26 April 2006

A Season in Review - Penguins Report Cards Part 3

Hey pens fans,
The report cards continue...

Rob Scuderi- This season he played in 57 games recording 4 assists. He was -18 and had 36 penelty minutes. This was not a stellar season for him at all. We need more of an impact from him. Being -18 is a bad thing for any player, especially a defenseman. His offensive out put was not great, though I did not expect it to be. I would like to see him net a goal here or there though. His play needs to be more consistent. Defensively, the team needs to perform better and that will mean more puck possession for the offense. He needs to improve. Grade- D

Andre Roy- After being acquired in the offseason, Roy was looking to be a good fit for this team, that showed so much promise. I was excited when we acquired him. Roy played in 42 games this year recording 3 points (2 goals and 1 assist). He had 116 penelty minutes and he was -3. I did not expect him to have a large scoring impact and he played true to that. He played well, or the most part. Roy is not a goal scorer. He is more of a grinding player who works hard and tries to get it to the guys who score. It bothers me that this did not work that well, with him having only 1 assist. He stands up for himslef and teammates and is not afraid to take a punch, which is admirable. He doesn't win most toff his fights. I think he has potential with the team and if not injured like this year cold b a good fit for the future. Grade- C

Eric Cairns- He played in 50 games this year and had 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points. He was +1, whichch is quite surprising and he had 124 penelty minutes. Cairns had little impact on the games. He is not a scorer or a great defensive player. He in an enforcer, a tough guy. Each team needs one, but it would be nice if they had another attribute as well. He did what is was suposed to well, but I wish he was a more well rounded player. I don't know how long he will be here, but he played the role of the tough guy thug well. Grade- C

Ryan Vandenbussche- This season he played in 20 games and scored 1 goal and had 42 penelty minutes. His performance was disappointing this season. I think we need moreout of him if he wants to continue to play in Pittsburgh. His future is undetermined. Grade- F

Lyle Odelein- He played in 27 games this year and had 1 assist. He is -10 and had 50 penelty minutes. His play disappointin and we need more from him. As a defensman, he should have a better plus/minus than that and he needs to step it up and play consistently. Grade- F

Marc- Andre Fleury- This year Fleury played in 50 games and for a good portion of the yearwas the undisputed #1 goalie. His record was 13-27-6. That's bad, but it isn't all his fault we have no defense. He came up big for us in the clutch and made great saves. His GAA is 3.25 and a Save % of .898. These are not great numbers, but considering the season the Pens had it is not bad at all. Grade- B

Sebastien Caron- This season he played in 26 games and went 8-9-5. That was pretty good cconsidering th performance of the team of the as a whole. His GAA is 3.98 and his Save % is .881. He played fairly well, but needs improvement. Grade- C-

Jocelyn Thibault- This season he played i 16 games before missing the remainder of the season witha hip injury. His GAA was 4.46 and his save % was .876. He played in few games, ut his performace was bad and inconsistent. His record was 1-9-3. I think Thibault is past his prime and his days in the NHL are numbered, unless he comes back from the injury completely revitalized. Otherwise... Grade- F

This concludes the report cards. In case you were wondring the team average is between a D and C-.

24 April 2006

A Season in Review - Penguins Report Cards Part 2

Hey pens fans,
Here is part 2 of the report cards.

Jani Rita- This season he played in in 51 games recoding 10 points (6 goals and 4 assists). He was also -6. To be honest, on a game to game basis I never really saw any impact from him, but I did not notice anything overtly bad either. I think he needs to to more to make an impact and get himself recognized. Grade- D

Konstantin Koltsov- He showed promise earlier on in the season, but it fell off fast and nevere seemed to return. This year he played in 60 games recording 9 points (3 goals and 6 assists). He was -10 and had 20 penelty minutes. Well, I can't complain about his penelties. His play was not great and his plus/minus was a reflection of that. He needs to step it up or his future is looking dim. Grade- D

Brooks Orpik- He played in 64 games this year and recorded 9 points ( 2 goals and 7 assists). e was -3 and had 124 penelty minutes. Brooks was one of the more consistent defenseman we had the season. He played, for the most part, the same night in and night out. At times, there was a little extra spark and that elevated his play. Overall, this was a pretty good season for him. Grade- B

Niklas Nordgren- To be frannk, I do no think he will be in Pittsburgh next season. He waws acquired in the Recchi trade. I have wondered, since the transaction why we wanted him and have yet to figure it out.This season he played in 58 games and had 6 points. Grade- F

Matt Murley- This season he played in 41 games recording 6 points (1 goal and 5 assists), 24 penelty minutes, and was -9. I think that Murley has potential to be a much more productive player offensively and with time I think he will improve and settle into his role. He needs to work on puck possession. He played pretty good this season and should be able to improve if he ontinues on this track. Grade- C

Noah Welch- This season Noah only played in 5 games for the Pens after being called up from Wilkes-Barre. In that short time he recorded 4 points (1 goal and 3 assists). He played well in the few games he played in. I think he shows a lot of promise. I do think it is unfair to grade him without him playing in at least 15 games. Grade- Incomplete

To be continuted in the next edition...

23 April 2006

A Season in Review - Penguins Report Cards Part 1

Hey pens fans,
As we all know, this was not the most stellar season for the Penguins, but there were some bright spots. We have seen what the players can do ans now it is time to evaluate and regroup for next year. This is my attempt at doing so. Feel free to disagree and let me know if you do, but this is how I have graded the Penguins.

Report Cards

Sidney Crosby- He was one of the bright spots in and otherswise mundane season of problems. He finished his rookie season with an impressive 102 points (39 goals and 83 assists). Crosby played in 81 of the Penguins 82 regular season games this year. He had 110 Penelty Minutes and was -1 on the year. We have just seen what this kid can really do. Sidney played extremely well this season. He had to deal with being singled out a lot in the games and he stood up for himself, when he needed to. Crosby can not only score goals he sets up some great plays for his teammates. Overall, I don't think we could have asked for any more from Sidney. He will definetly be a forcec in the coming years. Grade- A+

Sergei Gonchar- I am very conflicted by the season Gonchar had. He finished as the second leadig scorer for the Penguins behind Crosby, with 58 points (12 goals and 46 assists). He was also -13 on the year, which is not a good thing. He played in 75 games this season. His performance was hot and cold. At times, he played well, and at times he was somewhere else altogether. Gonchar made some beutiful plays, but he made even more dumb mistakes and showed a lack of effort through a good portion of the season. I think is, if nothing else, the most overpaid player we have. I was not impressed with his performance. It was good, by some standards, but I expected more of an impact and less mistakes from a veteran of his skill. Grade- D

John LeClair- He finished the season with 51 points (22 goals and 29 assists). LeClair played in 73 games for the Penguins this season. When it came to scoring he did right around, what I expected from him. He is still a great player. The only thing that concerns me is the fact that he is -24 on the season, which is bad. LeClair seemed to play well. He is not as fast, as he once was, but he is still a consistent player. He plays night in and night out. The entire team had a problem with giving up the puck on bad turnovers this season and he was not exception. I wish I could grade him higher for all the good things he contributed this year, especially his leadership. Grade- C+

Ryan Malone- He played in 77 games this year and had 44 points (22 goals and 22 assists). Malone played well thhis year. His offensive output was better than I expected and he made a real contribution to the team. He was -22. That is not good. I know I am starting to sound like a brokenn record, but this team gave up too amny turnovers and could not seem to gain or to keep control of the puck. Game after game it was the same problem and Malone is no exception to this. The entire team needs to work on it. Grade- C+

Colby Armstrong- This season Colby played in 47 games for the Penguins. He scored 40 points (16 goals and 24 assists). He also acumulated 40 penelty minutes. One thing about Colby is that he is not afaraid to play the body. He will take a hit for the team and dish them out as well. Colby had 58 penelty minutes. He finished the season +15, which makes him one of the few players not to be a minus. He is the highest plus we had. He played very well and managed to score a more than respectable amount of points in the games he played. Next year, if he continues to play this way, could see him in the NHL full time. Grade- B+

Ryan Whitney- For a defenseman, he put up some pretty good offensive numbers with 38 points (6 goals and 32 assists), in 68 games. Ryan had 85 penelty minutes. This season was a pretty good one from Whitney though he was -7, which is not great, but compared to the rest of the team, it was not all that bad either. I think he has a lot of promise and if he keeps it up, he could become a major part of this team in the future. Grade- B-

Michel Ouellet- This season he played in 50 games for the Penguins recording 32 points (16 goals and 16 assists). Michel was -13 on the year. He also accumulated 16 penelty minutes. One thing I think he needs to try to improve on is his even strength play. The majority of his goals were on the power play, but he only had 5 even strength tallies this year. If he could improve on that number it would be great. His power play is pretty good and that is something he needs to keep doing and with time it should imprve as well. He played well this year and hopefully will only be better next year. Grade- C

Andy Hilbert- He was a good acquisition before the trade deadline and I was unexpectedly impressed by his play. Based on what little I knew of his skill previous to be acquired by the Penguins, his play was a pleasant surprise. I think he is a good fit for this organization. Hilbert played in 47 games, recording 27 points (12 goals and 15 assists). He finished the season +4 and had 38 penelty minutes. I think he is a solid player who ahs the potential be a very good two way player and we saw elements of that this year. If he continues to play this way, I think he has a good future here. Grade- C+

Tomas Surovy- This year he played in 53 games for the Penguins. He recorded 25 points (12 goals and 13 assists). He was also -13 this season. Yet, again we find another major disappointment in the +/- category. Surovy also had 45 penelty minutes. His performance was not horrible, but it was not great either. The thing he seems to be lacking is consistency. Each night, you do not know what to expect. If he performed well and contributed on a more consistent basis, he could be a much better player. Grade- D

Eric Boguniecki- This season he accumulated 10 points (6 goals and 10 assists), in 47 games. Eric was -3 on the seeason as well and recorded 33 minutes in penelties. Overall, his play was pretty good. I would to see a little more offense from him. I think that if he just shot the puck more he could get a few lucky bounces. He barely averaged over a shot per game. that is my main complaint. He works hard on the ice and seems to play about the same on a fairly consistent basis. Grade- D

Josef Melichar- This season was yet another season that I do not think he reahed his potential. He played in 72 games this year recording 15 points (3 goals and 12 assists). Melichar also had 66 penelty minutes and was -2. Overall his performance needs to be more consistent. If not, I think it is time for the Pens to move on. Grade- F

To be continued in another edition...

20 April 2006

Draft Lottery Results

Hey pens fans,
The Pens have the 2nd pick in the upcoming entry draft. Today, the lottery took place for the 14 non playoff teams. The order is as follows:1. St. Louis Blues 2. Pittsburgh Penguins 3. Chicago Blackhawks 4. Washington Capitals 5. Boston Bruins 6. Columbus Blue Jackets 7. New York Islanders 8. Phoenix Coyotes 9. Minnesota Wild10. Florida Panthers11. Los Angeles Kings12. Atlanta Thrashers13. Toronto Maple Leafs14. Vancouver Canucks

Craig Patrick

Hey pens fans,
Well, the Penguins held a PRess Conference today at 12:30. It was announced that Craig Patrick's contract will not be renewed. He is stepping down as GM and VP. He has been with the Penguins for 17 years. The Penguins are searching for a new GM. Ken Sawyer is not naming any names as to who the replacement will be. Therrien will remain as head coach.

18 April 2006

Pens Fall to Leafs to end the season

Hey pens fans,
The Pens lost their last game of fthe season tonight, in Toronto. The final score was 5-3 Leafs. The Pens goals were as follows:
Sidney Crosby Assists: Colby Armstrong, Andy Hilbert
Colby Armstrong (Power Play) Assists: Sidney Crosby, Andy Hilbert
Ryan Malone Assists: Ryan Whitney, Eric Boguniecki
Sidney Crosby finishes the year with 102 points for his rookie season, which is quite an impressive triumph. This good be an interesting off season to see what happens withh the team and what will happen with Craig Patrick. Some sources seem to think it is unlikely he will return as GM. I will have the info here on all the Penguins moves as soon as I hear it. Hopefully, I will also be able to shed some light on what happened this season.

17 April 2006

Pens defeat Isles in last home game/Crosby

Hey pens fans,
The Pens won 6-1. the goals were as follows:
Andy Hilbert (12), from Sidney Crosby and Ryan Whitney
Ryan Malone (20), from John LeClair
Tomas Surovy (12), from Sidney Crosby and Colby Armstrong
Ryan Malone 2 (21), from Sidney Crosby and John LeClair (Crosby's 100th Point)
Josef Melichar (3), from Konstantin Koltsov
Ryan Whitney (6), from Colby Armstrong and Brooks Orpik
Marc-Andre Fleury was in goal and stopped 26 of 27 shots.
The Pens final game of the season is Tomorrow in Toronto.
Congratulations Sidney Crosby on being the youngest player ever to reach 100 points!

Sidney Crosby becomes the youngest player to ever reach 100 points

Hey pens fans,
Sidney Crosby became the youngest playyer to reach 100 points tonight with an assit o Ryan Malone's 2nd goal of the game. Sidney Crosby is 18 years 7 months and 10 days old, according to my math.

15 April 2006

Pens Fall to Islanders in Shootout

Hey pens fans,
Well, they came close tonight, but couldn't quite pull it off. The final score was 5-4 Islanders.
The Pens goals in regulation were:
Sergei Gonchar (12), from Ryan Malone and Eric Boguniecki
John LeClair (21), from Ryan Whitney and Sebastien Caron
John LeClair 2 (22), from Josef Melichar and Rob Scuderi
Andy Hilbert (11), from Colby Armstrong and John LeClair
Then in the shootout the pens scored multiple goals and it went in to extra shooters, but the the Islanders won. Sidney Crosby was held without a point. Scuderi went off in the OT. He appeared to be injured, but no word as to how seriously.

13 April 2006

Pens Win!

Hey pens fans,
The Pens beat the New York Rangers by a score of 5-3 tonight at the Mellon Arena. The Penguin goals were as follows:
Ouellet assisted by Gonchar
Crosby assisted by Armstrong and Hilbert
Gonchar (PP) assisted by Whitney and Crosby
Armstrong (PP) assisted by Hilbert and Crosby
Armstrong assisted by Crosby and Whitney
The PEns have 3 games left this season.

11 April 2006

Pens Fall to Flyers

Hey pens fans,
The Pens lost 4-3 tonight on the road in Philly. Ouelett, Whitney, and Crosby had the Pens goals. Yes, Crosby did play tonight after some speculation that he may not. Right now, the light at the end of the tunnel is that we only have 4 games left before the off season. Hopefully they will make some roster moves and regroup and return as te successful team we all hope for.

09 April 2006

Crosby

Hey pens fans,
Well, first the good news, Sidney Crosby is now the youngest NHL player to reach 90 points. Now, the bad news, Crosby sat out the 2nd period of the last ame after getting a lower body injury, which is believed to be a leg injury. He is getting treatment ad is listed as day-to-day. there is no word, as to if he will moss ay of fthe Penguins remaining games.

08 April 2006

So Close, Yet So Far - Pens Fall to Tampa Bay

Hey pens fans,
The Penguins played the Lightning on the road ini Tampa Bay tonight. Marc-Andre FLeury was in goal for the Pens. The final scorer was 1-0 Tampa. It was a close game and a hard lose for the thhe Pens as their season winds down. This win puts the Lightning into the 7th spot in the East.

The Pens Friday Night Win

Hey pens fans,
Sorry, this took so long to post. The Pens were on the road Friday against the Florida Panthers. The final score was 5-1 Pens. It was a strong game for our Pens. Sebatien Caron was in goal and stopped 36 of 37 shots for the win. Konstantin Koltsov opend up the soring in the first period with a shorthanded goal assisted by Gonchar and Malone. Soon after, Ryan Whitney scored on the power play assisted by Surovy and Crosby. In the second period, Ryan Malone scored shorthanded from Melichar and Crosby. Then Sidney Crosby netted one from Hilbert and Armstrong. The tird period had the Panthers' Jay Bouwmeester scoring their lone goal of the night. Then John LeClair scored on the power play from Crosby and Gonchar to round out the scoring. Sidney Ccrosby had 4 (1-3) points in that game. The Pens continue on the road into Tampa Bay to face the Lightning Satuday night.

05 April 2006

Pens Fall to Devils

Hey pens fans,
Tonight, the Pens played the New Jersey Devils in New Jersey and lost by a score of 6-4. The goals were by Crosby, Hilbert (2), and Rita. Fleury was in goal. The Pens are continueing on there downward spiral and are still in the league cellar.

02 April 2006

Pens Fall to Devils in OT

Hey pens fans,
The pens lost by a scorer 0f 2-3 in ovtime this afternoon at the Mellon Arena. Sidney Crosby and Ccolbyy Armstronog had the pens goals. The pens played a good game, but they lost it in the end after a questionable penelty call that resulted in a Devils Power Play that drove the game into overtime. Fleury played a strong game in goal for the pens tonight.
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