Another day, another Matt Cooke controversy...this time, it was his hit on Fedor Tyutin in last night's 4-1 Columbus win that is drawing the attention of Garage League Headquarters. For the record, Cooke received a five-minute major for charging on the play, but the Blue Jackets are crying foul. Those cries will be heard, as Cooke has a Wednesday disciplinary hearing scheduled with the league.
Cooke and Dan Bylsma both defended the hit, as you would probably expect, but I'm not too optimistic about the outcome of this one. Cooke has too often put himself in the middle of these controversies, and by now it's perceived that such plays are no accident. He's quickly becoming the James Harrison of the NHL, at least in the sense that his reputation precedes him, and he may very well have to sit down and cool off for a while after this latest event.
It's a bit of a surprise move, considering that Ray Shero normally doesn't sign players 30 or older to deals of this length. That being said, the price is probably right, the guy scored 30 points on the third line, he raises his game in the playoffs, and his agitation of the opposition can be invaluable (as long as it's not putting a target on his teammates' backs). Plus, I certainly don't mind seeing the Pens keep at least a few of their own free agents from one year to the next.
Last season, Cooke had 15 goals, 15 assists, and this controversial hit on Marc Savard. He chipped in with four playoff goals in 2010 and won a ring with the team in 2009.
Pascal Dupuis added another chapter to the storied annals of Penguin playoff history, ending their first-round series against the Ottawa Senators in dramatic fashion with a goal 9:56 into overtime, giving the Pens a spot in the second round with a 4-3 win on Saturday night.
Dupuis' goal completed an amazing Pittsburgh comeback, clawing back from a 3-1 hole in the third period behind goals from Bill Guerin and Matt Cooke, who scored twice on the night. The Penguin secondary scoring was huge in this one, considering the fact that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were held mostly in check. The dynamic duo was limited to one Malkin assist on the evening.
A major storyline in this game was the two goals lost on video replays, one for each team. A Mike Rupp goal that would've tied the game at one was wiped out for the Pens, and a Mike Fisher goal that would've given the Senators a commanding 4-1 lead was taken off the board for Ottawa. But I'm sure Carrie Underwood will make Fisher feel better when he's golfing next week.
As for the goalies, Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 28 of 31 shots for the Penguins, and the smoldering Pascal Leclaire stopped 39 of 43 for the Senators. But make no doubt about it, this game turned in the critical third period, when Pittsburgh scored twice and outshot Ottawa 18-4.
It was bad enough that this series was forced to a sixth game (and another overtime contest at that), but make no doubt about it - the Penguins wanted no part of a seventh game, even if it was at the Igloo. This series had to end tonight, so kudos to Dupuis for making that happen. For his efforts, he will receive a lifelong entry in the lengthy list of electric Penguin postseason moments, and his teammates get a pass into the next round of the NHL's championship tournament.
Just moments into tonight's Pens-Bruins game, the blood-thirsty crowd at the TD Garden in Boston got just what they wanted: one of their beloved Bruins (Shawn Thornton) throwing punches at Matt Cooke. Hopefully this will be enough retribution for the Marc Savard hit and no other players (i.e. Sidney Crosby) will have to be involved. And in case you're wondering, yes, Eric Godard is in the lineup for the Penguins.
As per Bob McKenzie of TSN, the controversial Penguin will not be suspended after his hearing with the NHL's Colin Campbell today.
McKenzie said,"If this hit happens next season it is a suspension. And if it's a repeat offender like Cooke, the suspension will be stiffer again."
He also added that it was a matter of consistency for the league, which did not suspend Mike Richards for his hit on Florida's David Booth earlier this season.
As I said last night, I'm guessing the Penguins rematch Boston on March 18 will make for interesting television, especially now that Cooke will be in the lineup and not serving the suspension.
The official diagnosis is in on Boston center Marc Savard, and he's got a Grade II concussion, thanks to the highly controversial hit courtesy of Matt Cooke on Sunday.
According to the NHL.com article, "the difference between a Grade II and a Grade I concussion is memory loss after the injury. After sustaining a Grade II concussion, an athlete does not remember events following the impact and may not be able to recall events that led up to the injury."
Savard is suffering from headaches and fatigue, and there is no timetable yet for his return, although it has been suggested that he may miss the rest of the season. Savard previously experienced concussions in 2001, 2002 and 2004.
As for Cooke, expect to hear something from the NHL today regarding the length of his league-mandated time-out. He has apparently tried to reach out to Savard, according to Dan Bylsma, but the precise message Cooke wanted to deliver was not known. For what it's worth, Cooke had this to say publicly about the play: "It felt like shoulder on shoulder to me. I don't know. You don't want to see anyone get hurt. I said sorry to him the best I could."
The Penguins and Bruins will meet again in Boston on March 18, and if Cooke gets a five-game suspension that would start immediately, that would be the fifth game. I sure hope for his sake that none of his Penguin teammates will have to face retaliation from the Bruins for his reckless actions.
--The woman accusing Ben Roethlisberger of sexual assault was "hysterical" when she spoke with cops, according to a source at the Milledgeville Police Department. [TMZ]
--On the other side, Bob Smizik makes the ridiculous comparison that he goes to bars and that not everybody who does so has bad judgment. If I may poke few holes in his comparison that Bob Smizik going to a bar is the same as Ben Roethlisberger going to a bar:
1. As much as he's beloved in Pittsburgh, Bob is not quite the international celebrity that Roethlisberger is and probably does not draw the same amount of attention when he's at his local watering hole.
2. Bob does not have a $102 million contract, which always adds another layer to matters like these.
3. Bob does not have a lawsuit with another woman hanging over his head.
4. Young women do not rush to be in the presence of Bob when he is in a bar.
But other than that, yes, great comparison.
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Five for Fighting? That's the rumored suspension for Matt Cooke's nasty hit on Marc Savard on Sunday afternoon. One of these days, this guy may get the memo. Let's hope he doesn't end someone's career first. [KDKA]
Porter to visit Pittsburgh West: Much to the delight of Darnell Dockett, who pleaded for this on Twitter, the Arizona Cardinals are bringing Joey Porter in for a look-see on Thursday. I don't know about his body, but his mouth is certainly still in midseason form. [Adam Schefter Twitter]
Honors for Gibbs: Pitt's Ashton Gibbs was named second-team All-Big East on Sunday following a vote by the league's 16 coaches.
Gibbs leads the Panthers in scoring (16.2 ppg.), minutes played (1086), 3-point field goals (74), 3-point field goal percentage (40.4) and free throw percentage (89.0). [Pittsburgh Panthers]
Behind the Scenes with 43: NFL superstar and budding pitchman Troy Polamalu has another new gig. Be prepared to see the safety in ads for Nemacolin Woodlands' cleverly-named pet resort, Nemacolin Wooflands. Here is a sneak preview of some behind-the-scenes footage. [Rum Bunter]
The Pens won for the fourth time since the Olympic break, downing Boston 2-1 at the Igloo on Sunday. Unfortunately, the post-game chatter is concentrated on the blatantly dirty hit leveled by repeat offender Matt Cooke on the Bruins' Marc Savard, which put Savard on his back for 10 minutes and required the assistance of a stretcher for his exit.
As per the current rules, no penalty was called on the play; but you can bet your bottom dollar that Cooke will be spending some time in a league-mandated time-out very soon. In case you've forgotten, this is not the first time this season that Cooke is under fire for his methods. Rangers forward Artem Anisimov sure hasn't.
Other than the unfortunate Cooke-Savard incident, it was a hard-fought, entertaining game featuring quality efforts from both goalies. The red-hot Pascal Dupuis, who's scored three goals in the four games since the break, and Geno Malkin lit the lamp for the Pens, who got 21 saves from Marc-Andre Fleury in goal. And Alexei Ponikarovsky came through with an assist on Malkin's goal and continued his fast immigration into the team's system. It was a second comeback win in as many days for the Penguins, as Pittsburgh faced a 1-0 deficit well into the second period on Sunday.
After 66 games, the Penguins currently sit second in the conference, behind our friend Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals. The Pens are off until Thursday, when they face the streaking Carolina Hurricanes, 7-3 in their last 10. Maybe Bill Cowher will grace us with a guest appearance at this one.
Cooke saves the day: Matt Cooke scored on a power-play goal with 1:47 left in the third period to lead the Penguins past the Flyers, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia in front of a national NBC audience. The Pens lead the season series, four games to one, with a final regular-season meeting between the teams coming March 27 in the Steel City.
It wasn't the most memorable Pens-Flyers tilt in history, but as I like to say, a win is a win is a win. Is a win. And we've been historically beaten down enough in the past as Pens fans to appreciate any win in that city, where the Penguins failed to record a single W between 1974 and 1989 - 42 games.
The story of this game was penalties and power plays. The first period alone featured a combined 12 penalties, with two coming in the second and nine more in the third. Luckily, the Penguins were able to convert twice on six power play chances, giving them just enough offense they would need on the day. The Flyers' PP unit was not nearly as successful, going just 1-for-9 against a solid Pens PK unit.
The Pens' first goal was a power play score in the first period from the game's top star, Sergei Gonchar, whose shot in the third period was deflected in by Cooke for the game-winner. They also got a nice effort in goal from Brent Johnson, who stopped 27 of 28 to raise his record to 7-5 on the season. Johnson has won two of three as a replacement for the injured Marc-Andre Fleury in the past week.
The Penguins don't have much time to enjoy the spoils of victory, with a 7 PM game at the New York Rangers on Monday night. [ESPN]
Panthers fading fast: A frigid shooting percentage killed the Pitt Panthers at Seton Hall on Sunday, where the Pirates came away with the 64-61 victory, the biggest win in the turbulent tenure of coach Bobby Gonzalez to date. Coupled with the Panthers' loss to Georgetown last week, it marks the first time since the 2007-08 season that Jamie Dixon's club lost two games in a row.
The Panthers shot 35% from the floor and 23.5% from three-point land, the latter actually being outdone by Seton Hall's 15.4% shooting from beyond the arc. To say this was not the prettiest of games would be a massive understatement.
Ashton Gibbs led Pitt with 23 points, but was 4-for-15 from the floor and 1-for-7 from three-point land. Gibbs' last three shooting nights also include 4-for-12 (Louisville), and 3-for-16 (Georgetown), giving him a three-game total of 11-for-43. Ouch.
Aliquippa's Herb Pope (profiled in the PG on Sunday) had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Pirates, who moved to 12-6 and 3-4 in the Big East. The Pirates' win was even more impressive due to the fact that their leading scorer this season, guard Jeremy Hazell, played just 16 minutes due to foul problems. Hazell is averaging 23 PPG this season for Seton Hall.
The Panthers try to rebound on Thursday at the Pete against St. John's (12-7, 2-5). Tipoff is slated for 7 PM, with TV on ESPNU. [ESPN]
Colts, Saints advance to Super Bowl 44: And here are your local connections...
The Colts feature LB Clint Session (Pitt), punter Pat McAfee (West Virginia and Plum HS), and Sr. Offensive Coordinator Tom Moore, who was a Steeler assistant from 1977-89 under Emperor Noll.
The only player with local ties on the Saints' roster is TE Darnell Dinkins, who attended Schenley HS and played safety, wide receiver, and linebacker while at Pitt. He started his post-Pitt career with the Pittsburgh Colts semi-pro team.
Woodley to hoop it up in Miami: Freshly-minted Pro Bowler LaMarr Woodley will be playing in the Mike McKenzie Superslam celebrity basketball game during Super Bowl week in Miami.
Woodley will be joined by the likes of Chad Ochocinco, Willis McGahee, Anquan Boldin, and DeAngelo Williams, among others. The game benefits Mike McKenzie’s 34 Ways Foundation and takes place on February 5. [Boudoirmag.com]
A rarity: I agree with Ron Cook: It doesn't happen often, and that's why it's worth pointing out. But Cook is right on the money: Joe Namath is still The Man. [PG]
Penguin LW Matt Cooke, shown above exchanging pleasantries with New York Ranger Ryan Callahan on Saturday night, will be suspended two games for a hit to the head of Rangers forward Artem Anisimov during the Penguins' 8-3 win.
Cooke is considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, because he was also suspended for two games in January for a blow to the head of Carolina's Scott Walker. Because of his previous league-mandated time outs, Cooke forfeited $29,268 in salary based on the number of games (82) in a season, rather than the number of days (193).
Cooke will miss Monday night's rematch against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden as well as Thursday's contest against Colorado at Mellon Arena.
Last night's Penguin game had a lot to smile about, even though it came at the expense of a 6-10-3 Anaheim team, and this heavyweight bout between Bill Guerin and Ryan Getzlaf will rank near the top of the highlight reel of the 5-2 victory.
Guerin scored his fifth goal of the season, Matt Cooke lit the lamp twice (hey, empty netters count!), Jordan Staal scored shorthanded, and Martin Skoula found the back of the net for the first time, sending 17,052 home happy. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 23 of 25 shots to improve to 11-6 on the year, winning his first in his last five games.
Guerin's goal ended an unfathomable eight-game streak without a power play goal for the Pens, who went 1-for-7 with the advantage on the evening. The Penguins had been 0 for their last 30 during the slide. With the fight and goal, Guerin finished just one assist shy of the coveted Gordie Howe Hat Trick.
The 14-7-0 Penguins resume play Thursday at home against 8-6-3 Ottawa.
For everyone who wanted to run Marc-Andre Fleury out of town after Game Five, I hope you were paying attention on Tuesday night. Because he was kinda vital to the Pens sticking around for a deciding Game Seven, don't you think?
The Pens' 24-year-old netminder stopped 25 of the 26 shots he faced, including many of the jaw-dropping variety, in the Penguins' season-saving 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. His stop on Dan Cleary in the third period will be forever etched in his legacy. And his introduction as the game's First Star was redemption for a young man whose career has seen its fair share of roller-coaster moments.
If Fleury plans on sending any thank-you notes for assisting in his Game Six heroics, he should start with Rob Scuderi, who saved at least two goals from entering the net. Fleury should also thank Geno Malkin, who led the Penguins with four takeaways, as well as Matt Cooke and Chris Kunitz, who clobbered the Red Wings for five hits each.
On a night when the Penguins lit the lamp two times, the offensive heroes were not Malkin and Crosby, but Jordan Staal, who scored the game's first goal, and Tyler Kennedy, who assisted on the first and scored the eventual game-winner at 5:35 of the third. Which shows that this team is capable of winning an elimination game when their top two sources of offense are held scoreless.
The biggest storyline on the Detroit end might be the total disappearance of Marian Hossa, who remained without a goal in this series and put just one shot on net, in addition to becoming the target of Mike Milbury's slings and arrows during the NBC postgame show. As far as Hossa's teammates go, neither Henrik Zetterberg nor Cleary could buy a goal, and as much as I hate to admit it, Chris Osgood was solid between the pipes, stopping Bill Guerin six times alone.
No matter what happens on Friday, we'll all look back on this night (coincidentally, the 25th anniversary of the Penguins drafting Mario Lemieux) with fond memories....just as soon as our nerves recover. I'm mentally drained, and I was just watching. I can't possibly imagine how beaten, bloodied, and bruised these players must be at this point in the season.
So let's talk Game Seven. It's the first Stanley Cup Game Seven in the Penguins' 42-year history. There's been 14 Game Sevens in NHL history, the last in 2006 when Carolina knocked off Edmonton, 3-1. Detroit's last appearance in one of these games dates back to 1955, when they defeated Toronto 3-1 behind Gordie Howe and Alex Delvecchio. Both Finals participants have played in a Game Seven this year: the Wings toppled Anaheim in the West Semis, 4-3, on May 14; the Pens blew out the Washington Capitals 6-2 a day before in the East Semis.
There will be much analysis and anticipation of what lies ahead. But for now, let's enjoy what we just witnessed and take our hats off to the tremendous effort shown by the never-say-die Penguins, who have once again risen from the ashes of a rough Game Five to force something that this city has never seen before.
The Penguins gave a premature present to all the Pittsburgh moms out there who've found themselves rooting for this collection of charismatic youngsters and seasoned veterans, with a dramatic, 4-3 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals last night.
The win puts the Penguins one win away from facing either Bill Cowher's Carolina Hurricanes or the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals. A potential classic Game Six will take place Monday night in Pittsburgh.
The series' most recent nail-biter was ended 3:28 into the extra period, when Evgeni Malkin's pass to Sidney Crosby was broken up by Washington's Tom Poti, sliding past Caps goalie Simeon Varlamov and sending most of the 18,277 in attendance home very disappointed. Except for Natalia Malkin, who is surely celebrating somewhere with Evgeni and Vladimir on this holiday.
Much like the other successful teams this town has sent deep into their respective postseasons, the Penguins have locked down the Capitals on defense, getting excellent two-way play from their forwards. Scoring is starting to balance out, as Jordan Staal and Matt Cooke found their way into the goal-scorers category for the first time this postseason. Players like Ruslan Fedotenko have raised their game exponentially, as the 30-year-old from the Ukraine scored once and peppered Varlamov for 10 of the Penguins' 42 shots on Saturday. The effort has been much more balanced than in games one and two of the series.
With the win, Marc-Andre Fleury improved to 5-0 in playoff overtime games, stopping 28 shots in the process. In a series where names like Ovechkin, Crosby, and Malkin continue dominate the headlines, Fleury has quietly won three games, including two in overtime.
The problematic Pens power play was a mere 1-for-2 in a game that featured only four power plays in all. The referees clearly made a point to swallow their whistles well in advance of the contest.
The Penguins' three-game winning streak is all too familiar for Capital fans, who've watched their team lose five series in which they've had a lead against Pittsburgh. Washington has blown 2-0 leads in two of those series (1992 and 1996), and potentially three if Monday night goes as the Penguins plan. And that would not only be a gift to moms, but dads, sons, grandfathers, and grandmothers all over the city and beyond.
Well, at least the game didn't go into double OT. That was about the only good news to be had following Saturday's 3-2 Washington victory in Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Penguins lit up the scoreboard first with a Sidney Crosby goal 4:09 into the first period, just like NBC drew it up. That lead would last all of about nine minutes, as Dave Steckel tied it for the Caps, becoming the latest role player to beat Marc-Andre Fleury in the playoffs. Steckel had just eight regular-season goals, and this was his first in the playoffs. About four minutes later, Alex Ovechkin put Washington into the driver's seat with a 5-on-3 goal folowing penalties to Sergei Gonchar and Matt Cooke.
The Penguins had 1:48 left on a power play to start the second period, but once again came up empty. Counting this game, they are now one for their last 23 on power plays, and that's a number that simply has nowhere to go but up if this team has any hope of going any further.
Despite their struggles, Pittsburgh still managed to finish the second period in a tie game, following yet another huge goal from Mark Eaton, his third of the postseason. In fact, the Penguins nearly had the lead if not for an amazing save by Caps goalie Simeon Varmalov on Sidney Crosby that the NBC broadcasters were calling the best of the 2009 playoffs.
Less than two minutes into the final period, Tomas Fleischmann beat Fleury after being set up by Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom for the game's final goal. To quote Stephen A.Smith, "Quite frankly", the Penguins' defense was on vacation on this one. The Pens would go on to squander two more power plays in the period, leaving the coaching staff with some serious thinking to do before Monday night's rematch.
Despite somewhat of an uneven effort, the Penguins certainly had their chances in a road game played in front of an energized, hostile audience. The Sykora/Satan debate continued to be a wash, Evgeni Malkin was for the most part a non-factor, and the defense did not help Fleury to the best of their abilities. Conversely, Varlamov made some huge saves, the Caps converted one of their limited power play opportunities, and they got goals from both superstars and role players. They deserved the victory, much as it pains me to say it.
The series reconvenes on Monday night at the House That Cell Phones Built, with a start shortly after 7 PM. Early reports have indicated that there wasn't a huge surplus of Pens fans on hand for Saturday's game due to the short lead time as well as the Capitals' efforts to discourage such activity, but hopefully that will change in the next 48 hours. Until then, the Penguins' newly-minted permanent coach has a little strategizing to do if he hopes to leave Washington with a split.
That's the hot topic around the web this morning in the wake of the Penguins' 6-2 thrashing of Atlanta last night. Puck Daddydiscussed Cooke's hit on Zach Bogosian in great depth and reached the conclusion (based on the two videos below) that "Cooke's no saint, but he wasn't trying to end Bogosian's season here." I would concur.
Questionable hits aside, the most important storyline to come out of this game was the fact that the Penguins got another two points in their playoff savings account. Evgeni Malkin, who was too sick to practice as late as Monday, had two goals and three assists in a gutsy effort. The win moved the Penguins into a fourth-place tie with Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference.
DEVILS 4, PENGUINS 1: Rough night in Jersey for the flightless birds, who were battling the Devils, the injury bug, and (not to sound too much like Seattle, but...) the refs. That's three losses in a row.
Matt Cooke scored the only goal for the Pens, who had a couple of unfamiliar names in the lineup last night. When I heard the name "Lovejoy", I half expected to see this guy:
It was not a bad effort, but the bounces just weren't going the Pens' way. Oh well. Time to regroup for the Islanders tonight. John Curry is expected to mind the net.
--Keep voting to send the Penguins to the All-Star Game. The current leaderboard shows Sid and Geno 1 and 2, finally overtaking the Canadiens. Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney are 3 and 4 among defensemen, which is pretty unreal. And MAF is 2nd among goalies. And guess who's leading the West? One Marian Hossa.
