Versus needs some competition

The 2008-09 All Star Skills competition was on last night. The stars put on a decent show. The television broadcast? No so much.

Just to recognize a few of the nice things they did, here are the highlights from my perspective:

• The interview with Geno was nice. Kudos to Malkin for stepping up to the mic when it had to be tough for him.
• The camera angles that they had were decent, and when they managed to capture the event, it didn't look bad.
• Someone was psychic in putting a microphone on Marc Savard, who made the finals of the elimination shootout contest. He was entertaining, and it was fortunate he made it to the finals, or he would have left the ice as everyone else did when they missed.

Now the bad:

• How many attempts did we flat out miss because they were show a replay, or worse yet, showing a player on the bench WHILE THE EVENT WAS GOING ON??? I've never witnessed such poor production work on a professional event.
• Even when they had the event covered live, the camera they used was the wrong one. I'm thinking specifically of Patrick Kane's trick shot where he used the handle of the stick instead of the blade. It would have been nice to have a good angle of him doing that, instead of a view from ice level, where you couldn't really tell what he was doing.
• When the announcers were talking about the flex in the stick blade on the hardest shot competition, wouldn't it have been nice to have a slow motion replay that actually showed the thing slowly enough to see the stick flex? CBS has those nice super slow motion cameras for the NFL. I'm sure they're expensive. I don't care. Buy one and use it. Hockey happens so fast that slowing it down on replay can only increase the appreciation among the casual fans.
• When you're showing the Young Stars game, and there is a developing 2-on-1, DON'T CUT AWAY. They did this a few times, and it was really frustrating to watch. I know that game is all offense, but we want to see guys perform some fancy passing and shooting, not an interview with Jay Boumeester (seriously - he really didn't seem to want to talk, because no one is that bad on an interview intentionally).

I think that's enough bashing for today.

Was the trick shot competition a bit of a letdown to anyone else? Some of the guys pulled off really sick moves (Getzalf especially). Some others (Ovechkin) were a letdown. Using the props were cute, but why use two sticks if you're not going to really do anything with them? Not much skill and a bunch of show that wasn't all that exciting.

I'd say let's hope the All Star Game today will make up for it, but I seriously doubt that it will.

Penguins 3, Rangers 0

Suddenly, when you look at the recent results for the Pens, they've won three of their past four games and have a chance to go into the All Star break on a strong note with a win on Tuesday.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The game today was excellent. If you had said prior to the game that

• The Pens would face King Henrik
• Neither Crosby nor Malkin would record a point
• Sykora would get less ice time at even strength than anyone on the team

I would have told you that the Pens would be in trouble.

Instead, it was another great team effort with everyone doing their part and the team relying on each other.

Minard scored his first of the season. I think he has the chance to hang around on this team if he starts putting the puck in the net. He's a good goal scorer, and the Pens could certainly use that on their lower lines.

Kennedy and Sykora both scored as well, Petr on the power play on a great pass from Ryan Whitney. The replay showed pretty clearly how Sykora got behind the D and pointed / motioned to Whit for the stretch pass. It worked to perfection, and Sykora beat Lundqvist to the short side.

As Whitney said after the game, the team just put the 1-2-2 trap in place before the Philly game, and it has paid immediate dividends. I think having the Wilkes-Barre guys here, essentially filling two lines, has helped that adjustment. They're used to playing the system down on the farm.

Next up: The aforementioned huge game on Tuesday against the Hurricanes.

Pens acquire G Mathieu Garon

The Pens acquired goalie Mathieu Garon from the Edmonton Oilers today in exchange for G Dany Sabourin, F Ryan Stone and a 4th round pick in the 2011 draft.

Garon was brought in to be the backup to Fleury. I'm not sure why they made the move, other than the fact that they like Garon more than Sabu. Both players are unrestricted free agents after the season, and Garon costs about double what Sabu costs.

Garon is a bit smaller than Sabu, and is an excellent shootout goalie. He was the best in the NHL last year, stopping 30 of 32 skaters and going 10-0 in shootouts. He was the starter last year for Edmonton, but hasn't played well this year on a consistent basis.

Ryan Stone joins the list of players inherited by GM Ray Shero that were never able to find their niche here in Pittsburgh (Filewich and Carcillo to a lesser degree).

Good luck to both Sabu and Stone in their new uniforms. Here's hoping Garon can provide some capable starts behind Flower.

Penguins 3, Ducks 1

Great effort by the Pens tonight. They benefited from some lucky bounces (say "Thank You, Hockey Gods" from Matt Cooke) and played some nice team defense. This was probably unexpected, given that the third and fourth line were straight out of Wilkes-Barre (other than Godard).

The effort from the PK was especially good. The Ducks scored on their first chance with the man advantage, cutting Matt Cooke's the Penguins lead to 2-1. The Ducks were gifted with three more chances, and three times the Pens killed those chances. Bill Thomas and Dustin Jeffrey both played important minutes on the PK in the third period, and both came up huge.

The Pens parade to the IR continued when Brooks Orpik left the game. No word on what his injury might be, but Ryan Whitney came up huge, playing almost 30 minutes with extended time on both the PP and PK.

All of the forwards played well. Everyone seemed to keep their game simple, except for Geno a few times (and who would begrudge him that?) One in particular to point out was Chris Minard. He isn't the fastest skater out there, but if you contribute 5 shots on goal and 4 hits per night, you'll earn some time in the NHL. I hope he can stick and contribute while the Pens are down a few guys.

Fleury was also great when he needed to be. He didn't let in anything unusual and kept his game simple as well.

It would have been nice to see Cooke get the HT. Geno and Petr tried like heck to get him the puck with the empty net. They just couldn't pull it off.

Great win for the Pens. Hopefully one to build on for Sunday.

Next up: Blueshirt Alert! The Rangers are invading the Igloo on Sunday at 12:30 for a national NBC broadcast.

Injury update

No Crosby tonight. Thomas and Pesonen back up to the big club on the Wilkes-Barre carousel.

What? There were games this week?

Yeah, I missed both Tuesday and Wednesday due to traveling. I wish I could have seen the Tuesday game, but I'm glad I didn't have to watch O-Face celebrate hitting the lottery scoring a goal in a hockey game. That gets a bit old.

The Pens play tonight, and have hopefully turned a corner. Just hope the injuries aren't too bad. They obviously can't replace Crosby.

Avalanche 5, Penguins 3

What can we say that hasn't been said? The team continues to struggle.

The Pens didn't play horribly, but they also didn't play well.

They were unable to generate any consistent offense. I think their 5 on 5 performance during this run has been pretty poor.

The goaltending was pretty bad. Sabu allowed 4 through two periods. He probably should have stopped a few of those.

The other thing is that this team is really shorthanded right now. Think about their lines tonight. The first line started out as Sid, Geno and Sykora. The only other top 9 forwards not in the dog house were Staal, Cooke, Kennedy and Talbot. You had Godard, Satan (in the aforementioned dog house) plus an entire Wilkes-Barre contingent (Minard, Wallace and Jeffrey).

I still think Therrien is the coach for this team. Just as the long winning / point streaks the past two years were contagious, the losing has become the same. They need to fight through this and find a way to break out of it.

Next up: A few nights to think about a matchup at Philly on Tuesday. Better bring your "A" game there.

Predators 5, Penguins 3

I still don't want to think about this game.

It was horrible to watch them build a 3-0 lead and then allow five unanswered.

So, I'm not going to spend any time thinking about it, seeing as how they play in Colorado in under four hours.

So instead, here's a look at the weather outside the house this morning.

Oh the weather outside is frightful...



That's about 6" of snow, with another 6" on the way. Woo hoo!

Penguins 3, Thrashers 1

Finally!!

Seems like forever since the Pens put some pucks in the net, much less won a game.

This wasn't an easy game for the Pens by any measure, not so much because of any pressure by the Thrashers (though they applied some late), but because it started much like other recent games.

The first period was all Penguins. They out shot the Thrashers 15-4 and had numerous golden scoring chances. They just couldn't convert on anything (sound familiar?) until... Petr Sykora deflected a great pass from the point by Ryan Whitney behind Lehtonen. There was a palpable sense of relief. It was kind of like the diving Crosby goal a few seasons back on a pass from Recchi (I think it was a game against Tampa) - everyone was estatic.

The second saw a bunch of skating with not much shooting until the second half of the period, when Sykora put a backhander behind the Atlanta netminder. Just a few minutes later, faster than you could say December 18th, the Pens had notched another power play goal when Sid deflected a Geno bomb from the point. If you're clueless as to what I mean by December 18th, it's the last time the Pens had more than one power play goal in a game.

The Thrashers turned the third period into a bit of a shooting gallery, and cut the lead to two. They then reminded us all why they're the worst team in hockey by not generating much pressure on a power play chance with less than 4:00 in the game, and by taking a penalty in the offensive zone with less than 1:00 left and Lehtonen on the bench. Not good for the folks from Atlanta.

Fleury was fantastic tonight. Though the Thrashers didn't generate any sustained pressure until the third, he was able to make several key stops, including both Kovalchuk and Williams at point blank range.

Speaking of Kovalchuk, he took an early cheap elbow shot at Malkin from behind in open ice. In the third, when Valabik flattened Crosby and then wouldn't fight Godard, the first thing on my To Do list if I were, say, Matt Cooke, would be to pancake Kovalchuk. It would have discouraged the nonsense with Crosby and made everyone in Pittsburgh smile.

Colby was everywhere in this game. He seemed to take some extra interest in hitting as many Penguins as he could. He and Sid got into it early in the game, with Army taking the penalty. It was announced on TV as "Holding the Stick", but the score sheet shows just "Holding".

Both Fedotenko and Dupuis left the game and did not return. Hopefully both are okay, because the Pens haven't been getting much out of their callups from Wilkes-Barre (though Dustin Jeffrey seems like he might change that).

Wow - lots to write about for this one. Suffice it to say that it was a great win, with great effort for the second game of a back-to-back. Let's hope it leads to more success.

Next up: On the road to Music City to play the Preds.

One thing to be happy about!

The Pitt Panthers are the #1 team in the nation for the first time ever!!

There are two main sports I follow closely in the winter. One is the Pens, and the other is Pitt basketball. It was a long time suffering after Paul Evans left and the era of mediocrity began. I remember the Ralph Williard teams that were pretty bad. The elation that came with Ben Howland, and the pain of never making it past the Sweet 16.

Now Pitt is #1. Congrats!

The article about Pitt becoming #1 on ESPN has one of the dumbest paragraphs I've ever read. When discussing whether the Panthers will have any extra pressure on them being #1, the uncredited author wrote:

With the Steelers playing host to San Diego in the NFL's AFC divisional playoffs on Sunday, they could take some of the pressure off Pitt this week. The Panthers' next game is Sunday against St. John's.

What? How does an NFL game have anything to do with college basketball? If I'm Sam Young, am I thinking "Gosh, it's really nice that the Steelers have all the public attention, because I might feel REALLY pressured otherwise" ??!!??

No wonder there's no byline.

Rangers 4, Penguins 0

The slump continued tonight as the Rangers blanked the Pens, 4-0.

I'd like to say the Pens gave a good effort, but after an early burst when they hit a few posts on the power play, there wasn't much there. They managed just 7 shots in the third period when they really needed to open it up and just go for it.

Didn't you know the game was over when the Pens didn't score on the two man advantage early in the first? They had the table set for them and just couldn't get one behind Lundqvist. They hit three posts (I think). The frustration just built from there.

A few notes:

• Versus sucks. They had no idea what was being reviewed in the first. If I have to hear Beninati say "No worries" one more time, I may scream.
• Speaking of sucking - the power play - 0-forever.
• Fleury wasn't bad. He didn't win the game, but he didn't lose it either.
• The PK was awful again. The Rangers hadn't scored two power play goals in a game for more than a month. I know the first one was a bad luck deflection, but you have to find a way to stop those.
• Tyler Kennedy isn't ready yet, or at least he isn't ready for the top line. Put him back on the third line with Cooke and Staal so he can get his legs under him.
• Sykora, Satan, Fedotenko and Staal COMBINED for one shot on goal.

Things are going to turn around. The team just needs to get a bounce to go their way to get some momentum. Right now they're fighting themselves... and losing.

Next up: A trip back home to play the Thrashers. If they're not going to win, at least have someone plaster Kovalchuk.

Panthers 6, Penguins 1

Every time you think the Pens have hit the bottom of this slump, they find a new way to sink lower. Today was marked by the complete ineffective quality that pervaded everything they tried. Yes, the refs were horrible, but that's not why they lost this game.

The Pens came out with fire, life and intensity in the first period. They didn't get the first goal, as the Panthers weathered the storm, and the Pens were unable to muster any kind of momentum for the rest of the game.

The PK completely fell apart when the game was still in doubt in the second period, and neither goalie was able to stop much of anything.

In case you're not aware, this marks the 10th loss in the last 13 games. The Pens are now on the outside looking in at the playoffs, and they have a losing record at home.

I'm not sure where the team goes from here. I don't know if a coaching change is the right move. I don't think Therrien is the problem, but just as he's changed goalies when a change was needed (not because it was the goaltender's fault), it might be time to shake things up behind the bench.

It seems like most of these guys still care, and you can't really point to anyone and say they're not trying hard. The results just aren't there right now. Given that we've seen the amazing success over the past two regular seasons, you have to think they can turn it around.

Next up: It doesn't get any easier. The Pens play at MSG on Monday night.

Bruins 4, Penguins 2

Much better effort tonight by the Pens, especially in the third period. They found out that effort isn't enough against a good team in their own building.

The Bruins did just enough to get the win. They took advantage of their chances, scored a key power play goal, and kept the Pens off of the board again on special teams.

The Pens did play with desperation for the last 20 minutes, but didn't seem to have that same fire the whole game. To be fair, they were good for the first two periods, and I'm sure it's really tough to keep that effort up for 60 minutes.

The real story of the loss tonight was the power play. There will likely be a Missing Persons report filed soon, because the power play just hasn't be able to do anything. Therrien did finally put two defensemen on the point with Crosby, Malkin and Staal up front later in the game, but that didn't do anything either. They're going to have to work through this with more effort.

The good news is this team is showing that they're willing to put forth the effort.

Congratulations to Dustin Jeffrey on his first NHL goal. They mentioned on the broadcast that he was the first Wilkes-Barre call-up this season to score a goal, which really surprised me.

Next up: A chance to take out their frustrations on the Kitty Cats from Florida on Saturday afternoon. They don't have Olli Jokinen anymore!

Bruins 5, Penguins 2

If you had to pick an adjective for the overall performance of the team tonight, what would it be? Mine would be "listless".

They had decent hop through the first two periods. They played with the Bruins and were only down one goal going into the third. Then they allowed a short-handed goal, and the team just seemed to quit. You still had a few good individual efforts, but no one really seemed to be into it.

Tim Wallace showed that he still cared. He fought Lucic, giving up three inches in height and almost 15 pounds. He acquitted himself well, I thought.

Therrien must not have been happy - when the Pens got a power play chance with just 3 minutes left in the game, they could still have made it interesting. A quick goal on the PP, followed by pulling the goalie, and you never know what might happen. Instead, HCMT sent out Dustin Jeffrey, Ruslan Fedotenko and Petr Sykora. Nothing against those guys, but you'd expect to see Sid and Geno on the ice. They had come off the ice recently, but they weren't on it for the fight or the aftermath. They were certainly available. Little statement by HCMT perhaps?

Right now the Pens are taking the punches from the opposition and have been unable to counter. They'll need to figure this out, and do it soon. It's a long season.

Congratulations to Dustin Jeffrey on his first point in the NHL.

Next up: A chance for redemption against the Bruins on New Years Day.

Canadiens 3, Penguins 2

Quick writeup today:

The Pens put forth a good effort. They had the better of the shots, scoring chances, faceoffs and hits. They were better by every measure, except the one that matters.

We also have a new name to go with the list of relative nobody players that burn the Pens: Andrei Kostitsyn. He's a bit more accomplished than some of the previous players on the list (hello Mike Rupp), but still...

All three goals by the Habs were preventable. The first two were scored because no one tied up the stick of Kostitsyn when the puck came out from behind Fleury. The last one was a bad goal allowed by Flower.

The team did everything possible to tie the score. They managed 17 shots in the third and had several golden chances. They just couldn't beat Price, and they didn't hit the net in a few critical spots (Malkin late, specifically).

If this effort continues, this team will be fine.

Next up: Home and home with the Bruins, starting on Tuesday.

Penguins 1, Devils 0

Can you feel it?

The wind is starting to shift, just ever so slightly.

The dark malaise that crept over the Pittsburgh hockey landscape has begun to pull back.

There is more daylight with each passing week.

The Pens were on the beneficial side of a few bounces for once, and they used those bounces to earn a 1-0 victory over the Devils.

Fleury was great, but his blue line teammates were even better, with Mark Eaton especially noted for kicking a puck out of the net at the last possible second before it crossed the goal line.

Whoever hexed Langenbrunner also did a great job.

The Devils badly out shot the Pens, and also had the far better chances, but when it mattered most, Mighty Mouse turned into Goofy. The Devils were the beneficiaries of Ryan Whitney not realizing his stick was broken and playing the puck with it, earning a penalty with just 1:04 remaining (as a side note, you almost never see Playing with a Broken Stick called). That put them up to a 6 on 4 advantage, with a great shot to tie the game. Gionta (Mighty Mouse / Goofy) turned momentarily STUPID and used a completely obvious two handed whack down on Orpik's stick with the puck nowhere nearby. It was unneeded, unnecessary, and completely awesome. My favorite moment of the game, no doubt.

This was a surprisingly exciting game. See what happens when the Devils don't get the first goal? You get exciting and intense hockey. New mandate from Commish Bettman - the Devils start every game with a 1-0 defecit.

So the Pens were able to earn a few bounces, get a timely goal on a great pass from Malkin to Fedotenko, and steal two points in Jersey.

Things are looking up.

Next up: Off to Montreal, where the fans may be leaping from the upper deck if their beloved Habs aren't able to win the game. Start time tomorrow night is 7:00.

Merry Christmas

Hope everyone has a very joyous Christmas!

What are you doing on the internet? Go spend time with your family and friends!

Lightning 2, Penguins 0

Ugh.

Is there anything else we can say right now?

Remember that this team went through bad stretches in each of the past two years. This is not the end of the world. We're just used to seeing the bad stretch at the beginning of the season. They waited a little longer to crap out this year.

Hope the team has a nice Christmas break. They're going to need it.

Next up: The Devils on Friday, followed by the Habs on Saturday. Oh yeah - then a home and home with the Bruins next week. Sheesh!

Penguins 4, Sabres 3 (OT)

This was not one of the better games played by the Pens. It was good enough.

The credit for this win should go to one place - the penalty kill for the Pens. The Sabres had six chances on the power play and the Pens killed them all. That's a great effort for a group that has allowed eight goals in the last three games.

The Versus broadcast was poor, to say the least. They never did put the first penalty up on the screen, so we had no idea how much time was left. They also had horrible camera work on three of the four second period goals. We didn't get to see the lead-up to the goal, as they were either busy with a close up, or lost track of the puck.

Fleury didn't have his best game, but he did enough to keep the team in the game. He was having a hard time with rebound control, but the defense was there to help him out most of the time and he was able to shut the door on his own for the rest.

The team was out shot 35 - 22 and still was able to tie the game on their only power play of the night to earn a point. They earned their second point when Crosby deflected a Malkin knuckle-puck past Ryan Miller. Sid's stick may have been above the crossbar when he deflected it, but the War Room in Toronto didn't see enough evidence of that.

This was the kind of win the Pens badly needed. They didn't have their best night and yet found a way to earn two points.

Next up: Build on success when Pittsburgh South (Tampa) comes to town. Welcome back to Ryan Malone, among others.

Maple Leafs 7, Penguins 3

Maybe the Pens can stop playing on Saturday. This is the third Saturday in a row where they lost the game.

Forty shots allowed to the Leafs. Fleury allowed several goals from at least 20 feet out, most of them softies. He certainly struggled, but his team didn't help him out much either.

Low water mark? Can they sink further? How long until a blood vessel bursts in the cranium of HCMT?

Blech.

Penguins 6, Thrashers 3

One of these days, I'll get to watch an entire game again. Last night was the wife's Christmas party, so while I was enjoying the middling food of the Spaghetti Warehouse and seeing just who won that pet-themed gift basket, the Pens were doing something really exciting and putting up 5 through the first two period on the Thrashers.

Just for the record - there's nothing wrong with a somewhat cheesy Christmas party.

Anyway, the most I saw of the first two periods was Errey and Steigy showing me what I missed before the third.

• I saw some sick saves by Fleury, who looked great in his return to the net.
• I saw another fantastic move by Satan to undress Hedberg. Miro seems to find these great moves every once in awhile and then goes back to being invisible for a few games. You have to think if he became more physical and more assertive in the offensive zone, he could have some really nice results. He has the size to do it.

During the third, I saw the Pens do enough to keep HCMT's head spinning. The play in their own end was frequently sloppy. Against a better team, they would have been in real trouble in the third. Pucks didn't always get deep like they needed to, and turnovers occurred at bad places on the ice (say Thank You, Colby Armstrong, for that wonderful pass from Miro Satan)

The important thing is the Pens beat a team they were supposed to beat and got an encouraging performance from Fleury in his first game back.

Next up: Maple Leafs on Saturday night

Flyers 6, Penguins 3

Yeah, totally missed this one. After I saw the score, I can't say I went looking for any highlights.

Just someone tell me - did Godard at least get in a few good shots on Hartnell during their fight in the third? That might have some redeeming value.

Genius

What better way to get ready for a Flyers game than a brilliantly edited compilation of inspirational scenes and speeches from the movies?

Penguins 9, Islanders 2

Days like today don't come around very often. The Pens last scored 9 goals in 2001 against the Flyers. Their all-time record in a single game is 12 (twice). It was nice to see.

Both Sykora and Dupuis had the hat trick. Sykora's was the best, only because he's never had one and he's scored two goals in one game 44 times prior to tonight. It's great to see him get one.

Dupuis needs to play with the same ferocity all the time that he displayed while trying to get the third goal. He was great. The fact that the Islanders had stopped playing hockey and were just taking potshots at the Pens probably made things a bit easier. If you allow Matt Cooke to feather the cross ice pass on the two-on-one, you're probably not trying as hard as you could (not that there's anything wrong with Cooke - he's just not someone you'd expect to make a brilliant pass).

This game was over when the Isles scored to make it 2-1, and the Pens scored 11 seconds later to make it 3-1. MacDonald was done after he allowed Boucher's goal near the end of the first. He didn't return to the pipes for the second.

Not much else to say about this except that you should watch the highlights if you haven't already.

Next up: Keep that happy feeling - those clowns from Philly are up next, in Philly on Saturday afternoon. Hartnell had the hat trick tonight. He'll be insufferable.

Devils 4, Penguins 1

The Pens are in a bit of a funk right now, there's no doubt about it. The hockey they're playing doesn't seem bad, but they're just missing things by a hair.

There were chances early on tonight for the Pens to get the first goal. They hit the post or crossbar three times, with the biggest chance missed by Sid early in the second period. None of those went in and the Devils got the first goal on a fluke bounce off of the end boards.

The Zebras, who truly were clueless tonight, missed the Devils being offside by at least a foot when they scored their second goal, and missed a pretty blatant tripping call when they scored their third (which was on a nice redirect by Parise - he's surpassed all expectations).

You can't hang this one on Sabu. You'd like him to make some of those saves to keep the game closer, but I'm not sure I blame him on any of those.

The other thing at play here is the Pens have dipped pretty far into their farm system to get some replacement parts for injuries. Playing in the game tonight were:

• Lovejoy
• Minard
• Taffe
• Wallace

It's a lot to ask these guys to come in and play at a high level. You need the Sykoras and Satans to step up and play better hockey, and that didn't happen tonight. Sid and Geno can only get you so far sometimes.

This game was surprisingly exciting for a game against New Jersey. Too bad there wasn't anyone in their arena to see it. Seriously - how do they keep the franchise operating out there? Their attendence always seems to be horrid.

Jersey was especially annoying tonight, for the following reasons:

• That goal horn may have taken over the top spot as the league's most annoying (from Florida).
• Bobby Holik is a um... (family blog here... ) big mean jerk. Bringing the one-hander down on Letang when he was already on the ice was especially cheap. I hope to see someone catch him cold one day soon.
• They just have that smug attitude after they score. You'd just love to see the Pens wipe those grins off of their faces.

Ah well... just one more game in a bad streak for the Pens. Can't win them all, right?

Next up: Right back at it tomorrow night at the Igloo against the Isles.

No! You're the Poopy-head!

I know this will come as a huge shock, but an NHL referee was accused of using profanity in a comment to Ryan Miller in the second period of the game at the Igloo on Monday.

I'm not sure why this even matters, but it's weird enough that it's worth mentioning.  Besides, it's pretty entertaining.

Sabres 4, Penguins 3

Tonight was all about missed opportunities. The Pens had some great scoring chances, but Miller was able to make the saves when it mattered. These are tough losses to stomach lately.

First period:

Goligoski wakes everyone up early in the first by ringing the puck off of the crossbar.

Malkin setup two Fedotenko goals with some absolutely ridiculous moves and passes. If you didn't see them, make sure you watch the highlights.

The Sabres got on the board when a bad (really bad) Orpik pass was picked off by Derek Roy, who went the other way on a two-on-one. Roy blasted the puck past Sabu.

Pretty exciting period with end-to-end action and lots of chances.

Second period:

The Pens had an extended 5-on-3 power play as soon as the period started when Goligoski was tripped. Letang made them pay, scoring on a one-timer off of a pass from Crosby. Nice play, and great to see Letang finally get that goal. 3-1 Pens.

The Sabres got their second goal on another bad turnover in their own zone. You could feel the steam coming out of Therrien's ears through the television. 3-2 Pens.

Vanek takes an offensive zone interference call and someone on the Sabres bench allowed their tears to dribble on the ice too much, getting an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. the Pens had a two minute 5-on-3.

The Pens had some great chances on the two man advantage. They did everything except score. You had to hope that wasn't a turning point of the game for the Sabres, because you know the Zebras were going to even things up as the game went on.

A bad neutral zone turnover by Miro Satan led to the tying goal by the Sabres. Watching it, you had to wonder how the heck they were still in this game. 3-3 tie.

Things got a bit chippy after that, with Geno getting involved and helping defend Lovejoy. Somehow, the Pens got the extra minor. Not sure that happened, but if you happened to be mumbling "Even Up Call", you wouldn't be far off.

The Pens spent the last 1:38 in their own zone defending on the penalty kill. Somehow, they kept the Sabres out of the net. It was a great effort.

Third period:

The Sabres nearly cashed in at the beginning of the third just after their power play expired.

Satan answered the pressure when he almost scored on the other end. Great chance for Miro - better save by Miller.

The Sabres scored the go-ahead goal when the Pens screwed up in their own zone... again. This time, it was Sid, Max and Brooks turning up ice when they assumed they had the puck. They were sadly mistaken and left Letang to defend a two-on-one. Needless to say, it didn't go well. 4-3 Sabres.

Faster than you can say "even-up again", the Sabres are put back on the power play on what really looked like incidental contact. It didn't matter as the Pens killed off the penalty.

The Pens used the momentum and went on the power play themselves. Didn't help when the Sabres killed it off.

The Pens received yet another chance on the power play on an obvious high stick. Nothing doing for the first minute, so Therrien calls timeout. Given that there are just over 5:00 left in the game, it's clear that Therrien thinks this may be the game. You had to hope it wasn't, because the Pens didn't score.

The Pens applied the pressure in a furious finish, but they couldn't get the game tying goal.

Notes:

• Is Fedotenko still underachieving? He's now on pace for 23 goals, which would be about all anyone could have expected, I think.
• Letang is going to be a #1 defenseman one of these days.
• Vanek sure did take some dumb penalties tonight, didn't he?

Senators 3, Penguins 2

Can you feel the hatred of the Sens rising? It'll take a bit before they reach the level of the Flyers (and I don't know that anyone can), but they might be #2 on the most reviled list by now. This game only reinforced that.

Not much confusion about how they Pens lost this one. Jason Spezza did them in all on his own. Sabu probably wants the wrap-around back, because he didn't need to follow Spezza so far out of his crease. Other than that, the game winner was a lucky bounce off of Letang that somehow found it's way past Sabourin.

The Pens were not able to generate anything resembling consistent offensive pressure. When they did get the puck in the zone, they couldn't get much towards Auld (they only managed 19 shots for the game).

The three stars for the game were Heatley, Alfredsson and Spezza. That's a joke. That line played well, but Malkin and Crosby did too. I know it means nothing, but it does make it easier to dislike Ottawa.

The Pens are really missing Ziggo, Kennedy and Boucher. They miss Fleury too, but Sabu is not the reason for losing two of the past three games. Lack of consistent offense did the trick today.

Next up: Four games in six days, starting Monday at home against the Sabres. I may even get around to writing previews again.

Penguins 5, Hurricanes 2

This was a fun game to watch. The Pens handed it to the Canes tonight with some opportunistic scoring and good goaltending.

The three keys to the victory tonight were:

1. Great play by Dany Sabourin, making several ridiculous saves and all of the routine ones.
2. The Pens took advantage of two bad turnovers by the Canes in their own end, quickly converting them into scores.
3. The power play came up HUGE with two goals, punishing the Canes for taking dumb penalties (I'm looking at you, Ruutu).

The Canes had the better of the chances, and certainly out shot the Pens, but there was no need to press when the chances were being handed to the Pens.

It also helped that Leighton didn't have his best game, to say the least.

Nice road win for the Pens.

Next up: Off to Ottawa for a Saturday afternoon game.

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

Completely missed this one. Only saw the highlights online, but I can't say I'm upset at missing it - it would have been frustrating.

Good to see Eaton put one in the net, but not good to see Sabu give up goals to all three guys in the SO. I went back to look for the last time all three guys scored on the shoot out in a Pens game. It wasn't recent.

No rest for the Pens either - they play in Carolina tonight.

Penguins 4, Devils 1

Nice bounce-back win for the Pens tonight.

No doubt that the Devils were a depleted team. They were missing Brodeur (obviously), Rolston, Holik and Greene. Madden sat out of the game with a sore foot as well. Those losses will take something out of every team.

This game, however, was really the Sidney Crosby Show.

He fired a spin-o-rama backhand shot that somehow found it's way in early in the first period. To me, that was just a bad goal by Clemmensen more than it was a spectacular goal by Sid, but it looked good.

In the second, Sid tossed a saucer pass over the stick of Mighty Mouse where Sykora could just tap it into the open net. He also took a rebound of a diving effort by Geno and deposited it behind the Jersey netminder.

He finished things off with an empty net goal for the hat trick.

The Devils weren't all that competitive in this one. They did manage some pressure in the third, but Sabu stopped 29 of 30 shots and wasn't one of the three stars for the night (still a good game for Sabu).

Nice home win over a divisional opponent. Especially nice that it was in regulation. Those types seem to be scarce for the Pens this year.

Next up: Off until Wednesday, and then it's three road games in four nights, starting at MSG.

Sabres 4, Penguins 3

This was a back and forth game, and the Pens just didn't have it in the third period.

They started the last 20 minutes with a one goal lead on a two-man advantage. They managed one or two decent shots on that power play, and the Sabres fed off of the momentum of the kill, never looking back.

The Sabres earned their luck in the third with hard work and determination. The Pens had no answer.

That, and Paul Frickin Gaustad scored his only two goals of the season tonight. That's like Mike Rupp scoring against the Pens for the Flyers (I'm typing this solely from memory, but I seem to remember him contributing). It shouldn't happen, but the Sabres flat out beat the Pens in the third.

Nice goals up to that point from Sid and Kennedy. Curry was pretty good too, but you can only say so much about a goalie that allows four goals in a game. The loss wasn't his fault, but he didn't win the game either.

Next up: Another game tomorrow night against the Devils. As much fun as the game tonight was, get ready for sleeper-ville tomorrow... sometimes the Devils make the Wild look exciting.

Penguins 5, Islanders 3

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Quick recap, seeing as how most people are with their friends and family today, pigging out.

The Pens gave us an early holiday treat last night with five unanswered goals to earn the two points against the Islanders.

The Islanders jumped out to a 3-0 lead, with the Pens not having much jump of any kind. The early power play did look improved, but there were no results as the Isles dominated the early play.

The Pens broke through at the end of the second with a lucky deflection of a Brooks Orpik shot, which appeared to deflect off of the skate of Doug Weight.

In the third, Geno set up Sid for goal #2 and then finished things off himself with the natural hat trick.

Once the freight train started rolling, it wasn't even close. This was a game dominated by Sid and Geno playing on a line together in the third.

Next up: The Sabres on Friday night.

Canucks 3, Penguins 1

Not much to say on this one. I watched it yesterday, but couldn't bring myself to write about it.

Not sure what was going on with the Zebras, but they certainly were on their game yesterday, weren't they?

• Matt Cooke given a game misconduct for getting jumped the the third man in on the fight.
• Three pretty blatant non-calls when Crosby, Orpik and Goligoski are all tripped, cross-checked or held near the end of the third period.
• Van Massenhoven deciding, according to the broadcast, to get things under control by handing out minor penalties to Talbot and O'Brien for talking to each other.

Throwing Cooke out of the game was absolute crap.

That's not why the Pens lost the game, however. They simply could not score. 19 shots on net isn't going to cut it. The power play, while it looked good early, just did not produce. The Pens had 13 shots that missed the net (including a post in the first period on one of the good power plays), and the Canucks blocked another 16 shots. The Pens need to find a way to get those shots on net.

Any way you look at it, this one wasn't a big deal. No team can go 82-0, and losing a game like this probably isn't significant.

Next up: A break until Wednesday when the Pens travel to Long Island.

Penguins 3, Thrashers 2

Great road win tonight against an Atlanta team that's better at home than people give them credit for.

The atmosphere was strange tonight. Consider the following:

• There had to be more offside calls on the end where the Pens shoot twice than I've seen in any game in recent memory. Not sure who the linesman was, but I've never seen two teams be so sloppy entering the offensive zone ONLY on one end of the ice, which is my way of saying the linesman had to be smoking something.
• Did anyone else hear the announcement of the 50/50 raffle in the third period? I wasn't sure if I was watching a hockey game or a telecast of the local Parish Festival! Who does a raffle that's announced over the PA at a hockey game?
• There was NO ONE at that game. The end where the Pens shot twice had more empty seats near the ice than filled seats. That's pretty sad.
• FSN named Sabu the "Player of the Game" before the game was over! That's bad Ju-Ju to me.
• John Curry (backup goalie) was shown on camera near the end of the game. He looked to be about 15 years old.
  

The Pens started the game thinking that they're still playing the Wild. They were out of sorts, with several offside calls and no real pressure on Pavelec.

The Pens yielded a power play goal in the first period to Kozlov. The PK hasn't been doing the job recently.

Satan evened the score with some nice hand-eye coordination. He took a hard Dupuis pass on his backhand, turned it to the forehand and punched it behind Pavelec.

Matt Cooke plastered Kozlov, which was excellent. The only problem? Kovalchuk was also nearby. I wish Ilya had been the target.

The Pens had a two man advantage near the midway point of the second. The Pens turned that 1:18 into a shooting gallery, but couldn't beat Pavelec or the goal post.

As soon as the extended power play was over, the Thrashers were the beneficiaries of a tripping call against Boucher. You had the sense of it being a complete game changer if they could score.

The Pens were able to kill the penalty, and less than 30 seconds later, the Pens cashed in. Crosby took a pass from Kennedy and deposited it behind Pavelec while falling down.

About a minute later, Slater took a puck from behind the net, fell down and blindly swept the puck towards the net, taking everyone by surprise and beating Sabu. He wasn't even looking at the net when he shoveled it, but it went in.

The early part of the third was notable for the Pens' game of "Whack a White". In succession, Orpik gave White a good solid check, followed up by Letang absolutely plastering White near the boards. White tried to get up, but wasn't sure what planet he was on. The Thrashers finally decided to come after Letang, and the next shift Kris was on the ice also showcased Eric Godard (just by coincidence, I'm sure).

The intensity picked up a bit after the hit, but the boost was temporary... until Goligoski tried to kill Army with the hip check. He mostly missed, but both teams again picked things up.

The midway portion of the third had some nice end-to-end action with both teams getting decent chances. The spirited play took a brief break for a Thrashers power play.

Sabu was standing tall late in the third when the Thrashers turned up the heat.

The Pens got a late power play chance, which you just knew would make something happen. It almost gave the Thrashers the lead when Reasoner had a breakaway which Sabourin denied.

The Pens got the elusive road power play goal when Sykora tipped a Crosby shot past Pavelec. Great effort by the Pens to finally break through with only two minutes left.

The Thrashers never really threatened in the last two minutes.

Next up: Back to the Igloo for the rare Saturday afternoon game against Vancouver.

Game #19 - at Atlanta Thrashers

Pittsburgh Penguins (11-4-3, 25 pts) at Atlanta Thrashers (7-8-2, 16 pts)

At first glance, it would seem this one heavily favors the Pens. The Thrashers suck this year, right? As Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast, my friend." These teams are more similar (lately) than they would appear.

• Both had extended winning streaks snapped in their most recent game.
• Both managed to fill the net pretty well during their winning streak.
• Both average about the same number of shots and goals.

Here's where the differences come into play:

• Atlanta is much worse defensively. They don't allow many more shots than the Pens, but they sure do allow more goals (3.59 average vs 2.67 average).
• The Pens power play is horrendous on the road, clicking at just 9.4% - that has to change.
• The Thrashers have a doofus for a superstar in Ilya Kovalchuk. Said doofus is having a sub par season so far, with just 6 goals in 17 games.

It's a match up of the backups in net, with the Moose for Atlanta and Sabu for the Pens. That a big advantage for the Pens, because Hedberg hasn't been playing well this year.

Game time is 7:00.

Let's Go Pens!

OT: Monty Python!

After the terribly boring game against the Wild, we could all use something to enliven us.

If you're a fan of Monty Python, then check out this video announcing that much of their content will be available in high quality on YouTube! The site is here.



I'll pick out a few to post here on off days for entertainment.

Wild 2, Penguins 1 (OT - SO - 1-0)

So I sat down to write about this right after the game, but every time I thought about it, I just got bored. This had to be one of the worst hockey games to watch in regulation. When you get excited over Dupuis or Staal coming down the wing and wristing a shot to the net, then you know things are slow.

Overall, Sabourin played a good game. The complete fluke of a Minnesota goal in regulation was unfortunate. Even more so in that it cost the Pens the game. I think the Wild had about three legitimate scoring chances all night. The Pens didn't have many more than that.

The OT, however, was a bit more exciting with more end-to-end action. That's how regulation should be played in the new NHL. If I had to watch the Wild stacking up at the blue line to force the other team to dump the puck 82 times per year, I might gouge my eyes out.

Either way, not a good home loss for the Pens. Nice that they got a point, but not good.

Did anyone else think Staal was going to get killed getting into a fight? Fortunately, the guy he fought wasn't very good. Eric Reitz has fought a few times per season, but not very often. Staal landed the only three punches and both guys went down quickly.

Let's just put this snooze fest behind us.

Next up: The Pens go south to face Atlanta on Thursday night.

Game #18 - vs Minnesota Wild

Minnesota Wild (10-4-1, 21 pts) at Pittsburgh Penguins (11-4-2, 24 pts)

The club from Minnesota has the least appropriate name in the NHL. There's nothing "Wild" about the way they play. Now, if they called them Zzzzzzz, or mentioned that Insomniacs Anonymous meets at their games (because that's the only way they can finally get some sleep! Ha!), then we'd be onto something.

The Wild scored more goals in the first three games of the season (14) than they did the rest of the month of October (12 goals in 6 games). Their power play is hit or miss (0-10 against Montreal, but four game with more than one PP goal) and their PK is excellent. They've yielded just 4 goals on the PK all year.

For the Pens, Fleury will miss the game. That means Sabu is between the pipes, and John Curry is one injury away from his NHL debut. Sid, Geno and Jordan will all try to remain hot and the Pens will try to keep the goals flowing.

Immovable object meets irresistable force?

Pretty close.

Let's Go Pens!

Penguins acquire D Philippe Boucher

The Pens traded Daryl Sydor back to Dallas today for his third go-round with the Stars.

In return, they acquired Philippe Boucher.

I think this is a fantastic addition for the Pens. I know they're crowded on the blue line, and will become even more so when Whit and Sarge return, but Boucher is pretty good.

Philippe has some size (6'3"), is a year younger than Sydor and can put the puck in the net. He was hurt for much of last season, but he had 35 goals combined in two seasons prior to last year. He's also very familiar with the power play and is used to playing 20:00 per night.

This may take away some playing time from Kris Letang, the other resident right-handed defensemen, or Alex Goligoski, but I think it's an upgrade for the club as it stands today.

Nice move by Ray Shero.

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!