Pre-Game Talk: 10.28.13 Game Day vs. Carolina

[DegenX]

PENS SKATE INFO
As expected, defenseman Rob Scuderi was not on the ice for morning skate after sustaining a lower-body injury on Saturday in Toronto (he left the game in the second period and did not return). With Scuderi out, it looks like D-turned-forward Deryk Engelland has moved back into the defensive rotation after playing two straight games up top and Dustin Jeffrey, who was a healthy scratch for the last five games, will replace him on the fourth line. Forwards James Neal and Beau Bennett were also missing.

Here's how the lines looked...
Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Jokinen-Malkin-D'Agostini
Glass-Sutter-Kobasew
Jeffrey-Vitale-Adams

And here are the D-pairings without Scuderi...
Orpik-Martin
Niskanen-Letang
Maatta-Bortuzzo/Engelland

First PP unit: Martin, Letang, Crosby, Malkin, Kunitz.
Second PP unit: Maatta, Niskanen, Jokinen, Sutter, D'Agostini.

penguins.nhl.com

Megna traveled with the team, and was at practice but isn't listed
SteelPenguin has the GDT

Click to read more...

 

[Get To Our Game]

Boy, can't wait to see Niskanen-Letang and Maatta-Engelland. Those are guaranteed to work great!

 

[Dennis Reynolds]

First PP unit: Martin, Letang, Crosby, Malkin, Kunitz.

Good! It's been working so well!

 

[IcedCapp]

Niskanen-Letang will be a train wreck of epic proportions.

 

[cheesedanish87]

https://twitter.com/TSNBobMcKenzie/status/394869205121515520

“@penguins: Rob Scuderi returned to PIT, re-evaluted this afternoon, per coach Bylsma”/Nothing official yet but hearing it could be 4+ weeks

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Can't wait for Gerbe to manhandle Niskanen again.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

Canes GDT is here

Our (likely) scratches are:

Brett Bellemore - Injured Reserve (likely day-to-day) (lower body)
Radek Dvorak - day-to-day (lower body)
Anton Khudobin - Injured reserve (1-2 weeks) (lower body)
Joni Pitkanen - Out all season (broken heel)
Jeff Skinner - Day-to-day (upper body)
Cam Ward - Injured reserve (3-4 weeks) (lower body)

Patrick Dwyer is day-to-day with an upper body concern but practiced this morning and will likely play.

 

[DegenX]

Canes GDT is here

Our (likely) scratches are:

Brett Bellemore - Injured Reserve (likely day-to-day) (lower body)
Radek Dvorak - day-to-day (lower body)
Anton Khudobin - Injured reserve (1-2 weeks) (lower body)
Joni Pitkanen - Out all season (broken heel)
Jeff Skinner - Day-to-day (upper body)
Cam Ward - Injured reserve (3-4 weeks) (lower body)

Patrick Dwyer is day-to-day with an upper body concern but practiced this morning and will likely play.

Thanks! Looks like you guys are dealing with some injuries, too.
Nice GDT ... especially liked the 'Disco Dan's righteous boogie cats'

 

[Shrimper]

https://twitter.com/TSNBobMcKenzie/status/394869205121515520

“@penguins: Rob Scuderi returned to PIT, re-evaluted this afternoon, per coach Bylsmaâ€/Nothing official yet but hearing it could be 4+ weeks

4 weeks?

Urgh.

 

[Will Hunting]

Well, we´ve scored 4 goals on 114 shots in last 3 games. Both CAR´s goalies are injured. Justin Peters might be exactly what the doctor ordered for us.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

Well, we´ve scored 4 goals on 114 shots in last 3 games. Both CAR´s goalies are injured. Justin Peters might be exactly what the doctor ordered for us.

Peters can occasionally look scarily competent.





He is, perhaps, one of the most maddening goalies I've ever watched. Shutout Washington and make Ovechkin his prison girlfriend one night and look like crap the next.

 

[mpp9]

If Scuds is out for awhile, kiss moving Nisky goodbye. Unfortunate b/c we could have used this stretch to get Despres back in the lineup.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

They're going to get embarrassed, I'm just oh so excited to watch...

 

[MtlPenFan]

Christ I hate our lineup.

 

[PensFL]

I know we've lost 3 in a row, and looks pretty awful, but you guys are so damn negative. God forbid anyone says anything positive.

D'Ags and JV both looked good last game and I hope that carries over into tonight. Looks like Jeffery will get a shot on the 4th line, I'll be curious so see how he plays.

We looked flat and deflated last game, but after a day off and a 3-game losing streak I have the feeling we are going to come out with a sense of urgency and take control of this game early.

 

[penguins2946*]

https://twitter.com/TSNBobMcKenzie/status/394869205121515520

“@penguins: Rob Scuderi returned to PIT, re-evaluted this afternoon, per coach Bylsmaâ€/Nothing official yet but hearing it could be 4+ weeks

McKenzie is talking out of his ass here. Pens don't even know how long he will be out yet, how the hell is he supposed to know? Other than transactions, anything he says I take as BS. He's no different than hockey(y) insider(r) (anyone remember that clown? Also, why is that censored?)

 

[Til the End of Time]

man wtf this lineup sucks. i cannot stand bylsma.

 

[MtlPenFan]

I know we've lost 3 in a row, and looks pretty awful, but you guys are so damn negative. God forbid anyone says anything positive.

D'Ags and JV both looked good last game and I hope that carries over into tonight. Looks like Jeffery will get a shot on the 4th line, I'll be curious so see how he plays.

We looked flat and deflated last game, but after a day off and a 3-game losing streak I have the feeling we are going to come out with a sense of urgency and take control of this game early.

It's never the loss per se, especially not in the regular season (not for me at least)

It's the WAY they lose, the same stupid patterns over and over and over again that are never corrected. This always leads to disaster in the spring.

 

[IcedCapp]

let's assume the 4weeks is right. That's really not "bad" news.

Eliminates: ACL tears, Achilles cuts/ruptures/slices.

Suggests: if it's the knee, a meniscus tear or an MCL/PCL/LCL sprain.

If it's not the knee: high ankle sprain or a break of some sort.

Either way, for a player like Scuderi, it's not the end of the world, and you would have a definitive time table.

 

[Waffle Fries]

McKenzie is talking out of his ass here. Pens don't even know how long he will be out yet, how the hell is he supposed to know? Other than transactions, anything he says I take as BS. He's no different than hockey(y) insider(r) (anyone remember that clown? Also, why is that censored?)

You're kidding, right? McKenzie is the most reliable hockey reporter out there. He was the only one who knew anything about Crosby's injury last year and his reporting of that was dead on accurate. If he says something, chances are, there's a good amount of truth to it.

 

[DegenX]

I'm not really understanding why Megna is with the team if he's not playing. At least DJ might see some ice time ... but why is Glass still on the third line? Another BylsmaPromiseâ„¢?

Hopefully, Engo will be the one enjoying nachos in the press box. Would like to see one of Glass, Kobasew or Adams joining him, and Megna getting a spot, but that's just a silly pipe dream.

 

[Captain Hook]

Not surprised about the Scuderi update. I immediately was thinking knee sprain of some sort when it happened. Maybe that's all it is. We can get by without him for a while though. Just have to be glad that speculated timeline doesn't indicate a torn ACL or something. That was my worst fear when it happened.

 

[Sivek]

Scuderi will be listed as day-to-day or week-to-week with an undisclosed injury.

There, I broke the story.