Pens News/Links

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

Nice to see Megna back, also hope Despres can earn his way back into the lineup. Really had high hopes for him last season.

 

[thedddd]

Yeah lets hope Despres gets a chance.
The thought of Bortuzzo and Engelland on the blue line together scares me.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

Yeah lets hope Despres gets a chance.
The thought of Bortuzzo and Engelland on the blue line together scares me.

I don't think Bortuzzo is too bad, but Engelland is just a goon.

 

[thedddd]

I don't think Bortuzzo is too bad, but Engelland is just a goon.

Oh neither do it what scares me the fact that both of them might have to be on the ice at the same time due to the lack of speed and not sure how well both could recover for each other.

 

[element1286]

Since Martin is out, literally no reason Engo should play over Despres. Need another puck mover.

 

[evolver115]

Since Martin is out, literally no reason Engo should play over Despres. Need another puck mover.

You would think so, right? Knowing Bylsma, though, I wouldn't be surprised to see him have Engelland in the lineup. Maybe he will return Deryk to the 4th line checking role, and Despres and Bortuzzo can take over as the third line pairing.

Despres has been playing really well so far this season @ WB/S. hopefully that carries him to a better showing here.

 

[element1286]

You would think so, right? Knowing Bylsma, though, I wouldn't be surprised to see him have Engelland in the lineup. Maybe he will return Deryk to the 4th line checking role, and Despres and Bortuzzo can take over as the third line pairing.

Despres has been playing really well so far this season @ WB/S. hopefully that carries him to a better showing here.

You're right more likely Bortuzzo is scratched than Despres, which I don't like either.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

Yup, Disco loves Engy, seems to love all our goons in fact.

 

[thedddd]

Starting to sound like Vokoun might not be back:

Penguins goaltender Vokoun unsure if he will play again this season | TribLIVE
and Pittsburgh Penguins' Tomas Vokoun not thinking about return yet - NHL.com - News

The NHL report makes it sound more and more like he is leaning towards not returning.

 

[thedddd]

Missed this one:

Penguins suspend Mannino for not reporting to Wheeling - Sports - Citizens' Voice

Mannino is suspended for not reporting to Wheeling and Hartzell is in WBS. Interesting side note Theissen was released from his Finnish team. Wonder if he will help fill a void again?

Also looks like Samuelsson is playing very well again....
Penguins minor league notebook: Samuelsson provides link for blue-line prospects | TribLIVE
Not sure he has to make that big a name for himself by the fact he plays a style that Bylsma loves.

 

[JBM73]

Goaltending duo highlights crop of Pittsburgh Penguins junior prospects - Hockey's Future

 

[element1286]

NHL suspends Penguins' James Neal 5 games for Brad Marchand hit - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

5 Games for Neal, hopefully this is a wakeup call for him. Neal, along with Letang, Malkin, and Crosby have this switch that turns to 'frustrated' in a moments notice. They really need to get a hold of themselves on the ice.

 

[evolver115]

Guentzel, Archibald key contributors for Mavericks in 2013-14 - Hockey's Future

 

[thedddd]

Pens recall defenseman Brian Dumoulin - PensBurgh

Dumoulin is the next in line for playing time. I see he is already practicing with the PK units.

 

[scoutyjones2]

NHL suspends Penguins' James Neal 5 games for Brad Marchand hit - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

5 Games for Neal, hopefully this is a wakeup call for him. Neal, along with Letang, Malkin, and Crosby have this switch that turns to 'frustrated' in a moments notice. They really need to get a hold of themselves on the ice.

LOL...maybe 3rd time is the charm for Kneel.

 

[scoutyjones2]

Letang is made of glass...on IR again...Malkin isn't too far behind either.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

The Doobster is looking forward to seeing Dumoulin & Samuelsson play tonight. Hope those kids show something special.

 

[JBM73]

@CraigCustance: It's not easy for a defenseman to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year. Just ask the Minnesota Wild's Jonas Brodin, who wasn't even a finalist last season. However, what Olli Maatta and the Pittsburgh Penguins are doing right now, a six-game winning streak with a defensive group decimated by injury, is the kind of thing that sticks in memories of voters who turn in Calder ballots after the season. Maatta has been unbelievable and the Penguins won again Thursday night, 5-2 over Brodin and the Wild. Maatta had a goal and an assist, and was a plus-3. He skated 21:46 and continues to establish himself as one of the game's best young defensemen. The Calder race is shaping up to be even tougher than last year. Nathan MacKinnon is cutting into Tomas Hertl's early rookie scoring lead, Valeri Nichushkin of the Dallas Stars is charging back into the picture, and even a guy like the Tampa Bay Lightning's Tyler Johnson deserves mention for his efforts while Steven Stamkos is out. But considering his age and position, it's hard to top the effort Maatta is turning in right now.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

True Jeff, Maatta has been a major reason the Pens have been able to overcome the injuries at the blue line, not just offensively but defensively as well. People keep saying Nisky is the reason they've been able to hold their own, but if I'm a young & inexperienced dman, I would be looking to Maatta as an example for what I could do in spite of my lack of experience. Really hard to tell he's a 19 year old rookie dman when you watch him play. He gets better and better as the season goes on. Really impressed with what Maatta has shown so far.

 

[evolver115]

The Confluence - Kukla's Korner

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed goaltender Jeff Zatkoff to a two-year contract extension, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero.

The deal begins with the 2014-15 season and runs through the 2015-16 campaign, and has an average annual value of $600,000. Zatkoff, 26, stopped 24 shots against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night to become the first Penguins rookie goaltender to win six straight decisions since Johan Hedberg did so in 2001. The 6-foot-2, 179-pound Zatkoff has posted a 6-2 record, 2.46 goals-against average and .912 save percentage in eight games this season. He became the first Pittsburgh goaltender to notch a shutout in his first win with the team when he turned aside 19 shots in a 3-0 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 2.