Blown tire - Jets 2, Penguins 1

So what happened?

Off of the opening faceoff, Michalek blew a tire, which led directly to a 3-on-2 (complete with tic-tac-toe passing) and Kyle Wellwood putting the puck behind Marc-Andre Fleury.  Eight seconds into the game and the place is going nuts.  It was the worst possible start for the Pens.  It was 2-0 at the end of the first, and it took until a bit into the second period before the Pens were able to "get to their game" as HCDB likes to say.

They had some incredible scoring chances in the second and third period.  Pavelec was up to the challenge - he stopped everything the Pens threw at him and then some (he allowed just one bomb from Michalek).

The disappointing thing about this game was that the Pens really didn't seem ready at the start of the game.  I'm not sure if they were stunned by a goal eight seconds in, but they just didn't have it during the first period.

Who scored?

Michalek (1)

The Good?

• Flower was great.  He stopped everything you could expect him to, and a few more on top of that.
• Pavelec was even better.
• The chances the offense generated were encouraging, especially without Sid and Geno.
• The PK was solid, though the Jets aren't exactly fearsome.  Watch out for Buff's shot and you've pretty much shut them down.

The Bad?

• A slow start.
• An inability to finish scoring chances.  There were at least two where you said to yourself: "How did they miss that?"
• Tyler Kennedy missed the game with concussion symptoms.  Yikes.

The Ugly?

• The power play, blanked again.  They need to come through in games like this.

Any Surprises?

• I know it isn't the first game like this, but "Richard Park, first line center" has to be the surprise of the year so far...

What's their record now?

The Pens are 3-2-2.

Who's next?

A trip to Minnesota for a game tonight against the Wild.