ON KINGS – PENGUINS
The Pittsburgh Penguins earned what many will surely regard as a quality point vs the Los Angeles Kings Friday night following a game tying goal from Evgeni Malkin with the goalie pulled and a 1:10 left in regulation. Despite a near even game in almost every category, score, shots (PIT 42 – LAK 40), shot attempts (72-70 LAK), and close scores in now two meetings with the Kings in a week, no one in the Penguins organization should get fooled that the Penguins are right there with the Kings as a top Stanley Cup contender.
(Which the Penguins didn’t as Mike Johnston was fired moments after this post).
The Kings would walk circles around the Penguins in a seven game series.
Where the Penguins might be taking baby steps is playing with some emotion and determination.
“I thought the last few games, they’ve been pretty emotional games,” Mike Johnston said in what ended up being his last press conference as Penguins coach. “Sometimes coming off a long road trip, you worry about your team a little bit. We talked about it this morning. I thought our guys were really focused tonight. Those were two very good teams out there on the ice.”
That said the Penguins survived this one on how they have survived all season — Marc Andre Fleury —
Fleury was terrific in the first period when despite the Kings having just a 13-10 edge in shots, they had a slew of odd-man rushes and golden scoring chances. Fleury kept this one from being 2-0 or 3-0 in the first that included a spectacular save on Anze Kopitar off a set-up from Marian Gaborik.
“I think we had opportunities to go up by two,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. [hide]
The positive for Pittsburgh was the push in the second period. They became the team pushing the pace and out-shot LA 18-10 in the second and got a goal from Eric Fehr. Fehr who has been boom or bust on a nightly basis this season, had one of his most productive games since first joining the Penguins lineup on Halloween night.
In the third LA scored early and re-took control of the game but Evgeni Malkin with great determination in front to tie the game got the Penguins a point and a chance to get two. Malkin had 10 shots on goal and 12 shot attempts. The point totals (26 points in 28 games) is not where you want it to be for Malkin but it’s been an impactful 26 points this season. Fleury and Malkin have saved the Penguins season to this point.
SCOUTS BUZZ ON COLE
What the hell has happened to Ian Cole?
The small sample size from last season saw the Penguins lock Cole up to a three year deal this summer with an AAV of $2.1 million that saw many Penguin fans loving the deal.
One scouts view on Cole — The Penguins mis-management of being forced to play Cole in a No. 1 pairing role (start season) might have ruined him.
“They over-taxed to the point where he might not recover [this season],” an Eastern Conference scout said. “He was a six in St. Louis for a reason.”
That’s on management…..[/hide]
