Penguins/NHL
Pittsburgh 2 – Boston 1
The Penguins spoiled the Bruins home opener behind a strong performance from Dany Sabourin who made 35 saves. Bruins forward Phil Kessel netted his 5th goal of the season and is developing into a top 6 winger. Would the Penguins have been better off drafting Phil Kessel or Jonathan Toews over Jordan Staal? Read more for the latest inside buzz on how close the Penguins were to selecting Kessel or Toews; plus a update on the Penguins plans for Janne Pesonen.
Dany Sabourin kept the Penguins in the game during the first period when Boston could have easily went up 3-0.
Miroslav Satan showed in training camp he still had the scoring ability around the net and that is exactly what he is doing right now. Satan leads the Penguins with four goals and all of his goals have been right around the net. He doesn’t have the shot to overpower goaltenders anymore and he has done a great job to find the soft spots in the slot. Satan has performed well since being moved off of Sidney Crosby’s line. I didn’t think he had a role on this team unless he was playing with Crosby but thus far he’s making things happen on a line with Max Talbot and Tyler Kennedy and seems more comfortable being a situational player taking a few even strength shifts with Crosby.
Rob Scuderi has played very well the past three or four games and has been one of the Penguins best defensive defenseman. This is not a knock on Gill or Scuderi but the Penguins need puck moving defensemen on the ice with Crosby and Malkin. Too many times Scuderi and Gill are paired with the top line
Pascal Dupuis has been a nice fit with Crosby and Malkin on the top line. The best case scenario would be to have a Ryan Malone type of forward to play alongside with Crosby & Malkin but for now Dupuis is getting the job done. He is effective on the fore check and is not tentative to shoot the puck.
Phil Kessel had a phenomenal game. I really like his development and playing with Marc Savard he has 30 goal potential. With the lack of production from Jordan Staal and the Penguins need of another top forward, some believe Kessel would have been a better fit for the Penguins. Kessel was rated #2 on the Penguins board but character issues made them think twice. The player fans don’t seem to bring up is the Penguins passing on Jonathan Toews. I still think it is too early to grade which player the Penguins should have selected but when the Penguins couldn’t work out a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes to acquire D Jack Johnson it really came down to Toews or Staal.
Janne Pesonen is off to a solid start in WBS registering 1 goal – 5 assists in 6 games. The Penguins plan has been to re-evaluate Pesonen’s progress following their west coast trip. Many believe if Pesonen continues to perform like he has, the Penguins may give him a look after Thanksgiving
More to Come
Photo courtesy of Dan4th
