Penguins 4, Stars 3 (OT - SO - 1-0)

That was an amazing game. I'd say it looked like playoff hockey.

The game was back and forth. The Stars scored first on a goal by Zubov. It was a long shot from the point through all kinds of traffic, on the ice and to the far side of Fleury. He never had a chance to see it.

Staal and Recchi scored to make it 2-1 Penguins. Then the Stars scored twice to make it 3-2 Stars with about 10 minutes left in the third.

The Pens caught a break when Ryan Malone drew a high stick penalty on the Stars Jere Lehtinen. It was inadvertent, but that didn't matter. The Pens converted on the power play on Recchi's second goal of the game, and his 500th goal of his career. Congratulations to Mr. Recchi.

The game stayed tied thanks to some amazing saves (and luck) on the part of both Fleury and Turco. Ryan Whitney deserves special notice tonight for several fantastic defensive plays, saving goals at least twice (once out-muscling Eric Lindros when the puck was behind Fleury).

The overtime was back and forth, but neither team could convert.

For the shoot out, the Stars elected to shoot first and Fleury made a great save on Zubov. Christensen then scored on his turn and the Stars couldn't get anything past Fleury. Pens win.

I think this is the kind of game that can really kick start the rest of the season. I'm hoping we're looking back in a few months saying things like: "remember when Fleury stoned the Stars on the shootout" and "remember when Whitney kept the puck out of the net in Dallas?" These type of games can really ignite something.

A few notes:

• Marc-Andre Fleury played great for the most part, but he did seem to struggle a bit with rebound control.
• The Pens have a legitimate second line with Malkin, Staal and Ouellet (though Ouellet is less critical). Staal is really looking like he belongs, and Malkin was flying tonight.
• Having made that last point, if I'm Michel Therrien and I see teams falling into the habit of collapsing on Crosby, I sneak Malkin out there with him once in awhile. Let them all collapse on Sid and have Malkin make them look stupid for doing it.
• Mark Eaton played great in his first game back.
• The Pens weren't horrible on faceoffs (they weren't good either), but didn't it seem like they lost most of them? I was surprised to see they were only down 5.

One last thing - Dallas was extremely classy in stopping the game for Mark Recchi to honor his 500th goal. They seemed like a wonderful hockey town.

Next up: at Phoenix tomorrow night. Avoid the letdown! Think we'll see Thibault?

Game #47 - at Dallas Stars

Pittsburgh Penguins (21-17-8, 50 pts) at Dallas Stars (29-18-1, 59 pts)

The Pens haven't won in Dallas since 1995. Of course, it helps that they almost never go there to play, especially with the new schedule. Still, nearly 12 years is a long time to have no wins. Hopefully that will change tonight. The chances, however, aren't that great.

The Stars don't score very much (they're near the bottom of the league), but they also don't allow many goals. They've allowed the third fewest goals in the NHL. Couple that with a good penalty kill and decent power play, and you have a recipe for trouble.

The Pens need to keep the ball rolling. Getting three or four points between tonight and tomorrow would be a great way to start the second half of the year. Tonight is the night to go for two points. The Stars have only one loss in OT, and that was in a shootout. They're 17-2 in shootouts (5-1 this year), so the Pens need to finish this one off in regulation.

Sergei Zubov will be back tonight for the Stars. I always related Zubie to those "Beware the Penguins" commercials back in the 90s when he was here in Pittsburgh.

Stars blog - I'd love to point you to a good Stars blog that talked about tonight's game. Unfortunately, the only one that has a preview is for subscribers only. That's right - a hockey blog that wants you to pay to read the content. I'm not begrudging the guy anything - if he can make it work, more power to him. So instead, check out the blogs at DallasStarsForever. Nothing specific about tonight's game, but some decent writing.

I'm looking for a strong road effort with lots of energy to start the second half. These guys have to show that they want it. They playoffs are a legitimate goal for this team.

Let's Go Pens!

Mid Season Review - The Players

In keeping with the previous review I did this season, here are my thoughts on the Pens at mid season:

Disappointments

It's a little easier to see who has been below expectations now that we're more than halfway through the year.

Nils Eckman - I know it's not fair to kick a guy when he's down. I also know that he would work really hard. His hat trick stands out as one of the best moments of the season. Having said all of that... he is still the worst on the team at -13. He only produced 15 points in 32 games. That's not good enough for a guy that was expected to play on the top line. He scored 55 and 57 prior to this season.

Colby Armstrong - Much as it kills me, you have to put him on this list. Prior to the season, he was expected to contribute some scoring and be a top six forward. He simply hasn't produced. I will be the first guy to acknowledge that he's filled in well in other areas. He kills penalties. He hits. He works hard. He is a plus player. He does the little things. However, he's not scoring, and that's what he needs to do. I'm hoping for a big second half from Colby.

Ronald Petrovicky - He is a great agitator. He is a tough player. He takes dumb penalties, usually involving blows to the head.

Noah Welch - He's been unable to earn a prominent spot here in Pittsburgh, leading to the consolation prize of "he should be playing 25 minutes a night in Wilkes Barre" from Michel Therrien. Maybe he has Christensen-itis from last year... maybe he just needs time to develop. I know he'll earn a bigger spot, but it might not be this year.

As Expected

Jarkko Ruutu and Chris Thorburn - They play tough, usually don't take dumb penalties and possess the puck in the offensive zone really well. They've also chipped in offensively with a few timely goals (the opening goal of the season by Ruutu was huge).

Josef Melichar and Rob Scuderi - Solid defensive guys. Both are plus players. Both don't make many mistakes. Scuderi especially is a good penalty killer. His defining move, in my mind, is using the stick on the back side of the 5 on 3 penalty kill.

Ryan Malone - I was going to put him in disappointments, but I think he's been largely OK after a horrible start.

Michel Ouellet - Chips in offensively (he'll have 15-20 goals by year end) and is the object of Michel Therrien's man crush. I think he makes the most of what he has. He can be a solid NHLer for a long time, playing on the third line and sniping on the power play.

Dominic Moore - Solid worker, though he doesn't play as much on the PK anymore. Without the solid PK work, I'm not sure what his long term role is on the team. Might be passed by Mad Max.

Surprises

Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney - Both have contributed more offensively than most people could have hoped for, especially in the goal scoring department. Both log tons of minutes. Whitney's breakout passes are wonderful to watch.

Maxime Talbot - Flys around on the ice. Starting to show some offensive skill from time to time. Give him time to develop - he'll be a dangerous third or fourth liner.

Jordan Staal - Everything about this guy is great this year. He's been far beyond any one's expectations, and he's only going to get better. Plays on the PK. Leads the NHL in short-handed goals. He's starting to play a more regular top 6 role on the wing. He's the youngest player in the NHL by more than a year. Simply amazing.

Eric Christensen - I know he's a -9. I also know that we're starting to see why he's so highly thought of with some absolutely sick goals. He's provided some much needed scoring since his recall. He should finish with 20-25 goals if he keeps the momentum going.

Alain Nasreddine - Did you know he's been here for 21 games? I didn't think it had been that long. He's not getting the big minutes, but this career minor leaguer is making the most of his chance, and he's a +6 in just 21 games, which says that he's helping more than he's hurting. Can you ask for anything more from a 5th or 6th defensemen?

Mark Recchi - Big turnaround from last year when he was a -28 with the Pens and then -8 with the champion Hurricanes. He's a +3 and is contributing some important offense from the wing.

Marc-Andre Fleury - He's starting to come up big when the Pens need him the most. He still struggles with rebounds sometimes, but give the guy a break... he's just 22! He's the biggest reason the Pens are in the playoff race.

You've Gotta Be Kidding Me

New category! This is for the guys that just are too amazing for words.

Evgeni Malkin - He's not as consistent as you'd like to see, but when he gets going, he can dominate a game. He has already shown that several times this year, and will likely do more of that as the stretch drive hastens. He will be a huge help in taking some of the pressure off of Sid.

Sidney Crosby - Year #2. Scorer #1. Poster boy for the NHL. Even better on the ice in just about every facet of the game.

So what do you think? Who would you move around? I didn't cover everyone... but this is most of what jumped out at me. Second half starts tomorrow night in Dallas.

Let's Go Pens!

All Star Game - Tonight

Watch Sid in the game tonight on Versus.

He was great last night with three goals in four chances on the shootout, giving the East the victory in the skills competition. Most important out of that is his new found success on the shootout!

The Young Stars game... not so much excitement. Lots of guys skating about 1/2 to 3/4 speed with no real desire. You don't have to hit or check, but you can at least use the breathtaking speed that is a huge part of the new NHL.

Let's hope tonight is a better example of the offensive side of the game.

Mid Season Review - The Team

What a difference a year makes, eh? If you've been following the team at all over the last two years, you know that the difference between this year and last year is like night and day. Ray Shero really shook things up a bit on the roster, and Michel Therrien's system has taken root.

In this article and one other, I'll take a look at the overall progress of the team and it's players through the first half of the 2006-2007 season.

First up, some basic information:

Penguins - 21-17-8 - 50 pts - tied for 8th in Eastern Conference

Offense:
151 Goals Scored
3.26 Goals per Game
29.2 Shots per Game

The 3.26 Goals per Game is 5th in the NHL. This is a team where the perception is that there isn't consistent scoring from the wing. Imagine what these numbers will be if that scoring ever develops! For now, I think we have to be happy with the way the team is performing offensively. They are capable of generating consistent pressure (though not always consistent scoring) with multiple lines, much of it coming out of their disciplined system.

Defense:
148 Goals Allowed
3.11 Goals per Game
31.2 Shots Allowed per Game

Still an area of weakness. The 31.2 shots allowed is 24th in the NHL, while the 3.11 goals allowed is 23rd. This is an improvement from last year, but it's not good enough yet. If anything keeps them from going to the playoffs, it will likely be their defense.

Even Strength:
1.09 5 on 5 Goals For / Goals Against Ratio

The Pens are tough at even strength. They've scored 6 more than they've allowed, good for 11th in the NHL. Strangely, they're much better on the road (+7) than they are at home (-1). This is the reverse of the special teams (as we'll see in a minute).

Power Play:
53 Goals
281 Chances
18.9% Success Rate

The 18.9% success rate is good for 7th in the NHL. The difference, however, between the power play at the Igloo versus on the road is marked. At home, the Pens have 34 goals in 161 chances, good for 21%. On the road, it's 19 goals in 119 chances - 16%. The biggest thing that jumps out at me is that the Pens have drawn 42 more penalties at home than they have on the road. That's HUGE. They need to work on drawing more penalties on the road.

Penalty Kill:
52 Goals Allowed
261 Chances
80.1% Success Rate

There is a similar dichotomy with the penalty killing. The Pens are highly successful at home (19-135, 85.9%) and not so much on the road (33-126, 73.8%). The big difference here is that the Pens have taken the second most penalties at home in the NHL. They're good at killing them off, but that number has to come down. On the road, they're the third worst in the NHL at 73.8%. That simply won't get it done, but I'd attribute it more to having a young team. I think the return of Mark Eaton will have a big impact on that number.

Overall:

The Pens are in a great position. They have games in hand over every team around them, except for Boston. They have FOUR games in hand over the three teams immediately above them (Ottawa, Tampa Bay and Carolina), all of whom are between 4 and 8 points ahead of them.

I don't think anyone thought the offense would be this good (5th in the NHL in goals per game), and I think everyone expected the defense and penalty killing to be a little bit better than it has been, especially the PK on the road.

I think for the second half of the season, we'll see more of the same. The Pens are a streaky team this year, largely due to their youth. Their success in the second half will largely depend on Michel Therrien's ability to get them to play more consistently.

I think (hope) they'll make the playoffs.

Later this week - a mid season review of the players

Let's Go Pens!

Penguins 8, Maple Leafs 2

That was a good old-fashioned butt whooping. The Pens gave up the first goal, got the equalizer within two minutes, and never looked back. It was 3-1 after one, 5-1 after two and 8-2 for the final score. Toronto was beat up one end of the ice and down the other.

The Pens scored FIVE times on the power play, something which will help their numbers greatly (just in time for the mid season review I'll be doing over the All Star break).

Jarkko Ruutu got a chance to show why he should be considered for shoot out duty by converting a penalty shot to make the game 2-1.

Malkin had five assists, Recchi had a hat trick (4 points total) and Crosby had three points (one goal).

Perhaps more importantly, both Ouellet and Malone scored. These are two guys the Pens need badly if they have any thoughts of the playoffs in the second half of the season.

The Pens are now tied for the 8th and final playoff spot with Toronto and the Rangers, and they have games in hand on both of those teams.

Next up: the All Star break. Then on the road against Dallas and Phoenix next Friday and Saturday nights.

Game #46 - vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs (22-20-6, 50 pts) at Pittsburgh Penguins (20-17-8, 48 pts)

Tonight is H-U-G-E. The Pens can finish up the first half with a flourish by beating the Leafs and possibly earning a tie for the 8th and final playoff spot. It would be a great statement for this team to be that close to playoff position with the All Star break upon us. I'm not sure any of us actually thought this was a playoff team (though I'm sure we were all hoping).

Anyway, about tonight: Toronto is one of those odd teams that has a winning record on the road and a losing record at home. Since losing to the Pens at the Igloo back on December 29th, they've rattled off 4 straight road wins, though they're just 1-3-1 at home in that stretch.

The power play for the Leafs has been struggling, scoring just two goals in the last 5 games. Their PK has been uneven as well, allowing NINE goals over that same stretch, though none in their last two games. The Pens need to exploit the special teams. They need to get some power play goals against the Leafs, because at even strength, the Leafs are pretty good.

Leafs Blog - you know, there are a ton of these guys out there, but most of them haven't posted in over a week! Slackers! I'll point you again to Battle of Ontario, a Leafs - Sens blog. Nothing specific about tonight, but a good read overall.

I'm looking for a hard fought game with someone shadowing Mats Sundin all night - that guy kills Penguins for a living.

Let's Go Pens!

Bruins 5, Penguins 4 (OT - SO - 2-1)

Didn't see this one. Pens allowed 44 shots - way too many. They also didn't manage to score in the third against the worst third period team in hockey. That's a double whammy.

Not much else I can say, except that it's nice the Pens managed a point out of the game, but bad that the Bruins earned two points. These games are going to come back to haunt them at the end of the season...

Curious stat - Malkin had less ice time at even strength than anyone but Ruutu, Moore and Thorburn. What's up with that? He was on the power play for 5 minutes, but he played a full 7 minutes less than Sid...

Next up: vs Toronto at the Igloo on Saturday night. Critical game - must have two points - no points allowed for Toronto.

Game #45 - at Boston Bruins

Pittsburgh Penguins (20-17-7, 47 pts) at Boston Bruins (21-19-4, 46 pts)

The Bruins are coming back home after a road loss to Buffalo. For once, the Penguins are in the city of another team, waiting to play them. Seems like that's always happening to the Pens.

The Pens, along with the Bruins, have played the fewest games in the NHL (44). They each have at least three games in hand over the teams in front of them (except for New Jersey), which is critical since they are just a few points out of the playoffs right now.

The Bruins have the second ranked power play in the Eastern Conference, but that's a bit misleading, as they are near the bottom of the NHL in power play chances. They simply don't draw many penalties. They Pens, by contrast, are third in the NHL (though they're only 15th on the road).

The Bruins have been struggling recently, going 2-6-1 in their last nine games. Several of the games haven't been close. The Pens need to jump out early and often against these guys, to keep them in their losing pattern. This is demonstrated by the stats - Boston has been outscored on the season by 29 goals!! They actually have an advantage in the first period, but then have been outscored drastically in the second and third periods. They've allowed more third period goals than any team in hockey.

Bruins blog - check out WickedBruinsFan - Jaci writes a TON! I wouldn't be surprised to see a game preview up for the Pens game - always neat to see the other side.

I'm looking for the Pens to find religion again and get on a roll heading into the All Star break. These are critical points they can earn, and critical points they can deny to the teams nearest them in the standings.

Let's Go Pens!

Penguins 5, Islanders 2

Solid win for the Penguins tonight.

Cheap shots by the Isles at the end of the game.

This is my 500th post on this blog!

It didn't look like a happy ending until late. The Pens were up 1-0 after one period on a sick goal by Christensen. He faked to the forehand and pulled it back around to the backhand, letting the puck slide past Dunham ever so easily.

The Pens allowed a short handed goal when they were on a 5 on 3 power play. That's pretty bad, though the shot by Richard Park was pretty good. They took the lead again, only to have the Isles tie the game once more. This was looking like one of those games where the Isles just hang around and grind it out.

That feeling lasted until about midway through the third period. The Pens had taken a 3-2 lead on a power play goal by Crosby, and then Christensen scored his second of the game on a sneaky wrist shot that surprised Dunham on his right and down low. Crosby added one more goal and that was the game.

Yashin clipped Moore in the face with his stick after a prolonged battle along the boards for the puck. It seemed kind of lazy and dirty, which Bob Errey mentioned on the broadcast.

With less than 30 seconds left, the Pens were on the power play (thanks to Mr Yashin), and they had their top unit on the ice, since both Christensen and Crosby were going for the hat trick. Blake pretty blatantly speared Crosby with the puck nowhere near. According to our erstwhile announcers, that was pretty much an intent to injure kind of situation, and Blake could be suspended. I thought it was cheap and dirty. Hopefully the Pens remember it and play like it when they see the Islanders next.

Other than the stupid stuff at the end, this was a good one. Great win. All the more important, because the distance between the 8 and 9 seed was 4 points coming into tonight. The Pens just vaulted over the Isles to get to 47 points, three points out of the 8 spot.

Next up: at Boston on Thursday. Another chance against a team that's right in the playoff hunt. Time to stand up.

Game #44 - vs New York Islanders

New York Islanders (21-20-4, 46 pts) at Pittsburgh Penguins (19-17-7, 45 pts)

Completely forgot to write a preview today. Blech. Oh well...

Pens should win. Pens need to win. Good time to catch the Isles - they've been struggling. Only 2-7-1 in their last 10 games. They always seem to play the Pens tough, however.

Game is only a little more than an hour away.

Let's Go Pens!

Why does NBC broadcast hockey?

In my game review from the Pens game against the Flyers, I mentioned that I'd do a post about the NBC broadcast. This is that post.

First off, let me say that I know it's hard to do a live broadcast, and that lots of flubs are made on the air. It's not easy to sound coherent, much less intelligent, when millions of people are watching and listening. Generally, I thought that Olczyk was okay and McGuire wasn't quite as good.

For the game itself, the play by play man was Mike "Doc" Emrick, with Eddie Olczyk and Pierre McGuire doing analysis. McGuire was between the benches down on the ice.

Let's take a look at some quotes from the game. Most of this goldmine came in the second period.

1. Emrick asked about systems that teams will play. Edzo noted that the Flyers were playing a 1-4, to keep from allowing the Pens to get odd man rushes against them. He even explained what a 1-4 was. Nice job. Emrick asked if there are other options besides a 1-4. McGuire then chipped in with this gem:

"Yeah, you can go with a 1-2-2 trap, but it gets too convoluted. The best thing, if I'm Philadelphia, is spend more time in the Pittsburgh zone than their own."

Well, it WAS some nice analysis on some defensive systems, until McGuire effectively said "forget all that technical talk - man skate with puck... GOOD!"

2. When talking about Sidney Crosby not winning face offs, something McGuire seemed to be obsessed about, he said:

"Sidney Crosby doesn't have a lot of holes in his game, one of them not winning face offs."

eh... what?

3. One thing I didn't get - when Forsberg knocked down Talbot, he pretty clearly just brought his elbow up into Max's head and knocked him down. McGuire and Olczyk were falling over themselves about how strong Forsberg was. McGuire then said "Maxime Talbot knows better than that." Knows better than what, exactly?

4. When talking about Sidney Crosby killing penalties, McGuire wants Crosby to kill penalties. Edzo points out that McGuire would be one of the first guys being critical of Crosby getting hurt while killing said penalties. McGuire says:

"No way. Mario Lemieux killed penalties and he won two Stanley Cups because of his penalty killing. And other things."

Please stop the madness.

5. Last one on McGuire - I promise. When showing a replay of Crosby blocking a shot, McGuire says:

"You know, if you want to get into the lane and you want to be an aggressive young player, you do what Sidney Crosby does. You go body on stick, not body on body. He gets right in the lane, forcing Zhitnik to shoot the puck through him."

I'm not sure how "body on stick" translates to blocking a shot, but maybe that's just me.

6. My only other issues with the play by play (that I have time left to write about) were Edzo yelling "Happy Birthday!" when showing the replay of Armstrong laying out a Flyer, and no one mentioning the 4 on 4 when Moore was sent off. It was shown on the screen, but no one talked about it.

My last thing to talk about is the commentary between periods. First, someone please take Brett Hull off of television. He's not clever, and he's not Charles Barkley, which is who he really seems to be trying to emulate. Hull must have a man crush on Nittymaki, because he said of Gonchar's goal "it's really hard to stop that". Edzo had said during the broadcast that Nittymaki would "probably like that one back."

Clement introduces a segment for Hull, saying that there's an idea to make the net bigger and asks Hull to comment on that. Hull says:

"Absolutely not. That's one of the dumbest ideas I've heard in an awful long time."

That's fine. He then goes onto elaborate on what HE would do for the goalie and net. He lists:

1. Soften the corners on the goalie pads.
2. Take the arm pads and streamline them so the armhole opens up.
3. Make the gloves smaller, especially the area protecting the wrist.
4. Move the crossbar higher.

What? Doesn't making the crossbar higher make the net bigger? Hey, Brett, saying that something is the dumbest idea you've ever heard and then making said idea the last part of your suggestions only makes one person look dumb.

Ray Ferraro totally went off on Jarkko Ruutu. He said:

"Here's a typical play by a typical player in the NHL. Jarkko Ruutu won't drop his gloves, that's all he does is cause trouble out there and refuses. He's got one goal in 40 games, you know it's guys like that we need to try to weed out of the league. I don't know what a player like Ruutu's doing in the league. He went 37 games without a goal this year, er, last year. He's being consistent, 42 games without one this year."

After some other highlights, Ferraro won't let it go, coming back to Ruutu. Hull is explaining why he thinks they should eliminate the instigator penalty (another stupid idea) and that fighting has an important part in the game. Ferraro agrees, saying:

"And it takes away a player like Ruutu who does nothing but aggravate, nothing but get under people's skin, and the dangerous thing about a player like Ruutu, he has the possibility because he can skate of hurting somebody, somebody that people actually want to see, not a guy like Jarkko Ruutu."

Never mind that Ruutu has been a combatant in several of the Pens most memorable fights this year (he has two fighting majors to his name this season so far). To me, it was a gutless move on the part of Ferraro to go after a guy like Ruutu on national television. He's an agitator, for sure, but he plays an important role on the team. He also has some skill - he was the one who made a nice play on the puck, kicking it to his stick and passing it out to the slot for Gonchar's goal in the first period. He's been a big part of the 4th line that has generated consistent offense for the Pens lately. Of course, a guy like Ferraro doesn't know that, and doesn't care. He just cares about sounding tough against a guy when no one will care.

Last but not least, was the brilliant Mr. Hull, suggesting that Crosby and Malkin should be playing 30 minutes per game. This might be one of the dumber things I've heard in awhile. I checked some time on ice numbers - Martin St Louis leads all forwards with just over 24 minutes of ice time per game. There aren't even any defensemen this year with 30 minutes per game. The reason no one plays that is the game is all about speed and skating. In other words, it's why Brett Hull isn't in the league anymore (well, that and he's old).

Anyway, maybe this could be done on every game that is on the air, but you'd hope for better on a national broadcast, wouldn't you?

Penguins 5, Flyers 3

The Pens looked like they might lose a squeaker to the Flyers today. Fortunately, Derian Hatcher had other ideas. Mr. Hatcher was nice enough to let the puck get by him, and then was simply too slow to have any hope of helping against a two-on-one. Malkin came in on the right side and threw a nice pass across to Staal, who stretched out and punched it behind Nittymaki. Staal is tall, so he didn't have to do the diving effort that Crosby pulled off the other night.

I was really impressed with the way the team kept battling. I know they've dominated the Flyers this year (now 6-0-0), but with the way the Flyers made the most of their chances, I was worried about the Pens folding. They kept their heads up and found a way to win the game.

I'm going to do a separate post about the broadcast, simply because I don't think I've ever heard quite so many dumb things said in such a short time span. I have to go back to the Tivo recording and see how many quotes I can pull out.

The Pens looked like the had the game in control early in the second period. They took a 3-1 lead with less than 5 minutes left in the second, but the Flyers responded with two goals before the end of the period to tie the score. It stayed that was until Staal's goal and Malkin iced things with an empty net goal.

The referees were also quite bad today, I thought. At the end of the second, Alexi Zhitnik hits Crosby about two full strides after Crosby got rid of the puck (meaning, way too late), got him up high in the face. Crosby took exception and stood up for himself and somehow wound up with a double minor (Zhitnik only took a single minor).

Oh, and the last thing - I really don't like Peter Forsberg. He's a great player, but he plays like a grumpy old man. His hit on Ryan Malone was cheap. You don't need to go near the head area unless you're trying to hurt someone, and that's exactly what Forsberg did. Let's hope that Floppa manages to get himself hurt yet again so everyone can talk all they want about how great he is, but he never gets a chance to prove it on the ice.

Next up: vs the Islanders on Tuesday at the Igloo. The Pens will play three games in five days leading up to the All Star break.

Game #43 - at Philadelphia Flyers

Pittsburgh Penguins (18-17-7, 43 pts) at Philadelphia Flyers (11-29-4, 26 pts)

The Flyers are well on their way to the top spot in the draft lottery. No one else is within 10 points of them in the standings. They are, by far, the WORST team in the NHL this season. Sounds like music if you say it aloud, doesn't it?

Having said that, throw out the records today when the teams meet at 2:00 on national TV. The Pens have owned the Flyers this year, and I'm sure there's nothing more that they'd like than to put a bit of a dent in the playoff hopes of the Pens.

Flyers blog - Flyers Fan Central, of course. Good blog - check it out.

I'm looking for a hard-fought win to reverse the fortunes of the floundering Pens.

Let's Go Pens!

Panthers 5, Penguins 2

I don't even feel like writing about this one - it was just that damn bad. Thibault kept the team in the game for awhile, but he couldn't stop Olli Jokinen from anywhere, especially on a slap shot. You have to think that Fleury would have been fast enough to rob Jokinen on his two slapper goals - I can't remember Fleury getting beat much on those.

The Pens were sluggish again. They're appearing on national television this Saturday afternoon in Philly. That would be really embarrassing if they were beat by the Flyers, especially now that Floppa is back playing.

The Pens need to get the ship righted, and do so in a hurry - these inconsistent efforts won't get them into the playoffs.

My oddity of the night - have you ever seen so many players tossed from the face off circle in one game? Especially the Panthers - Jokinen was tossed twice in the second period alone...

Next up: at Philadelphia on Saturday. I wouldn't want to be a Flightless Bird for the next two plus days... I get the feeling Therrien won't have nice things to say after tonight.

Game #42 - at Florida Panthers

Pittsburgh Penguins (18-16-7, 43 pts) at Florida Panthers (15-20-9, 39 pts)

Another game with a team that could contend for the last few playoff spots.

The Panthers are trying to resurrect their season, and were doing a decent job of it, going 5-1-1 until a 0-1-2 West Coast trip. This is their first game back, though they last played on Sunday. Hopefully they'll be caught in the same letdown the Lightning were supposed to be caught in during the last game.

The Panthers power play has been struggling recently, going 2-32 in their last eight games. Their PK has been decent, however, and most of their games have been decided at even strength.

The Pens should certainly have some more room to skate tonight, that's for sure.

Let's hope they have some better success facing a goalie that's not quite as hot.

Panthers blog - it's really pretty sad - there's not much out there in Panther blog land. The main one I could find is On Frozen Pond, which has an article about the Panthers going up against Luongo in Vancouver.

Watch out for Olli Jokinen. He shoots like there's no tomorrow.

Let's Go Pens!

Lightning 3, Penguins 2

Ok, I'm really sick of watching Tampa Bay play. This one was close to another snooze fest, and it didn't help that the lighting in the building was dark, or at least the television feed was dark.

The difference in the game was a non-call. Martin St Louis hooked Gonchar, stripped him of the puck in the offensive zone, and passed to Karlsson who was all alone in front of the net. It was a fairly blatant non-call and directly led to the third goal for the Bolts.

Having said that, Holmqvist was just sick tonight. He made just about every save imaginable on the Pens in the third period, when they had several excellent scoring chances against him. There was just no good way to beat him. The Pens did get one late in the third to make the game interesting (Army basically deflected the puck in off of his body somehow), but Holmqvist stoned them consistently.

Crosby had a great goal early in the game, but both Vinny and Marty scored for the Bolts.

I'm really starting to hate watching the Pens play them.

Next up: at Florida tomorrow night... let's hope the ice is better

Game #41 - at Tampa Bay Lightning

Pittsburgh Penguins (18-15-7, 43 pts) at Tampa Bay Lightning (20-21-2, 42 pts)

Tonight the Pens get a chance to strike a blow for exciting up and down hockey by coming out and flying against the Lightning. They seemed to be stuck in neutral the other night.

I'm not really expecting that to happen, however. What I am expecting is a much better effort against a team that the Pens really should beat. I'm expecting more than 22 shots on Holmqvist, who they should be able to beat, even if he looked dazzling at times the other night.

Bolts blog - I'll put you back to LightningHockeyCentral, for a review of the game from the other night, from the Tampa perspective.

I'm looking for a solid road effort tonight, with the Pens simply outworking the Bolts, who will be suffering the "first home game after a long road trip" syndrome.

Let's Go Pens!

Lightning 3, Penguins 2 (OT - SO - 1-0)

This was a game where the Pens were thoroughly outplayed, especially after the first period. They really had no business earning a point out of the game, but they found a way to get two goals past Holmqvist and earn the point.

Sidney Crosby scored a fantastic goal with three seconds remaining in the second period on a diving effort to tie the game at 1-1. The Lightning took the lead on a goal by a guy (Tarnasky) who had played all of five minutes to that point. It was his second of the year. Why does it seem the Pens always get burnt by players who normally don't contribute?

The Pens tied it after Talbot drew a penalty late in the third and the puck deflected in off of Cory Sarich. Thank goodness for the video review people in Toronto, because the referee on the ice had it completely wrong - he had waved it off initially saying Recchi had kicked the puck.

As I noted in the preview, going to the shootout with the Lightning is generally a bad idea, and it proved to be that was again tonight.

I took away a few positives from the game (other than earning the point)

• The fourth line of Petro, Ruutu and Talbot contributed offensively, largely due to the work of Talbot in my opinion.
• Crosby and Recchi found ways to put the puck in the net when it seemed Holmqvist couldn't be beat.
• The Pens killed a penalty in OT, in a great effort.
• Fleury played really well, and continues to look strong in net.

Next up: another chance at the Bolts on Tuesday in Tampa Bay

Game #40 - vs Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay Lightning (19-21-2, 40 pts) at Pittsburgh Penguins (18-15-6, 42 pts)

The Lightning are ending a four game road trip tonight, and starting a home-and-home series with the Pens. The game in Tampa is on Tuesday. The Bolts have gone 1-2 on their trip so far, and have lost four of their last six games overall.

A few things jump out at me about this game:
The Lightning are the worst team in the NHL at killing penalties.
They're also the second best in the NHL at not taking penalties.

What does that mean? That it's tough to get them to take a penalty, but if you can get a few on them, your chances are good. For the Pens, that means be aggressive in the offensive zone and go strong to the net when you have a chance. Look for players like Crosby and Malkin to excel, but also for guys like Dominic Moore and Max Talbot to use their speed to draw penalties.

This really is a game the Penguins ought to be able to win. They need two points in regulation, as the Lightning are one of the teams the Pens will be competing with for the last few spots in the playoffs.

Oh, and one more thing - AVOID THE SHOOT OUT!! The Lightning goalies have stopped 16 of 17 shots in shoot outs.

Lightning blog - I'll point you to Lightning Hockey Central, mostly because of the post about the dark side of hockey blogging that is the current read. Me, I try and keep my blogging as separate as I can from real life. It's better that way.

I'm looking for a solid home effort tonight from the Pens. They really need to keep the momentum going. Hopefully Vinny the Penguin Killer doesn't hurt them again tonight...

Let's Go Pens!

Penguins 4, Sabres 2

Tonight the Pens played a fantastic road game. The action was end to end for much of the time, and the Pens played it just right. Fleury was solid in net and the Pens were able to get some timely offense. It was a fun game to watch.

There were a few absolutely critical times of the game, when the Pens came up smelling like roses.

Late in the second period, with the score 2-2, Ryan Whitney took a penalty (it was at 17:08). The Sabres had just scored on their last power play and went on the attack. The Pens came through with a critical penalty kill and then drew a hooking penalty on the Sabres. With 2.3 seconds left on the clock, Malkin went top shelf on Miller, giving the Pens their second power play goal of the night at putting the Pens on top to stay.

The Pens took another penalty with just under 8 minutes remaining in the game, but successfully killed it off. That was also HUGE. I couldn't help but think that this was about the time of the game when the team would have folded last year, or even during one of their losing streaks this year, leaving us to say things like "at least they earned a point". Not tonight!!

Whitney, Malkin and Staal each had a goal and an assist. Assists are quite rare for Staal this year, but he setup Armstrong early on quite nicely (Colby fired the puck over the net) and gave the puck to Moore for his empty net goal at the end of the game.

Speaking of the empty netter... according to Steigy and Errey, this was the first EN goal the Pens have scored since BEFORE THE LOCKOUT!! Are you kidding me? Nice to see them actually salt the game away for once, eh?

Next up: a home and home with Tampa Bay, beginning on Sunday at the Igloo.

Game #39 - at Buffalo Sabres

Pittsburgh Penguins (17-15-6, 40 pts) at Buffalo Sabres (29-8-3, 61 pts)

I think the words for tonight are "Litmus Test". The Sabres are simply lethal. There is no discernible weakness in their game. They out score everyone. Their defense isn't much better than average (13th in goals allowed per game) and their special teams are also about average (17th on the power play and 14th on the penalty kill). They simply beat people up at even strength. They also haven't been taking as many penalties lately, which obviously helps.

To make matters worse, they are 7-6-1 in the own division. Playing teams from outside the division (like the Pens), they are 22-2-2!! Ugh.

The Pens will have to play their best game of the year tonight to win. They'll need to out work the Sabres at even strength all night long, and get some timely scoring on the power play. Fortunately, they're coming off a few great performances, so we'll get to see how much they've learned.

Sabres blog - check out the game preview from the Buffalo perspective at BfloBlog.

I'm looking for the Pens to manage a point tonight in a tightly played game, provided they don't get down early to the lethal Sabres offense.

Let's Go Pens!

Lemieux to meet with Kansas City today

According to numerous sources, Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle are in Kansas City today meeting with officials about possibly moving the team to that city in time for the beginning of the 2007-2008 season.

I'm hoping this is a move aimed more at due diligence and making sure the local politicos understand the seriousness of the situation. My personal feeling is that Pittsburgh won't be able to match an offer made by another city like Kansas City, Las Vegas or Houston, largely because those places would be willing to overpay for a franchise.

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.

Game #38 - vs Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina Hurricanes (21-16-4, 46 pts) at Pittsburgh Penguins (16-15-6 38 pts)

The Pens finally got the big win they needed against Toronto last week. Now they try to make it two in a row at home against the Canes. I like their chances. Here's why:

The Hurricanes aren't as good on the road as they are at home. They're 10-10-3 away from their friendly confines. To add to that, the Canes are just 11-13-4 when playing outside of their division. To me, this makes tonight a very winnable game for the Pens, even though they always seem to struggle against the Canes.

Cam Ward continues to be a completely mediocre Stanley Cup winner. His save percentage is worse than Fleury - the only reason his GAA is better is that the Canes don't allow as many shots as the Penguins.

Hurricanes blog - check out Stormbringer's Blog, mostly because he has a recent post about the Nintendo Wii, which I recently obtained. It's awesome :)

Tonight, I'm looking for some scoring on the power play and for Errey and Steigy to talk about how impressive the Canes are on face offs (over and over).

Let's Go Pens!

Penguins 4, Leafs 1

Now that was a hockey game. It had a bit of everything - end to end action, timely scoring, terrific goal tending and a great fight. Most importantly, it was a convincing win for the Penguins.

The Pens opened the scoring late in the first with a power play goal by Christensen, who somehow slipped the puck under the arm of Aubin on the short side. It literally went right under his armpit. Maybe Aubin giggled a little bit after being tickled by the puck. I know Christensen was laughing.

Ruutu got in a fight with Ondrus. Um... wait - let me clarify. First they skated around for what seemed to be 30 seconds waving their fists at each other. The linesmen would have broken it up, but they had fallen asleep watching. After that, Ruutu proceeded to use Ondrus as a punching bag, landing several right hands solidly. In typical Pittsburgh announcer fashion, Steigy and Errey said something about Ondrus doing a nice job and landing some punches later on in the fight, but I'm not sure what they were looking at. Ruutu kicked his butt.

My favorite quote of the night, however, came during that fight. Ruutu and Ondrus were jawing at each other. Steigy said that Ruutu likes to talk and they were wondering what language Jarkko might be speaking in. Steigy said "Finglish". Maybe that was funnier on the telecast. Maybe I was just giddy the Pens had a lead...

After that, in the second, there was some great end to end action, with both goalies making some amazing saves. Fleury allowed a nice rebound, and the old cranky man, Mats Sundin was there to clean up the garbage.

There was a bad penalty taken at the end of the second period by Bryan McCabe at the 20:00 mark, so the Pens opened the third on the power play, and after Sundin took another penalty 16 seconds into the third, the Pens converted on the power play with Gonchar scoring on a shot from the middle of the ice, out near the blue line.

The Pens added two more goals, one on a great slap-pass from Gonchar to Malkin, who directed the puck into an open net, and the other on a wonderful individual effort by Staal, who went to the far side of Aubin on his wrap-around attempt.

Nils Eckman went off with an elbow injury that looked pretty bad. He went down in the corner and when he got up, he went straight off the ice at the door to the locker room - while the game was going on. Hopefully he's okay, but it doesn't look good.

The Pens get a little break again, with no games until next Tuesday. This was a great win. Let's hope the Pens can keep it going.

Next up: vs Carolina at the Igloo on Tuesday.

Game #37 - vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs (17-16-5, 39 pts) at Pittsburgh Penguins (15-15-6, 36 pts)

This is a big one for the Pens. They badly need to get two points. They also need to win the game in regulation - Toronto is one of the teams they'll be trying to pass as we head down the stretch.

The Leafs just broke their own three game losing streak, though they did lose Michael Peca for up to four months with a broken leg.

It's no secret how to beat the Leafs lately - keep them under two goals on the power play. Since before Thanksgiving, every game they score two or more PP goals, they win. Every game they score less than two, they lose. Unfortunately for the Pens, their PK has been wildly inconsistent, even though they've only allowed one REAL power play goal in the last two games (Holik's EN goal the other night was technically a power play goal, but I don't really count that).

Keep the special teams in order and the Pens should win the game. I think it's just that simple.

Leafs Blog - check out Battle Of Ontario, a blog about the Leafs and Sens. They're predicting a 5-4 win for the Leafs tonight.

I'm looking for a big win at home tonight. Crosby scores and the Pens win.

Let's Go Pens!

Thrashers 4, Penguins 2

When you look at the game tonight, you wonder how it was that the Penguins lost the game. What was it that made the difference?

The Thrashers scored their three main goals (not counting the empty net goal at the end) on really nice shots that Fleury really had no chance to do anything about. The Pens did battle back and tied the score at 2 in the first minute of the third period. They nearly took the lead or tied it again several times, but just couldn't do it. Crosby hit the side of the net on a wide open cage in the third.

What is it that makes the difference for a team? What makes these close contests start turning from losses into wins on a consistent basis?

I'm going to go with Michel Therrien's opinion. After the game, he basically answered the question for me, saying that the team is young and inexperienced. A game like this, facing adversity and giving it all you have (and he was satisfied with the team's effort) builds for the future, and THAT will turn these narrow losses into victories.

Let's hope he's right.

Next up: vs Toronto on Friday at the Igloo. Mats Sundin is a Penguin killer.

Game #36 - vs Atlanta Thrashers

Atlanta Thrashers (22-10-6, 50 pts) at Pittsburgh Penguins (15-14-6, 36 pts)

The Pens return home tonight to play the Thrashers for the third time in the past three weeks. The Thrashers are a lot like the Pens in that they're quite streaky. They're different in that their hot streaks are longer and more frequent than the Pens.

Right now, the Thrashers are hot. They've won 4 in a row, and done so largely without the assistance of their fearsome power play. Except for their win against the Pens last Thursday, they haven't scored a power play goal on their win streak.

The Penguins are on the other side of the tracks right now, having been thumped pretty badly in three of their last four games. Their power play has been non-existent, and their PK hasn't been much better (I'm not counting the games against the Devils and Blues - the PP on those teams isn't anything to write home about), allowing NINE goals in three recent games against the Isles, Canadiens and Thrashers.

Expect this one to be anything but a snoozer like last night. This should be up tempo, with lots of speed and end to end action.

According to PittsburghSportsInsider.com, Fleury will be in goal (good) with Moore and Petro being the healthy scratches. Christensen gets another chance on the second line with Malkin and Army.

Thrashers Blog - Try Do The Thrashers Have Large Talons? - this guy is in Pittsburgh tonight with a shirt showing Kovalchuk pointing the glove. If you see him at the game, be sure to be polite (and protect him from any drunken yinzers who are distraught over their beloved Stillers).

The Pens are back home, so the PK should be much better (even sans Moore). I'm hoping for a win to turn things around.

Let's Go Pens!

Devils 3, Penguins 0

In a game that was much closer than the final score, the Devils played their system and the Pens couldn't find a way to beat it.

The Flightless Birds had their chances, and managed to ring two off of the crossbar behind Brodeur, including one by Malone that looked identical to the goals from the night of his hat trick.

The bounces just didn't go the way of the Penguins tonight, however. They couldn't generate any kind of sustained attack (and no attack at all in the first period). They needed a counter punch to the chances the Devils weren't able to convert, but it never developed.

Malkin played what had to be the best -3 game ever, as he was clearly visible playing both ways and back checking in his own end.

This night will just be added to the long list of struggles for the Pens against the Devils since the end of the lockout.

Next up - vs Atlanta at the Igloo tomorrow night. No rest for the weary!

Game #35 - at New Jersey Devils

Pittsburgh Penguins (15-13-6, 36 pts) at New Jersey Devils (19-13-3, 41 pts)

The Eastern Conference is really bunched up right now. The Pens are third from the bottom of the conference (currently tied for 12th). However, they're also just three points out of the playoffs, and five points behind the division leader, who they happen to play tonight. They really need to rattle off a nice run as they head into the midway point of the season.

Unfortunately for the Pens, who aren't a bad road team, the Devils are the best team at home in the East. They are 11-3-2 overall.

Fortunately for the Pens, the Devils are 0-2-1 in their last three games at home.

The Pens are 1-2 against the Devils so far this year, and didn't look very good in the two losses. The game in New Jersey, which is the most recent, was the worst by far.

Devils blog - check out In Lou We Trust, which looks pretty similar in style to this blog.

I'm looking for a good road effort tonight, with the Pens managing to eek out (yes, that's a technical term) a slim victory. Army scores and the Pens win.

Let's Go Pens!

Merry Christmas!

To everyone out there on the internet, we here at Igloo Dreams wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!!

Now get some sleep - Santa will be out soon.

Thrashers 4, Penguins 3 (OT - SO, 2-0)

It's good to earn a point out of this one.

The Pens were in the hole 2-0 before Jordan Staal made a great play while the Pens were short-handed. He stole the puck and beat Lehtonen before he could set up.

Of course, then Thibault allows a relative softie, and the Pens are down 3-1. I thought that the way things have been going for this team the last few games, that it was over right there.

Ryan Malone makes it 3-2 in the third with a garbage goal (I'm sure he'll take it) and Sid ties it with 16 seconds left.

The only shame is that they couldn't find a way to get the win.

Thibault was beaten on both attempts for the Thrashers in the shootout, and Christensen and Crosby couldn't do anything for the Pens. I didn't even get a chance to think evil thoughts about Kovalchuk!

Anyway, it's good to get a point.

Next up: the Pens are off for Christmas. They play next Tuesday at New Jersey.

Lemieux takes team off the market

In a statement released today, Mario Lemieux said that:

1. The team is not for sale any longer.
2. The Pens will begin looking at other cities.
3. As soon as they are able, they'll begin talking with Pittsburgh about a viable arena plan.

Here's what I'm taking away from this -

• He didn't mention the words "Plan B", while using the word "viable". That says all you need to know about the Pens opinion of Plan B.
• It's good that the team is off the market, though I've always thought that anything is for sale, given the right price.
• I hope the officials around here don't think that the statement about negotiating with other cities is an idle threat. I fully believe that the Pens will move if it suits their needs. I think Lemieux is tired of being yanked around by politicians. You know what? I'm tired of it too.

Game #34 - at Atlanta Thrashers

Pittsburgh Penguins (15-13-5, 35 pts) at Atlanta Thrashers (19-10-6, 44 pts)

The Penguins return to the scene of the crime in an attempt to duplicate the start of their recent hot streak that ended so abruptly against Montreal and St Louis.

The Thrashers are trying to get on a roll themselves, having won in New Jersey in a shoot out. Prior to that win, the Thrashers had lost 5 in a row, three of them at home.

The special teams for the Thrashers have been struggling big time lately. They have just three power play goals in 28 chances, spanning six games. They've also allowed 9 goals in 28 chances over that same span on the penalty kill. That's obviously not very good.

Having said that, the Pens will have to shake off the negative vibes coming from the slots license award yesterday, as well as avoid falling into another prolonged losing streak. Only one other time this season have they gone three games without earning a point, so let's hope they can avoid that fate tonight.

Thrashers blog - Same as last time - the Blueland blog. Are you in Atlanta? Then you can win free tickets to the game tonight if you act fast! Check out the lead post on the blog.

I'm looking for a solid effort from the Pens tonight, earning at least one point. Hopefully they'll come out hopping to shake off any of those negative vibes from yesterday.

Let's Go Pens!

PITG Gaming awarded license

This would be filed under "You have got to be kidding me!"

Don Barden's group was awarded the slots license. This is one that no one ever saw coming.

Update: Welcome to everyone from the excellent Casino Journal on the Post-Gazette website. If you like the Penguins, stop back throughout the season. Things are only going to get more interesting from here!

Slots license update

On KDKA Radio, they just reported (at 10:30 AM) that the Gaming Control Board meeting is just getting under way. They agenda was handed out and the issuance of the licenses is at the end of the agenda, so it's "going to be a while" before we hear anything.

I just hope they get to it today.

Tomorrow could be the big day

The decision could be made tomorrow about the casino slots license. I'll put something up here as soon as I hear anything. This may be one of the few days I actually listen to the radio!

I guess when it comes right down to it, I'm not sure how you can argue with $290 million up front without any strings. However, I have enough faith in PA politics that I'm sure someone can find a way to line their pockets, er, I mean, make that argument.

Pens acquire Wade Brookbank

The Pens have acquired defenseman Wade Brookbank from the Boston Bruins for "future considerations". He's another enforcer type that will fill a Dennis Bonvie type of role at Wilkes-Barre. I imagine the Pens are stockpiling a few of these guys since they got rid of Andre Roy.

Blues 4, Penguins 1

Totally crappy. Those are the only words I can use to describe the game.

I don't know how you can go down 3-0 to a team like St Louis. I'm not sure how you allow that 4th goal after you've scored to make it 3-1. I guess this team doesn't have things figured out just yet. Hopefully we aren't waiting too long before they start to figure it out.

We're really seeing some growing pains in watching this team try to mature. It's not been an easy process - when they're on fire, they're unstoppable. When their confidence is shaken, they can't score.

The Pens need to regroup - they have to go to Atlanta to play a tough game on Thursday night.

Next up: at Atlanta on Thursday

Game #33 - vs St Louis Blues

St Louis Blues (7-19-6, 20 pts) at Pittsburgh Penguins (15-12-5, 35 pts)

The Blues are bad. How bad? Really bad. Consider these pieces of information:

• They've lost 11 in a row (3 in OT or SO).
• During that 11 game streak, they've scored more than 2 goals only twice.
• On the season, they've scored more than three only 8 times, and more than four only once.
• On the season, they've more than one power play goal only three times, none since October 30th.
• They've yielded a power play goal in seven straight games.
• None of their goalies have a save percentage over 90%.

Simply put, this is a game the Penguins should win. It comes at the right time for the Pens, as they were just knocked off of their hot streak by the Habs on Saturday night. The penalty kill should get a chance to have some success against a weak Blues power play. Provided they can continue to put the puck in the net, the Pens should have their way with the Blues.

Blues Blog - Well, there's the Blue Note Blog, but there's not really anything up there in the way of a preview of tonight's game, so I'll link to the game day thread off of letsgoblues.com. The majority of the opinion so far seems to be that the Blues will get spanked. Optimism is great!

I'm looking for a hard-working, hard-skating effort from the Pens tonight with goals from Malkin and Whitney (let's go out on a limb). Nothing less than a Pens victory will suffice.

Let's Go Pens!

Canadiens 6, Penguins 3

This one can be described quite succinctly - penalties and penalty killing.

The Habs struck for FOUR power play goals. That's the difference in the game, right there in a nutshell. Take a penalty and the Canadiens were making the Penguins pay for it. The Pens, for their part, couldn't take advantage of their numerous power play opportunities in the first period and third period, especially when it would have made a difference in the game.

The encouraging thing is that other than the PK, the team looked quite strong, I thought. They played well at even strength and that bodes well for the future. They really need to get better on the PK, though, and stop taking so many penalties. I know they were being out skated by the Habs, and that led to some of the penalties, but they have to find some way to avoid the sin bin.

Next up: vs St Louis at the Igloo. This one is a SHOULD win game.

Game #32 - at Montreal Canadiens

Pittsburgh Penguins (15-11-5, 35 pts) at Montreal Canadiens (18-8-4, 41 pts)

No time to type a proper preview - suffice it to say that it's a big game against a good team. The Pens are hot right now and need to keep it that way. Fleury will be in goal and hopefully Christensen won't be scratched again.

Let's Go Pens!

Jim Balsillie withdraws bid to buy Penguins

The Pens released a statement about the ownership situation, located here.

Basically, Balsillie is out. I can see this being for one or two reasons (or both):

1. He found out that he really can't move the team as easily as he thought he might be able to.
2. He found out that IOC will lose the casino license next week, and doesn't want to get caught in the nightmare of PA politics and / or spend the money to keep the team here, as he would be pressured to do under Plan B (where the B stands for Bad).

Either way, as long as the Pens get a new arena (preferably via IOC) and an owner who can and will spend money keeping this team intact, I don't care.

Penguins 7, Islanders 4

This was a great game for most of the time. All of the time, in fact, except for about three minutes in the third period... but I'm getting ahead of myself. First, the positive:

The goal onslaught continues. Sidney Crosby continues to be on fire as he's playing with a winger that is showing the ability to finish. That winger isn't named Recchi, Malkin or Armstrong - it's Malone. Ryan had the hat trick tonight, but since it was ski cap night at the arena the ice was littered.

The Pens put the throttle down early and didn't let up until it was 6-1 with 10 minutes remaining in the third period. That's when my negative comments come into play.

First, the Pens seemed to go to sleep a bit. They took some bad penalties (though crappy calls, to be honest) and couldn't kill the penalties. This was due in large part to my biggest frustration of the evening - Jocelyn Thibault's total inability to prevent a stupid rebound. All three of those goals were shots straight in on him that rebounded right out in front of him. I know the Pens D should take care of that, but on the PK, that might not be possible. The Pens needed Thibault to be their best penalty killer, and he was killing them instead.

Anyway, enough harping. The Pens won. The PK needs to be better, but I don't think all of those goals go in if Fleury is in net.

Congrats to Malone on the hat trick, Recchi for his 800th assist, Crosby for crossing 50 points for the season and Thibault for his first win of the year.

Next up: at Montreal tomorrow night.

John Leclair no longer a Penguin

I'm a little late in posting this one, but John Leclair is gone. He was given his unconditional release. This means he is an unrestricted free agent, free to sign with anyone. The Penguins will not have to pay him the remaining portion of his $1.5 million contract for this year.

He will count $1.8 million against the salary cap for this season, though I can't see that being an issue as the Pens are nowhere near the cap, and even if they add salary through trades, they still won't get that close.

I hope John lands on his feet. He wants to play in the NHL this season. Hopefully he catches on somewhere.

Game #31 - vs New York Islanders

New York Islanders (15-11-3, 33 pts) at Pittsburgh Penguins (14-11-5, 33 pts)

If the playoffs began today, the Penguins would be one of five teams with 33 pts. Two of those five would make the playoffs. That's quite a turnaround from last week when the Pens were sinking to the bottom of the conference, though the Lightning have 30 points and are the third worst, so the margin of error is small.

The Pens have won three straight games. Tonight they try to make it four in a row. They need to keep winning to stay in the playoff hunt.

The Islanders are somewhat similar to the Penguins in that they're fairly inconsistent. They've had a few hot streaks, but have been unable to avoid losing multiple games in a row a few different times this season. They've allowed the second lowest amount of goals in the Eastern Conference, but this is deceiving. The Isles have allowed at least three goals in seven straight games. The key to beating them lately is to keep their offense in check. The Pens were able to do that a few weeks back when Marc-Andre Fleury stood on his head and got the win. He'll need to do something similar tonight.

The Pens need to keep the hot streak rolling and earn points. The power play has been especially hot lately, while the Isles PK has been especially weak lately. This needs to be exploited tonight.

I'm also hoping that someone manages to get Satan to actually fight instead of lining up a cheap hit, getting into a confrontation and then holding on for dear life instead of fighting.

Islanders blog - there really isn't a decent Islanders blog that I can find in my quick look around. It's really kind of sad. I guess the closest I can find is the blog on the official site, written by the players and coach. It really doesn't say anything. If anyone knows of a good Islanders blog, I'll put it in my preview when the Pens play the Isles again.

I'm looking for a strong effort tonight from the Pens and a home victory. These teams match up well in that they both are good at even strength, and erratic on the power play. Whichever team executes better on special teams is likely to win the game. I think it'll be the Pens.

Let's Go Pens!

Penguins 8, Flyers 4

Dear Flyers,

I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say how much I appreciate you. I've never seen a team so completely self destruct and shoot themselves in the foot, and I watched the Penguins do it quite a bit last year!

You opened the game allowing two quick goals, one on a great shot by Chris Thorburn (that would have been hard to stop, even if it was the Penguins 4th line) and the other one by Derian Hatcher, who so nicely deflected the puck past a perplexed Nittymaki. Just to make Derian feel right at home, the goal went to Sidney Crosby.

Once things settled down, you battled back into the game and actually tied the score at 2, even though this is the kind of game that those in attendance will deny the score was ever close when they tell their children and grandchildren about watching Crosby score 6 points in a game.

However, your good efforts were for naught, as Todd Fedoruk decided to show us that Derian Hatcher might not be deserving as the sole target of Pittsburgh derision by taking the first of his four penalties on the night. Pittsburgh put you out of your misery within the minute and the rout was on.

The shame of the evening is that this game didn't have to be out of reach for you. If you hadn't taken all of those STUPID penalties, this might have been a much closer game, and for that, I thank you.

Your bestest friend,

Igloo Dreams

p.s. - wasn't Jordan Staal's short handed goal with less than 10 seconds left in the game awesome?

p.p.s - I'll really miss you - I won't get to see you for a whole MONTH... January 13th in Philly