These players have definitely made the Penguins better as a team and will most definitely be a part of taking our Pens to the playoffs [SCF] this year!
Alex Goligoski
Goligoski has finally proved he deserves a spot on the Penguins roster at training camp this season and finally made it to the NHL. Goligoski has significantly contributed to the team's power-play and the Pens are very much dependent on his skills since he currently plays the left point on their top power-play unit. He has also scored 2 of the Penguins 8 power-play goals so far this season and averages 5:54 of PP time per game which is more than any other Penguin except for, of course, captain Sidney Crosby (averages 6:12).
- B/R Ticket Guide
Mike Zigomanis
Nobody really knew much about this guy until Penguins GM, Ray Shero, picked him up from the Phoenix Coyotes for "future considerations." What a gem this one turned out to be! He was picked up for the very reason we are thanking Shero now for this "sleeper" trade: he has made the Penguins a better face-off team which is really quite remarkable considering they were last in the league finishing last season with a 46.1 winning percentage (especially knowing they were ranked 11th in the league so far this season going into last Monday's game against the Bruins - that's 52.2% of face-offs won)!! Even though Zigomanis is a major part of why the Penguins have become better at winning face-offs, other Penguins who actively take face-offs have also elevated their performance in this area as well according to PPG. Players such as Max Talbot (58.2%, 45% last season, Sidney Crosby (55.4%, 51.4% last season, and Jordan Staal (43.5%, 42.2% last season) appear to have a noticeable difference in winning face-offs.
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2 months ago
I know I wasn't alone when I said "Mike Zigowho?" when the Pens picked him up. Shero has a rare talent for finding specific players to fill specific roles, and do a hell of a job at it, and this was another prime example.
2 months ago
Malkin is still terrible in the faceoff circle. I forget which game specifically he lost a draw in the defensive zone that led to the opponents scoring? Might have been Semin's goal in the Capitals' game, but I'm not positive.
Anyways, maybe Ziggy should take Gino aside for a few hours, or days, and work with him.
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