Fleury records 200th victory, Depres gets first goal in game of milestones

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1 Daily Clips 12/18/11 Malkin's hat trick buries Buffalo, 8-3 Fleury records 200th victory, Depres gets first goal in game of milestones Sunday, December 18, 2011 By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Evgeni Malkin did not score a milestone goal Saturday night, the way Simon Despres did. And he didn't reach a major statistical plateau, the way Marc-Andre Fleury did. Which might be the only things he didn't manage during the Penguins' 8-3 victory against Buffalo at Consol Energy Center. Malkin scored three goals -- his seventh career hat trick -- and set up two others which, all things considered, really isn't a bad evening's work. "My first shot, I scored," Malkin said. "Second shot, I score again. It's a lucky day for me." Of course, it usually is for the Penguins when they face Sabres goalie Ryan Miller. While there aren't many holes in his resume -- with the obvious exception of a Stanley Cup, of course -- there likely is at least one more thing Miller would like to accomplish before he retires. Have a good game against the Penguins. His latest attempt was an abject failure, as Miller stopped just 5 of 15 shots in 29 minutes, 43 seconds of work and was pulled from the game twice. Even for a guy whose body of work against the Penguins has run the gamut from awful to abysmal -- he began the evening with a record, 3.25 goals-against average and.886 save percentage in 17 career appearances against them -- it was a wretched outing. "I don't even think that was anywhere close to good hockey on my part," Miller said. That's one way to put it. If you want to put a wildly positive spin on it, anyway. Miller's struggles dovetailed with quite a few individual accomplishments by the Penguins. Among them:

2 Despres scored his first NHL goal. Fleury made 16 saves to earn his 200th NHL victory, making him the fourth-youngest goalie to do so. Forward Jason Williams got his first goal as a Penguin. Defenseman Brooks Orpik recorded his 100th NHL point, an assist on Malkin's first goal. Defenseman Carl Sneep, playing in his first NHL game, earned his first point in the league by assisting on Malkin's second goal. Pascal Dupuis got point No. 300 with an assist on a Deryk Engelland goal. "We haven't handed that many pucks out after a game, ever," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. Perhaps the only surprising thing is that none of those commemorative pucks ended up in the Buffalo net, because just about every other one associated with this game did. Williams staked the Penguins to a 1-0 lead at 2:17 of the opening period, when he beat Miller with a slap shot from the blue line, and they controlled play for most of the time that followed. "We did a great job," Malkin said. "You see how we started. We dominated in the offensive zone. I think we deserved this win." They got it despite playing without center Jordan Staal and defenseman Paul Martin, neither of whom was deemed healthy enough to be in uniform. Their spots were taken by Williams and Sneep, who were recalled from the Penguins' minor league team in Wilkes-Barre. Staal, who has missed three of the past four games, and Martin are on a list of injured players that includes Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Zbynek Michalek, among others. Craig Adams might end up there, too, after leaving the game with an unspecified injury in the second period. Bylsma said he is considered day to day. The Sabres hardly were at full-strength, either. The absentees list was headlined by Tyler Myers, Brad Boyes, Jochen Hecht and Ville Leino. A case could be made that Miller and fellow goalie Jhonas Enroth were no-shows of a sort, too, although poor goaltending wasn't Buffalo's only shortcoming. "We were bad in all areas," Sabres center Derek Roy said. "Power play. Penalty kill. Five-on-five. We were just bad."

3 The game effectively was over by the first intermission, as Williams, Despres and Malkin (two) had scored to give the Penguins a three-goal lead. The Penguins rarely eased up the rest of the way, and Malkin seemed especially motivated, although he insisted that he wasn't focused on pumping up his personal statistics. "I'm not thinking about points," he said. "I'm trying to find my game.... I'm just finding my level and [trying to] continue to do better every game." A worthy objective, to be sure. But considering how Malkin played Saturday night, perhaps not a realistic one. On the Penguins: A part of Sid's legacy Sunday, December 18, 2011 By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Two days after David Steckel felled Sidney Crosby with a wicked -- unintentional or otherwise -- blow to the head during the Winter Classic at Heinz Field Jan. 1, a Penguins executive was asked if Crosby had been given a concussion test in the wake of that hit. The response was fast and firm. No. There was, the official said, simply no reason to. He pointed out that Crosby has finished the game, conducted a postgame news conference and still had not reported any concussion-type symptoms. In light of all that, what would be the rationale for having Crosby take a concussion test? The answer came three days later, when Crosby was diagnosed with a concussion that prevented him from playing for more than 101/2 months. Pretty tough to imagine anything like that happening in the NHL now, isn't it?

4 Crosby's injury -- damaging as it was to the Penguins' season and potentially devastating as it could have been, or still could be, for his career -- did a lot to make concussions the most pressing issue in hockey today; the number of players diagnosed with one since he was injured is testimony to how seriously they are now taken. Thankfully, the days when a guy visibly dazed by a forearm or elbow to the head is considered to simply have had "his bell rung" are over. Questions remain about how possible concussion victims are treated -- why, for example, Kris Letang received clearance to return to a game in Montreal minutes after being leveled by Max Pacioretty of the Canadiens three weeks ago is baffling -- but awareness of concussions has risen dramatically during the past year. Perhaps the best evidence came a little more than a week ago when Crosby, after reporting a headache, was immediately taken off active duty. The initial word was that he would sit out two games. The reality is that he shouldn't think about playing again until after he can do everything expected of a player without suffering anything that even hints at the lingering effects of his concussion. There is much that even the world's leading experts do not know about concussions and for that reason there inevitably will be second-guessing about how a particular case is handled. It's already clear that anytime a team doesn't fast-track a concussed player back into the lineup, a few charter members of the chronically clueless will accuse the club of coddling the player, and the player of being softer than a microwaved marshmallow. Fortunately, most NHL executives seem capable of resisting the bleatings of those who feel their right to be entertained easily trumps the importance of a player's long-term well-being. And if there are decision-makers who do not possess that kind of backbone, they should be fired. It is, of course, too late to undo any damage that was done to Crosby by allowing him to play in the third period of the Winter Classic, then practice for a few days before dressing for the Penguins' next game, Jan. 5 against Tampa Bay, during which Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman drove his head into the glass. Hindsight made it all too clear that a grievous error in judgment was made by not getting him out of the game the instant Steckel felled him. None of that can be undone, but it doesn't have to be repeated.

5 And if other players can be spared some of the misery guys like Crosby, Marc Savard and Chris Pronger have endured, at least a little good will have come from what has become, unfortunately, one of the significant moments of Crosby's career. Cooke's vow to change wasn't hollow Matt Cooke's teammates and coaches aren't the only ones to notice the difference in how he's been approaching his work this season, to recognize that his pledge to purge dirty hits from his game has proven to be more than just so many hollow words. The guys who have spent so much time over the years sending Cooke to the penalty box and filing postgame reports on his misdeeds are becoming aware of all that, too. "I think he's gained a lot of respect from referees," assistant coach Tony Granato said recently. "Referees have made some comments, about how there were chances where they thought he could have finished his check and he let up." Cooke, for the record, was assessed 12 penalty minutes during his first 31 games this season. That put him on pace to finish with 32; the fewest he's had in anything approaching a full season was 64 in He had a career-high 129 last season. The Penguins are hoping that Cooke -- whose blindside hit on Savard two seasons ago caused a serious concussion that has all but formally ended Savard's career -- will find a comfort zone in which he can play the body more vigorously and more often than he did through the early part of this season. That might well happen at some point, but even if it never really does, the extreme makeover of Matt Cooke will go down as one of the most compelling developments in the NHL this season. The metamorphosis has been remarkable, and people obviously are beginning to notice. Martin latest Penguin to miss time with an injury Sunday, December 18, 2011

6 By Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The Penguins' injury report grew again when defenseman Paul Martin missed Saturday's game against Buffalo at Consol Energy Center. Martin appeared to injure his right leg Friday night when he was checked by Ottawa's Chris Phillips. "We're hoping it's day to day," coach Dan Bylsma said. "We're not certain." Carl Sneep, 23, a second-round draft pick in 2006, was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and made his NHL debut against the Sabres. The Penguins also recalled forward Jason Williams. He filled in for center Jordan Staal, who missed his second consecutive game and third in the past four because of an unspecified injury. In regard to a couple of longer-term injury situations, Bylsma said defenseman Kris Letang, who missed his ninth game in a row because of a concussion, has not begun skating. "Any [activity] he might be doing is light at this time," Bylsma said. The status of center and captain Sidney Crosby, who missed his fifth consecutive game because of concussion symptoms, has not changed, Bylsma said. Crosby said nearly two weeks ago that he was just doing light exertion work. Crosby missed 61 games because of a concussion and played eight games before being pulled back out of the lineup. Penguins not alone Buffalo had lost 117 man-games to injury going into the contest. That's not on the level of the Penguins' 160 man-games lost, but Sabres coach Lindy Ruff still scratches his head when he looks around the league. "I don't ever recall teams being injury-riddled the way it is now," he said, adding that being so short-handed induces teams to aim for.500 hockey until bodies heal. The Penguins -- who last season began having an injury list that practically rivaled a lineup in length -- have fared pretty well with players out, but they went into the Buffalo game on a 1-4 losing skid, 1-3 in the latest absence of Crosby. Shot leaders

7 Penguins winger James Neal has led the league in shots most of the season and was first with 132 going into Saturday. Right behind him was center and linemate Evgeni Malkin, with 120. Malkin missed seven games early in the season, so he was tops in the NHL with an average of 4.8 shots a game. Neal was second at 4.1. "I'm not surprised for [Neal], but I'm surprised for me," Malkin said. "[Neal] shoots from everywhere." Malkin said he has just following orders. "Coaches told me to shoot. 'Shoot, Geno, shoot.' What the coaches say, I do. I have lots of scoring chances. If you don't shoot, you don't score. But it's [also a product of] the system." Malkin had 12 goals on those 120 shots, but he also has hit a lot of goal posts. "A lot of posts this season," he said. "I need to do something with that -- after the post, score [on a rebound]." Asked if he would like to lead the NHL in scoring, Malkin shrugged. "I don't think about this," he said. "You think about this. I don't." Tough business Ruff has been the Sabres coach since , in a league where six coaches have been fired in the first 11 weeks of this season. The latest was Jacques Martin, let go Saturday by Montreal. "We're in a tough business," Ruff said. "I feel fortunate... when we've had a lot of coaches that have lost their positions. I don't think Jacques was doing a bad job. I think that's what our league is -- in our league the parity is really close and it's tough to pull away. There's high expectations." Martin was replaced on an interim basis for the balance of the season by Randy Cunneyworth, a former Penguins winger who was Buffalo's AHL coach for several seasons. "He's a players' coach," Ruff said, in contrast to Martin's harder edge. "I think that's what our business is. You go from a guy that's hard, to a guy that's easy, to a guy that's hard, to a guy that's easy."

8 Penguins sit Martin with a lower body injury By Bob Cohn PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, December 18, 2011 Defenseman Paul Martin was out of the Penguins' lineup against Buffalo on Saturday because of a lower body injury he suffered against Ottawa early in the third period of Friday's 6-4 loss. Coach Dan Bylsma said before the game he does not know the extent of the injury, calling Martin's status day-to-day. With the Penguins riddled with injuries, the club Saturday called up defenseman Carl Sneep and forward Jason Williams from their Wilkes-Barre/Scranton AHL affiliate. Williams has played in two games with the Penguins this season. Sneep was making his NHL debut. Martin has been a workhorse for the Penguins since signing a five-year, $25 million free-agent contract in He appeared in all but five games last season and in all 32 games this year, playing added minutes with fellow defensemen Kris Letang, Zbynek Michalek, Brian Strait and Ben Lovejoy all on the injured reserve list. Malkin, Penguins thrash past Miller, Sabres By Bob Cohn PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, December 18, 2011 Amid a mounting number of injuries and four losses in five games, the Penguins were immersed in trying times. But a welcome adversary awaited Saturday night, and the Penguins wasted little time righting their wrongs. Buffalo's Ryan Miller is one of the NHL's top goalies. And the Penguins own him. The Penguins scored three goals in the first nine minutes, 53 seconds to send Miller to the bench, albeit temporarily, and spark an 8-3 victory at Consol Energy Center. Evgeni Malkin scored a hat trick, and his five points tied a career best.

9 "We dominated in the offensive zone," he said. "We deserved this one." Miller last beat the Penguins on Dec. 8, 2008, when George W. Bush was president and Mellon Arena was the place in town to watch professional hockey. Miller, who yielded Sidney Crosby's overtime goal when Canada beat the United States in the gold-medal game of the 2010 Winter Olympics, is in his past six starts against the Penguins. Crosby, still sidelined by concussion-like symptoms, was absent for this game. So were several of his banged-up Penguins teammates, including defenseman Paul Martin, who suffered a lower-body injury in Friday night's loss at Ottawa. But Malkin stepped up early with two goals, and more help came from less-expected sources, including the Penguins' newly found Wilkes-Barre/Scranton connection. Veteran center Jason Williams, recalled from the Penguins' AHL affiliate earlier in the day, scored his first goal for the Penguins. Rookie defenseman Simon Despres, the club's top draft pick in 2009 and a Dec. 1 call-up, scored his first goal of the year, coming in his eighth NHL game. "I have definitely been dreaming about it the last few nights," he said. Defenseman Carl Sneep, also called up yesterday, had an assist in his first NHL game, helping on Malkin's second goal. "I was definitely very nervous, very excited," Sneep said. "It was a great day for me." All this happened in the first period, as the Penguins took a 4-1 lead. "We came out flying in the first period, and that's what we needed," Despres said. "We got it from a lot of different areas, from the score sheet but also in playing the way we need to play," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. In contrast to Miller's troubles, the Penguins' Marc-Andre Fleury became the fourth-youngest goalie (27 years, 19 days) to win 200 games since the expansion season. "It took a little longer than I wished," he said, referring to his recent struggles. Miller, who was lifted for Jhonas Enroth, returned to start second period. The Penguins welcomed the news with James Neal's team-leading 18th goal after just 53 seconds. Near the end of the period, defenseman Deryk Engelland, hardly a scoring machine, sent in a wrist shot that should have been an easy save. But Miller let it escape between his legs for Engelland's second goal of the season.

10 Enroth replaced Miller to start the third period. After Buffalo made it 6-3, Malkin scored his 15th goal capping his seventh career hat trick on the power play with 8:15 remaining when he fired his rebound through Enroth's legs. Less than two minutes later, Malkin got his second assist on a nifty drop pass to Chris Kunitz, who scored goal No. 11. Notes: Center Jordan Staal (undisclosed injury) missed his second straight game. Defensemen Chris Letang and Zbynek Michalek (concussions) did not play. They have missed nine straight games.... Right winger Craig Adams left the game in the second period with a "lower-body" injury. Scoring summary First period Penguins, 1-0 (2:17): C Jason Williams blasted a slap shot from the right point while on the rush that slipped through G Ryan Miller's stick side. Penguins, 2-0 (6:07): D Simon Despres scored his first NHL goal when he received a pass from LW Tyler Kennedy and one-timed a blast from the right circle that beat Miller. Penguins, 3-0 (9:43): C Evgeni Malkin took a pass from LW Chris Kunitz, cut against the grain and into the slot before burying a wrist shot to Miller's glove side. Sabres, 3-1 (12:55): LW Thomas Vanek used D Brooks Orpik as a screen while on a rush and beat G Marc-Andre Fleury to the glove side from the slot. Penguins, 4-1 (17:30): D Carl Sneep shot a puck up the right-wing boards, and RW James Neal interfered with D Jordan Leopold, allowing Malkin to receive the pass in full flight. Malkin beat G Jhonas Enroth between the legs with a backhand shot. Second period Penguins, 5-1 (0:53): Malkin faked a shot, then delivered a pass to RW James Neal, who fired a one-timer from a bad angle that beat Miller to the short side. Penguins, 6-1 (17:54): D Deryk Engelland took a pass from RW Arron Asham, skated down the left wing and beat Miller between the legs with a wrist shot. Third period Sabres, 6-2 (8:49): C Luke Adam gathered a puck from a scrum in the slot and ripped a wrist shot over Fleury's glove, off the cross bar and in.

11 Sabres, 6-3 (10:13): C Paul Gaustad made a move around Sneep on a 2-on-1 and flicked a shot past Fleury. Penguins, 7-3 (11:43): Malkin gathered his own rebound and shot between Enroth's legs for his seventh-career hat trick. Penguins, 8-3 (13:39): Malkin had a shot rejected but managed to locate the loose puck and send a drop pass to Kunitz, who buried a high wrist shot. Shero: Crosby remains priority for Penguins By Josh Yohe PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, December 18, 2011 OTTAWA Sidney Crosby's yearlong bout with a concussion will not influence next summer's contract talks, Penguins general manager Ray Shero told the Tribune-Review, and the team remains committed to a long-term extension with the star center. "The only thing on my mind is signing Sidney Crosby," Shero said. "We want him to be a Penguin for life. That's the goal. Nothing has changed." Crosby's health has changed, of course. He remains out of the lineup with headaches, possibly indicating the concussion he sustained in January remains on some level, though an ImPACT test after the Dec. 5 game against the Boston Bruins did not indicate another concussion. He has played just eight games since Jan. 5. Shero, however, expects Crosby to fully recover from his concussion issues. "I'm under the assumption that he's going to play in the NHL for another 10 or 15 years," Shero said of Crosby, who turned 24 in August. "We all know he's the best player in the league when he's healthy. My mindset on Sidney Crosby is not changing. We want to sign him." Speculation has surfaced that Crosby's health might affect the Penguins' approach to his next contract.

12 Crosby's current deal makes him eligible for unrestricted free agency on July 1, The NHL's collective bargaining agreement states that the Penguins are permitted to exclusively negotiate with Crosby beginning in July Shero said the Penguins "absolutely" are willing to take a financial risk that Crosby will regain full health. "When Sid comes back, we'll see (greatness) in his game, just like when he came back in November," Shero said. Neither Crosby nor his agent, Pat Brisson, were available for comment. Several players leaguewide including Philadelphia's Claude Giroux and Chris Pronger, Hurricanes center Jeff Skinner, Rangers defenseman Marc Staal and Kings center Mike Richards are out with concussions. NHL greats Eric Lindros and Pat LaFontaine had their careers cut short because of concussions. When Crosby returns from this latest episode is unknown, but like last season, Shero refuses to rush Crosby. "It's best to be cautious right now in this situation," Shero said. "The future is important. It's important to us and to Sidney. We have to make sure we're very careful with him." Crosby won't be the only player on Shero's mind this summer. Center Jordan Staal, whose offensive game has blossomed despite recently being hampered by a lower-body injury, also has a contract that expires in Shero would like to finalize a deal with Staal, 23, this summer. Right wing James Neal, 24, who has scored 17 goals this season, is another who figures to have Shero's attention. Neal becomes a restricted free agent this summer. "All summers are important," Shero said. "Now we're getting into the third contracts for some of our star players. So, yeah, it is a pivotal summer. There are important decisions for the organization to make moving forward." The current CBA expires Sept. 15. Shero is hopeful an agreement will be reached beforehand and that a new salary cap allows the Penguins to keep their team mostly intact. "You just have to project what the cap number will be," Shero said. "You do the best you can." Neal's price increases with every goal he scores, and Shero does not sound interested in letting the winger walk.

13 "When we traded for him," Shero said, "we obviously thought he was a good player. He was the right age to grow with us. It's not just his goal-scoring. He's doing a lot of good things. He's a really good player. He seems to fit in with our forward group. To get him a contract at some point is a goal." The goal, however, is making sure Crosby remains a Penguin regardless of time he might miss due to injury. "Nothing," Shero said, "has changed our mind about Sidney Crosby being our priority." On the market? Here are the Penguins' upcoming unrestricted and restricted free agents: Unrestricted Player, Current, salary LW, Steve Sullivan, $1.5 million RW, Arron Asham, $775,000 LW, Steve MacIntyre, $600,000 C, Richard Park, $550,000 G, Brent Johnson, $600,00 Restricted C, Sidney Crosby, $8.7 million C, Jordan Staal, $4 million RW, James Neal, $2.875 million LW, Matt Cooke, $1.8 million D, Matt Niskanen, $1.5 million RW, Pascal Dupuis, $1.5 million D, Brian Strait, $861,677 LW, Eric Tangradi, $845,833

14 D, Alexandre Picard, $600,000 D, Robert Bortuzzo, $535,000 C, Joe Vitale, $512,500 Unrestricted free agents in 2013 RW, Craig Adams, $675,000 D, Ben Lovejoy, $525,000 *Should the current salary cap of $64.3 million remain in place for the season, the Penguins would have about $9.4 million of cap room. If needed, vet Munroe may get call from Pens By Jonathan Bombulie FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, December 18, 2011 If the Penguins needed to call up a goaltender from Wilkes-Barre right now, it just might be veteran Scott Munroe instead of prospect Brad Thiessen. Thiessen won eight straight games from Oct. 21 to Nov. 11, but since then Munroe has been significantly better. Coming into this weekend, Munroe was with a 1.55 goals-against average and.942 save percentage in his previous six starts. In that same span, Thiessen's numbers were 2-4-2, 3.26 and.864. Munroe, 29, is an undrafted Alabama-Huntsville product who was one of the top goalies in the AHL while playing in the Flyers' system from He spent last season in Russia. "That's why we brought Scott in. We knew he had experience and he was a guy that had won a lot of hockey games and was a good goalie," Baby Pens coach John Hynes said. "To have success, you have to have two guys that can play because you have call-ups, you have injuries, you have the amount of games that you play and the travel. It's nice that we have two guys that can play."

15 When injuries attack The Penguins have had so many injuries on the blue line the past two weeks that they ran out of defensemen on NHL and AHL contracts. The Baby Pens had to call up two players on ECHL deals Dan Henningson from the Chicago Express and Peter Merth from the Wheeling Nailers just to fill out the roster. Surprisingly, they responded with back-to-back 4-2 victories, first over Hershey, one of the AHL's top offensive teams, then over Binghamton. Henningson, who spent the previous two seasons with the Nailers, and Merth said the transition to Wilkes-Barre was a fairly easy one. "All the breakouts and (defensive) zone play is very similar," Merth said. "It wasn't too big of a jump." No stars The Baby Pens have six forwards with at least 15 points Bryan Lerg, Colin McDonald, Ben Street, Eric Tangradi, Jason Williams and Brian Gibbons but none of them is in the top 20 in the league in scoring. "I really enjoy coaching teams that have a balanced attack, because it means you're difficult to play against and players are developing," Hynes said. Williams was promoted to the NHL on Saturday. Top pick injured Beau Bennett, the Penguins' first-round pick in 2010, will miss six to eight weeks after having wrist surgery Dec. 8. The University of Denver hopes to have him back for the end of the regular season and the postseason. A sophomore, he has 13 points in 10 games. Under the radar Here's a dark-horse forward prospect to watch: rookie wing Chris Barton. A 5-foot-11, 180-pounder who played on a line with top prospect Stephane Da Costa the past two seasons at Merrimack College, Barton leads all ECHL rookies with 15 goals and 26 points in

16 21 games with Wheeling. He signed an AHL contract Dec. 9 and made his Baby Pens debut Friday, posting a minus-1 rating in a 3-2 victory at Syracuse. One to watch: Alex Grant Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) Defenseman 6-foot pounds Acquired: Fourth-round pick, 118th overall, in the 2007 draft How he's doing: Grant was a healthy scratch for 14 of the Baby Pens' first 21 games, but when the rash of injuries to defensemen began Nov. 29, Grant was thrust into a more prominent role. He made the most of it, posting five assists and a plus-6 rating in his next six games. It might be Grant's last chance to make an impression. Due to injuries and slow development, he played just 18 AHL games in his first two pro seasons. His entry-level contract is up after this year. Why he might make it to the NHL: He has a big slap shot and good size, and he doesn't mind dropping the gloves. Why he might not: He doesn't play an assertive, physical game in the hard areas of the ice, and he's prone to defensive-zone mistakes. Concussions in the NHL: What the league can do to curb the problem Chris Bradford cbradford@timesonline.com 0 comments Remember when "clutching and grabbing" and "cost certainty" -- whatever that was -- were the two greatest threats to the National Hockey League as we know it? Ah, those were the days. Those issues pale in comparison to the recent concussion epidemic. Not to sound too melodramatic, but you want to hear about cost? Because of head injuries, the NHL is without its best player (the Penguins' Sidney Crosby), its leading scorer (Philadelphia's Claude Giroux), its top goal scorer (Ottawa's Milan Michalek) and one future Hall of Famer (the Flyers' Chris Pronger). And that's just in the last 10 days.

17 As those injuries have shown, perhaps not all concussions are preventable. However, there are steps the league can take to make them less prevalent. It's a difficult task considering the size and speed of today's NHL while trying to adhere to the tradition and values of the league. Here's this observer's suggestions to improve the game: SPEED BUMPS Issue: Coming out of the lockout, the NHL installed many bold initiatives, not the least of which was the figurative removal of the center red line. It was supposed to generate a wealth of offense by allowing two-line passes and making it tougher to clog the neutral zone with defenders. While it has worked, it has done so only marginally. Those who had visions of wave after wave of Coffey-to-Lemieux home run breakaway passes have been underwhelmed. The Art Ross Trophy winners still hover around pre-lockout totals of points, a far cry from the nearly 200s of the Gretzky-Lemieux era. Remedy: While speed has been the calling card of the new NHL, it has come at great human cost as players entering the offensive zone in top gear are too vulnerable to unimpeded backchecking (examples: Matt Cooke on Marc Savard and Max Pacioretty on Kris Letang) and collisions (example: Chris Kunitz on Crosby). Unfortunately, it might be a step back, but in the name of safety, it's a necessary evil to bring back the two-line pass. HUG IT OUT Issue: Short of putting stop signs on the back of players jerseys as they do in the pee wee ranks, hits from behind are another large contributor to head injuries (example: Victor Hedman on Crosby). Compounding the problem has been the league's insistence to call holding and interference anytime a player takes one hand off his stick to bump a player from behind against the glass. Remedy: By allowing a "bear hug" as Toronto GM Brian Burke calls it, defensemen (usually) can actually soften the blow by having his arms between the glass and his opponent's head. Agreed. If it goes beyond that, only then is it holding or interference. ICING ON TOP Issue: Credit Don Cherry -- yeah, that guy -- for being on point on this issue for years. No meaningless play has caused more catastrophic injury than icing (example: Patrice Bergeron). You can count on one hand the number of meaningful touch-ups there have been in a season. Remedy: Instead of the international no-touch icing the NHL should adopt a hybrid which still allows for a race -- but not to the puck. Instead of the end line, first player to either faceoff circle is awarded possession. Ties go to the defenseman.

18 LET'S CUT THE TRAP-EZOID Issue: Easily the most ill-conceived post-lockout rule change was the institution of the trapezoids behind the goal lines. At the time, the rule seemed solely designed to prevent New Jersey's Martin Brodeur, the league's best stickhandling goalie, from playing the puck in the corners. What has resulted, besides stunted offense, is goalies are unable to help out their defensemen leaving them to susceptible to overaggressive forecheckers. Remedy: For Pete Peeters' sake, get rid of the trapezoid. Now. PUT 'EM UP Issue: Somewhere along the line the onus on hitting has shifted from the hitter to the hittee. Players about to be hit are, in essence, being asked to absorb the hit. If you've watched an NHL game from 20 years ago or before, you'll see more hitting in a period of today's game then you'd see in an entire game. Perhaps it goes back to a lack of respect between today's players, but the hitting now is exponentially more violent. Remedy: It may sound contradictory, but give players some leeway in protecting themselves as they did back in the so-called good, old days. Nothing quells hitting quite like a raised stick or elbow. Players must be allowed to protect their heads. EQUIPMENT Issue: While the size of goaltenders equipment is a source of constant debate, how about the size and makeup of the skaters' gear? In recent years, the league, to its credit, has been exploring using soft caps on the shoulders and elbows. It's still a far cry from the days when players wore suspenders with, literally, only two shoulder caps attached to them. Helmets are commonly improperly worn. Many players don't have the chin strap fastened tightly, others have the padding shaved out to create a sleeker fit (example: Jordan Staal). Remedy: The league can still do a little more to reduce the size and rigidity of the shoulder and elbow pads but players are largely on their own from the neck up. Like the visor debate, it's a matter of choice. If someone doesn't care enough to protect his eyes or head, sadly, they'll get what they deserve. SUSPEND BELIEF Issue: Since taking over as the league's czar of discipline hardly a week -- or seemingly, a day -- has gone by without Brendan Shanahan issuing a fine, suspension or both for illegal hits to the head and hits from behind. If "Sheriff Shanny" is trying to send a message, Edmonton's Andy Sutton didn't get the message. The twice-suspended-this-season Sutton has become the poster child for why hits to the head have to be punished severely.

19 Remedy: If the NHL is serious about tackling the concussion issue, it's going to have to revise Rule 48 to include all hits to the head, incidental or otherwise. If a player is responsible for his stick at all times, surely he should be responsible for every part of his body. For those concerned about taking the physicality out of the game, there is already a similar head hit ban in Canadian junior and hitting is not down. IT'S THEIR RIGHT, LET THEM SIT Issue: Without question, fighting remains the most polarizing controversy surrounding the sport. For decades the league has walked the tight rope of allowing it to placate its rabid fan base (which overwhelmingly approves), while largely alienating a segment of society that might find the game more attractive if it was to rid itself of this blemish once and for all. However, no matter how hard it tries, the NHL will always be the fourth sport in this country. The key is to make sure the league remains relevant by never slipping beyond that. The arguments to allow fighting (spark the team, get crowd involved, settle a score) are almost completely bogus. However, every great while a fight actually does the aforementioned (examples: Max Talbot vs. Dan Carcillo and Vincent Lecavalier vs. Jarome Iginla). Remedy: The fact is there's little to no appetite among the league's managers and players to ban fighting. That said, calling a five-minute penalty isn't just a joke, it's condoning it. There's a compromise to be had here. Keep fighting but make it rare and punish it accordingly. Why not, in addition to the fighting major, add a 10 minute misconduct and two-minute minor for delay of game (Since, you know, they're by definition misconducts and delays)? So, say a Carolina player really wants to sit 17 minutes to get the Caniacs into the game, so be it. If he does it in the third period or in a blow out, it's reviewable for suspension. Pens Insider: Penguins 8, Sabres 3 Chris Bradford Times Sports Staff 0 comments ANALYSIS PITTSBURGH -- Other than his celebration on his third and final goal of the game, everything else Evgeni Malkin did was flawless.

20 Malkin matched a career high with five points, including his first hat trick in more than a year and his seventh career, in Saturday's 8-3 demolition of the Sabres in what was easily his most dominant performance in 2½ years. It came at most the opportune time as the Penguins had lost four of their last five. "It was lucky day for me. I'm glad," said Malkin. "We did a great job, you see how we start (four goals in first period). We dominated in the offensive zone, we deserved this victory." To be sure, the absence of Sidney Crosby is a crippling loss to the Penguins. If Malkin keeps playing at the rate he has been, however, the Penguins should be able to more than keep afloat in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Then again, Malkin shining in Crosby's absence is nothing new. The big Russian did it in 2008 when Crosby was out seven weeks with a high ankle sprain. However, since winning the Stanley Cup in 2009, claiming the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP on the way, Malkin hasn't been the same player. That is, until the last month or so. Malkin now has 12 multi-point games this season, including four in the last five. Malkin now has 17 points (10 goals) in his last 13 games. Whether it's the return of good health (he missed half of last season with a torn ACL) or his confidence (this is his second season without Russian teammate Sergei Gonchar), Malkin is a force again. In just one game, Malkin went from 18th in the league's scoring race to third, just three points behind Philadelphia's Claude Giroux, who is out indefinitely with a concussion. "I'm not thinking about points, some times you have five points, of course, it's good," said Malkin, "It's not big (deal) for me." PLAY OF THE GAME Proud owner of one Vezina Trophy and an Olympic silver medal, Ryan Miller is one of the finest goaltenders in the NHL today. Saturday, however, was not one of them. Jason Williams' 75-foot slap shot just 2:17 into the first period set the tone for the Penguins' rout. For Williams, who was recalled earlier in the day for the second time in a week, it was his first in a Penguins uniform. Whether Sabres defenseman Jordan Leopold screened him or not, it was a bad goal for any goalie, particularly one of Miller's caliber. Miller was chased midway through the first period after surrendering three goals on seven shots. He returned to start the second only to give up two more goals and was pulled for good at the intermission. "He's one of the best

21 goalies in the league, (but) we did a good job of getting pucks through," said rookie D Simon Despres. (((HIDDEN STAT 14: That's the number of different Penguins to register at least one point. Seven of them, Matt Niskanen, Deryk Engelland, Chris Kunitz, James Neal, Jason Williams and Alexandre Picard had two points each, while Evgeni Malkin had five. NEWS & NOTES PITTSBURGH -- It was a night of milestones for the Penguins in Saturday's 8-3 romp over Buffalo. The rundown: Simon Despres scored his first NHL goal; Brooks Orpik picked up his 100th career point; Carl Sneep picked up an assist in his first NHL game; Pascal Dupuis earned his 300th career point; Evgeni Malkin surpassed Ron Schock for assists (281) in franchise history. And last, but not least, Marc-Andre Fleury picked up his 200th career win. "Last couple of games, we lost," Fleury said. "Happy to finally get it." Only Tom Barrasso (226) has more career wins than Fleury in franchise history. And at, 27 years and 19 days, Fleury became the fourth youngest player to reach the 200-win mark since Only Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr and potential Hall of Famers Martin Brodeur and Barrasso were younger. "Dan came in after the game he had like seven pucks to give out," said Despres, a first-round pick in 2009 who was playing in his eighth career NHL game. "It was a good milestone game and a good win for the boys." Sidney Crosby (concussion) was officially placed on the injured list retroactive to Dec. 5, meaning he's cleared to return at any time. However, there are no indications the captain's return is imminent. --With three more power play goals Saturday, the Penguins now have five in their last two games. They went 3-for-5 with the man advantage against Buffalo. --Malkin's hat trick was the Penguins' first this season. Last season the Penguins had four, while not allowing one. It was Malkin's first HT since Nov. 13, 2010 at Atlanta. --Overlooked in Malkin's five-point night was his 12 of 18 wins (67 percent) in the faceoff circle. --The Peguins won 61 percent of the draws and out-hit Buffalo

22 --Malkin and James Neal extended their points streaks to five games. --C Craig Adams left the game in the third period with a lower body injury and did not return. He is day-to-day. --The Penguins improved to in their last 11 home games. --It was the fifth game that the Penguins have played in back-to-back nights. They are now overall, with a record in the second game. --Bylsma is now 8-2 all-time against Buffalo. --Collectively, the Penguins are now 14-4 against the Sabres since They are in their last dozen home games against Buffalo. --Buffalo's Lindy Ruff is the second-longest tenured coach in the four major pro sports. Only the San Antonio Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich (1996) has coached longer with one team than Ruff, hired July 21, Endgame: Penguins 8, Sabres 3 Saturday, / 9:57 PM / Features By Sam Kasan Center Evgeni Malkin was playing so well the past few games that it was only a matter of time before he burst out with some points on the scoresheet. Malkin scored three goals for his seventh career hat trick and chipped in two assists to tie a career high with five points to power the Pens to an 8-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at CONSOL Energy Center. It was an offensive assault by the Pens, as 14 different players figured in with at least one point and seven recording multi-point games.

23 More on Malkin and the offense here. It was a banner night for the Pens as several players hit career milestones. Marc-Andre Fleury won his 200th career NHL game Simon Despres scored first career goal Carl Sneep played his first career game and notched first career point (assist) Pascal Dupuis posted his 300th career NHL point Brooks Orpik recorded his 100th career NHL point (More on Fleury s 200th win here). We haven t handed out that many pucks after a game ever, since I ve been here, head coach Dan Bylsma said. Simon Despres gets his first NHL goal. That celebration and that smile says a lot about what playing in the NHL is all about. And it all caps off Flower s 200th win. Despres, the Pens 2009 first-round draft pick, scored on a one-timer from the near circle on a power play. The puck slid under the pads of goaltender Ryan Miller. I just tried to get it on net as best I could, Despres said. I was fortunate it went in. I was pretty pumped to get a nice goal and not a bad one. I m happy with that one. Sneep, Pittsburgh s second-round pick in 2006, sent the puck around the boards from behind his own net. Forward James Neal stick checked a Sabre to allow the puck to clear the zone. Malkin found the puck in the Sabres zone and barreled to the net, lifting a backhander over Jhonas Enroth s shoulder to give Sneep his first career point. It was a lot of fun getting to play your first game and getting a point in your first game, Sneep said. I had a great day. I had a blast and it s fun to be a part of a win like that. Sneep was called up in the morning and drove 5-plus hours all the way from Wilkes- Barre/Scranton for the game in Pittsburgh. And he ll always have the memory of that elongated pass for an assist to tell his kids.

24 I wasn t even looking for (Malkin), he said. I just threw it up the wall. (I ll tell my kids) it was tape-to-tape saucer pass. It wouldn t be a Penguins game without an injury. With about 12 minutes left in the second period Craig Adams went to the locker room and didn t return. Bylsma said after the game that Adams has a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. The Penguins have a ridiculous 10 players currently on the injured list and have suffered 170 man-games lost this season. Currently out of the lineup are Robert Bortuzzo, Sidney Crosby, Dustin Jeffrey, Kris Letang, Ben Lovejoy, Zbynek Michalek, Richard Park, Jordan Staal and Brian Strait. Malkin's Hat Trick Powers Total Team Effort By Michelle Crechiolo Saturday wasn t just a great day for hockey it was an absolutely fantastic night for Evgeni Malkin. The Russian superstar scored his seventh career hat trick and added two assists to give him the fourth five-point night of his career in the Penguins 8-3 win over Buffalo. A great day today, Malkin smiled after the game. On my first shot I scored. On my second shot I scored again. It was a lucky day for me and I m glad. Malkin s dominant effort gives him a team-leading 36 points on the season which moved him into a tie for fifth place among the NHL scoring leaders.

25 He s played in just 26 games, two less than Claude Giroux and four less than Steven Stamkos, Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul the three players ahead of him. But Malkin said winning a second Art Ross trophy which is very much within reach isn t his focus right now. It s trying to regain top form after undergoing surgery back in February to repair torn ligaments in his knee, something that he still doesn t feel he s quite reached yet even with a performance like tonight s. No, I m not thinking about my points. I m trying to find my game, he said. I lost a pretty long time with my knee, you know. I started a little bit slow and now I feel a little bit better. I m just trying to find my level and continue to play better every game. With the way Malkin had been playing as of late, a night like tonight was certainly overdue. The dynamic and gifted center had truly been taking over games all over the ice, shooting pucks from everywhere and anywhere and had been getting points to show for it just never more than two in a game. It might be a surprise he hasn t gotten more, but I think in some of the games that he s played especially recently he s gotten nine shots (in games) and his scoring chances are in double digits, head coach Dan Bylsma said. When you get scoring chances in double digits, you re doing a lot of things well. Tonight, he obviously got the goals and assists. Forward Chris Kunitz said Thursday the rest of the Penguins needed to follow along and pick up their game like Malkin has, and that was certainly the case Saturday. Fourteen different players got on the scoresheet for Pittsburgh, including all six defensemen and four of the recent callups from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In addition, six Penguins aside from Malkin had multiple point efforts. And after a stretch where the Penguins had dropped four of their last five games, a resounding victory like this was much needed and well-deserved. We did a great job tonight, Malkin said. I think we deserved this win.

26 Fleury Hits 200 Marker By Kaitlin Zurawsky Saturday s game against the Buffalo Sabres was full of milestones for the Penguins in an 8-3 victory at the CONSOL Energy Center. It was especially memorable for goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who became just the second goalie in Penguins history to notch 200 wins (Tom Barrasso, 225). Fleury became the fourth-youngest netminder to win 200 games since the expansion era, and among active goaltenders, Fleury is the second youngest to reach the milestone trailing only the Devils future hall of famer Martin Brodeur. It s pretty cool, Fleury said. You don t really think about it when you come in the league, but I m fortunate to play with many good players and many good teams. Fleury, who stopped 23 of 26 shots against Buffalo, has become the fifth active goalie to reach 200 wins in fewer than 400 games (393). The veteran goalie has been a solid player for the Penguins, which has been the major contributor to their success amidst numerous injuries. He s an extremely talented goaltender, but the consistency he showed last year and again this year has really been a big part of the confidence to go out and know you re going to be in hockey games and know you re going to have a chance at every hockey game, head coach Dan Bylsma said. Fleury s consistency has seen him start in 26 of the 33 games played so far this season and a record of He is on pace to tie his career high with 40 wins projected over 67 games. Continually being the rock of the Penguins roster throughout his career has allowed Fleury s name to be spoken alongside the best in the game.

27 I think he s right up there at the top of the league with the best goalies, Bylsma said. Malkin leads Penguins past Sabres Saturday, / 11:12 PM Alan Robinson - NHL.com Correspondent PITTSBURGH -- Evgeni Malkin commonly enjoys games like these with the help of Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal or Kris Letang. On this creative night of improvisation for the Penguins, Malkin's co-stars were Carl Sneep, Alexandre Picard, Simon Despres and Jason Williams. The result? The Evgeni Malkin that the Penguins have waited two seasons to see. Malkin scored three goals -- a pair of them during a four-goal first period in which much of the Penguins' offense was generated by players called up from the minors -- and Pittsburgh roughed up goalie Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres 8-3 on Saturday night at Consol Energy Center. With the help of the five fill-ins who recently joined the injury-thinned Penguins, Malkin produced his seventh career hat trick and five points. Rapidly moving up the NHL scoring list, the former Art Ross Trophy winner has four goals in two games and 12 points in his last five games. Surprisingly, Malkin the NHL scoring champion has only one other game this season with more than two points. His hat trick was Pittsburgh's first since Chris Kunitz's against Tampa Bay on Jan. 5, the final game Crosby played last season, and Malkin's first since Nov. 13, 2010 against Atlanta. "I'm not thinking about my points," Malkin said. "I'm trying to find my game. I had a long time with my knee and now I feel better. I'm just trying to find my level and play my best every game."