Letdown - Devils 5, Penguins 2

So what happened?

The effort may have been there, but the intensity wasn't, as the Pens were down 2-0 by the end of the first period.  They were unable to mount any kind of attack at even strength, and were also unable to figure out how to dump the puck away from Martin Brodeur.

All of these things, along with a completely hideous non-call against Ilya Kovalchuk while the game was still in doubt, led to a bad showing in New Jersey.

Who knew the Pens could predict the Super Bowl winner?  They beat the Boston team but lost to the New Jersey team.

Who scored?

Niskanen (3), Malkin (29)

The Good?

• The power play scored twice.

The Bad?

• A slow start killed the Pens.  The Devils were up 1-0 before the game was three minutes old.

The Ugly?

• The non-call against Kovalchuk.  The Pens were on the power play and he was pressuring Paul Martin, who was going back to retrieve the puck in the Pens' zone.  Kovalchuk put both hands on Martin and turned him partially in order to get around him and play the puck.  It led directly to the goal scored by Zubrus.  Really terrible non-call, and it made the game 3-0.

Any Surprises?

• I was mildly surprised to see Fleury start after how well Johnson played against the Leafs earlier in the week.

What's their record now?

The Pens are 30-19-4.

Who's next?

Montreal, against Captain Slew Foot, on Tuesday