing out of his mind, and doing everything and more to earn a permanent spot on the NHL roster.

Maatta, the 19 year old rookie out of Jyväskylä, Finland, has been playing far beyond his years thus far. His good hands and smooth skating has registered not only with the coaches, but also on the score sheet, where the young defenseman has notched a goal and two assists, both on Jussi Jokinen goals against the Carolina Hurricanes. Maatta has been praised by coaches and players alike for his outstanding work ethic and indomitable will to succeed, which has undoubtedly landed him smack-dab in the situation he currently sits, one of which no better exists for a young player looking to make his mark early in his career.

To make room on the roster, the Penguins have re-assigned forward Chris Conner and Harry Zolniercyzk, which most assumed would be the likely two most eligible AHL'ers available to be optioned to Wilkes-Barre in the event of Kris's return. The Pens also recalled forward Jayson Megna, who introduced himself to the city of Pittsburgh with a Datsyukian shootout goal in the Black and Gold scrimmage following the 2012 NHL Lockout. Megna hails from the great city of Fort Lauderdale, FL (hometown of a certain member of the Pens Initiative Staff... Ahem...) This move by the Penguins will give Jayson his first taste of regular-season NHL Hockey, and afford him the opportunity to show the coaches and management that he is indeed ready for the big time after putting in his years playing for Wilkes-Barre and affiliate clubs. It will be interesting to see how Jayson reacts to his big chance. He has plenty of ability, tonight we get a chance to see just how that ability will manifest.

So sit back and relax Penguins Faithful, it has been a while since our vaunted D has looked as strong on the ice as it does on paper. Fleury has been doing a lights-out job in net, don't get me wrong, however to those who have followed the play of our blue liners his numbers speak not only to his abilities, but to the outstanding effort being put forth by our defensemen. The addition of Kris Letang will only bolster our abilities, and his scoring touch is sure to provide some fuel to a already star-studded power play unit. We have been visualizing and imagining a lot recently, but tonight it is time for our imaginations to take the Ice.

Let's Go Kris, and Olli, and why not... Let's Go Megna.

above all, Let's Go Pens.

Last night on Radio:PI Nick Case brought you his three stars of the week, talked the Maple Leafs, rookies, and the KHL with Steve Dangle of SteveDangle.com and TheLeafsReport.com, plus brought you the top five Mike Lange goal calls of the week.

New Hockey Internet Radio with Radio PI on BlogTalkRadio

A funny thing happened at CONSOL Energy Center last weekend.  Squared off against the Vancouver Canucks in a Saturday matinee, the Penguins' Marc-Andre Fleury surrendered a tally that conjured up images of his recent playoff ghosts.  After the harmless looking shot from center ice floated on net,
rolled up and over Fleury's chest and trickled over the goal line, the crowd held its collective breath and waited to see how their oft-maligned goaltender would react.  To their delight, "The Flower" simply let the gaffe roll of his back:

"I said a couple bad words to start, and then just relax.  Kind of laugh at myself a little bit when we scored the goal after. It’s a lot more fun to laugh at it now that we won, but sometimes it happens and you’ve just got put it aside and try to stop the next puck. I knew the guys would come back and get some big goals.” - Marc-Andre Fleury, after allowing a fluke goal Saturday afternoon

From there, Fleury was a rock in the Penguins net as he guided a largely outplayed Pittsburgh club to a 4-3 shootout victory.  And, while a mid-October win won't erase the heartache of postseasons past, one can't deny that Marc-Andre's play to this point in the season has been more than encouraging.

Fleury's Stigma

Ask any hockey analyst, reporter or fan and they'll likely tell you that anything Fleury accomplishes during the regular season doesn't mean squat.  He can lead Pittsburgh to a division title, he can win 40 games, hell, he can win the Vezina and it really doesn't matter.  Whether it's fair or not, it's a reality in many people's eyes due to the struggles the Pens' franchise net minder has suffered from in recent postseasons. 

And, to an extent, it's true.  This is a squad that, year in and year out, has its eyes set on the ultimate prize, not just regular season success.  Anything short of that goal is deemed a failure for these Penguins.  As a result, Fleury may very well find himself at a crossroads; another poor playoff performance could signal the end of The Flower's time in Western Pennsylvania. 

But Pittsburgh has to get to the tournament to win it and, while it is admittedly early in the campaign, Fleury is shining as the Pens begin what they hope will be a journey to the club's fourth Stanley Cup.

The Supporting Cast

As we delve into what appears to be a make or break season for Fleury's time in Pittsburgh, the organization looks to be doing everything in its power to support its man between the pipes.  After all, the Penguins have invested a lot in Marc-Andre; it's not in the club's best interest for things to further unravel en route to an eventual divorce.

While not all exclusive to aiding The Flower, several offseason moves will surely benefit the goaltender.  Specifically, the addition of Jacques Martin to the coaching staff, the signing of Rob Scuderi in an effort to help anchor the blue line and the naming of Mike Bales as the Pens' goaltending coach will all have an enormous impact on Marc-Andre Fleury.

Jacques Martin

Jacques Martin may not be solely responsible but all signs point to his overwhelming influence over Pittsburgh's new defensive philosophy.  Where, for example, the forwards would once fly the zone in the hopes of transitioning to offense as quickly as possible, they now more readily support the play in their own end.  Consequently, the Penguins now typically boast five-man units capable of shutting down the opposition or, at the very least, limiting opportunities against.  To that point, the squad finds itself surrendering the NHL's third fewest shots against per game (25.6) and, perhaps even more telling of Martin's influence, ranked seventh on the circuit in blocked shots (150). 

And if Martin is largely responsible for those numbers, the veteran coach has already taken great strides toward making Fleury's job infinitely less stressful. 

Rob Scuderi

In all likelihood, the casual hockey fan rarely notices Rob Scuderi - and that's just the way the stay-at-home defenseman likes it.  Because the less you recognize Scuderi, the better he is playing.  Never one to put up big numbers or display a great deal of flash, "The Piece" plays a simple, fundamentally sound game in which he rarely takes chances and almost always makes the right play.  He blocks shots, he's durable and, frankly, he's the kind of defenseman goalies love to have playing in front of them.

One of the problems the Penguins have had over the last few years stems from the fact that the team has lacked a Scuderi- like defenseman along the blue line to help balance out his offensive minded teammates.  Actually, the club hasn't had such a player since, well, Rob, himself left for Los Angeles via free agency following the Pens' Cup victory in 2009. 

But that all changed when Pittsburgh surprisingly lured the reliable defenseman back to Western Pennsylvania during the off-season.  In doing so, Shero admitted he made a mistake when he let Scuderi walk prior to the 2009-'10 campaign. Now that he's back, though, Marc-Andre and the rest of the Penguins can take comfort in knowing that, once again, The Piece is on their side.

Mike Bales

Lastly, for Mike Bales' part, it's about bringing a fresh perspective to Fleury's game.  Given that Marc-Andre played under the tutelage of a single goalie coach during the first ten years of his career (hard to believe he's been in the league that long, isn't it?), the goal is to improve the net minders game by gradually implementing small adjustments that result in steady improvement:

“I had some ideas, technically, and I talked to Marc about it.  I suggest things, we go out and work on it and if he feels comfortable with it then he implements it into his game." - Mike Bales

It's a formula that will ideally allow Fleury to both build on the success he has found at the NHL level and return to the postseason form that helped him lead the Penguins to their third Stanley Cup.  Time will tell if that actually comes to fruition but it's hard to argue with the results to this point.

Living for the Moment

While there's obviously no way to tell how Fleury will react to the pressures of postseason play until the playoffs actually begin, there's no harm in living in the moment to appreciate what he accomplishes during the regular season.  Because, if you start overlooking what's going on now, you might miss out on some pretty impressive play in net:

More importantly, Marc-Andre is off to the best start of his career, boasting an impressive 1.74 GAA and .930 save percentage to go along with his 7-1 record.  It certainly helps that the team in front of him seems to have embraced a new commitment to defense but, to his credit, Fleury has been there when the Pens have needed him, providing key saves at pivotal moments.  Simply put, he's a vital cog to the team's fast start and looks like he's having fun in the net again.

If that, however, is too shortsighted for a fan-base that has visions of something more grand, they can always take comfort in knowing that the additions of Martin, Scuderi and Bales may well provide Fleury with the tools he needs to return to the form of a Stanley Cup winning goaltender.

Sidney Crosby is undeniably the best hockey player in the world today, even if trying to hold onto all of his hardware can leave him to misplace that pesky baton somewhere where Claude Giroux can momentarily get his hands on it. Since coming into the league with a massive amount of junior trophies already on the mantle, Crosby has managed to add an Art Ross Trophy, a Rocket Richard Trophy, a Lester B. Pearson Award and a Ted Lindsey Award for being named the best player by his peers before and after the name change, 2 Mark Messier Leadership Awards, a Hart Memorial Trophy, and the Stanley Cup. Even more impressive is that without injuries in 2011 and 2013 he almost certainly would have added another 2 Hart Trophies, 2 Art Ross Trophies, a Ted Lindsey Award, and a Rocket Richard Trophy to that list and have been a major threat to capture all of the above in 2012 as well.


Given all that Crosby has accomplished, it can't be much of a surprise that he finds himself sitting atop the scoring race early in the NHL season with 7 goals and 10 assists in just 9 games. For virtually every other player in the league, a fast start like this would be instantly dismissed as unsustainable, and that player would quickly fall back to the pack. While Crosby currently has a points per game average (1.89) well above his career average (1.42), his average over the last 3 seasons (1.61) suggests that maintaining this early season pace might not be impossible to keep up.


In fact, it's usually the beginning of the season that drags down Sidney Crosby's scoring on the year.  In 2010, when Crosby was running away with the scoring race before his concussion, he only scored 11 points in his first 9 games, a points per game pace that was much lower (1.22) than what he finished with in only half a season (1.61). When he captured the Rocket Richard Trophy the year before, Crosby started off with only 8 points in his first 9 games (0.89 pts/gm) before finishing the year with 109 in 81 games (1.35 pts/gm). Crosby's best start through 9 games prior to this year was back in 2006-07 when he won the Hart Trophy, scoring 15 points in those first 9 games (1.67 pts/gm) en route to scoring 120 points in 79 games that year (1.52 pts/gm). In fact, his first two seasons are the only time he's had a higher points per game average over the first 9 games of the season than he finished with for the year. He's typically a slow starter, and outside of 2011-12, when he missed the team's first 9 games of the year, Sidney Crosby had averaged 11.9 points in the first 9 games of the season (1.32 pts/gm).

While his history suggests he finds another level to his game as the season progresses, Sidney Crosby has already started the year at an extremely high level that threatens to once again start pulling ahead in the scoring race by a large margin early. His 17 points through 9 games projects to 155 points for the full season, but even with believing that to be a scoring pace too high to keep up, his career average (1.42 pts/gm) over the rest of the year would leave him with 121 points over 82 games, and his average over the last 3 years (1.61 pts/gm) over the remaining games would project out to 134 points. Given his fast start and his history as a prolific scorer, it seems that only an injury could prevent Crosby from putting up a monster season at this point.


Of course, there's always the possibility that once again Crosby is off to a "slow" start and will find another gear in the upcoming games. While it seems foolish to suggest that a player averaging 1.89 points per game still has room to improve on that number in today's game, there are a couple reasons why this isn't a completely absurd idea. First off, Crosby is 26 years old and just entering the prime years of his career. The past 3 seasons have seen him elevate his game to a level he hadn't reached before, and he's now had two full offseasons to train and improve his game since suffering the concussion. He's shown us before how he can take a weakness (goal scoring, faceoffs) and turn it into a strength, and the amount he can improve between seasons can't be discounted. He's also going to see an influx of talent back into the lineup. Kris Letang is one of the most offensively gifted defensemen in the entire league, and his presence on the ice should help create more scoring opportunities, and James Neal has scored the second most goals on the power play in the NHL the past 2 seasons. Neal was a 1st team NHL All-Star in 2011-12, and Letang was a 2nd team NHL All-Star in 2013. Adding players as talented as those two back in the lineup will not only create more scoring chances, but should help finish more of those chances as well, leading to more goals. As impressive of a start as Crosby's had so far, he's going to find himself in an even better offensive situation very soon.

Finally, there's the motivation factor. Despite dominating the Eastern Conference during the 2013 season, the Penguins faced the Bruins in the ECF and were quickly swept from the playoffs, including scoring just 2 goals in the 4 game series. They had gotten that close to the Stanley Cup, with a team that talented, and managed to fall short in humiliating fashion. There's no questioning the dedication and commitment Sidney Crosby has, but it's things like falling short against the Bruins or the Red Wings in 2008 that will really drive him to get back to the top. Nine games into this season and it appears that Sidney Crosby is as focused and driven as he's ever been. He's off to a blazing fast start and looks to threaten not only his career best numbers, but also numbers that haven't been reached in the NHL in quite a long time. Whether he manages to keep up his current pace, falls back to being merely elite, or manages to step his game up to a level not seen since Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby is poised to have a memorable season that adds to his hardware collection and, hopefully, also to the team's.

Last night on The League with Brian and TJ, the guys gave their Goats and Greats from the week in the NHL, took a look at rash of penalties and suspensions being handed out, plus broke down the best rookies after three weeks.

Popular Hockey Internet Radio with Radio PI on BlogTalkRadio

Another Maatta post, another Maatta pun.  Funny as it may (not) be the puns give way for the serious question: What to do with Olli Maata?

Amongst Penguins fans keeping Maatta vs. sending him back is the modern day equivalent of Great Taste v Less Filling.  The truth is much like Great Taste and Less Filling there is no wrong answer to this.  Both are enjoyable for a long time to come.

Keeping Olli Maatta would be nice.  For anyone who has ever picked out their own Christmas present not much differs here.  You've seen what you have and what it can do and you want it now.  Why wait until Christmas to really play with your new gadget?!  You want it now!  And you can absolutely do that.  The question becomes what about later?  There's one less toy under the tree at a time when that may be nice.

Keeping Maatta helps the team now.  He's another option on an already deep blue line.  Credit to him for fitting in so well amongst pros at the tender age of 19.  However keeping him means keeping him for a while.  Should he falter you've wasted a contract year and now he looks like a Juniors player: flashes of great but a liability.  Is this the Pens need to take when Olli Maatta is not a need for the Penguins?  As Rob Rossi told us in his interview last week he's a luxury.  Is he a luxury best saved until Christmas morning?

Sending him back down is just as up in the air.  From the outside it sure seems Maatta has learned all he can from the Junior level but are we sure of this?  If he had the redundancy of lower level competition may stunt his growth slightly or he may just coast on through picking up bad habits.  None of this is even hinted at but it is a possibility.

Olli Maatta and Scott Harrington talk dying camp

The benefit of Maatta going?  Ice time.  Lots of it.  Leadership.  Plenty of it.  The things he can share with his London mates could be exceptionally beneficial.  Included in that list?  Penguins draftee and teammate Scott Harrington, a 2nd round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.  The things he could impart upon Harrington as to what the team expects, how it operates, and what to do going forward could be huge to a young man of whom a lot is expected in Harrington.

There is no wrong answer to this question.  There is something to be gained on either side of this coin.  More time to develop and more years of control or improvement upon the d-line and immediate help.  As strong as your opinion may be the other side is just as correct.  This article is not to help sway you.  This article is so you do not to freak out no matter if it's heads or tails.  He stays, he goes, no Maatta.  The Penguins have a great talent on their hands.

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Nicholas Case is the owner of caseandpointsports.com.  He can be found on Twitter at twitter.com/Nick422 and he always enjoys hearing from you.  Yes you.  You can reach him at nick@radio-pi.com.