Monday, January 12, 2009

Could Tuesday Night Be It?

Blogger: Vance
Ever do one of those death calendars? Pick the day and time that somebody famous kicks the bucket. I feel like doing one for Michel Therrien. Mired in the midst of an epic slump, 2-8 over the last 10 (even Atlanta has been better than that), the loss of one of their more important role players, and no answers from anyone on the team, could another setback tomorrow night at Philadelphia be the last night for Therrien behind the bench?

I know I'm probably stealing Denson's thunder with this one, but Rob Rossi at the Pittsburgh Tribune had some interesting things to say on the matter.
What is wrong? What is the solution?

"I don't know," center Jordan Staal said Saturday after a 5-3 loss at Colorado, the Penguins' seventh in eight games. "I really don't know."

Probably not the words the team's increasingly concerned fans wanted to read.

Those fans probably won't like this, either: The Penguins (20-19-4, 44 points) probably need to earn at least 60 percent of their remaining available points to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

They've earned only 51 percent through 43 games.
Is 60% attainable? Sure, when you have some of the top guys in the league, anything is. But just how bad have the Penguins been? Rossi shows us. During their 8-15-1 stretch since November 22...
• 15.5 percent on the power play (16-for-103).
• 76.4 percent on the penalty kill (81-of-106).
• 83 goals surrendered for a 3.46 goals-against average.
• 719 shots allowed for an average of 30 per game and a .886 save percentage.
• More than two goals scored in just 13 games (52.2 percent), compared to 18 games with more than two goals allowed (75 percent).
Wednesday before the Capitals game at Mellon Arena, will Therrien be there or not?
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Fact: BanginPanger is not meant as an insult to the one and only Darren Pang, nor do I claim to be him. The views and opinions presented on BanginPanger are of my own, and no other namesake of the site, the NHL, Buffalo Sabres, Washington Capitals, or anyone else.