666 in the Burgh

Tonight’s game will be like staring into the mirror for the Penguins about one week ago as the Devils take an 8-0-0 road record into the Igloo and try to repeat their performance of a few short weeks ago. New Jersey took down the Pens when they were one of the hottest teams in the league that night and decisively as a matter of fact with a 4-1 victory. It feels quite redundant to continue saying that the injury bug has bitten the Penguins hard, but that’s reality of things and it’s going to be a difficult stretch trying to win games and generate offense. With a goalless streak that stretches back nearly 150 minutes and counting with the drop of the puck tonight, Pittsburgh has really missed Evgeni Malkin’s presence as an overall facilitator and his ability to draw some focus away from the action. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby offered these words on the recent struggles for the Pens saying: “We’ve got to find a way to score some goals. That’s the way it’s been going the last week or two for us. It’s been a long road trip, longer when you don’t win. We’ve got to find a way to play better.” Crosby himself has endured the worst stretch of his career going five games without a point and really wants to get off of the schnide tonight in a big way. This game has some elevated importance as although it’s only one and a half months into the season, tonight’s winner will have sole possession of the Atlantic division lead.

Another injury was added to the Penguins growing list last game with Brooks Orpik suffering a lower body injury and he will miss the next two weeks according to team sources. Despite the injuries, the season must go on and tonight’s game will feature a couple of unfamiliar faces for the bulk of Pens fans with defensemen Ben Lovejoy and Deryk Engelland getting the call tonight to fill in for the losses of Sergei Gonchar, Kris Letang, and Brooks Orpik. This game gets underway with Mike Rupp and Jordan Staal on the ice with Sidney Crosby in a bit of an odd line combination from Dan Bylsma to try and jump start some scoring for the Penguins. Pittsburgh looks intent on getting the puck to the net tonight with some traffic in front to try and throw off one of the best goaltenders in the history of the league in Martin Brodeur. Deryk Engelland looks to have some jump in his step in just his second appearance with the Penguins since coming up from the Baby Pens as he flows through the neutral zone and creates a nice opportunity for both Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz. Finally the Penguins get a puck into the net midway through the opening period when some dirty work by the Pens down low created an opportunity in the Devils crease as Ruslan Fedotenko edges the biscuit over the goal line for a 1-0 Pittsburgh lead. Scoring first has been huge for the Pens this year and the team seems inspired from that goal maintaining some possession in the Devils end immediately after. A penalty to Mark Eaton gives New Jersey the first power play of the night but the Penguins kill it off and go to work on a power play of their own to finish the period.

Pittsburgh picked up a penalty of their own at the end of the 1st so the four on four will turn into an abbreviated New Jersey power play early in the 2nd period. The penalties come and go and the teams are back at even strength with the Penguins going to work in the Devils zone. Chris Bourque feathers a beautiful pass to the front of the net for Sidney Crosby who is denied by the pad of Brodeur. The Penguins are doing a fabulous job of dumping and chasing tonight setting up their offense from behind the net and getting more quality chances early in this game than they have had over their previous two games combined. A solid blast from just inside the blue line by Crosby creates a rebound opportunity for Fedotenko that just barely misses the net. A mad scramble in front of the Penguins net ends when Fleury finally gets his glove on the puck before the Devils have a chance to get a stick on it with bodies piling up around the Penguins netminder. New Jersey is beginning to swarm around the Pittsburgh net mounting some pressure on Fleury and the Penguins defense. Chris Conner is taking on the identity of Tyler Kennedy out on the ice with his pesky mentality and relentless puck pressure. A familiar name for the Penguins from their last meeting with the Devils levels the game at 1-1 when Nicklas Bergfors puts the puck behind Fleury. The Penguins are getting some substantial pressure in the Devils zone before Bill Guerin takes a chippy penalty for interference alongside the New Jersey net to put the Devils on the power play. The Devils take the lead on a deflection goal off of the leg of Ben Lovejoy credited to Andy Greene to close the 2nd period at 2-1 New Jersey.

The Pens will begin the 3rd period with a power play thanks to a penalty by Travis Zajac so Pittsburgh will go to work with clean ice looking to even the score on the man advantage. The Penguins are unable to threaten the New Jersey net at all on the power play and the Devils go back to work. A neutral zone turnover gave the Devils a chance in transition by Zajac who threads a pass through the defense to Zach Parise who buried the puck behind Marc-Andre Fleury. This game is beginning to take on a déjà vu look as the Penguins fall behind 3-1 following a similar pattern to the two teams meeting one month ago. The Devils have really turned it up another notch here in the 3rd period as they are just flying through the neutral zone and into the Penguins zone. On a Penguins power play midway through the period, Martin Brodeur is putting on a show in net making save after spectacular save shutting the door on the Penguins plethora of opportunities. A great chance for the Pens as Crosby carries the puck into the zone and circle the net only to have his shot blocked and the puck exits the zone off of a New Jersey stick. The Devils are playing signature Jacques LeMaire hockey here in the final minutes just closing down all angles and collapsing into their own zone. A shot from Brian Rolston trickles through Fleury’s pads looking like a sure goal before Ben Lovejoy takes control of the puck and escorts it down the boards. Pittsburgh continues their tenacious effort in the Devils zone but to no avail as Brodeur and the Devils defenders hang on.

New Jersey adds an empty netter from David Clarkson to repeat their score from the game in October and defeat the Penguins 4-1. The Penguins finally broke their goalless streak, but that is merely a moral victory as a fourth straight result goes in favor of the opposition. Martin Brodeur was just a bit too tough again for the Pens and his clutch play combined with Pittsburgh’s inability to prevent New Jersey’s speed through the neutral zone proved to be a lethal combination on the night. Some promising news on the injury front is that both Evgeni Malkin and Maxime Talbot have been practicing minus the red jersey and have been cleared for full contact by the team which usually signals that their returns to the ice could be near. Malkin may be back in the lineup as early as Saturday night when the Penguins take on the Boston Bruins and try to reverse this losing trend.

Tags: Andy Greene, Ben Lovejoy, Bill Guerin, Boston Bruins, Brian Rolston, Brooks Orpik, Chris Conner, Chris Kunitz, Dan Bylsma, David Clarkson, Deryk Engelland, Evgeni Malkin, Jacques LeMaire, Kris Letang, Mark Eaton, Martin Brodeur, Maxime Talbot, New Jersey Devils, Nicklas Bergfors, Ruslan Fedotenko, Sergei Gonchar, Sidney Crosby, Travis Zajac, Zach Parise