There were 3 things that we expected to happen when the Pens faced off against the Canucks today:
- We would see a tight, defensive game.
- Roberto Luongo would have an effect on the game.
- Matt Cooke would continue to be a monster.
One
As far as defenses are concerned, the Penguins and the Canucks have both allowed a fair share of shots. Both teams have solid defensive pairings, but there is no question that the goaltending at each end of the ice has been superb.
In Marc-Andre Fleury's absence, Dany Sabourin has stood on his head. Every game that Sabu starts, the Penguins are given a chance to win just as if The Flower was headlining the defense. When tonight's game started, Sabourin was in control of a phenomenal 1.59 GAA with a .940 Save %. With the loss, Sabourin moves to 4-2-1, but ultimately played a solid game allowing 2 tough goals on 18 shots.
Two
On the other side of the ice was Canucks' captain Roberto Luongo. Coming into the game, Luongo led the league with 5 shutouts. Luongo has also faced a league leading 540 shots and has already amassed over 500 saves. With a shutout in every 2.2 games, Luongo was sure to be a game changer.
Little did we know, it would take less than 5 minutes for Captain Rob to change the game. Luongo left the game at the 4:54 mark of the first with a lower body injury. Backup goalies have been an NHL trend this season and it looked like 2 of the better ones would finish out this game.
Curtis Sanford played the remainder of the game and got a big away win for the Canucks. Like Sabourin, Sanford faced 18 shots, but only allowed one goal. The Pens didn't get a ton of amazing scoring opportunities, but when they did, Sanford stood tall.
Three
Matt Cooke has been on a tear and we figured he would show up at 110% against his former team. For one shift, Cooke did just that. Cooke stirred things up the way that only he could and it all happened in a matter of moments. After dumping a Canuck with a perfect hip check, Cookey brushed up against a couple Canucks in the neutral zone. Altercations ensued and ended with 4 fighting majors, 2 game misconducts and a couple of double-minors.
Cooke and Burrows started to square up after some neutral zone contact when Brooks Orpik jumped in to protect his teammate. Cooke, who also had his gloves off, jumped at the opportunity to go with Jannik Hansen. Due to NHL rules, both players were ejected for being involved in a 2nd fight.
Tyler Kennedy and Ryan Kesler also got involved, but only received double-minors. Both players had gloves off and went at it for a while, but it looked like they resorted to pushing and pulling after a warning from the officials. We were kinda hoping to see Teagues shed the elbow pads and throw down light-weight style.
Overall, the Penguins were outplayed this afternoon in their 3-1 loss to Vancouver. In my opinion, losing Matt Cooke hurt the Penguins in more ways than breaking up Jordan Staal's 3rd line. Michel Therrien was forced into his juggling act and found a hard time keeping lines together for any amount of time.
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin found themselves playing together for much of the game and it definitely cut down on the Penguins offensive output. Aside from Mike Zigomanis' goal, most of the Penguin opportunities came from the Malkin-Crosby line.
The Sedin brothers dominated the game and each had a point on all 3 of the Canuck goals to give the brothers 6 spots on the score sheet. Pavel Demitra found twine twice including an empty net goal in the 60th minute of play.
For a complete rundown of penalties and events, be sure to check the official NHL score sheet.
The Penguins did have good news this weekend. Ryan Whitney practiced with the team for the first time yesterday and is planning on a Christmas return. While the Penguin defense has improved game by game, Whitney provides a veteran defenseman with a scoring touch that could spark the now struggling power play. If Whitney can stay out of the injury box, he has Norris Trophy finalist potential. The surgery he underwent was to fix a chronic foot problem that has plagued Whitney during his time with the Pens. We certainly look forward to his return.
Matt@Penstation
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