OFFICIAL GDT: GAME 2, 5/3/13, ISLANDERS AT PENGUINS

[PghSkins]

IT'S A HOCKEY NIGHT IN PITTSBURGH!!!!

Good Evening, Penguins fans, and welcome to your Game Day Thread. Tonight, Letsgopens.com brings you the Pittsburgh Penguins vs the New York Islanders in a First Round Playoff matchup.



h/t, Shawn Montgomery. There's a whole slew of vids people have made for the playoffs out on YouTube, this is the one I liked best.


TONIGHT'S MATCHUP:

1-0 vs 0-1
Game time 7:00 PM, CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA

TV: ROOT Sports, NBC Sports Network
Radio: WXDX and the Penguins Radio Network, WRHU and the Hofstra Flying Dutchmen Radio Network


GOALTENDING MATCHUP

Marc-Andre Fleury, 1-0, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 SV% vs Evgeni Nabokov, 0-1, 10.98 GAA, .733 SV%


LAST MEETING

The Pens won Game 1 of the best of 7 series, 5-0 at Consol Energy Center on Wednesday. Pascal Dupuis had two goals and Marc-Andre Fleury registered a shutout.




FAST FACTS

*Tonight's game will mark the return of Sidney Crosby to the Pens' lineup. Crosby has missed 12 regular season and one playoff game with a broken jaw.
*Winger James Neal was limping heavily on Thursday, missed practice and is presumed to be out for tonight's game.
*Pens Center Jussi Jokinen seemed to suffer few if any effects of a knee on knee collision with the Islanders' Marty Reasoner. He is expected to play tonight.


MORNING SKATE LINES per Sam Kasan's Penguins Report

Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Bennett-Malkin-Iginla
Morrow-Sutter-Cooke
Glass-Jokinen-Adams
(Vitale, Jeffrey, Kennedy)

Martin-Engelland
Murray-Niskanen
Eaton-Letang
Despres-Bortuzzo

1st power-play unit: Letang and Iginla up top, Crosby, Malkin and Kunitz down low.
2nd power-play unit: Martin and Niskanen up top, Morrow, Jokinen and Bennett down low.


TONIGHT'S GORDIE HOWE HAT TRICK (for your pregame or intermission enjoyment):

Goal: SID'S BACK!!!!!!! BLEEP YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Assist: Lang to Jagr, Money.



Fight: Thought about going a different direction with this but it's just too obvious:




"It takes 16 wins to win the Stanley Cup. You've got 1. Go get number 2 tonight!" - P. Bourque.


LET'S GO PENS!!!

[ville5]

Woooooooooooooooooooo. Fishstix 4 Dinner

[Kaizer]

DO IT DOUG

[Stick_Flex]

Jokinen on the fourth line is STUPID. Why are we giving one of our leading scorers and best face off man fourth line minutes. Flanking him with Glass and Adams is a crime. JJ is a proven big game player with team Finland.

[sharpshootr55]

LETS GO PENS!!!!

[Orlando Penguin]

FYI...game on NBCSN outside of Pittsburgh/NYI markets, NOT NHL Network.

[Orlando Penguin]

Jokinen on the fourth line is STUPID. Why are we giving one of our leading scorers and best face off man fourth line minutes. Flanking him with Glass and Adams is a crime. JJ is a proven big game player with team Finland.

Ummmmm, who would you move instead? I think it's a great move because like Game 1, there's an actual scoring threat on that 4th line and you're certainly not gonna break up any of the top 3 lines.

[shafnutz05]

My biggest hope for tonight, besides a win, is chemistry.

[pens_srq]

I love Morrow on the 3rd line. But I also loved Morrow Jokinen Iginla line. Yeah yeah not gonna happen. But they did have great chemistry.

[Stick_Flex]

Jokinen on the fourth line is STUPID. Why are we giving one of our leading scorers and best face off man fourth line minutes. Flanking him with Glass and Adams is a crime. JJ is a proven big game player with team Finland.

Ummmmm, who would you move instead? I think it's a great move because like Game 1, there's an actual scoring threat on that 4th line and you're certainly not gonna break up any of the top 3 lines.

I'd put Bennett on the fourth. Actually I'd move sutter down to 4th but doesn't look like a very popular opinion. I like sutter but I like the cup more.

[DelPen]

I love Morrow on the 3rd line. But I also loved Morrow Jokinen Iginla line. Yeah yeah not gonna happen. But they did have great chemistry.

when Neal is back I'd love to have three awesome scoring lines

[NashvilleCat]

Jokinen on the fourth line is STUPID. Why are we giving one of our leading scorers and best face off man fourth line minutes. Flanking him with Glass and Adams is a crime. JJ is a proven big game player with team Finland.

HCDB moves guys around a lot during the game so if JJ is doing well he can still get ice time in other spots.

[PghSkins]

FYI...game on NBCSN outside of Pittsburgh/NYI markets, NOT NHL Network.

Fixed

[Stick_Flex]

I expect the 3rd line to be broken up anyway to make room for Iggy when Neal comes back.

[Matthew Monstar]

[Inkio]

I expect the 3rd line to be broken up anyway to make room for Iggy when Neal comes back.

That makes no sense and will not ever happen. When Iggy comes back it will be..

Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Iginla-Malkin-Neal
Morrow-Sutter-Cooke
Glass/Bennett-Jokinen-Adams

[RentedMule66]

Jokinen on the fourth line is STUPID. Why are we giving one of our leading scorers and best face off man fourth line minutes. Flanking him with Glass and Adams is a crime. JJ is a proven big game player with team Finland.

HCDB moves guys around a lot during the game so if JJ is doing well he can still get ice time in other spots.

Exactly....I think we'll see a bunch of different line combos based on who's "going"...

[PghSkins]

Clearly it's time to drop the puck already....r

[RentedMule66]

LETS GO PENS!!!!!!!!!! LETS DO IT!!!!!

[luv66]

Let's Go Pens !

[the errey i breathe]

Kenny Albert kind of looks like a Mr. Potato head with mismatched pieces

[shafnutz05]

Damn, Pierre is racking up the frequent flyer miles

[Dan H]

Jokinen on the fourth line is STUPID. Why are we giving one of our leading scorers and best face off man fourth line minutes. Flanking him with Glass and Adams is a crime. JJ is a proven big game player with team Finland.

Sure, Jokinen is more valuable on a higher line. But so are the three centers ahead of him: Crosby, Malkin, and Sutter. There's no way they should move Crosby or Malkin to make Jokinen play a bit better. Sutter/Morrow/Cooke is their checking line to deploy against Tavares. There's only one spot left for Jokinen that makes any sense.

Note that he's on the 2nd power play unit as well... so he's getting more than just the 4th line minutes. And *knock on wood* if someone gets hurt, they'll shuffle anyway.

[nocera]

Here we go.

[npv708]

NO BULLOCKS