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Penguins Report: Game Day at Toronto
Saturday, 03.09.2013 / 9:45 AM / Penguins Report
Pittsburgh Penguins
- Verizon Game Day Report
- Pens lines/D-pairs; update from Bylsma
- Pens quotes on Toronto and season's halfway point
- PensTV scrums
- Pens photos
- Leafs pics
- Kunitz climbs leader board
- Pens-Leafs preview
- "I need someone to love me the whole day through..."
VERIZON GAME DAY REPORT
Trib Total Media's Rob Rossi joins Sam Kasan to assess the first half and talk tonight's game.
--Michelle Crechiolo
PENSTV INTERVIEWS
Sidney Crosby
James Neal
Coach Bylsma
--Michelle Crechiolo
THEY SAID IT
BONUS! Crosby and Neal assess the first half of the season. Tonight is already the midway point - can you believe that?
--Michelle Crechiolo
PENS PICS
A couple of little guys watching the skate
Coach Bylsma stops to sign autographs before hitting the ice
The whole team gathers to hear the practice plan
I can only imagine what Fleury is saying to Kunitz (he likes to chirp his teammates when they're in his crease)
Crosby never fails to attract a swarm of jerseys when he has the puck
Be-boppin' around in the neutral zone
Martin fueling up with blue Gatorade (the best flavor, in my opinion)
Neal jumps in the play while Crosby and Adams wait their turn
Martin and Fleury defend the net
--Michelle Crechiolo and Sam Kasan
MORNING SKATE INFO
Here's how the Pens' forward lines and D-pairings looked at morning skate. Simon Despres, who was scratched last game, is skating on the third pairing with Deryk Engelland.
Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Bennett-Malkin-Neal
Cooke-Sutter-Kennedy
Glass-Jeffrey-Adams
Orpik-Martin
Letang-Niskanen
Despres-Engelland
Eaton-Bortuzzo
UPDATE: Coach Bylsma said following morning skate that Marc-Andre Fleury will start in goal and the rest of the lineup will be a game-time decision.
--Michelle Crechiolo
LEAFS PICS
Toronto had the ice first this morning...
--Michelle Crechiolo and Sam Kasan
KUNITZ CLIMBING THE LEADER BOARD
When Kunitz woke up Friday morning, he found his name among the NHL leader board in several categories: points, goals and plus-minus rating.
The Penguins winger ranks third (tied) in the NHL scoring race with 31 points, sits fourth (tied) in goals with 14, and tops the league (tied) with a plus-17 rating.
“That’s unchartered territory for me,” Kunitz joked.
Full story.
--Sam Kasan
GAME PREVIEW
The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t made the playoffs since 2004, but it looks like that could change this season. They’re one of the top teams in the East, currently ranked fifth with 15 wins and 30 points.
A big reason for that has been the play of rookie Nazem Kadri. Kadri, the Leafs’ youngest player, has been saddled with sky-high expectations and the subject of intense scrutiny since getting drafted seventh overall in 2009. He had a rough transition to the pros, bouncing back and forth between the NHL and the AHL his first two seasons, but now seems to be reaching his potential as he is Toronto’s leading scorer. Kadri has 25 points (11G-14A) in 25 games and enters Saturday on a seven-game point streak. Kadri has scored in four straight games, including a hat trick against the Islanders last week.
Full preview.
--Sam Kasan
START THE DAY
The Pens will battle the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight at the Air Canada Centre at 7 p.m. Pittsburgh will hit the ice at 11:30 a.m. for their morning skate.
KIPPER'S SONG FOR THE GAME :
Since we're in Toronto, it should be from the best band to ever come out of Toronto... Rush.
So many to choose from I went with 1993's - Stick It Out from one of their best albums - Counterparts