Penguins 3, Hurricanes 0

This one can be described simply: Pens Kick Stuffing Out Of Hurricanes.

Sidney Crosby scored two goals and setup the other as the Pens beat the Hurricanes. The score could have been 6-0 if not for the superb goal tending of Cam Ward. I still say he's largely mediocre, but he played really well tonight. The score was just 1-0 after two periods when the Pens finally started to cash in on their numerous chances.

There were two critical factors for the game:
The Pens killed off numerous penalties early on, including one at the end of the first and one near the end of the second. Those kills were KEY, as the Pens were only up 1-0.
The Pens didn't get down when they couldn't beat Ward early on (other than Crosby in the first) - they just stuck to their system and kept working, eventually cashing in twice in the third to put the game out of reach.

Fleury played really well when the Pens needed him tonight, though they didn't need him to totally dominate the game like the score might indicate.

We didn't really hear Errey and Steigy talk about Brind'Amour on the face offs TOO much (I think just once or twice), but we did hear about how wonderful Cam Ward is. I have to wonder, have they looked at his stats? I know he won the Cup and all, but his numbers aren't deserving of the hyperbole he received. He had a GAA of 3.68 and save % of .882 last year (not good) and 2.82 / .898 so far this year. He is still young (only 22), so he'll probably mature into a fine goalie over the long haul.

In total, this was a great win for the Pens, allowing them to build some momentum. That's a good thing, because things aren't going to get any easier.

Next up: at Buffalo on Friday. This one will be tough.