Matt Duchene made his case for goal of the year against the Pittsburgh Penguins last night. Duchene collected a pass, which was behind him, slid the puck between his legs and fired a backhand past Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
Take a look at Duchene’s through the legs highlight reel goal below, and let us know what you think. Does it deserve to be a goal of the year candidate?
Key Offseason Additions: Steve Sullivan
Key Offseason Losses: Max Talbot, Michael Rupp, Alex Kovalev
Last Season Ranking: 4th in the East
Offense: The Penguins showed resiliency last year despite an injury-riddled season and it appears as if the team will start the season shorthanded again without center Sidney Crosby. However, many forget that Evgeni Malkin was plagued with injuries last year finally resulting in knee surgery that ended his season in February. The good news is that Malkin looks strong and healthy and appears eager for the upcoming season. And the Penguins will need him.
Without their heavyweights, the Penguins still managed to finish 4th in the East but experienced an early playoff exit without heavy firepower. This season, the team will look to Malkin to lead the charge, but he’ll get help from healthy teammates in Jordan Staal, who played in just 42 games, and Chris Kunitz, who could have posted career-best numbers had he not been limited to 66 games. If Kunitz can continue where he left off, he will be a huge asset to the Penguins this season.
Tyler Kennedy had a career year last season and showed how much depth the Penguins have on offense. A healthy Kennedy is an asset to this club and they will look for Kennedy to continue moving forward with his play and become a vital component to this team’s success.
Two forwards to watch this year will be Mark Letestu and newcomer Steve Sullivan. Letestu, who will be playing his second full year in the NHL, will have a chance to prove himself as an NHL forward and an asset to the team’s offense if he can reach the 40-50 point range. Sullivan, an NHL veteran, is questionable thanks to his long history of injuries. If he can play 75 games or more, Sullivan could post good numbers in the 50-60 point range. However, Sullivan has only played in 60 or more games twice in the last seven years.
The Penguins showed last season they have depth, but their long-term succes hinges largely on Crosby and Malkin’s offensive output. Look for Malkin to shoulder a big portion of the offense until Crosby returns.
Defense: Last season, the Penguins finished with an average of 2.39 goals against per game – good for 7th best in the NHL. The Penguins play a good all-around game and back check effectively, something that will be to their advantage again this season. And as with the team’s offense, a healthy blue line makes the Penguins even better.
Paul Mara proved to be a solid addition and performed up to par with expectations. He provides steady coverage in the defensive zone and if he can get back up to the 30-40 range this season, it will only benefit the team.
Perhaps the biggest surprise last year was Kris Letang, who had a breakout season offensively and contributed 50 points and was plus-15. Letang will be looked upon to provide more of the same this season and see if 50+ can be a new norm for the young defender or just a fluke.
Ben Lovejoy responded to increased playing time with 17 points in 47 games and a plus-11 rating. Keep an eye on Lovejoy as he continues to get more playing time and will look to expand on last season’s success.
Goaltending: The Penguins have a solid tandem in goal headlined by Marc-Andre Fleury, who posted some of the best stats of his career last season and emerged as one of the best goalies in the NHL. A good start to the season will go a long way, but Fleury is mentally tough and technically strong. There isn’t much more to say besides the fact that Fleury, who posted a 2.32 goals against average last season, is a top-end netminder and the undisputed number one in Pittsburgh.
Behind Fleury is backup netminder Brent Johnson. This is the type of backup that every team covets – a steady goalie who makes the saves he’s supposed to make when he’s supposed to make them. Johnson had some consistency issues last season, but more often than not when Johnson gets the call, he’s ready to go and puts in a solid effort.
HWB Playoff Prediction: Playoff bound.
Below is a photo I found on The Pens Blog. It looks like it is circa 2007, with Marc-Andre Fleury standing in goal next to a youth hockey player half his size. My assignment for you readers, is to come up with a caption for it in the comments section. With his performance yesterday in the Winter Classic, I’m sure you are capable of coming up with something witty. Ready. Set. Go!
Kid: Dan Bylisma sent me here to take your job, I can shut down Green, Ovechkin and Semin better than you.
Sep 3
After coming out on top in a game seven nail-biter against the Detroit Red Wings this past June, the question on the minds of many hockey gurus is whether or not the Pittsburgh Penguins can repeat this season as Stanley Cup Champions. Despite very few free agency losses, the Penguins will need to tighten up defensively as a team and play with more consistency if they are to repeat as champs again this year.
On the plus side, the Penguins have a strong core of last year’s championship team returning this season, including two of the most potent offensive threats in the NHL. Last season, 22-year-old captain Sidney Crosby posted 33 goals and 70 assists for a grand total of 103 points. This was second on the team to 23-year-old Evgeni Malkin, who tallied 35 goals for a whopping 113 points. Neither of these two slowed down much in the playoffs where they notched 31 points and 36 points respectively. These two lead an all-star cast of young talent that also includes forward Jordan Staal and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
However, a budding offense might have to overcome a lackluster defense this year if the Pens hope to repeat. Veteran defenseman Sergei Gonchar is back to man the blue line, but the Penguins lost key defensemen Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi to free agency in the offseason, which means that many new and young faces will be called upon to pick up the defensive slack. How well these new faces come along could greatly influence how Pittsburgh performs this year.
Marc-Andre Fleury will also need to step up his consistency and have a good regular-season run in addition to a great post-season performance. Fleury has a tendency to be inconsistent during the regular season but has bounced back the past two years with stellar playoff performances.
Keep an eye on Alex Goligoski this season as he is primed to step into the shoes left by departed free agent defenseman and help this team in a big way. In 45 games with the Penguins last season, Goligoski tallied 20 points and was plus-5. Look for him to build upon that success this season. Chris Kunitz was a great addition at the trade deadline last year and should continue his success into this year. The big-bodied forward doesn’t mind playing hard and produced 18 points in 20 regular season games with the Penguins and another 14 points in 24 playoff games. Kunitz should excel on the wing for either Crosby or Malkin. And don’t count out veteran right wing Bill Guerin. Even at age 38, Guerin has something still left in the tank and will benefit from playing the wing for Crosby.
The Penguins have the offensive prowess, but it remains to be seen if the departed free agents on the blue line will hurt their cause. Regardless, this is a young team and they are hungry to continue to prove themselves. Playoff-bound at the very least, but anything beyond that is anybody’s guess.
