Nov 7, 2009 3:36 pm US/Eastern
Penguins Vs. Sharks Preview
By: Sergei J. Feldman
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KDKA) ―
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Joe Thornton #19 of the San Jose Sharks reacts at the end of the hockey game duirng the Sharks, 4-3, defeat against the Los Angeles Kings on April 11, 2009 at the Staples center in Los Angeles, California.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Penguins were royally flushed against the Los Angeles Kings Thursday night, and there's no better way to erase the memory than a bounce-back win.
Their chance comes tonight against the San Jose Sharks at the HP Pavilion.
Entering the third period against Los Angeles, the Penguins had a 2-1 lead.
By night's end, however, the lead--and two points--belonged to the Kings, after scoring four unanswered goals.
More often than not, regular season defeats are insignificant, especially when you win 12 of 15 games.
But for the Penguins, the loss was the team's first on the road, after going 7-0-0 in prior contests.
Now, back-to-back defeats threaten the league-leading Penguins, as the 11-4-2 Sharks are nothing to sneeze at.
Couple their impressive record with a potent offensive attack, and it's easy to understand why the Penguins will need their best effort to skate away with a win.
In the off-season, San Jose traded away forwards Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo to Ottawa and landed two-time 50-goal scorer Dany Heatley to compliment gifted playmaking center Joe Thornton.
Coming in with a suspect reputation after demanding a trade from - and handcuffing - Ottawa by refusing to waive a no-trade clause, Heatley has settled in nicely with San Jose.
Heatley collected 18 points (10 goals, 8 assists) through 17 games this season.
For San Jose, picking up the sniper meant the ability to balance out the team's top two lines.
In addition to elite talents like Thornton and Heatley, San Jose is home to the likes of Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski and Ryane Clowe, all of whom can be dangerous on any given night.
Pittsburgh, however, won't have its full arsenal tonight, making tonight's game that much more of a challenge.
With Maxime Talbot, Sergei Gonchar and Evgeni Malkin already sidelined with injuries, forward Tyler Kennedy is a likely scratch tonight.
As is defenseman Alex Goligoski, unexpectedly, who is having a great to the season.
Goligoski was given the day off from practice yesterday and the team has recalled defenseman Deryk Engelland from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Meanwhile, Kennedy, believed to have a groin injury, returned to the lineup against Anaheim after missing three consecutive games, but couldn't go Thursday against Los Angeles.
Team officials hinted that he tweaked his injury against Anaheim.
While the injuries allow other forwards to play more prominent roles, it is difficult to ignore the drop-off in on-ice talent.
That was certainly evidenced against Los Angeles, as the Kings beat the Penguins in their own game, regularly pinning the team in their own zone and coming away with almost every loose puck.
San Jose will bring a similar philosophy and undoubtedly try to capitalize on Pittsburgh's current injury plague.
One way for the Penguins to off-set some of their losses would be to take advantage with the man-advantage.
Pittsburgh's power-play has been a disappointment for most of the season and is ranked 24th in the league, nowhere near where it should be, given the talent.
Giving San Jose momentum with ineffective power-plays could prove costly for the Penguins, as can many other factors.
Tonight will be a true test of Pittsburgh's character, as it looks to get back on the winning side of things and escape its west-coast trip with four out of a possible six points.
The puck drops at 10:30 p.m.
The Penguins finish their four-game road trip in Boston Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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