Penguins 5, Sabres 2

The Pittsburgh Penguins overcame a slow start to defeat the Buffalo Sabres. They were down by one goal twice during the game, but used four third period goals to beat the visitors. Another great come from behind win. The Pens have to be feeling good about their chances in any game when they enter the third.

Recap:

Not much doing in the first period.

The Pens went on the power play, and Steigy proceeded to remind us that the Sabres were amazing on the penalty kill (they had only allowed ONE power play goal on the road so far this season). The Pens acted like they knew it, as the Sabres jumped all over anyone with the puck on the side boards. The Pens were unable to work the puck around and make the Sabres chase (which, in my opinion, would loosen them up a bit).

The Sabres struck first with a rebound goal by Pommenville, who was left all alone to the left of Marc-Andre. He was able to lift the puck over Fleury's left shoulder from a bad angle.

The Pens looked much better on their next power play chance at the end of the first / beginning of the second. This time, they were able to work the puck from high to low and get some movement in the offensive zone. It didn't pay off, but it did set the tone for the next power play.

On their next power play, the Pens did a great job of puck possession. It paid off when Malkin took a pass from Goligoski and blew a one-timer past Miller. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement - Miller managed to get an arm on the shot, but it went through and trickled over the goal line for a power play goal.

Late in the second, the Sabres went on the power play. Vanek pushed off on Eaton and took a cross-crease pass, depositing it behind Fleury in one smooth motion. Nice hand-eye coordination, cheap push off.

Early in the third, Godard had a great chance in front of Miller, but couldn't quite get all of the puck and Miller was able to make a nice save.

From that point, things slowed down a bit (as much as end-to-end hockey can ever really slow down).

Sid and Geno teamed up about halfway through the third and generated a quality scoring chance with Sid setting up Fedotenko for a nice chance. Unfortunately it didn't pay off.

Satan drew a penalty and put the Pens on the power play.

Just 30 seconds into the power play, Miller speared Staal right between the legs after a frozen puck. No call by the Clueless Zebras.

It didn't matter, as the Pens ran the "Whitney Play" for the first time this season, with the role of Ryan Whitney played by Alex Goligoski. Sid threw the cross ice pass to Alex who buried the puck into a nearly open net. Tie game.

The third line scored the third goal, giving the Penguins the lead. Cooke took the puck behind the net and sent it out to Staal, who found the back of the net. 3-2 Pens!

Just a few minutes later, Malkin leads a three-on-two break, staring at Sykora all the way. At the last second, he found Fedotenko, who beat Miller. 4-2 Pens!

Staal finished things off with an empty netter.

Notes:

• Great effort from the third line tonight. They were everywhere.
• You could feel Lindy Ruff's pulse increasing as the Pens tied the game and put the Sabres out of their misery.
• Nice to see a multi-goal game from the power play. That's just the third time this season.
  
• Four goals in the last 10 minutes of the game. Wow.

Next up: Things get Wild at the Igloo on Tuesday night. Last home game before the Pens play 9 out of 13 on the road.

Game #17 - vs Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo Sabres (9-4-3, 21 pts) at Pittsburgh Penguins (10-4-2, 22 pts)

What more could you ask for? This is a Saturday night contest between two of the top teams in the East. Both teams like to get up and down the ice and play an entertaining brand of hockey.

Expect Michel Therrien to be emphasizing consistency. The Pens have one of the weakest five game winning streaks in recent memory. Each of the last four games have involved either coming back from multiple goal deficits (Detroit, New York) or blowing big leads (Edmonton, Philly). The power play hasn't been much help lately either.

The Sabres are also struggling, despite their decent record. They've lost three of the past four, including a bad home loss to Columbus last night. Their power play has also vanished over the last three games, and Ryan Miller has been inconsistent. During a recent four game stretch, he allowed 5 goals in the first and last game and recorded two shutouts in the middle two.

Oh yeah - there's some powder blue jersey thing going on tonight as well.

Let's Go Pens!

Penguins 5, Flyers 4 (OT - SO - 1-0)

The Flyers are dumb. They continue to get Crosby fired up, and Sid continues to burn them. He scored two goals tonight, including the game-tying goal late in the third. You'd think those smart guys would know to leave Sid well enough alone.

The Pens had a 3-0 lead and the Flyers scored four straight to take the lead. I was thinking the Pens may be done at that point, but they found a way to get the two points in the shootout.

Early in the game there wasn't much going on. Both teams feeling each other out. Neither one could do much on the power play.

The line of Kennedy, Staal and Cooke played really well, and it paid off with a nice wrist shot by Cooke that found the back of the net. We also have to give thanks to Biron for sliding off of his angle.

Prior to the start of the second period, Steigy gets back to talking about Tyler Kennedy. I quote:

"That's maybe the one thing we don't give Tyler Kennedy enough credit for. He is a... He's got a lot of little skills. He can move the puck...."

Yes, that's right - it's another reference to "little" with Tyler Kennedy. Take a drink!

Just 1:11 into the second, Geno made the score 2-0 after an extended shift. Fedotenko, Sykora and Malkin had been on for an extended shift and they stayed on as the puck headed towards the offensive zone. It could have backfired had they been caught up ice. The puck, however, wound up being buried.

Just a few minutes later, the Flyers started a penalty parade. The Pens took advantage when Sid went high on the backhand over Biron's left shoulder. Great goal, and great lead. 3-0 Pens.

The Flyers decided to play hockey again when (and it pains me to say this) Jeff Carter had a nice deflection to make the score 3-1.

The Pens went on the power play when Scott Hartnell continued his fine tradition of absolutely STUPID penalties. That turned out to be part of the Flyers secret strategy, as the Gagne blocked a Goligoski shot and beat both Alex and Geno down the ice. Flower went for the poke check on Simon, but missed. 3-2 Pens after Gagne buried it on the backhand.

Max Talbot took a penalty, but I don't think we were ever told what he did. the Flyers power play seemed to last forever. The Pens did an excellent job killing the penalty.

Max came out of the box and had a near-breakaway, drawing the penalty. He did get a shot off behind his back with the stick between his own legs. Pretty amazing shot.

Coburn used the free hand on Malkin during the power play. The Zebras didn't want to put the Pens on the two-man advantage, so there was no call. Just a bit later, Gagne notched another shorty.

Two short-handed goals allowed in one period is pretty sad. HCMT had to be burning up inside.

Eaton took a penalty with only a minute left in the period (Upshall earned a 9.7 for his tumbling skills) and Carle promptly hit the crossbar. Lucky (for the Pens).

The Flyers cashed in when the puck deflected and floated over Fleury. The Flyers had come all the way back and taken the lead. Horrible second period to be certain. The good news is that it was only a one goal game going to the third.

Fleury was yanked to start the third period. Therrien was looking to shake things up in my opinion, because while Fleury could have stopped Gagne's second goal, but I can't see that the other ones were his fault.

The third period started out kind of sleepy. Things were gummed up, and the Flyers were (mostly) on good behavior.

HCMT tried to get things goin near the halfway point by pairing up Sid and Geno again. Didn't help.

Therrien continued to shorted the bench, putting Staal with Sykora and Satan.

Carter took a cheap hit on Malkin near the boards. Geno's leg bent awkwardly underneath him. Carter's head needs to be bent awkwardly.

Lupul took a penalty, putting the Pens on the power play with about 8:00 remaining.

The Pens were screwing around with the puck too much on the power play. Patience is good, but at some point you have to get the puck to the net. Biron is not that good, but he'll be amazing if you don't shoot.

Is anyone else getting really tired of seeing the obstruction that occurs when one defense has the puck and the other one wanders in front of the pursuing forward like a member of a grazing herd of cattle? The Flyers are annoyingly professional at it. Of course, it might not be that much of an act since many of their defensemen are slower than molasses.

Sid took advantage of a fortunate bounce from behind the net and blew the puck past Biron. Tie game!

The game was going to overtime.

Did I mention the Flyers are morons?

Sid almost brought the house down on a rush up the left side, blowing past Carle and nearly beating Biron, who made a nice save.

Geno almost did the same with a nifty deflection that didn't get past Biron.

In the last minute, Carle coughed up the puck deep in his own corner, Malkin took advantage and again nearly beat Biron.

Richards almost scored with less than 10 seconds left in OT, but he hit the side of the net.

It was time for the shootout.

Biron has allowed goals on both shootout attempts he faced this season.

Sykora was up first. Biron broke his streak of allowing goals.

Sabu poke-checked Gagne, which was lucky since he (Sabu) was in the process of falling over.

Letang also missed.

Sabu again looked bad, falling over, but reached back to make an insane save on Richards.

Crosby had the puck fall off of his stick.

Carter couldn't do it either.

Malkin tried the backhand and just couldn't get the puck on the net.

Timmonen hit the post.

Satan had Biron beat, but Marty was able to do the last-chance poke-check.

Lupul tried five-hole and Sabu said no.

Goligoski tried his first shootout in the NHL, and he beat Biron. Great move by Goligoski.

Hartnell never had a chance, but his comical game-losing attempt was significant in that it's the only one that I've ever seen where the skater (Scotty-not-so-hottie) ran over the goalie. It was typical, but it didn't matter, as the Pens had won the game.

Great job getting the late goal and winning in the shootout.

Next up: Third jersey time on Saturday night against the Sabres.

Game #16 - vs Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers (5-6-3, 13 pts) at Pittsburgh Penguins (9-4-2, 20 pts)

For my money, this is a bigger game than the matchup against Detroit on Tuesday. Here's why:

• The Flyers are the Pens' biggest rival.
• It's a divisional game, so the effect of the points is magnified.
• You just love to see a cheap team lose, and you really hate it if they win.

The Flyers have been able to score goals this year, and their power play is strong. Sadly, as good as they are in those areas, their defense is just a porous. They're Goals Against and PK are both 24th in the league. The Pens need to take advantage of that.

It won't matter who is in net for our friends from across the state, because neither one has been very good this year. You have to wonder who will go for the Pens in net. Will Therrien put Flower right back in there to show that allowing 6 goals isn't the norm, or will he give Marc-Andre a break and let Sabu and his 1.90 GAA get a shot?

Any way you look at it, this will be a good game, full of intensity and not so nice trash talking. I'm looking forward to it.

Let's Go Pens!

Penguins 7, Red Wings 6 (OT)

Wow.  Just wow.

What else can you say about the way this game ended?

This is the kind of action and environment that can revitalize the NHL.

The Pens were down 5-2 after Zetterberg scored with about 15 minutes left in the game.  From that point forward, the Pens simply kept on coming.

Malkin kicked things off by managing the Pens' only goal on the power play (the Wings scored three).  That made the score 5-3.

Staal scored his first to cut it to 5-4, but then Hudler blasted one past Flower to make it 6-4.  At that point, I was thinking that it was a nice comeback, but they were probably done.

I was completely wrong.

Jordan Staal scored twice more in the third, the last one with 23 seconds left to tie the game and send it to OT.

At that point, I was grateful the Pens managed to get a point out of this after being down 5-2 in the third.

The Pens were done yet, and even though they couldn't score on a power play through almost the first two minutes of the OT, they were able to get the game winner when Fedotenko buried it past a sprawling Osgood.  The assist?  Yep - Jordan Staal.

Wow - you can't say much more about a game like this one, at least with the third period and OT.

How nice is it to look at the box score and see that the Red Wings' superstars were all at least a -2?  That includes Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Rafalski, Franzen, Lidstrom and... oh yeah... some guy named Hossa.

Makes you a bit anxious to see the rematch at the Igloo, no?  That will take place on Sunday, February 8th.

Great win for Pens tonight.  Will be nice to see if this propels them to better hockey.

Next up:  Those lovely boys from Philly come to town again on Thursday night.  Can't afford a letdown!

Game #15 - at Detroit Red Wings

Pittsburgh Penguins (8-4-2, 18 pts) at Detroit Red Wings (9-2-2, 20 pts)

Forget the hype. This will be a good hockey game.

Detroit is a well rounded team this season. They have the top power play in the NHL right now, at just over 30%. They really don't draw that many penalties (they're 26th in the NHL in overall power play chances), but even with that, they lead the NHL in shots. That tells me that they're effective at generating offense at even strength.

For the Pens, their power play has largely deserted them in recent weeks. At the same time, the PK has stepped up and done the job. That will be tough against the Red Wings.

Much has been made of Hossa going to Detroit. Marian has picked it up even more this year. He has 17 points (8 + 9) and is a +9. That's solid.

Ty Conklin has also played well as the #2 goalie. If When Osgood gets hurt, Ty can fill in, as we saw here last year.

Franzen has been hurt. He's looking to return for this one. Lovely.

The Pens will need to play a disciplined road game. Don't take dumb penalties and keep the shots to the outside. If they let the Red Wings play their possession game, the Pens will be in trouble.

Let's Go Pens!

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

The Pens were very lucky to get out of Long Island with one point, much less two.

A few things right off of the bat:

1. The ice was horrible at the Coliseum. I saw more pucks jump over sticks and more players wipe out in ruts (especially in the third) than I can remember in any other game recently.
2. The last save on the shootout by Sabu was another weird one - the puck was inside of his left pad, near the knee. This was the only part of him that didn't wind up in the net. Great work by Sabu.
3. The Islanders had this game won, and they blew it in the third by being out shot 18-1 (and it wasn't that close)

The Islanders were the better and sharper team through two periods. The Pens were the victim of their own incompetence in allowing the Isles to score twice in the second, especially considering they had four power play chances.

The main reasons the Pens were still in the game going to the third were Kennedy, Staal and Sabu. TK teamed up with Ziggo on a nice passing play, putting the puck into an empty net. Staal had a great individual effort, taking advantage of bad ice. Sabu made several key saves to keep the score close.

Once the third period arrived, the Pens turned the Islanders zone into a shooting gallery, notching 18 shots and finally managing to tie the game on a nice Kennedy redirect of a Goligoski shot.

The shootout was all Sykora and Sabu. Sykora beat MacDonald with a similar move to what Staal had done earlier (last second backhand, put up high). Sabu made three key saves and won it for the Pens.

Malkin took a shot off of the hand / wrist and didn't come back until 5:00 had gone by in the second period. Hope he's okay. He did play the remainder of the game.

Next up: It's a biggie - at Detroit on Tuesday.

Malkin is much older than we thought!

They can't afford the proofreaders north of the border, eh?

Here's the original article, written by the Calgary Herald.

I may have a post coming about said article, which talks about the new injury policy in the NHL. It's a bit on the whiny side, but it's classic for the way they structured the story. Basically, they had Jason Arnott call Adrian Aucoin a "retard".

Game #14 - at New York Islanders

Pittsburgh Penguins (7-4-2, 16 pts) at New York Islanders (4-8-1, 9 pts)

Let's get one thing out in the open: the Islanders suck right now. They're tied with Florida for the fewest points in the East. They have a nice road win over the Rangers, but other than that, the nicest thing you can say is that the last five games were one-goal affairs.

The Pens aren't exactly firing on all cylinders these days either. After a fairly miserable road trip where they dropped three out of four, they returned home and almost squandered a five-goal lead. They need to get the consistency back in their game.

The Islanders take more penalties than the Pens do currently, but they've also scored 6 shorties in the first 13 games. That's something to watch out for after Souray put a shorty behind Flower on Thursday.

DiPietro and Witt are both hurt and won't play. I won't miss Witt in the least. Doug Weight is also listed as day-to-day. On the Pens' side, Sid might miss the game, as he left practice early on Friday. My gut says he'll play, but you never know - he might want to be ready for the big Tuesday showdown with the Red Wings.

The Pens need to win these road games against weaker opponents.

Let's Go Pens!

Satan's double five hole goal

This is Miroslav's first goal from the game against the Oilers. It's not the easiest to see at this angle, but if you watch closely, you can see him take the puck between his legs and then beat Garon between the legs of the goalie (hence the double five hole name)

Penguins 5, Oilers 4

This would have qualified as the Loss of the Year had the Oilers completed their comeback.  Fortunately for us, they didn't.

The Pens built a 5-0 lead on some timely scoring and excellent goaltending.  The Oilers fell behind largely due to Garon's inability to keep the puck out of the net.  He left with the Oilers trailing 5-0.  The Oilers brought in their backup of the night, Drouin-Deslauriers (possibly the longest last name of any goalie), who proceeded to shut the door.

The Oilers got one goal late in the second to make it 5-1 going to the third period.  The next three goals in the third were all either great individual efforts (Hemsky), fluky plays (Gilbert), or both (Souray).  Other than the Hemsky goal, I'm not sure we can fault Fleury for them.

The good news is that even though the Pens had a big lead in the third, and the Oilers were coming back on them, the Pens still managed to out shoot the Oilers.  Of course, when you have 7 minutes of power play time, including two minutes of a two-man advantage, you should register more shots than your opponent.

Most of this game was pretty strange.  It's a good thing the Pens will be able to look back and see a "W".

One last thing - make sure you check out the Satan goal in the highlights.  If I remember I'll post it here.  It was sick.

Next up:  A visit to Long Island on Saturday night

Game #13 - vs Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers (6-5-1, 13 pts) at Pittsburgh Penguins (6-4-2, 14 pts)

The Pens were able to put some pucks in the net last Saturday (doesn't that seem like months ago?)  Defensively, they held St Louis to just 22 shots.  You would think that for them to win consistently, they need to hold teams to 30 shots or less each night.  At least it would help keep Flower from going nuts due to seeing 40 shots every night.

The Oilers have managed to add some offense as well, notching nine goals in the past two games.  They've also allowed the same number over the same period.  Probably not what they're looking for.

The Oilers have played twice since the Pens last played, and they're in the middle of a seven game road trip.  This is one that the Pens should win, even though the Oilers aren't bad so far this year.

One of my favorite players to hate, Sheldon Souray, plays for the Oilers.  He has a nasty shot, and has a propensity to deliver borderline hits.  Keep your head up, Geno!

Let's Go Pens!

Big Day - 11/4/08

No matter your political persuasion, make sure you get out and vote on Election Day!

Penguins 6, Blues 3

Just a placeholder. I only saw the third period, but it was exciting.

The good news is that all of the real life activities that have been taking up my time are over, so I'll be back to a more timely posting routine.

The Pens are off until Thursday when Edmonton comes to town.

Game #12 - at St Louis Blues

Pittsburgh Penguins (5-4-2, 12 pts) at St Louis Blues (5-4-0, 10 pts)

Both of these teams are struggling right now.  The Pens have lost three in a row, while the Blues have lost three of the past four.

The formula to stopping the Blues this year is pretty simple - keep their power play in check.  When they score two or more on the power play, they are 4-1.  When they score fewer than two, they are 1-3.

Stopping them will not be easy.  The Pens' PK is improved over last year to this point (86% kill rate), but the Blues are insane on the power play so far this year, with a 31% scoring rate.

Keeping the Blues off of the power play is paramount this evening.  That's not good news for the Pens, because they have been taking some penalties while out on the road.

No word on whether Sid is going to play - it will depend on the morning skate.  That in and of itself is a good sign, because if the injury was severe, they wouldn't be considering it.

Looking forward to seeing a better effort tonight.  Heck, I'm looking forward to actually seeing an entire game...

Let's Go Pens!

Coyotes 4, Penguins 1

These late games are killing me.

This is another one I saw very little of, but the numbers show the maddening inconsistency:

• First period: 2 shots
  
• Second period: 18 shots
  
• Third period: 8 shots (trailing)
  

The Pens had a 5 on 3 for over a minute in the third, trailing by one, and couldn't get one home.  That's the ballgame right there.

Therrien has to be losing a bit of patience.  He was quoted after the game as saying: 

"The system's only 50 percent of the game, after that, the players have to play hard. It's an excuse."

Sid was hurt with five minutes remaining in the second.  He's listed as day-to-day currently.

Next up:  a Saturday night fiesta in St Louis, who have an insane power play.  If the penalty killers aren't ready to go, it'll be a long night.

Game #11 - at Phoenix Coyotes

Pittsburgh Penguins (5-3-2, 12 pts) at Phoenix Coyotes (3-4-0, 6 pts)

The Coyotes have been among the havenots in the league for several years running, despite the presence of Wayne Gretzky.  The young Coyotes have played better in limited action at home (2-1), and Bryzgalov is still an excellent goalie.

Sid and Geno are being split up to generate a more balanced attack across all lines.  The interesting thing is that Staal is being used as a center as well, on the third line.  I'm anxious to see how the ice time is divided up.

Olli Jokinen has been a Penguins killer in the past.  The Coyotes have not done the same, losing the last three to the Pens.

Let's Go Pens!

Sharks 2, Penguins 1

Just a placeholder post.  I didn't see the game, and honestly all I know about it is that the Pens showed no offense.

Game #10 - at San Jose Sharks

Pittsburgh Penguins (5-2-2, 12 pts) at San Jose Sharks (7-2-0, 14 pts)

Quick preview tonight.  

The Sharks are tough at home so far this year, which is in direct contrast to last year when they struggled mightily early in the season.

The Pens are decent on the road so far this year, the kick in the nuts over the weekend at MSG notwithstanding.

The only problem with these West Coast games is that they're past my bedtime.

As a side note, if you're looking to put some money on the Pens, it's not often that you'll get them at +150...

Let's Go Pens!

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

The Pens blew a two goal lead in the third period. That's the bottom line of this game. They built a 2-0 lead, only to allow the Rangers to turn the third period into an offensive onslaught. Not good for the Pens.

The Pens withstood an early charge from the Rangers, who had the first several shots of the game. They didn't make any noise offensively until the midway point of the period when they started to change the momentum.

The only other thing of consequence was the goal that was credited to Sydor. It was a Pinball Wizard shot that bounced off of both Rosival and Kalinen behind King Henrik.

The Pens power play didn't look good at all tonight. Sydor's goal was right after a power play ended, but those two minutes were pretty bad.

The Pens did kill off a full two minutes of 5-on-3 power play during the second, which was huge. The Rangers had several good chances but Fleury was up to the challenge, and the penalty killers did an excellent job.

The Rangers turned the third period into a shooting gallery. They got an early power play goal from Naslund to start things up in the third. The Pens almost weathered the storm, but Zherdev blasted a puck high on the short side past Fleury. The thing that troubled me about the Zherdev goal was that the Pens didn't have a good defensive presence when the game-tying goal was scored. Crosby had missed the open net, and the Rangers somehow wound up with a three-on-two. That's what you call a defensive breakdown.

The Pens were able to turn it back on for OT, which is pretty unusual. They had the far better chances, but Lundqvist was up to the challenge.

The shootout was pretty simple. Crosby couldn't beat Lundqvist to keep things alive. King Henry was just better than Fleury in the shootout.

Notes:

• Nice game by Ziggy specifically, and the fourth line in general. I like Bissonnette, but I think Cooke is a better player right now. It was no accident that Cooke and Ziggy were out there with Talbot with two minutes left in the game.
• If I saw the replay correctly, the refs absolutely blew the call in the third when Fleury was called for touching the puck in the restricted area.
• Boy, the ice seemed pretty bad. In the shootout, the Rangers didn't try to deke much with the puck.
• Fleury was really good. Without him, this game could have ended much ealier.
  

Game #9 - at New York Rangers

Pittsburgh Penguins (5-2-1, 11 pts) at New York Rangers (7-2-1, 15 pts)

Biggest game of the year so far for the Pens tonight.  The Pens and Rangers are two of the top four in the east right now, the Sabres and Habs being the other two.  It's certainly the game of the night in the NHL on a busy Saturday.

The Pens struggled at MSG during the regular season last year, but certainly didn't have trouble dispatching the Rangers in the playoffs.

The strength of both teams so far this year has been the goaltending.  The Rangers don't allow as many shots, but both Fleury and Lundqvist are on equal footing this year in terms of the stats.

The Pens need to take advantage of their chances tonight against the Rangers, because they likely won't get too many of them.

Both teams have been inconsistent with the offense, but the Rangers have struggled even more lately, with just 6 goals in their past 4 games.  Their power play has also been pretty poor so far.

The Pens can take care of business by scoring on special teams and keeping the pressure on offensively.  The Red Wings torched the Rangers with 45 shots last Saturday, so it can be done.

Let's Go Pens!

Penguins 4, Hurricanes 1

The Pens were a bit slow of foot in the first period.  Paul Bissonnette tried to get them fired up, fighting Dan LaCouture pretty effectively, but the Pens were missing that spark.

The Canes took advantage of a flubbed pass by Brooks Orpik, allowing the latest in the Sutter family (Brandon) to walk in alone and flip a backhand shot past MAF.

That goal was the only gaffe by Fleury on the night.  He did mishandle the puck one or two times, but none led to a goal.

The Pens woke up in the later half of the second period with two amazing shifts of puck possession in the offensive zone.  They out shot the Canes 13-6 in the second and generally dominated the period, but had nothing to show for it going to the third down 1-0.

It's a testament to the mental state of the team that they came up and kept up the pressure in the third.  Malkin put on a dazzling display of puck possession, though he was probably trying to do too much and wound up losing the puck and taking a hooking penalty.  That was the Canes only power play, and the Pens killed it off.

Just a few minutes later Malkin was hooked, sending the Pens on their second power play chance of the night.  Malkin fired a puck that Sid somehow tipped past Leighton, the Carolina goaltender who had stood on his head until that point in the game.

The Pens, playing with renewed confidence quickly added two more goals, one by Fedotenko just 32 seconds later, and one by Talbot three minutes after that.  They were the first goals of the year by those players, and they were much needed.

Malkin added an empty netter after Fleury had missed an attempt to score when the Canes pulled Leighton.

Great win for the Pens.  They kept working and never gave up.  Tonight, it paid off.

Next up:  Out on the road for the start of a four game trip on Saturday at MSG.  Big game.

Game #8 - vs Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina Hurricanes (3-1-1, 7 pts) at Pittsburgh Penguins (4-2-1, 9 pts)

The Hurricanes are an enigma so far this year.  They have a decent record, but the three teams they beat have a combined 6 wins in 17 games (Tampa, Florida and Anaheim).

Cam Ward continues to be one of the most overrated goalies in the NHL.  Yes, he won the playoff MVP in his rookie year, and yes, his stats have improved each year.  He also plays a TON of minutes.  Here's the bad part for Ward:  in his 2 full seasons, he hasn't been in the top 30 in goals against average OR save percentage.  That's not good.

The Pens seem to have the ship going in the right direction lately.  They dispatched a bad Leafs team and had great goaltending from Sabu to win in Boston against a very tough Bruins squad.

The bad news for the Pens is that the Canes always seem to give them trouble.  Let's hope that can change tonight.

This is the last home game for a few weeks for the Pens, who go out on the road for four games after tonight.

Let's Go Pens!

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

Tough road game tonight for the Pens.  They matched the intensity of the Bruins and didn't get flustered over some early penalty calls that went against them.  The Bruins, as expected, came out with a purpose.  They were punishing the Pens every time they had the chance.  The Pens took some bad penalties (three of them) during the first, and Boston had the better of the scoring chances early on.

The story of the night, however, was Dany Sabourin.  He turned away the Bruins early push, and almost every other push they would muster on the night.  He made an insane save in the third on Marc Savard's blast from the slot.  Sabu couldn't have seen the shot - he just guessed where the puck was going and got a piece of it with his glove.

The shootout was a bit on the tense side, especially when the opposition shoots second.  Sykora scored in the initial three shooters, as did Kessel, but no one else was able to score until Geno put the Pens up.  Savard couldn't get one past Sabu, which ended the game.

Notes:

• Godard really showed a few things tonight with his speed and forechecking game.  I know BGL had good hands, but I think Godard's speed and tenacity will be a bigger benefit to the Pens.
  
• Can the Pens survive long term with a fourth line that barely plays?  Godard got more time tonight (a bit over 6 minutes), but Bissonnette played less than four.  I think in the long run, Therrien needs to be able to roll four lines.
  
• I know they're a long way off, but what do you do when Whitney and (eventually) Gonchar return?  Sydor is already sitting - who else do you pull from the lineup?
  
• Boston seemed a bit on the cheap side, especially Aaron Ward, who reminds of Brendan Witt a bit.
  

Next up:  The Pens play Carolina at the Igloo on Thursday before heading out on the road.

Game #7 - at Boston Bruins

Pittsburgh Penguins (3-2-1, 7 pts) at Boston Bruins (2-1-1, 5 pts)

This one has a bad feeling to it.  The Bruins are finally getting their home opener, just in time for the Pens first North American foray outside of the Igloo.

The Pens haven't managed to put together a complete game yet, and Boston is always a tough place for them to play (Boston is 6-1-1 against the Pens at home since the end of the lockout).

Wagerline has Boston as the favorite, but the public consensus is on the Pens at over 56%.  The bookies don't like to be wrong, so that is usually a recipe for trouble (road underdog being the public favorite).

The Bruins have two good goalies in Thomas and Fernandez, but they've had some trouble stopping pucks so far this year.

If the Pens can play solidly on the defensive front, they should be able to get some good chances on the Bruins.  The key will be to weather the storm in the home opener - the Bruins are sure to be charged up.

Let's Go Pens!

Penguins 4, Maple Leafs 1

The Pens, while they made the game interesting for two period, really had too much offense for the Leafs tonight.

It was a night of both team and individual achievements:

• Sid notched point #300, goal #100 and assist #200
  
• Geno managed his 200th point
  
• The team won a game they were supposed to win
  
• Jason Blake didn't win the game by himself
  

All of these things were worthwhile, and when you add to that the Pens getting two points out of the deal, it was a successful night.

The Pens did allow the Leafs too many decent chances late in the second and early in the third, but Fleury was there to shut the door even when the Leafs did break through.  It looked like whenever the Pens' forwards thought the puck was heading out of the zone, they'd take off without making sure it actually *did* leave the zone.  That led to a few odd-man chances that Fleury and his D had to stop.  Both were up to the challenge.

Nice win for the Pens.  They were supposed to get two points, and they did.

Next up:  The first trip away from home in North America, to Boston on Monday night.

Game #6 - vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs (1-1-2, 4 pts) at Pittsburgh Penguins (2-2-1, 5 pts)

The Leafs have struggled early this season.  They won their season opener against Detroit and have lost three straight since then.  The silver lining tonight for the Leafs is that they're playing a much more defensive style on the road.  In two road games, they've allowed just three goals total, compared to 11 in two home games.

The Leafs need to play that defensive style away from home, because they're a bit weak on the offense.  They have just 8 goals through four games, including just two on the power play.

The Pens have their own issues, with Michel Therrien trying to get their attention early this season.  After the bad loss to the Caps, HCMT called the team "immature" and labeled their performance as "unacceptable".

This is a team the Pens should beat, given their respective positions.  The Leafs are rebuilding, while the Pens should be stepping up.  Look for a solid performance tonight, or look for some extra pain for the Flightless Birds on Sunday.

Let's Go Pens!

Capitals 4, Penguins 3

Bad loss for the Pens. They jumped out to an early advantage, leading 3-0 early in the second. The Caps started to chip away, and before you could say "badly outshot", they were losing the game.

The Pens sat back too early and weren't able to ramp it up when they needed to.

Someone really needs to kill Ovechkin. He's turning into a real pecker.

First period:

Just 30 seconds into the game, Crosby decides to demonstrate that he's still better than O-Face by taking a puck through two defensemen and nearly beating Theodore.

Ovechkin quickly got back to his man-crush on Malkin by trying to kill him again. I'd say that Alex should let sleeping dogs lie, but Malkin hasn't shown very much yet this year.

I no sooner wrote that than Malkin took a bad hooking penalty. Blech.

Nothing doing on the early power plays for each team. The Caps had some decent chances. The Pens? Not so much.

Early on, Bissonnette is trying to use his size and dish out some punishment on the forecheck. Not much luck catching anyone so far, but he should keep trying.

Wow - Godard gets no respect. He was called for icing when he deflected the puck from just behind the red line. Usually on those calls, if the player can even see the red line, they let it go.

The Pens went back on the power play. Malkin blasted a shot that deflected off of the end boards right to Goligoski. Alex tried to settle the puck, fanned on an attempted shot and then whipped it at the net from a bad angle. It somehow found it's way behind Theodore. 1-0 Pens.

Pens back on the power play to close out the first period. Sure would be nice to get two PP goals in the first...

Ask and ye shall receive. Malkin ripped a shot off of Jurcina that found it's way behind Theodore. 2-0 Pens.

Great first period. Fleury made a few big saves and the Pens got some timely scoring on the power play.

Second period:

The Pens start the second period on the power play, thanks to the lack of focus on the part of the Caps - they took a Too Many Men penalty with under a minute left in the first. Not smart.

The Caps, trying to kill the penalty, flip the puck over the boards. Their heads really aren't in this so far tonight. Five on three for the Pens. If they can score here, it's a knockout punch.

Malkin shot the puck to the net and the Pens crashed the net. Satan finished things off. 3-0 Pens.

Godard took a dumb slashing penalty. I'm not sure that gets called if the Pens hadn't had 37 power play chances in a row.

Steigy did his best to deliver the kiss of death by letting us know the Pens have killed 11 straight penalties.

Nothing can seem to hurt the Pens right now, and they killed the penalty pretty easily.

The Pens couldn't clear the puck - Satan didn't get it out and the Caps jumped on it. 3-1 Pens.

Paul Bissonnette decided things were not going to continue in a sloppy fashion. He and former Penguin Matt Bradley squared off, and Bissonnette absolutely destroyed Bradley. Matt was bloody and dazed. Total domination by Paul.

Ovechkin was still trying to kill Malkin with several attempted hits on Geno. Someone needs to catch O-Face with his head down and send him in to the middle of next week.

Malkin took a boarding penalty when he hit Semin. Ovechkin immediately skated over to Malkin - you thought he was going to drop the gloves, but someone slowed down O-Face (wisely). Big PK for the Pens.

No problem on the PK. Penalty over, no dice for the Caps.

Gill got between Crosby and Semin and somehow took the only penalty. Errey volunteered that it was an even-up call. Nice job, Clueless Zebras.

Green hooked Letang when Kris was trying to clear the zone, and to their credit, the refs actually made the call. Way to go, refs!

The Pens had a backside power play after the Gill penalty expired.

O-Face just tried to kill Malkin... again. Will someone from the Pens step up and knock O-Face on his butt? He's taking runs at Malkin, and it's actually getting kind of cheap. Respect-o-meter is dropping, O-Face...

Third period:

Probably important to slog things up a bit early in the third. The Pens can't let the Caps get any early momentum. A goal would be nice, but just shutting down the Caps defensively would be good.

Annnndddd... the Pens lost a defensive zone faceoff and Semin ripped a wrister past Fleury. 3-2 Pens.

Slog slog slog... not much happening as the midway point of the third period approached.

UNTIL the Caps break in 3-on-2 and have a nice tic-tac-toe passing play with Nylander finishing things off. 3-3 tie.

Fedo lost his stick, and the next 90 seconds looked like a Caps power play. The Pens have lost it, and the Caps have it right now. The Pens have to weather the storm.

Kennedy and Talbot ignite a bit of fire under the Penguins with some hustle. Malkin gets on the ice and the Pens keep it in the offensive zone for awhile. That's a good start, but they can't be content to keep it on the outside - they need shots.

Gill got hit in the face with a stick with no call. The Caps took the puck down on a 2-on-1 with Gordon ripping the puck over Fleury. 4-3 Caps.

The last four minutes started to tick away quickly with continuous play. Fleury was off and the Pens were trying to get things setup. Ovechkin made the really selfish play of shooting for the open net from his own zone, giving the Pens an offensive zone faceoff. The Pens couldn't make them pay for that.

Game #5 - vs Washington Capitals

Washington Capitals (2-1-0, 4 pts) at Pittsburgh Penguins (2-1-1, 5 pts)

So here's a mildly troubling sign - the Pens are currently a huge consensus pick at Wagerline (over 70%).  That's probably too high given how these teams have performed this year.

The Pens are finding a way to get through their early games.  They're clearly not clicking yet, but they still have points in four out of their five games.  So far, the strengths of the team have been goaltending and secondary scoring.  The biggest weakness would have to be the lack of success of their top two lines.

The Caps, after being ambushed in Atlanta in their opener, have won two games at home over Western Conference teams.  The Caps have struggled with their goaltending (neither goalie has a save % over .850), but have managed two nice home wins.

I think tonight will be a closely contested battle, and hopefully Ovechkin doesn't find a way to kill Malkin, because you know he's trying.

Let's Go Pens!

Penguins 3, Flyers 2 (OT)

Quick recap tonight.  Sadly, I missed the first period, so I didn't see anything but replays of the Goddard - Cote bout.  It looked pretty intense.

The Pens found a way to win tonight.  They struggled to put the puck in the net, despite numerous great chances, but still got the big goal when it counted.

The Pens struck with two quick goals in the second period, the first by Orpik and the second by Zigomanis.

With under one minute left in the second, the Pens iced the puck.  You knew if they didn't clear the zone after the icing that it was going to lead to trouble.  What could happen did happen, and the Flyers got the puck past Fleury.  Before the end of the period, they added another to tie the score when Richards won an offensive zone faceoff back to the point.  The shot was deflected - Flower never had a chance.

The third period had several good chances for each team, but the goalies were on their respective games (and there was a bit of luck involved too).

In OT, Dupuis finally buried one of his many chances on a great slapper from the left circle.  That's probably a goal that Nittymaki wants back, but I'm sure Pascal will take it.

I can't talk about a Flyers game without mentioning what goons the Flyers are, especially Scott Hartnell.  In OT, Letang got good position on him and got the puck.  When Kris started to skate away, Hartnell gave him a two handed shove (two of them, actually), knocked down Letang and took the puck.  It led directly to a scoring chance that almost decided the game.  Nice play by the Goon Squad and even nicer job by the CLUELESS Zebras.  It wound up not making a difference, as the Pens struck back in the only way that matters, on the scoreboard.

Oh, and it was pretty funny hears Max Talbot on the radio before the game calling the Flyers "a**holes".

If the Pens keep getting goals from guys like Zigo and Orpik (ie, well rounded scoring), they're going to be dangerous when the big guns start clicking (because they haven't really been clicking yet).

Next up:  O-Face and his boys come to the Igloo on Thursday.

Game #4 - vs Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins (1-1-1, 3 pts)

The Pens are getting their second straight opponent on the second game of a back-to-back.  Saturday had the Devils coming to town.  Tuesday brings those lovely fellows from Philly.

The Flyers had to get rid of their captain, Jason Smith, and local boy, RJ Umberger due to salary restrictions.  Don't feel too bad for them, however, because they still have plenty of firepower.

The Flyers also just got bigger and slower on the blue line, adding 6'5" Andrew Alberts from Boston via a trade.  They do have some size on their defense, but not too much speed.  Hatcher and Jones are both on IR.

Just looking at their roster brings back all of the happy thoughts I had last year during the playoffs.  PFC Downie is there, as are the Scotties (Upshall and Hartnell) and Riley Cote.  I hope Michel Therrien plans to have Goddard at the ready...

The Pens need to try to play a complete period, and after that, a complete game.  They've struggled so far this young season to put it all together.  There are flashes, and Marc-Andre has been excellent, but no consistency.

Let's Go Pens!

Devils 2, Penguins 1 (OT)

A disappointing home opener for the Pens, as they came out strong for about 10 minutes and tried to hang on for the last 50, unsuccessfully. At least they earned a point.

Recap!

Pregame:

Nice introduction of each player. Sykora is still out - he's supposed to return on Tuesday.

First period:

The Pens generated a ton of offense early. They had several decent chances, but no dice against Marty.

The puck possession game was working really well early on too. Several really nice rushes and crisp, quick outlet passes.

We heard how Letang worked on his speed by running all winter, and now Brooks Orpik (the reigning fastest skater on the Pens) can't catch him. Somehow this reminds me of the "he's in the best shape of his life" discussions.

Sydor was playing tonight on the wing on the fourth line, joining a fine tradition started by Orpik and Whitney last year.

First power play was given to the Pens. They looked much better than in Sweden. So much better, in fact, that it took just 24 seconds for SATAN to claim the lost little puck and shepherd it to it's final destination. 1-0 Pens.

The Devils immediately swarmed the Pens after the power play with some desperate play. Unfortunately for them, they also committed an offensive zone penalty, sending the Pens back on the power play.

This power play didn't look nearly as nice. They had maybe one decent chance, but no dice.

And then, before you knew it, the first period was almost over. The only things of consequence were a Zubrus hit on Cooke and Elias taking a roughing penalty after the end of the period.

Second period (Pens lead 1-0):

The Pens started the period on the power play. Goligoski showed some nice presence handling the puck. The Devils were trying to gang up on him and he didn't panic or get rid of the puck. He just showed some patience and bought some time.

Sid decided they'd had enough time on the power play, so he took an interference penalty to even things up.

The Devils had a backside power play for a little over a minute. They didn't do much with it, and the score stood at 1-0 as we got into the meat of the second period.

Gill and Clarkson broke up the tedium of the second period with... a pretty boring fight. Even a boring fight is better than watching the Devils play their system.

The Pens started having some problems clearing the puck out of their zone. Letang failed on a clear, which wound up in a nice shot by Parise. Nicer save by Fleury.

Dupuis took a tripping penalty, sending the Devils onto the power play. The power play felt like the culmination of the heat the Devils have been generating for the last 5-8 minutes of the second period, and they couldn't beat Fleury. Good sign for the Pens.

There was some nice pressure by the Pens. Crosby's line in particular showed some nice skills in the offensive zone. Brodeur was up to the challenge, but it was nice to see what Fedo and especially Satan can do.

Crosby finally drew his first penalty of the season, putting the Pens back on the power play. They couldn't convert.

The Devils had some nice chances before the second period ended. They couldn't cash in, but the Pens would have some work ahead if they want to win the game. They can't keep letting the Devils plaster Fleury with good chances.

Third period (Pens lead 1-0):

Dan Potash interviewed Sid's grandmothers before the period. You were just waiting for one of them to pinch his cheeks and say something like "What a nice boy you are!"

Mike Yeo lets us know that the coaching staff is pretty unhappy with the Pens' performance so far, saying that they're being too cute and not being aggressive enough.

Early on, Staal and Kennedy worked a nice give-and-go, but Jordan couldn't get enough on the shot to do anything with it.

Malkin only has one shot to his name to this point in the game. That's not enough. He needs to get more on the net.

Malkin tried to get the puck to Scuderi out high in the offensive zone, but didn't do a good job of it. Rolston jumped in and took the puck the other way. Not only did he get a good scoring chance, but he drew a penalty. Power play for the Devils, and it was a 4-on-3 for the first minute because of prior matching minors.

The Devils had a bit of heat on the power play, but the Pens also were aggressive on the puck, and they killed off the man-advantage.

Orpik had his stick taken away (literally) by Parise with no call. He then was knocked down by Lagenbrunner. As he was falling, he grabbed the stick of Jamie and pulled him down to. Penalty to Orpik. Nice job on missing the first one, Clueless Zebras.

The Devils nearly scored on the power play when a puck glanced off of Fleury and ran parallel to the goal line. The defense then cleaned up the mess by knocking the stuffing out of any Devils near the crease.

Some nice pressure by Malkin, Staal and Kennedy. Malkin had a nice shot and Staal just missed a chip-in chance.

Crosby gave the puck away to Mighty Mouse. Fleury would have none of that, with a nice save on the slapper by Gionta. Crosby got back and broke up a centering pass with a diving effort. Good recovery by Sid.

The third period was starting to wane (but not fast enough), and the Pens just couldn't get the puck out of their own end for any extended period of time.

A bad turnover by Malkin out high in the offensive zone led to a great scoring chance for the Devils. Fortunately it didn't turn into anything.

The Devils would cash in, however, when the puck took a bad bounce off of the right skate of Hal Gill. The Devils actually deserved it, having dominated the Pens for the entire second and third period. The crappy part was that it came with less than three minutes left in the game. 1-1 tie.

Satan hit Malkin cutting towards Brodeur with less than a minute to go, but the puck jumped over the stick of Geno. That was the third period in a microcosm for the Pens.

The game went to overtime.

OT

You had to hope that playing 4-on-4 would shake things up for the Pens and change their luck.

Michael Therrien sensed something and called timeout just 40 seconds into OT.

Pittsburgh fans show that they understand sarcasm when they gave Fedo the big round of applause after a shot on net.

The Pens had a 3-on-2 and didn't shoot the puck. Letang tried to make an extra pass, and it was broken up. It led directly to a Murphy dump, taken by Parise and FIRED to the far top corner over Fleury. It was an amazing shot, but one that should have never happened.

Only one relevant stat to mention in review - shots:

Devils - 48
Pittsburgh - 15

Just plain bad.

Next up: Those lovely folks from Philadelphia visit the Igloo on Tuesday.

Game #3 - vs New Jersey Devils

New Jersey Devils (1-0-0, 2 pts) at Pittsburgh Penguins (1-1-0, 2 pts)

It's the home opener tonight for the Pens after opening the season in Sweden. I'm sure they're happy to be home and anxious to get on the ice.

The most obvious area in need of improvement is the power play, which faltered badly in their split of games with Ottawa. They also could use some work on their puck possession game and figuring out how to play without having Gonchar and Whitney to eat up big minutes.

The Devils won their home opener last night by beating the Islanders 2-1. Brodeur, who is just 12 wins shy of the career wins mark, was stellar in goal. The only goal he allowed was a deflection off of the skate of his own defensemen (Martin).

New Jersey also has added some firepower in the form of Brian Rolston, and some grit in the form of Bobby Holik. Some of those guys, Brodeur included, are getting up there in years. Maybe Marty will be too tired to give a good effort tonight.

The Devils rolled four lines last night. Everyone, with the exception of Mike Rupp, played at least 10 minutes. That should serve them well tonight.

Kevin Weekes has the role of Mr Irrelevant in the NHL this year - he's the backup to Brodeur, who almost never sits.

If you're going to the game, get ready for a traffic nightmare!

Let's Go Pens!

Pens acquire Mike Zigomanis

The Pens traded for Mike Zigomanis today, in exchange for future considerations.

Zigomanis is a center, is right-handed and has a scoring touch, at least in the minors.  He's 27, and the Pens aren't really in need of any centers right now, so you'd have to think this is a depth signing to help in case of injury.  Maybe a better version of Jeff Taffe?

Senators 3, Penguins 1

At least they spoiled the shutout.

First off, a quick note to Versus:

Dear Versus,

You Suck.

Your announcers all seem to have variations on how to pronounce names. Whoever runs the score display can't ever get the power play information onto the screen until there are at least 30 seconds gone in the power play.

Love,

Igloo Dreams

Back to the game recap, already in progress:

The Pens had a few chances early in the game, but couldn't beat Auld.

Goddard too another dumb penalty (he was the recipient of four minutes) that led directly to the first goal for Ottawa while on the power play. Another power play goal in the third pretty much put the game away.

The Pens were completely ineffectual in special teams situations. They allowed two power play goals against, while not being able to get one of their own until there was literally one second left in the game. That will give them something to work on once they get back to the states.

The new Pens haven't contributed much. You did notice Cooke a bit more today, as he got his physical game going more than Saturday. Satan and Fedotenko? Not so much... Don't even talk about Goddard yet. He didn't see the ice after his penalty in the second period.

The Pens will have some work to do before their next game.

Next up: The first of four straight games at the Igloo on Saturday night against the Devils.

Game #2 - vs Ottawa Senators

Ottawa Senators (0-0-1, 1 pt) at Pittsburgh Penguins (1-0-0, 2 pts)

Round 2 for the Pens in Sweden.  Second verse same as the first, right?

I'd like to see them cash in on the power play in this one.  I thought they were going to regret missing out on those chances yesterday.

After today, there's a break of almost a week, so let's hope the lay it all on the line.

Pens 4, Senators 3 (OT) - Video Highlights

Here are the video highlights from the Pens' victory over the Sens in Stockholm.

Penguins 4, Senators 3 (OT)

That was a nice way to start the season, wasn't it?

The Pens struck early when TK did his patented move.  It's the equivalent of the fade-away jumper in basketball, as he skated out from below the goal line to the left circle, turned and fired a wrister that either went short-side or under the right arm of Gerber.  Bad goal for Gerber to allow.  Great goal for Kennedy to score.  1-0 Pens.

The Sens tied the game on a redirect by Sean Donovan.  Not much Fleury could do about that.  1-1 Tie.

The Pens took the lead again on a short-handed breakaway by Evgeni Malkin.  The Sens dump-in attempt hit the back of Chris Neil, and Malkin took off with the puck.  It was the only true breakaway of the game, and Malkin buried it.  2-1 Pens.

The Sens tied the game again on a power play goal by Heatley, and took their first lead on a short-handed goal by Spezza.  3-2 Sens.

That setup the game tying goal by the person you might least expect, Rob Scuderi.  He took a seeing-eye pass from Sid, took another step and wristed the puck past Gerber.  Great goal for Scuds.  3-3 Tie.  

The game went to OT, and with just 25 seconds left, Tyler Kennedy stripped the puck from Dany Heatley, skated up ice and fired the puck past Martin Gerber.  Pens win, 4-3.

A few notes:

• Ruutu wasn't all that annoying.  He tried to start some nonsense, but really didn't get anything going.  Dupuis did get away with a slash across Ruutu's hands.
  
• Chris Neil, on the other hand, likes to run players, but won't actually fight.  Goddard tried to get him to drop the gloves, but he wouldn't, and Goddard drew the penalty.  The announcers called that a "veteran" move.  I call it a "chicken" move.
  
• Having said that, Goddard needs to recognize the limits and not go over them in drawing penalties.  If Neil won't fight, then just keep agitating him within the rules.
  
• Fleury didn't have to make many difficult saves, but he made all the ones he should.  The only time I was unsure of him was on the Spezza short-handed goal.  Flower seemed to be too deep in the net.
  
• Huge boost in secondary scoring.  Getting two from Kennedy and one from Scuderi was a big plus.  The Pens are going to need more of that this year.
  

Next up:  Quick turnaround against the Sens at 2:30 on Sunday.

Game #1 - at Ottawa Senators (Stockholm)

Pittsburgh Penguins at Ottawa Senators

It's finally here.  You've been waiting all summer.  The Pens start their quest to prove that last year was only a stepping stone to bigger things.

You know the Sens want a piece of the Pens.  You know they have a bad taste in their collective mouth.  If that wasn't bad enough, Jarkko Ruutu is now one of the Sens.  We'll get to see just how aggravating he can be on the opposition.  My guess is it'll be pretty annoying.

The Pens are a marked team in the East now.  They have the biggest names in the conference, and they've proven that they're for real by making the Cup Finals.

The Sens are trying to prove that they're not a team on the decline.  They've made some big changes since the last time we saw them in March.  Redden and Meszaros are gone.  Jason Smith was signed, along with three other new defensemen.  Brian Murray is gone from behind the bench (he's still the GM) and Craig Hartburg takes his place.

The Pens will be trying to avoid an early season slump.  History is not on their side.  The Ducks struggled mightily after opening in London last year, and the Pens have started slowly in each of the last two years.

The game is at 2:30 Saturday afternoon.

Let's Go Pens!

The season starts when??

Can you believe the season opener is THIS Saturday?  There are two games this weekend!  Both against the Sens!  Sheesh...  I have to write the season preview before then.

Gonchar out 4-6 months

Sergei Gonchar will miss 4-6 months.  He's having surgery on Thursday for his dislocated shoulder.

Wow.  I thought the Pens had too many defensemen, but it would seem that Ray Shero may be psychic.

This will be a great chance for the defense to grow up fast without two of their top 4 for an extended period of time.  I see this as very similar to the Crosby injury last year - it will force everyone else to pick up their game.

Here are the top 7 on the blue line (in no particular order):

• Eaton
  
• Sydor
  
• Orpik
  
• Scuderi
  
• Gill
  
• Letang
  
• Goligoski
  

You know, that's still a pretty strong lineup.  Probably a bit lacking in offense, but they certainly have the toughness and speed.

Gonchar out indefinitely

Sergei Gonchar has a dislocated shoulder and is out indefinitely.

That hurts a whole lot. Fortunately, the Pens had a plethora of NHL defensemen on the roster prior to Whitney and Gonchar getting hurt. The quality may not be the same, but the team will certainly get to fill out the roster.

Looking on the bright side, we'll get to see the young guys take a much larger role. I'm especially intersted to see how Kris Letang steps up after a year in the NHL. Maybe Golisoski can pull a Letang and make a case to be a full time member of the defense corps.

You've been where?

So it has been some time since there was regular posting on this blog. I think with the lack of activity during the middle of the summer, it's easy to get away from posting. That is habit forming, no doubt, just like regular posting.

With the start of training camp and the upcoming overseas trip, it's safe to say that regular posting will resume.... now.

Do not ever forget

From the Library of Congress online exhibit "Witness and Response: September 11th Acquisitions at the Library of Congress"

You've been where?!?

It's been quite some time since I've posted here. The real world has shown up and claimed my time. Fortunately, it's the middle of the dead zone for hockey. Still not much going on, other than Whitney's injury.

I'll be back for sure as the regular season draws near, if not sooner.

Ever see a video camera hit by lightning?

I haven't... until now.

Pens sign Matt Cooke

Matt Cooke signed a two year deal worth $2.4 million with the Pens on Saturday. He took a pay cut to come to Pittsburgh.

This is the guy that many people thought the Pens should go after a few years back when they got Jarkko Ruutu. Cooke is, by all accounts, faster than Ruutu. He can also chip in offensively more than Ruutu did.

Cooke will score 10-15 goals and won't kill you with penalty minutes, while bringing a physical presence.

Great signing by GM Ray Shero.

Free Agency - Day 3

Things are staying busy for GM Ray Shero these days. You have to figure that busy time is going to slow down. Here's a synopsis of day 3:

• Miroslav Satan signed for one year at $3.5 million.
• Ruslan Fedotenko signed for one year at $2.5 million.
• Marc-Andre Fleury signed a seven year contract worth $35 million.
• Evgeni Malkin's extension became official. He has essentially the same deal Crosby received.
• Georges Laraque signed with Montreal (3 yrs, $4.5 million).
• Naslund signed with the Rangers and Jagr signed with a Russian team.
  

I really like the Satan and Fedotenko signings. Both guys took a pay cut because of poor performance last year. Satan has been in decline for the past two seasons, but time on Long Island will do that to anyone. Fedotenko is the replacement for Ryan Malone, which is to say he's an inconsistent left wing.

Both Satan and Fedotenko (need a nickname for him soon - Fedotenko is too much to type) have something to prove, and Ray Shero is giving them the chance to prove it. If they play well, they'll get bigger money next year.

Locking up Fleury and Gino leaves Staal as the remaining core component that needs to sign. After his regression last year in the goal scoring department, I'd try to sign him long term. If I'm Jordan, however, I'd want to wait until after this season when I would likely have better numbers to negotiate with.

So what's left? You have to figure the Pens could use more scoring and depth at forward, and they have a plethora of defensemen. Something could happen there. You also have to wonder if they'll be comfortable with Sabu as the backup goalie.

There are still a few things to figure out, but I think Ray Shero has done a great job filling the gaps so far.

Happy 4th of July.

Free Agency - Day 2

I didn't think day 2 could be more exciting than day 1, but it was. Here's the quick synopsis:

• Hossa signs a one-year deal with Detroit for $7.4 million.
• Ruutu signs a three-year contract with Ottawa at $1.3 million per season (he made $1.15 last year)
• Orpik signs with the Pens - 6 years (wow) at $22.5 million ($3.75 million per year against the cap for the math-challenged)

It's great to see the Pens sign Orpik. He brings a much needed physical presence. This does leave them with 8 NHL defensemen (Gonchar, Orpik, Scuderi, Whitney, Gill, Sydor, Eaton, Letang) plus Goligoski. Some of those guys won't be here to start the season.

The rumor is that they're going to trade Gonchar. I can't see that unless you get a really good winger in return. Even with that, I think Sarge has been the glue that holds that defense together. He's top 3 or 4 in the league right now. You can't replace him.

You also have to wonder if the exodus out of Pittsburgh is just guys taking advantage of the team's success. Is there something more here? Is Therrien that hard to play for? Does Gino not speak enough English? Does Sid have nasty BO? The guys that left, except maybe Malone, aren't signing for huge money. Ruutu, Hall, Conklin and even Hossa are taking money that's in the ballpark of what the Pens were probably offering. What's the deal?

Speaking of Hossa, he did deliver a slap to the Pens on the way out in saying that he thought Detroit had the better chance to win the Cup. I can't say I disagree, but it doesn't make it any easier to hear.

There aren't too many impact players left after the first two days (hello, Jaromir), so it will be interesting to see where the Pens go from here.

Hossa signs with Detroit

Just a one year deal for $7.4 million.

My guess is that he didn't give Ray Shero a chance to match, because if I'm Mr Shero, I jump at that offer.

This makes the offensive situation at forward a bit on the bleak side compared to last year. It will be interesting to see how our GM manages to fill in the holes. I don't think it will be Jagr filling them... but that's just my opinion.

Free Agency - Day 1

So what went down today for the Pens in the free agent market? Here's a summary from the Trib. The short version:

Dupuis - 3 years - $4.2 million
Eaton - 2 years - $2.0 million
Godard - 3 years - no dollar amount given

I like the signing of Dupuis and Eaton. Both are good players and both are at good dollar amounts. If Eaton can stay healthy for an entire season, he's a steal at $1.0 million per year. Dupuis at $1.4 isn't bad either.

The only question I have is that the Pens now have 7 NHL defensemen, with Alex Goligoski possibly ready to join the big club. That's before mentioning Brooks Orpik, but I think the Eaton signing may signal the end for Brooks in Pittsburgh.

The Godard signing probably means that there will be no Georges Laraque either - you can't have two right wings that play 5:00 per night, and that's what Godard is. I suppose you could put him in Wilkes-Barre, but you wouldn't think that would happen - he played 74 games in the NHL last year for Calgary.

Adam Hall signed in Tampa for bargain basement dollars - 3 yrs, $1.8 million. Not sure why he didn't resign here. Maybe Ray Shero didn't make him an offer, and maybe he wanted to play more...

The only one I'm really curious about is Ty Conklin. I know the Pens have Sabourin, but Conk signed with Detroit for only $750,000. Granted it was just for one year, but Sabu is only signed for one more year. For that money, you could buy out Sabu and put Conk back in the second spot. Maybe he figures there's a better chance of Chris Oldgood breaking down in Detroit...

No signing yet for Hossa or Jagr. Things will be interesting, that's for sure.