Coming off a pretty hairy road trip last week, the Penguins were at home last night, hosting the Flyers, who didn't win a game against the Pens last year.
The Flyers flipped that losing streak on its head, beating the Penguins 3-1. The Pittsburgh offense seemed a bit skunky, but the biggest problem was goaltending, as Dany Sabourin let in two goals on the first three shots of the game.
Suddenly, it becomes clear that whatever you might say about the Pens offensive production, goaltending is the real problem for Pittsburgh this year. I wonder if The Sieve has something he can add to my analysis on this.
Crosby maintained his streak, though, with an assist on the Pens' lone goal. He's got points in every game this season, except the opener on October 5.
CROSBY COUNT
Games played: 15
Goals: 9
Assists: 14
Total points: 23
LUNCH: A big bowl of chicken noodle soup with about a thousand crackers
Thursday, November 8, 2007
The Crosby Count
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2 comments:
What's this? A challenge?
Honestly, Nate, I'm not sure. I haven't seen the Penguins play enough to pass judgment on their goaltending.
I have NHL Centre Ice, but the little time I have for the Eastern conference is spent indulging my man-crush on Alex Ovechkin.
That said, I think they have decent goaltending on paper. I really don't know what's going on there.
Marc-Andre Fleury used to be talked about as a top-shelf prospect and part of Pittsburgh's flashy, exciting core of the future. He is sometimes a spectacular goalie, but his early numbers (4-6, 3.51 GAA, .896%) indicate he needs more work.
On the other hand, Dany Sabourin has better stats (3-2-1, 2.05 GAA, .919%). It's difficult to fault a goalie who's putting up a winning record, goals-against under three and a save percentage over 90%.
Obviously I have a soft spot for goalies, so I tend to look at the team defensive effort. Shall we?
They're allowing 30.5 shots against per game, 26th in the league. They only have one defenceman, Rob Scuderi, with a plus rating. Their highest rated player, C Maxime Talbot (+4), is 83rd in the league in plus-minus.
They've obviously bet the farm on a free-wheeling offensive style. If you're going to do that, you'd better have a solid defence and/or a goalie who can steal games.
So I guess in that sense, I agree with you that they have a goaltending problem. But do I blame Fleury or Sabourin? Not so much. I think they're being asked to perform beyond their abitilities.
That makes sense, Sieve. It's always best, I think, to get the opinions of experts on such matters.
I just want Crosby to get me more points for my hockey pool.
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