Brent Johnson improved to 4-0 on the season with a win against the visiting Senators tonight. (photosource: zimbio.com)
There is a developing situation in Pittsburgh’s hockey universe. As my partner alluded to this afternoon, Marc-Andre Fleury – he of the Stanley Cup title – has been supplanted as the Pens’ best goalie. Following tonight’s razor-sharp 32-save performance in a 5-2 win against Ottawa, Brent Johnson improved to 4-0 and added another amendment is his efforts for top-billing between the Pittsburgh pipes.
Although I cannot officially anoint Mr. Johnson as the No. 1 for the present and the future, there is absolutely no way that he cannot be considered as the starter at this point.
MAF supporters certainly can’t point to a soft schedule or favorable assistance in degrading Johnson’s supremacy. The stand-up goalie, who always looks calm and in control, has won in New Jersey and in Philadelphia. He also managed to do what Fleury couldn’t in the Consol Energy Center…win.
In many of his games, as was the case tonight, Johnson has not had the luxury of defensive stalwarts Brooks Orpik and Zbynek Michalek to thwart the opposition. Instead, Johnson’s d-men include Ben Lovejoy, Deryk Engelland, Andrew Hutchinson, and the offensive d-men, who are the top grossing unit in the NHL by the way.
Tonight, when the game was tight early, Johnson was good. In the middle when the Pens were dominating on offense, Johnson was good. And in the third period when Ottawa was throwing the kitchen sink in addition to solid counters, Johnson was very good.
#1 in your program is now #1 on the depth chart. It may not last through the season, heck, it might not last until everyone’s masks come off after Halloween. But right now, Brent Johnson is the man. There is no denying it.
As for the other parts of the game, the Pens’ offensive was firing on all cylinders. The power play looked good, Crosby and Malkin chimed in. Another developing situation is the solid contributions from rookie Mark Letestu. His sniper shot got the Pens going after being stoned on several good scoring chances in the first period. His tally opened the floodgates for an impressive three-goal opening stanza that firmly planted the Pens in the driver’s seat.
Former Penguin Sergei Gonchar couldn’t rekindle the Mellon Arena magic. Despite notching an assist, Gonchar was a game-worst minus-three in a game-high 26:03 of ice time.
Pittsburgh returns to the ice Thursday night in Nashville. Unless Johnson is given a rest, expect him to be stopping pucks in prime time once again.
Original Story:
http://penslabyrinth.com/2010/10/19/n...
