Blueline Beat: 12/8/11-12/21/11

The Pens defense has definitely taken a beating as of late. The team has been without Letang and Michalek since the end of November. Engelland took a brief absence with a lower body injury. Martin is listed as day-to-day after a leg injury, and Lovejoy just made his return last night after his injury. We've seen Despres, Picard, Bortuzzo, and Sneep called up from the Baby Pens and have held their own. Here's my recap from the past several games.


Pens. vs. Flyers: 12/8 (L3-2)

-Niskanen earned his sixth assist on Neal's goal.
-Orpik earned his third assist on Malkin's goal.
-Engelland was not available in this game with his lower body injury.
-Bortuzzo suffered a concussion in this game after taking a hit from Zac Rinaldo.
-Fleury stopped 26 of 29 shots.
-Despres led the team with four blocked shots.
-Niskanen led the defense with two shots on goal.
-Martin led in ice time with 29:00.



Pens vs. Islanders: 12/10 (W 6-3)

-Niskanen earned his seventh assist on Sullivan's goal.
-Picard earned his first assist on the goal from Dupuis.
-Niskanen earned his eighth assist on Cooke's goal.
-Martin scored his first goal of the season as well.
-Engelland returned in this game and was a big presence on the ice. His returned helped relieve some ice time from Martin, Orpik, and Niskanen. Martin also played a strong game.
-Fleury stopped 24 of 27 shots.
-Despres, Engelland, and Niskanen led the team with 2 blocked shots apiece.
-Martin led the defense with four shots.
-Martin led in ice time with 25:33.



Pens vs. Red Wings: 12/13 (L 4-1)

-Orpik earned his fourth assist on Malkin's goal.
-This was a hard fought game, but a few bad turnovers helped give Detroit the scoring edge.
-Fleury stopped 21 of 24 shots.
-Martin and Orpik led the team with three blocked shots apiece.
-Niskanen led the defense with three shots on goal.
-Martin led in ice time with 24:38.



Pens vs. Senators: 12/16 (L 6-4)

-Niskanen scored his second goal of the season on the power play.
-Despres earned his second assist on the Kunitz goal.
-Martin took an injury to his leg in the third period and did not return. He came out and tested his leg, then went right back down the runway.
-This was not a sharp game by the defense with a lot of sloppy mistakes.
-Johnson stopped 14 out of 19 shots faced and was replaced by Fleury in the third period. While this was not Johnson's best performance the loss should not be pinned on him.
-Fleury stopped 4 out of 5 shots in that third period.
-Engelland and Orpik led the team with three blocked shots apiece.
-Niskanen led the defense with two shots on goal.
-Orpik led in ice time with 26:32.



Pens vs. Sabres: 12/17 (W 8-3)

-The Pens did a complete turnaround in this game and had a great rebound after the previous night's loss.
-With Martin out Carl Sneep got the call up.
-Fleury earned his 200th win of his career.
-Picard earned his second assist on the goal from Williams.
-Despres scored his first NHL goal on the power play.
-Orpik earned his fifth assist on Malkin's first goal. This was Orpik's 100th career point.
-Sneep earned his first assist and point in the NHL on Malkin's second goal. Picard also earned his third assist on this goal.
-Niskanen earned his ninth assist on Neal's goal.
-Engelland scored his second goal of the season with a shot that squirted right underneath Miller.
-Niskanen earned his tenth assist on Malkin's third goal.
-Engelland earned his eighth assist on the goal from Kunitz.
-As you can see, every defenseman in this game scored at least one point.
-Fleury stopped 16 out of 19 shots.
-Orpik led the team with two blocked shots.
-Engelland led the team with four shots on goal (along with Malkin).
-Niskanen led in ice time with 21:20.


Pens vs. Blackhawks: 12/20 (W 3-2)

-Niskanen earned his 11th and 12th assists on the goals from Kunitz and Neal.
-In his first game back from injury, Lovejoy earned his second assist on the goal from Kennedy. Lovejoy played a good game for being gone for so long.
-Engelland fought with John Scott after he delivered a questionable hit on Marcus Kruger. We will have to wait and see if any disciplinary action is taken.
-Fleury stopped 36 of 38 shots and was huge in this game. He made some outstanding saves, most notably in the third period when the Blackhawks were surging.
-Lovejoy, Niskanen, and Orpik, led the team with two blocked shots apiece.
-Niskanen led the defense with four shots on goal.
-Orpik led in ice time with 23:50.

Best of the Blueline

You cannot help but to be impressed with the way Matt Niskanen has been playing. Going into the season with a surplus of defensemen, it was questioned if he would even have a spot on the starting roster. From training camp on, he has proved his worth. Lately, with the injuries to Letang, Michalek, and Martin, he has stepped his game up and contributes in all areas on the ice. With this increased playing time, he has already exceeded his totals last year in goals and assists. On the team he has cracked the top ten in points and shots on goal (8th place in points, tied for 8th place in shots on goal with Staal). Defensively he has been playing a lot smarter and a lot tougher. He sits at seventh place on the team in hits. Even when more of our defensemen return from injury, you can still expect Niskanen to contribute on the ice.