After getting bombarded Thursday by the Florida Panthers, the Pittsburgh Penguins were on the very wrong end of the shot clock and scoring chance ratio again Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but again found goals, this time earning a point. We’ve got a very detailed analysis, and also an update on Rickard Rakell, who was injured in the third period, and coverage of the Penguins Hall of Fame induction.
Elsewhere in the Daily, the top 10 in the NHL trade board, Nazem Kadri will soon be a hot commodity on the trade market, and Logan Cooley is red hot in Utah.
I will take you behind the curtain of the Penguins Hall of Fame, which was such a wonderful thing. Penguins GM Kyle Dubas deserves a lot of kudos for that. A LOT. And those honorees were touched. They each deserved it, and I hope fans appreciated it.
But I’m going to vent a little bit about things you don’t see and probably don’t care about, but that affected you. The media portion before the game was a waste of time as all of the TV stations sent junior producers, but apparently instructed said newbies to ask questions. Over and over. Getting in legitimate questions about the Penguins’ history proved impossible, as one strident novice even asked Kevin Stevens how the Penguins’ Hall of Fame compared to getting into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
First, good grief. Second, yeah, umm, he’s not in the Hockey Hall of Fame (He would have been if not for 1993, but that’s water long ago under the bridge). But they obliviously dominated the scrums anyway.
Seriously, you had Scotty freakin’ Bowman there! The greatest hockey IQ ever, and he wanted to talk hockey, so he just veered into real stories despite the painful banality of their repeated questions. Such a wasted opportunity.
Oh, I had some fun questions for him, especially.
Overall, it looked good on TV, and the roar for Kevin Stevns got him a little choked up. He deserved the love. He’s faced some challenges, and I’m sure that knowing people care doesn’t hurt. Also, the Mike Lange glass case at the Wall of Honor display is incredible. Check it out.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: It was a shellacking, but the Penguins found a couple of late power-play goals and earned a point. Four times, the Penguins beat Columbus goalie Elvis Merzlikins, only to have the puck get no further than the goal line. Here’s the Penguins recap.
Early Saturday, the Penguins placed Caleb Jones on IR. He’s out about eight weeks with a lower-body. In the third period, the Penguins may have lost a key piece. The team is holding its breath on the status of Rickard Rakell.
OK, the report card is meaty. I mean, 32oz. Sirloin kind of meaty. As I’m figuring out Dan Muse’s system, I wonder if there is a soft spot that Columbus exploited. Also, the players’ grades and unvarnished analysis of several veterans, and why the Penguins need to play the rookies. Check out the Penguins report card.
Sportsnaut
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
The Athletic ($): Predictably, two Penguins appear on the top 10 trade candidates list. There are some young players and new names, too.
TSN: Logan Cooley is on an absolute heater. He netted two more goals, and the Utah chapter of the NHL is rolling.
NHLtraderumors.me: Nazem Kadri. He is six games away from 1000, and that’s a big deal in Calgary, so nothing will happen until afterward. However, news broke this week that Kadri no longer has full trade protection, and Elliotte Friedman reported that teams are calling to find out if they are on his 13-team no-trade list.
Montreal Hockey Now: Ivan Demidov. So, so very good. It was his night Saturday, and the Montreal Canadiens are loving it.
Philly Hockey Now: For all of you who clamored, pined, and begged for the Penguins to acquire Trevor Zegras, you may have been right. With his new team, the talented player who never put it together is finally putting it all together in a big way. Saturday was his statement game for the Philadelphia Flyers.
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