24-8-0 | 48 Points 13-16-1 | 27 Points
Penguins Report: Game Day vs. Philadelphia
Sunday, 03.24.2013 / 10:12 AM / Penguins Report
Pittsburgh Penguins
- Lineup notes
- Verizon Game Day Report
- Pens' lines/D-pairs
- Pens host special young fan
- Quotes from the locker room
- PensTV interviews
- Pens photos
- Pens-Flyers preview
- "I'm going to Wichita..."
VERIZON GAME DAY REPORT
--Sam Kasan
PENSTV INTERVIEWS
Coach Bylsma
Evgeni Malkin
Sidney Crosby
James Neal
Pascal Dupuis
And one from the Flyers room...Kimmo Timonen
--Michelle Crechiolo
PENS HOST SPECIAL YOUNG FAN
Noah Brocklebank, a 13-year-old Penguins fan from Columbia, Md., was invited to the team’s morning skate and game against their cross-state rivals after they saw his story. It received international attention when a CBS report detailed his experience with bullying, which led him to announce a suicide attempt on social media (read the full story here).
After the video of Noah, wearing a Marc-Andre Fleury t-shirt, was released, he received support from around the globe – including a taped message from Fleury, Tomas Vokoun, Kris Letang and Matt Cooke, saying they couldn't wait to meet him on Sunday.
Full story on Noah's visit here.
--Michelle Crechiolo
THEY SAID IT
--Michelle Crechiolo
PENS PICS
Malkin will not play in tonight's game
Crosby listens attentively to assistant coach Tony Granato
Pens gather around coach Bylsma
Letang (who also will not play) takes a shot at starting goalie Fleury
Awesome shot of Kunitz with a puck on his blade
Neal with a smile on his face
Another shot of Fleury
--Michelle Crechiolo and Wes Crosby
LINEUP UPDATES
- Head coach Dan Bylsma said Malkin and Letang will not play tonight.
- Malkin said that he's still feeling a little pain in his shoulder.
- Kennedy "should be good for the game tonight," per Bylsma.
- Fleury in goal.
--Sam Kasan
MORNING SKATE INFO
The Pens had a full compliment of players for their morning skate, including injured players Evgeni Malkin (upper body) and Kris Letang (lower body). Malkin did not skate on a line and Letang worked on the bottom D-pair. Tyler Kennedy, who missed the team's previous game with an illness, was also present and worked on a line.
Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Bennett-Jeffrey-Neal
Cooke-Sutter-Kennedy
Glass-Vitale-Adams
(Malkin-Smith)
Orpik-Martin
Niskanen-Eaton
Despres-Engelland
Letang-Bortuzzo
--Sam Kasan
GAME PREVIEW
The Penguins host Philadelphia on Sunday for their fourth and final meeting of the season with the Flyers. Because of a quirk in the schedule, the Flyers haven’t played since last Monday – a 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Flyers have been forced to sit and watch as teams gain position on them in the standings, and they’ve since dropped to 14th place in the Eastern Conference with just 27 points. They're desperate and they'll be hungry to end a lengthy Penguins winning streak for a third straight season.
Penguins fans remember Max Talbot as a locker room favorite and a heart-and-soul player who stepped up at crucial times, his most memorable performance coming in Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final. He’s trying to do that right now for the struggling Flyers as they battle to make the playoffs. It was a rough first half of the season for Talbot, as he went goalless in his first 21 games. But he’s broken through with three goals in his last four games, including one shorthanded tally.
Full game preview here.
--Sam Kasan
START THE DAY
Good morning Pens fans! Today the Pens will take on cross-state rival Philadelphia as they go for their 12th straight victory. Over the past three seasons, the Pens have had three 10-plus game winning streak. The Flyers ended the previous two streaks. Will they end this third streak as well? Or will the Pens get through it for the dozen?
KIPPER'S SONG FOR THE GAME
Hardline - Y.
Their follow up album to 1992 awesome debut a good 15 years later. A little heavier album and sound without Neal Schon