Pittsburgh Sports In Review for 2013

Dec 19, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center

(87) at the face-off circle against the Minnesota Wild during the second period at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2012-13 season ended in disappointment after being swept by the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference final. Marc-Andre Fleury was not even a factor at this point as his confidence was shot and the change was made to Tomas Vokoun who guided the team to that point. Tuukka Rask was a major force in goal for the Bruins and the Penguins just couldn’t get anything past him. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were contained.

While Vokoun has been out this year, the Penguins have not missed a beat. Fleury is a changed man and has been seeing a sports psychologist; as of Dec. 30 he had a 22-9 record and his .920 save percentage is up from last season, as is his goals-against average. I’m sure that many still wonder if Fleury can continue this in the playoffs where he has been inconsistent, but at least for now, it appears that his mentality is different in a good way.

Vokoun’s replacement Jeff Zatkoff had a rough start to the season and many wondered if the NHL was for him. The Penguins were rewarded for their faith and thus far, Zatkoff is 7-2 with a .910 save percentage and 2.52 goals against average. In addition, Zatkoff was recently extended.

The Penguins have been affected big time by the injury bug thus far in the season as 15 players missed time through 41 games. Evgeni Malkin, Brooks Orpik and Kris Letang are among those. The biggest loss though may be Pascal Dupuis who likely is out for the season after being placed on injured reserve Dec. 24 with a torn ACL.

In the short term, the Penguins are 14 points ahead of the Washington Capitals, their closest competitor in the Metropolitan Division, and five points ahead of the Bruins for the best record in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins are also 17-3-0 at home thus far. The power play which is tops in the NHL and the penalty kill, not to be outdone, is second.

The Penguins have three players with at least 40 points in Malkin (41), Chris Kunitz (42) and captain Sidney Crosby who has an NHL-leading 58 points, five more than his nearest competitor Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks. In addition, James Neal has 30 points and has been on a hot streak with eight points in the last two games going into Tuesday’s game at New Jersey.

To me, this is Crosby’s greatest captain job thus far. It is early in the season, but overcoming all of these lost games has required changes in players whether it be line changes or call-ups. Players such as Jussi Jokinen and Matt Niskanen have stepped up and the coaching staff has been put to the test, but everyone has responded well.

Despite the loss of Dupuis and other players on lesser scales throughout the season, the team is in great position as the Olympic break approaches and while a piece or two will need to be added at the deadline, the team is right where it needs to be.