Blueline Beat: 2/1/12-2/15/12

Here is my recap of the first handful of games for February.



Pens vs. Leafs 2/1 (L 1-0)
-With Engelland being a bit banged up Lovejoy got the start in this game.
-Brent Johnson got the start in this game and gave a better effort than his previous games, but still unfortunately ended up with a loss. He stopped 23 of 24 shots
-Martin led the defense with three shots on goal.
-Letang and Michalek led the team in blocked shots with five apiece.
-Letang led in ice time with 25:00.




Pens vs. Bruins 2/4 (W 2-1)
-The Pens worked hard for this victory. They played an aggressive, gritty game, much like the Bruins' style of hockey.
-Fleury stopped 28 of 29 shots. He made key saves late in the game that helped the Pens come out with a victory.
-Martin led the defense with two shots on goal.
-Orpik led the team with four blocked shots.
-Letang led in ice time with 25:51.



Pens vs. Devils 2/5 (L 5-2)
-Niskanen scored his third goal of the season on the power play.
-Fleury should not have started this game after playing a tough game the day before in Boston. He stopped 9 out of 12 shots before being pulled in the second period. Johnson came in and stopped 11 out of 12 shots.
-The Pens were just not on their game here and played sloppy, and the Devils took advantage of that.
-Letang led the defense with three shots on goal.
-Michalek led the team with three blocked shots.
-Letang led in ice time with 22:19.



Pens vs. Canadiens 2/7 (OTL 3-2 SO)
-Martin earned his 17th assist on the goal from Neal.
-Again, this was not the best effort we have seen from the Pens, but they managed to hold on through overtime to take the game into a long shootout.
-Fleury stopped 28 out of 30 shots.
-Michalek led the defense with three shots on goal.
-Martin and Orpik led the team with three blocked shots apiece.
-Letang led in ice time with 27:31.




Pens vs. Jets 2/11 (W 8-5)
-Letang earned his 19th assist on the goal from Jeffrey.
-Fleury earned his second assist on the goal from Kunitz.
-Letang then scored his sixth and seventh goals of the season, the seventh being on the power play.
-Orpik also earned his ninth assist on the goal from Park.
-This was a fun game to watch in terms of all the goals scored, but on the other hand it was not a good defensive effort with five goals still being scored on the Pens.
-Orpik delivered seven hits in this game.
-Fleury stopped 20 out of 25 shots.
-Engelland led the team with five shots on goal.
-Orpik led the team with six blocked shots.
-Letang led in ice time with 24:45.



Pens vs. Lightning 2/12 (W 4-2)
-Letang earned his 20th and 21st assists on goals from Malkin and Kunitz, respectively.
-Letang also scored his eighth goal of the season, which made this the second game in a row he scored three points.
-Johnson also earned his first assist of the season on the goal from Kunitz.
-After giving up two goals (the first which he probably should have stopped), Johnson held the fort and earned a much needed victory. He stopped 21 out of 23 shots and made a lot of big saves.
-Bylsma mixed up the bottom two defensive pairings, which ended up with positive results. With Martin not being a physical player, being paired up with Engelland helped provide that physicality. Niskanen is a quick skater with offensive potential, while Michalek is more a defensive defenseman, so they can compliment each other better as well.
-Michalek led the defense with five shots on goal.
-Michalek led the team in blocked shots with five.
-Letang led in ice time with 23:11.



Pens vs. Ducks 2/15 (L 2-1)
-The bottom two defensive pairings kept getting switched around in this game, and at times they looked a bit lost.
-The team recorded 20 hits in this game. Orpik had nine of them.
-Fleury stopped 27 out of 29 shots.
-Letang led the defense with four shots on goal.
-Martin led the defense with three blocked shots.
-Orpik led in ice time with 24:39

Best of the Blueline

Naturally...

With the way he has been playing since his return from his injury, Letang has deservedly been turning heads. He is a force in all three zones and just seems to be everywhere on the ice. Offensively he is a key factor, averaging almost one point per game (0.85 points per game, to be exact). Defensively he plays smart, and has more than once in recent times stopped the puck that had slipped behind Fleury from going in the net. He can join in on the rush and is still quick enough to get back when play goes in the opposite direction. His game has become more physical and he can deliver a highlight reel hit. Letang's presence on the power play was sorely missed, whether it be his dangerous shot from the point or down low near the net where he can bang one in. Had he not missed 21 games with his concussion, he would surely be one of the top contenders for the Norris Trophy.

Thanks for reading, and Let's Go Pens!