Blueline Beat: 1/19/12-1/31/12 and January Stats

After going on a rough losing streak the Pens ended January on a high note with an eight game winning streak. Also boosting the team was the return of Kris Letang to the lineup on January 19 versus the Rangers, and he looked like he didn't miss a beat. Here is my recap of the final games of January and the individual player stats.

Pens vs. Rangers 1/19 (W 4-1)

-Martin earned his 13th assist on the Kunitz goal.

-Engelland earned his ninth assist on the goal from Park.

-Letang earned his 17th assist on the first goal from Malkin.

-While they have not looked the best this season, the Martin/Michalek pairing gave a strong effort here.

-Fleury stopped 30 of 31 shots faced.

-Martin led the team with four blocked shots.

-Engelland and Letang led the defense with three shots on goal.

-Letang led in ice time with 24:17 in his first game back.

Pens vs. Canadiens 1/20 (W 5-4 SO)

-Letang scored his fourth goal of the season.

-Michalek earned his fifth assist of the season on the first goal from Jeffrey.

-Letang also earned his 18th assist on the goal from Malkin.

-The Pens gave a much better effort in the third period of this game than the first two periods, which allowed them to tie the game.

-Fleury stopped 25 out of 29 shots and was a key part of the team's victory.

-Martin led the team with four blocked shots.

-Letang led the defense with four shots on goal.

-Letang led in ice time with 28:14.

Pens vs. Capitals 1/22 (W 4-3 OT)

-Letang scored his fifth goal of the season on the power play.

-Orpik earned his eighth assist on the second goal from Neal.

-Martin earned his 14th assist on the overtime goal from Malkin.

-In watching these few games since Letang's return, you could just see the difference he makes on the ice. Not only that, his return helped take some of the pressure and ice time off of the other defensemen.

-Fleury stopped 17 out of 20 shots.

-Letang led the team with four blocked shots.

-Letang led the defense with four shots on goal.

-Letang led in ice time with 27:09.

Pens vs. Blues 1/25 (W 3-2 SO)

-Martin earned his 15th assist on the goal from Neal.

-Engelland earned his 10th assist on the goal from Sullivan.

-Fleury played an outstanding game here. He stopped 32 out of 34 shots in a hard fought game.

-Michalek led the team with four blocked shots.

-Letang and Niskanen led the defense with two shots on goal.

-Martin led in ice time with 25:56.

Pens vs. Leafs 1/31 (W 5-4 SO)

-Martin earned his 16th assist on the goal from Cooke.

-Once again, Fleury played a remarkable game, stopping 35 out of 39 shots. Quite frankly he has probably been the most valuable player on the ice in these times.

-Letang led the team with three blocked shots.

-Engelland, Letang, and Michalek led the defense with two shots on goal.

-Letang led in ice time with 24:21.

January Stats

(leader of each category will be bolded)

Orpik

GP: 12

Points: 0G 3A

SOG: 7

Blocked Shots: 18

Hits: 53

Average Ice Time: 23:40

(+/-) +3

Letang

GP: 5

Points: 2G 2A

SOG: 14

Blocked Shots: 10

Hits: 6

Average Ice Time: 25:45

(+/-) +4

Martin

GP: 11

Points: 0G 7A

SOG: 13

Blocked Shots: 24

Hits: 2

Average Ice Time: 23:50

(+/-) +2

Michalek

GP: 12

Points: 0G 1A

SOG: 16

Blocked Shots: 20

Hits: 13

Average Ice Time: 22:15

(+/-) -3

Engelland

GP: 12

Points: 0G 2A

SOG: 19

Blocked Shots: 4

Hits: 30

Average Ice Time: 15:31

(+/-) even

Niskanen

GP: 12

Points: 0G 1A

SOG: 18

Blocked Shots: 12

Hits: 13

Average Ice Time: 17:23

(+/-) +2

Lovejoy

GP: 5

Points: 1G 0A

SOG: 13

Blocked Shots: 5

Hits: 5

Average Ice Time: 13:51

(+/-) -1