GDT: | January 11 | Pens vs Ducks | Battle of the Quacks |

[Zirakzigil]

vs

Pittsburgh Penguins (20-9-5, fourth in the Metropolitan)
vs.
Anaheim Ducks (19-12-7, second in the Pacific)

Anaheim, California; Tuesday, 10 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE:
The Pittsburgh Penguins visit Anaheim after the Ducks beat Detroit 4-3 in a shootout.
The Ducks are 12-5-4 on their home ice. Anaheim averages 9.6 penalty minutes per game, the fifth-most in the Western Conference. Josh Manson leads the team serving 49 total minutes.
The Penguins are 10-4-3 in road games. Pittsburgh has scored 111 goals and is ninth in the NHL averaging 3.3 goals per game. Jake Guentzel leads the team with 18.
Pittsburgh beat Anaheim 1-0 in the last meeting between these teams on Dec. 11.

TOP PERFORMERS:
Isac Lundestrom leads the Ducks with a plus-seven in 38 games this season. Troy Terry has seven goals and three assists over the last 10 games for Anaheim.
Kris Letang leads the Penguins with a plus-13 in 30 games this season. Sidney Crosby has 11 assists over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.

LAST 10 GAMES:
Ducks: 4-4-2, averaging 2.4 goals, 4.2 assists, 4.5 penalties and 11.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game with a .922 save percentage.

Penguins: 9-1-0, averaging 4.3 goals, 7.6 assists, 2.9 penalties and 6.6 penalty minutes while allowing 2.2 goals per game with a .919 save percentage.

INJURIES:
Ducks: Vinni Lettieri: out (health protocols), Ryan Getzlaf: out (covid-19), Sam Carrick: out (health protocols), Derek Grant: out (health protocols), John Gibson: out (health protocols), Josh Mahura: out (upper-body), Hampus Lindholm: out (health protocols), Cam Fowler: day to day (upper-body), Adam Henrique: out (lower body).

​

Stats provided, as usual, by TSN and ESPN

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[Zirakzigil]

 

[Zirakzigil]

 

[Empoleon8771]

The only correct answer to the poll in the OP is #4

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Informative as ever

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

You may not like it, but that is peak fashion. Form and functionality.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Shorts end at first snow, then straight into winter gear.

There is no in between.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Put Pens and Ducks together and what do you get? The Pittsheim Pucks!

Sounds like the name of a fancy prep school in Connecticut.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

You may not like it, but that is peak fashion. Form and functionality.

Let's all just be thankful he hasn't followed the fashion and switched to 5" inseam shorts.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Shorts end at first snow, then straight into winter gear.

There is no in between.

 

[eXile3]

West coast games, I'll be lucky if I stay awake for the 1st.

 

[Andy99]

Jeff Carter is not who Malkin needs on his wing coming back after a 7 month layoff…he needs someone who works hard on the boards and to get into open space…Carter has not really been working hard this season and he’s overworked by the coaching staff…Carter should be getting easier minutes on L3, not playing LW with Geno…

I don’t get why Sully doesn’t try Heinen-Geno-Kap…

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Jeff Carter is not who Malkin needs on his wing coming back after a 7 month layoff…he needs someone who works hard on the boards and to get into open space…Carter has not really been working hard this season and he’s overworked by the coaching staff…Carter should be getting easier minutes on L3, not playing LW with Geno…

I don’t get why Sully doesn’t try Heinen-Geno-Kap…

I would actually enjoy it while you can owing to the eventual and inevitable alternative.

It's sure looking like Malkin will be back for this one. You'd think I'd be excited. But all it means is gnashing of teeth and big time overreactions. Like when Sid was "done" not so long ago.

 

[ronduguayshair]

The line mate excuse has already started with zero games played. Unbelievable.

 

[Andy99]

The irrational trashing of posters and inexplicable hatred of a certain favorite player has already started with zero games played. Unbelievable.

 

[Victor Z]

I'm not a fan of "duo" based lines which persist from cradle to grave, etched in stone in God's library somewhere up in heaven (like pork chop night on The Simpsons) no matter how much evidence there is that they don't work -- but the Malkin/Kapanen duo is one worth supporting given how well they were clicking just before Malkin was terminated in that Boston game.

But slap a Zucker or a Carter in next to them and there's every chance that the line is neutered. As long as Rust is out the top 2 lines should be:

GCR(odrigues)
x-Malkin-Kapanen

where x = Heinen, O'Connor, McGinn if he's back; anyone not named Carter, Zucker or ZAR. Let's start Malkin's season off on the right foot and try not to frustrate him immediately out of the gate.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I'm really stupid, I thought the game was tonight and was really confused for why I couldn't find it online anywhere

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Jeff Carter is not who Malkin needs on his wing coming back after a 7 month layoff…he needs someone who works hard on the boards and to get into open space…Carter has not really been working hard this season and he’s overworked by the coaching staff…Carter should be getting easier minutes on L3, not playing LW with Geno…

I don’t get why Sully doesn’t try Heinen-Geno-Kap…

I got mixed feelings on this one. On the one hand Carter will have less responsibility as a winger than a center, so he'll be less exhausted. I like that he'll be a right shot on the left wing, so hopefully he gets to use his shot from prime areas with Malkin. It's also good that we'll be depending on him less defensively in danger areas, because he hasn't been really good that way this year at 5v5.

On the other hand we are losing his near 59% face-offs, one of which got us a goal the other night. He had fairly good chemistry with Heinen, and it's bit of a shame to see them split. Kap+Carter hasn't really worked this year, but who knows how Geno's introduction will affect that?
I'm concerned about poor foot speed and that line having issues maintaining possession because of it.
Not sure I like that this indicates that we may keep Boyle in the lineup long term either.

It's an interesting move I guess. At least we're not wasting Blueger on the 4th line. He'll get his share of ice time.

 

[66-30-33]

 

[Gurglesons]

I actually think Carter - Malkin - Kapanen is great for both Carter and Malkin. Carter can take face offs. Kapanen has the speed to break out the puck by himself and it keeps L3 as a defensive match up and allows you to run L2 as L3 in terms of match ups.

 

[Andy99]

I got mixed feelings on this one. On the one hand Carter will have less responsibility as a winger than a center, so he'll be less exhausted. I like that he'll be a right shot on the left wing, so hopefully he gets to use his shot from prime areas with Malkin. It's also good that we'll be depending on him less defensively in danger areas, because he hasn't been really good that way this year at 5v5.

On the other hand we are losing his near 59% face-offs, one of which got us a goal the other night. He had fairly good chemistry with Heinen, and it's bit of a shame to see them split. Kap+Carter hasn't really worked this year, but who knows how Geno's introduction will affect that?
I'm concerned about poor foot speed and that line having issues maintaining possession because of it.
Not sure I like that this indicates that we may keep Boyle in the lineup long term either.

It's an interesting move I guess. At least we're not wasting Blueger on the 4th line. He'll get his share of ice time.

i don’t think it’s long term…unfortunately that means Zucker is probably with Malkin…if Sullivan had any thought of playing Heinen on LW there, he would have used him in practice there….

 

[AuroraBorealis]

i don’t think it’s long term…unfortunately that means Zucker is probably with Malkin…if Sullivan had any thought of playing Heinen on LW there, he would have used him in practice there….

If it works (which I doubt) I could see it being long term. Depends on our center availability. It seems like they're concerned about Carter defensively, as they should be after last game. May want to keep him at wing.

I have my doubts about Zuck going back to L2 when healthy. His D-zone draws have been trending upward a lot this season. Sullivan is showing signs of trusting him less to score, and accepting his futility.
With the emergence of E-Rod it may leave no space. Plus ERod was being used on 2nd line LW in practice before Rust got Covid.

That being said we're never healthy and these kinda discussions are on the basis that we will be at some point. Who knows who's out when Zucker returns...

 

[Tender Rip]

I actually think Carter - Malkin - Kapanen is great for both Carter and Malkin. Carter can take face offs. Kapanen has the speed to break out the puck by himself and it keeps L3 as a defensive match up and allows you to run L2 as L3 in terms of match ups.

It certainly could work. Worth trying out if nothing else to make sure that Erod stays C.
Who will play with Erod and Heinen then? I guess it's going to be Simon, with O'Conner sent to WBS. But have to say that I like the idea of a Zohorna Erod Heinen line.... This isn't worth much to anyone though, as I have yet to be caught disliking any line that had Zohorna on it, real or potential .


And gotta say I am looking forward to watching favorite player again. A lot.

 

[Tender Rip]

Ah... forgot about the other covid boys, Erod will be with Sid of course.


Btw. can we PLEASE get a Zohorna Boyle Angello 4th line for this one? I just need to see what happens with that amount of tonnage out there. You want to too, surely.