Pittburgh Penguins Winter Classic Jerseys

Pittsburgh Penguins Winter Classic jerseys are now onsale. You can find the jerseys and other merchandise and gifts at my store. Just follow this link to my Amazon store to preview and buy! Thanks!



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Some Penguins notes and other stuff from the NHL 11-15-10

Here's a few notes from the Penguins and a couple from around the league...

• Tyler Kennedy has come down with flu like symptoms. This bug has been going around the locker room and Kennedy is the latest. He will miss tonights game. 
• Sidney Crosby was named the NHL's 2nd star of the week . He played 3 games last week and recorded multiple points in each. He finished with 3 goals and 5 assists. This pulled him to 2nd place in the scoring race, 1 point behind Steven Stamkos with 27. 
• NHL all start voting has started today. The Penguins have 4 eligible players..Malkin, Fleury, Martin, and Crosby. I have to wonder who picks which players are eligible. Kris Letang is not on the ballot. You can vote at vote.nhl.com
• The Islanders have fired their coach, Scott Gordon. The Islanders have been floundering are 0-9-1 in their last 10. Gordon will be replaced by AHL coach, Jack Capuano. Isles GM, Garth Snow, has not indicated on whether his replacement will finish the season. His only response was, "We're just concerned about Wednesday".
• There is some interesting stuff going on about NHL vice president of operations, Colin Cambell. Among other duties, Cambell is in charge of handing down discipline to players who violate rules and regulations of the game. Apparently there were some emails that Cambell sent to NHL execs that were made public by blogger Tyler Dellow. How does this relate to the Penguins? There are growing conspiracy theories that Matt Cooke did not receive any discipline for the Marc Savard hit last year because Collin Cambell is not a fan of Marc Savard. You can read the article here. It goes into much more detail than I care to post right now!
• The Pittsburgh Penguins Winter Classic Jerseys are now onsale. You can preview and purchase jerseys at my Pitt Pens Store 

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A little prouder to be a Pittsburgh Penguins fan

I rarely go on message boards. If I did, I would think that Marc Andre Fleury was washed up and the worst thing to ever happen to Pittsburgh. If I did, I would think the Pittsburgh Penguins should trade Evgeni Malkin and get rid of half the team. If I did, I would think that the Penguins have no chance at ever winning a game again. No offense to the people who post on these things, but message boards are always filled with knee jerk reaction, pessimism, and spammers who like to create controversy.

Luckily, the Consol Energy Center was filled with a different type of fan last night vs the Tampa Bay Lightning. These fans were the forgiving type. The supportive type. The give the guy a chance type. The I havent forgotten what you have done for me type. And this made me proud to be a Pittsburgh Penguin fan

Before the National Anthem even started, the chants of FLEUR-E...FLEUR-E started. It would have been easy to start the mock chants, but no, these fans were here to support their guy. They were there to support their goaltender on to victory. They were there to see Marc Andre Fleury become the 7th youngest goaltender, at 25, to record his 150th win.

The cheers didnt end at the Anthem either, these fans were behind Fleury's every move. The show of support was strong and the players took note as well.
"Maybe I heard maybe a couple tough things [before], but the crowd tonight behind me right from the start cheering," Fleury said. "It was a good feeling. It was awesome."


"I'd like to give some props to the fans," Talbot said. "It was pretty good what they did at the start of the game. I'm sure that gave him a little extra jump, screaming his name.
“It was great from our fans,” head coach Dan Bylsma said. “You could tell they were standing in the goal with him.”


This could have been just what the doctor ordered for Fleury, who has appeared to lack confidence this season. Let's hope last night was the beginning of something special and if so, there were 18,275 fans that can pat themselves on the back.






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Pittsburgh Penguins vs Tampa Bay Lightning Pros and Cons 11-12-10

The Pittsburgh Penguins are back at it tonight at the Consol Energy Center. They play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7PM. I view this game as pivotal for the Pens. Coming off a humiliating 3rd period against Boston on Wednesday, have the Penguins had enough? Do they have the desire, passion, and heart to bounce back? Is this really a mediocre team or is it a top tier hockey club? Can they make the effort last 60 minutes? I think some of these questions will be answered tonight. How the Penguins bounce back will shed some light on the make up of this team. This is as close as it comes to must win at this point of the season.

Tampa comes into the game with an 8-5-2 record which places them 2nd place in the Southeast division and 4th in the Eastern conference. They are playing their 2nd game in as many nights, coming off a loss to Washington last night, 6-3. Led by sniper and NHL goals and points leader, Steven Stamkos, the Lightning are 8th in the league in goals per game with 3.1 while they are 5th with a 23.8% power play. They do give up some goals, at 3.0 per game(20th in league) but have the 4th best penalty kill at 89.2%.

The Penguins loss Wednesday has dropped them to 7-8-1 which is 3rd in the Atlantic division and 10th in the conference. They are 12th in the league with 2.9 goals per game and 19th with a 14.3% power play. They are giving up 2.9 goals per game(18th in league) and have a 86.6% penalty kill, good for 8th in the league.

These teams last played October 27 with Tampa Bay winning 5-3. The Penguins scored 2 shorthanded goals on the same power play in that game only to be watch their lead evaporate led by Penguin killer Martin St Louis' 2 goals and an assist. Although I dont like to see injuries, the Pens are catching a break as another Penguin killer, Vincent Lecavalier broke his hand in last nights game. He will be out 3-4 weeks.

Although goalies for both teams have not been confirmed, it looks likely that Fleury will start for Pittsburgh while Dan Ellis will go for Tampa Bay. Lets take a look at the Pros and Cons for tonight.


PROS:

• The Penguins have a lot of issues. They are coming off a humiliating loss that showed off their many problems. If this team has any will, I expect them to come out flying. They have a lot to prove and if they can channel that energy, they may just be good enough to pull out a win
• Vincent Lecavalier is out with a broken hand. This is good news for the Pens. Lecavalier has 39 points in 44 career games vs the Pens. This includes 25 goals. Now if they can just figure out a way to stop Martin St Louis!

CONS:

• As mentioned, the Penguins have a lot of issues. Questions surround this team. Can Fleury, if he starts, put together a solid start for the 1st time this season? Will the defense play smarter and not allow too many odd man breaks? Will the power play be able to score against one of the better penalty kills? Will the Penguins put together 60 minutes of effort? These are all legitimate questions that will be answered tonight.
• Martin St. Louis has averaged a point a game against the Pens in 38 games including 16 goals. The Pens gotta keep an eye on this guy. At 35, this guy still has speed and knows how to use it. He's a crafty player and has a knack for finding open ice. 
• The Pens held Steven Stamkos without a goal in the last meeting but he did register 3 assists. He is the real deal and has a lethal shot. He is a force anytime he is on the ice. 

It doesnt get any easier for the Pens. This will be a tough matchup. I expect the Penguins to come out trying to prove a point. Hopefully they dont get caught up in that too much as Tampa Bay has the talent to exploit mistakes. It's probably an overused cliche, but the Penguins need to simplify their game and play smart hockey. If they can do this, they have the talent to win. If not, it may be another long night.

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Have the Pittsburgh Penguins hit bottom?

Just when I thought the Pittsburgh Penguins got it going, they fell flat on their face. The Penguins lost Wednesday night to the Boston Bruins 7-4. They had a 4-2 advantage going into the 3rd period only to have the Bruins score 5 unanswered goals on its way to victory. Could this be the bottoming out for the Pens?

Through 2 periods, the Penguins were doing it all. A power play goal, zone pressure, scoring 4 goals on a red hot goaltender that has barely been giving up a goal per game. They had crisp passes, good defensive coverage. Then what happened? The 3rd period rolled around and the team fell apart. The defense took too many risks. Alex Goligoski is singled out as making some horrible decisions. Ben Lovejoy, playing for the first time in a few games, finished a -3. The other red hot goalie, Brent Johnson, deflated. It was, in my opinion, the lowest point in the season. As Sidney Crosby said, the Penguins didnt give up a ton of chances, but the ones they did, Boston took advantage of. Thats what good teams do.

As bad and depressing this season has been so far, the Penguins arent out. They dont have the amount of problems as, say, New Jersey. They can turn this around. They are currently 3rd in the Atlantic division and 10th in the Eastern Conference. They are only 3 points out of 4th in the conference. But in order to right the ship they have to gain consistency and they have to start it now. I'm not suggesting some players are lazy, but the effort, at times, seems weak. This league is too good and too even right now to take a period off. They saw that last night.

One of the areas that needs shored up is goaltending. I posted my thoughts on this earlier. I really like Brent Johnson but to ask him keep up his early season success is unrealistic. He has been a backup for a reason. Marc Andre Fleury needs to get in there, take his lumps, and move on. He has to be the number 1 goalie on this team and the coach has to give him that chance. Let him work through his slump. The defense also needs to play smarter. There is no excuse for getting caught pinching with a 2 goal lead. There is no excuse for allowing Mark Recchi, who is 42, to outwork your supposed big time free agent defensemen(Michalek). Dan Byslma has to take control of this situation and instill discipline in this team. He talks about this system in nearly every interview. Where was the system last night in the 3rd period? Players ultimately decide the wins and losses but the coach has to put them in the position to win and hold players accountable.

The Penguins have issues. It extends from goaltending to defense to coaching. The more I see things, the more I am beginning to put more of this on the coach. The team and the coach have 2 days to prepare before playing back to back Friday and Saturday. If the team drops these 2 games, I think Dan Byslma may be on the hot seat.


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Pittsburgh Penguins vs Boston Bruins Game Time!

Tonight the Pittsburgh Penguins return home to play the Boston Bruins. Game time is 7PM. Boston comes into the game having lost its last 2 games. This has dropped their record to 7-3-1, still good for 3rd place in the Northeast division despite playing 4 games less than the 2 teams ahead of them(Ottawa and Montreal). Boston has a good mix of scoring and defense. They are 7th in the league scoring 3.0 goals per game. They have been riding Tim Thomas's remarkable goaltending and only allowing 1.7 goals against, good for 2nd in NHL. They kill 92.9% of penalties which is tops in the league. Their power play is also going good at 21.4% which is 9th in the league.

Boston is dealing with several key injuries. Marc Savard is still dealing with post concussion symptoms from Matt Cookes hit last season. First Line Center Marc Krejci is also now out with a concussion. The Penguins are relatively healthy with the exception, of course, of Jordan Staal. They did recall Chris Conner today in the event that Mike Comrie can not go. Comrie has been dealing with a bout of the flu.

Boston plays a defense first style. They kinda model the New Jersey Devils of old--trap, trap, trap, and pounce on turnovers. They are going to give the Pens a very tough challenge. Tim Thomas will be in goal for the Bruins. He has been lights out on the year posting a 7-0 record and 1.07GAA. On the flip side, Brent Johnson will start in goal for the Penguins. He too has been red hot, posting a 6-1-1 record and 1.63GAA.

The Pittsburgh-Boston games of late have really taken on an intense rivalry. Things only got nastier after Matt Cooke took out Marc Savard. I expect nothing less than the same intensity tonight. Usually I do a pro's and con's for each game, but I'm short on time today. Should be a good game!




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Has Marc Andre Fleury really lost it?

We are all well aware of Marc Andre Fleury's struggles this year. We also know his backup, Brent Johnson, has been almost lights out in net. So what should the Penguins do with their "franchise" and big money goaltender? This isnt a question easily answered. Coach Byslma tried getting Fleury some playing time by starting him back to back last weekend. That ended in a loss for one game and Fleury getting pulled after 7 minutes the next game. So has Fleury really became the worst goaltender in the league over the summer? His numbers indicate that. A 1-6 record, a 3.55 GAA which is 36th in the league, a .853 save percentage which is dead last in the NHL.  Not good! So what is the deal with Fleury and how should Coach Byslma handle the goalie situation? Here is my take...Play him!


Obviously you dont want to give up on the season. You dont want to waste points trying to resurrect a player.  You don't want a red hot goalie(Johnson) sitting on the bench while another goalie(Fleury) loses games time after time. However, Fleury has proven himself before. He has been a big game goaltender. He has a penchant for giving up soft goals, but he also has stood on his head and makes some unbelievable saves. He has a career record of 149-112-2. His playoff record is 38-24. He has won a Stanley Cup. This preseason he went 3-0 with a 1.80 GAA. The guy has it in him. He is simply going through the worst stretch in his career. 


Martin Brodeur once said "My belief is goalies won't have slumps if they play every single game. The game isn't that hard. You will get one good game to get your confidence back if you are playing all of the time." This was an excerpt from a great article in the USAToday. 


This is true. Sometimes you gotta work through your problems and like Brodeur said, all it takes 
sometimes is one good game. Right now, Fleury is losing his confidence and the confidence of the coach. One person who has not given up on Fleury is Captain Sidney Crosby. He also is of the belief Fleury needs to be in there. In the Tribune Review today, there is an article that talks about Crosby's and Coach Bylsma's different philosophy on this. Crosby is quoted in the story as saying "He's going to have good games. It's not like he can change overnight. He's going to put strings of games together, and he can't do that with one game. So, you've got to be patient, too, and let him get back there.With a goalie, you've got to give him time. He's got to play four or five games maybe to prove that, but to sit here and question his psyche doesn't really give him a chance." I think Crosby knows what he is talking about. 


So while we are all frustrated and tired of the first or second opponents shot getting past Fleury, I believe he still has a ton of talent and will be the goaltender who leads this team by seasons end. Will he let an easy shot in here or there? Sure. But will he also stop an Alexander Ovechkin breakaway in a game 7 of the playoffs? You damn right he will. We need to stick with this guy and let him work through this. We will all be better off if this happens. 





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Pittsburgh Penguins practice and notes 11-08-2010

The Penguins were back on the practice ice today at Southpoint. According to the Pens official page, Brent Johnson did not participate and Malkin left early. Dan Byslma spoke with the media after practice and downplayed both. Malkin still has some discomfort in his knee and Johnson was sick. Nothing appears serious enough to cause either one to miss time.

Also according to the reports is that the Penguins worked hard on their defensive zone coverage today. There have been lapses all year despite the Pens only giving up 26.6 shots per game. They have given up tons of odd man breaks. Their defense has been aggressive in the offensive zone but frequently get trapped getting back. Goligoski played perhaps his worst game against Phoenix and Martin continues to make costly errors. The coverage has got to get better and hopefully this is a step in that direction.

After practice, several Penguins painted shoes that will be auctioned off for Max Talbots charity, The Max Talbot Foundation. The goal is to build an orphanage in Haiti.


Coach Tony Granato was not at practice today. He was excused so he could join his sister at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Cammi Granato and Angela James are the first women to join the exclusive club. Granato was one of the founding members of the US Olympic hockey team. She captained the US to gold in the 1998 games.

Michel Therrien's name has been flying around as a possible return to the NHL coaching ranks. There are rumors the Devils, Sabres, and the Flames are considering a change and Therrien would be in the mix.

Well, not a whole lot of news out there.  When I have more time I still plan on getting a few opinions out there on the goaltending and coaching situations. Stay tuned




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Pittsburgh Penguins roster 5 years ago

With free agency in sports, players often come and go. There is very little loyalty from players or from teams. Sometimes when you look back, even if it was only 5 years ago, you see some names that makes you say, "Oh yeah, I remember him!". I decided to look back at the November 1, 2005 Pittsburgh Penguins roster. There are only 3 regulars left from that team. They are Crosby, Talbot, and Brooks Orpik. So here is the lineup the Penguins rolled out on that day vs. the New Jersey Devils. By the way, the Penguins won this game on an overtime goal by Sergei Gonchar.


Eric Christensen
Sidney Crosby
Rico Fata
Konstantin Koltsov
John Leclair
Sergei Gonchar
Matt Murley
Mario Lemieux
Ryan Malone
Brooks Orpik
Ziggy Palffy
Lyle Odelein
Lasse Pirjeta
Steve Poapst
Mark Recchi
Rob Scuderi
Max Talbot
Ryan Whitney

The starting goalie was Sabastion Caron. He was backed up by Jocelyn Thibault.

Theres a few name in there that bring back some memories. This was Sidney Crosby's rookie year and Mario Lemieux's last. The team was coached by Eddy Olczyk and finished with a 22-46-14 record. It was November 28 of 2005 that Fleury came to the Pens for good and established himself as the starting goaltender.

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Pittsburgh Penguins vs Phoenix Coyotes quick hits

Well, the Pittsburgh Penguins came away with 2 points last night in Phoenix but it didnt come easy. Coach Dan Bylsma made 1 decision that looked pretty bad and 1 that made him look genious. Here are some quick hits on my thoughts from the game

• If you read my Pros and Cons preview yesterday, you saw I had Brent Johnson in goal. Well, Coach Bylsma threw us a wrench and started Marc Andre Fleury. I understand why he did it. Fleury is used to taking a heavy load and Byslma wanted to get him going. I have no problem with the decision to start Fleury. However Fleury did not take advantage of it. He gave up 2 goals on 7 shots in the first 7 minutes of play. Brent Johnson entered the game and rebounded from his last start to save 22 of 23 shots plus made 2 great saves in the shootout(the 3rd shot missed the net). This is going to further fuel the Fleury haters and further lessen the trust the team has in Fleury right now. There is no quick fix to this. The franchise goalie is not playing well and the backup is standing on his head. I'm sure there are a lot of opinions posted out there right now. And I will get to mine sometime in the next day or two.

• Another wrench that was thrown into my Pros and Cons post was the injury and illnesses of 2 of the Coyotes main players. Captain Shane Doan was hurt Friday night and is now listed as week to week with a lower body injury. Long time Defensemen and Penguin killer Ed Jovanovski was also not in the lineup due to having the flu. Who knows how the game would have turned out if they were in there, but I think the Pens caught a break. 

• How about that 5-3 power play for the Pens? They didnt score but ended up getting a goal by Kunitz on the insuing 5-4. Seeing Malkin tee it up time after time was great! Any time Malkin unleashes that wicked shot, things are going to happen. None of those shots went in but they created chances and scrambles. I hope that is signs to come and the players start to realize that chances come by shooting the puck and who else better than Malkin to set the tone?
• Crosby's goal was classic. That was another break the Penguins needed to get going. Sure the Coyotes defensemen had the puck slip off his stick and land right on Crosby's, but Crosby was in the right place and showed off those quick hands and decision making.
• The desicion of coach Bylsma to go with Letestu as the 3rd shooter made him look genious. I read in one article(sorry, forget which one) that it was actually Tony Granato that persuaded Bylsma to call Letestu's number. Either way, Letestu came through and got the winner. Congrats to the kid. That was his first shootout attempt in the NHL. 
• So if you take out the 2nd period against Anaheim and the 1st period last night, the Penguins have outplayed, out physicalled, and out skilled the opponents in the last 4 out of 6 periods. Could it finally be turning around? Consistency is an issue with the team but it is good to see the appeared effort level going up. The NHL is too good and teams are matched up too evenly to take periods off. It doesnt matter how much skill a team has, the effort has to be there every night or the opponent will take advantage of it. I dont know if effort truly has been the Penguins troubles early on but it is good to see the level of play rising up. 

The Penguins have today off before resuming practice Monday in preparation for Wednesdays matchup against Boston. Boston is a good team and riding a very hot goaltender. They will need everything they got once again to get past them. I will have a couple more articles out the next couple days that breakdown my views on the goaltending situation and some Coach Byslma opinions.

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Pittsburgh Penguins vs Phoenix Coyotes Pros and Cons

Tonight the Pittsburgh Penguins play in Phoenix against the Coyotes. The start is an hour earlier than last night. The puck drops at 9:08pm EST. Dont forget to set the clocks back after the game tonight!

The Coyotes come into the game with a record of 4-5-3. That puts them in last place in the Pacific division. There stats break down like this...They score 2.5 goals a game and give up 3.2 goals a game. These both rank 22nd in the league. Their power play clicks at 14.3%, good for 19th in the league. They kill 77.4% of power plays. That ranks 26th in the league.
They are coming off a 6-3 loss to the Stars last night in Dallas. Both teams will be playing their 3rd game in 4 nights.

Last season, the Coyotes blew through the league and collected their 1st 100 point season in team history. They finished with 107. However, they lost to the Detroit Red Wings in the opening round of the playoffs. In the offseason, the Coyotes lost Zybinek Michalek and Mathew Lombardi, 2 key players in their lineup. They added Ray Whitney. So far this season, their top 3 forwards, Whitney, Shane Doan, and Wojtek Wolski, have only 1 goal goal between them. Their leading scorer is a defensemen, Ed Jovanovski. Yes, that same Ed Jovanovski!

The probable goaltenders for tonight are Brent Johnson for the Pens and Iyla Bryzgalov. We all know about Johnson. Bryzgalov has been ok this season but has not been getting any offensive help. He has posted a 4-2-3 record with a 2.84 GAA and .916 save%.

On to Pros and Cons......

PROS:

• The Pens are playing a good team that is struggling(sound familiar??). If the Pens can dig down deep and come out with the same intensity they played the final 20 minutes last night, they will win this game. When teams are down, you gotta kick them. In other words, the Pens gotta kick the Coyotes before the Coyotes kick the Pens. 
• Brent Johnson is the probable goaltender tonight. We will get to see what he is made of. He is coming off of his 1st poor performance of the year. I think you will see a veteran backup regain his form and lead the way. 
• The Penguins power finally got their 1st goal in 7 games last night. Tonight they are playing one of the worst penalty killing teams in the league. I saw progress in the Pens pp last night as the game went on. They were getting pucks at the goal and creating chances. If they keep it simple and continue to get pucks at the net, this may be the break out game they need

CONS:

• The Coyotes should be a better team than their record indicates. The Penguins cannot take this team lightly. Although Phoenix's top forwards arent lighting it up every night, they have the potential to break out at any time.
• Although both teams are playing their 3rd game in 4 nights, the Penguins are coming off 2 emotional, physical games. They have also traveled across a few time zones. You have to be leery of the fatigue factor. 

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Quick hits on Pittsburgh Penguins vs Anaheim Ducks

I don't want to spend alot of time looking back on the Ducks vs Pens game last night. The Pens lost. They are now under .500. They are now 3rd place in the Atlantic, 4 points behind the Flyers and they have played 1 more game.
I guess there are a couple positives we can take out of the game.

• The Penguins finally scored on the power play!!! And guess what worked? Goligoski wasnt roaming, Malkin wasnt on the blue line, it wasnt a serious of fancy passes.  It was just a simple play where a shot at goal was made and Crosby was around the net to tap it in on a backhand.

• I loved the 3rd period fire. The Penguins really laid it out. It would be hard to keep that type of play every period, every game, but it sure was nice to see determination and will on behalf of the entire team. 
• The Penguins power play continued to impress, holding the Ducks off the scoresheet. Anaheim only had 2 opportunities but they do rank high in the league in pp%. The Penguins are now 8th in the league with a 86.7% kill rate.

I thought Fleury did ok. However, ok wasnt good enough. 3 goals given up on only 19 shots just doesnt cut it. We continue to wait on that "in the zone" game where Fleury shuts it down. I hope the time comes soon because I am starting to lose a little faith. I am a Fleury supporter but I am objective enough to realize that right now the Pens are at a disadvantage when Fleury is in there.

I am going to end this post because I want to get to tonights game vs Phoenix. This will be the 3rd game in 4 nights and and the last 2 have been pretty exhausting. Lets see what the have left in the tank..

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Updates for tonights Pittsburgh Penguins vs Anaheim Ducks game

The Penguins report for the morning skate is in. There are a few interesting things going on.

First off, according to Jason Seidling of the Pens Report, the Penguins are working hard on their 


power play with a new look. He reports Alex Goligoski is back on the blue line matched up with 


Kris Letang. The twist is, Malkin and Crosby are now rotating in on the "rover" position.


I suggested this in an earlier post. The only difference I noted is to keep Malkin on the right half 


wall and let Crosby do the roving. Crosby's ability to see the ice and make plays and passes 


can  help open up that one timer for Malkin. It also keeps 2 Dmen back at the blue line, which 


they are generally better at keeping the puck in and not letting odd man rushes go the other way.




The lines at practice were>>>


 Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Cooke-Malkin-Comrie
Talbot-Letestu-Asham
Rupp-Adams-Godard/Kennedy

Not sure what Kennedy did to get split time duties with Godard on the 4th line. He, in my opinion, clearly deserves to be ahead of Asham right now. 

Obviously, Dupuis has made it back to the team and will play tonight. How many times have we seen a huge game by a player following the birth of their child. Maybe Dupuis can add to that phenomenon. 











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Pittsburgh Penguins vs Anaheim Ducks Pros and Cons

Tonight the Pittsburgh Penguins have a matchup against the Ducks of Anaheim. Gametime will be at 10pm EST.
The Penguins are coming off a disappointing loss Wednesday at the hands of the Dallas Stars. The Pens did not play a good game as they were outhustled, outplayed, and probably outcoached. The Ducks are coming off 3-2 win vs Tampa Bay on Wednesday. That outcome left Anaheim with a 5-7-1 record good for 4th place in the Pacific division of the Western conference. The Penguins 6-6-1 and 3rd place in the Atlantic. Heres some statistic breakdowns....

The Ducks have a lot of scoring potential but it has not shown in the scores as of yet. They are currently 22nd in the league in goals per game with 2.5. The Penguins are 12th with 2.8. The Ducks have been giving up quite a bit. They rank 25th with a 3.3 GAA. The Pens have been a little stingier, ranking 13th with 2.5GAA. The Ducks do alot of their scoring on the power play and rank 6th in the league at 23.4%. We all know the Penguins troubles in this area. They are currently in an 0-27 slump, which has dropped them to 12.1% and 26th in the league. As for penalty kill, Anaheim is vulnerable, killing off 80.3% of power plays which ranks 22nd. The Penguins are gonna need good penalty killing tonight and have gotten it most of the year. They kill 86.2% and are 10th in the league.

Despite the Ducks record, they have plenty of good talented players. Among the leaders are Ryan Getzlaf. He leads the team with 16 points including 5 goals. Teemu Salanne is still going strong. Tonights game will be his 1200th in the NHL. He leads the team with 6 goals and has 8 assists to go along. Another player to look out for is Corey Perry. He is a feisty winger and has 13 points on the season. He also leads the team in penalty minutes.

The probable goaltenders for tonight will be Marc Andre Fleury for the Pens and Jonas Hiller for the Ducks. Hiller has had some issues this year. He has posted a 4-5-1 record with a 2.99 GAA and a .918 save%.

The Ducks play a spirited game. They take it to opponents and are near the top of the league in penalty minutes. The game could resemble the Stars game a bit, especially if the Ducks feel they can get the Pens off their game. Here are some Pros and Cons....


PROS:

• I keep going back to this, but at some point, the Penguins need to have that fire and desire. The humiliating loss to Dallas has to serve as motivation. They have to come out strong and set a tone, both physically and performance wise. I look for them to do this.
• Matt Cooke has been a force against the Ducks. He has scored 6 goals in 6 games vs this team. Sometimes certain teams bring out the best in a player. Maybe its luck or coincidence, but lets hope Cooke can keep up this production

CONS:

• The Ducks play a similar style to the Stars and we saw how that ended. The Ducks, especially seeing how the Stars were able to work it, will no doubt come out and try to disrupt the Penguins and their stars. If it comes in the form of stupid penalties, then good, but if they can pull the Pens from their game, it may be another long night. 
• Marc Andre Fleury...I hate to include him in the cons, but until he puts a little streak together, he has to be listed a liability. At some point I know he will turn it around. Maybe tonight can be his break out game. 

No word yet on the lines for tonight. Pascal Dupuis is expected to be back so I imagine we will see Crosby, Kunitz, and Dupuis back on top. From there who knows. I'll update as soon as the info comes out. It will probably be a little later today since the Pens are on the West Coast and practice will start later than we are used to

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Sidney Crosby maintenance

After Wednesday nights fight, Sidney Crosby needed a "maintenance day" Thursday to recover. Apparently he has some bruised and swollen knuckles. On the tv broadcast, when Crosby was standing in the penalty box , you could see his hand and knuckles were cut open. Nothing broken and nothing to worry about. He will be in the lineup Friday night vs Anaheim.

His linemate, Pascal Dupuis, is also expected to be back with the team. Dupuis left Wednesday morning to be with his wife and brand new baby daughter.


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Civic Arena stuff for sale

Civic Arena seats go onsale today for season ticket holders. The seats are being sold as pairs and sell for $495. The public can get in on the sale beginning December 1. The seats are being refurbished and lead paint removed.

Civic arena fixtures, equipment, and furniture will be up for auction beginning Nov. 10. There will be weekly auctions running through February. The auctions will be held at www.asset-auctions.com.

Items considered memoribilia such as signage, lockers, logo fixtures, ect will also be auctioned off on the above website. These auctions will begin Dec. 8.

All the details can be found on the Penguins website and this article.


If you could have any 1 piece of the old arena, what would it be?





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Police issue with Winter Classic

Figured I would pass this article along that is posted on thepittsburghchannel.com. Basically the Pittsburgh Police who were to work the Winter Classic on New Years Day 2011 were told they will not receive holiday pay. However, SGT Fisher, who is responsible for arranging all police detail for the Steelers, is encouraging officers not to work unless the holiday pay is paid.

The whole story can be viewed here




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Pittsburgh Penguins vs Dallas Stars quick hits

I just finished watching the Penguins and Stars. I have a few spare minutes and wanted to jot down a couple quick thoughts....

• Having not seen the Stars play this year, I could only judge them by their record, stats, and scouting reports. They all painted a picture of a decent team. What I didnt expect was their speed and grit to be at the levels they were. I think the Pens may have been taken by surprise as well. The Stars played the game on edge. They took some cheap shots. They made plays. I don't particularly care for how they played, but gotta give them credit.
• Brent Johnson looked human tonight. A few of the goals would be hard to pin solely on him, but nonetheless, he gave up 5 goals and did not play a very good game.
• OK. It is time to stop making excuses. Stop with the "it will come around". The power play is simply inexcusable at this point. They went 0-4 tonight including 1:37 worth of 5-3. They are now in an 0-26 stretch. To some degree, you have to start looking at Crosby. Sure he is the leader and captain of the team, but he has to step aside and let Malkin be the man on the power play. Let Malkin have that spot on the right wall where he is comfortable. Crosby is much more adaptable and can be suited to play elsewhere. It's time for him to go to Coach Bylsma and concede that spot for the better of the team.
• Speaking of Crosby, it was good to see him step up and drop the gloves. Not a bad fight. He held his own and got a few punches in
• One other thing that disappointed me tonight was the Pens reluctance to go after Morrow late in the game. It's possible Morrow did not know about Letangs injury but that is no excuse. If he didnt know, he should have been made aware when Asham or Engelland knocked him out. 
• On to Asham again. I am still unimpressed. He had a couple hits tonight but he also took a couple dumb penalties. He has not been causing any havoc on the ice for the opposing team and not contributing on offense. 
• It was good to see Stu Barnes on the telecast tonight. His sighting brought back alot of memories of the 90's. Barnes was a small but crafty player for the Penguins from 96-99. His best year was 97-98 when he put up 30 goals and 35 assists. Every time Barnes had the puck at the arena you could here the STUUUUUUU chants. He was fun to watch. He finished his playing career in Dallas and is now an assistant coach. 
• Kennedy is trying his best to make me look dumb!! I have stated in this blog that I thought Kennedy needed to sit when everyone was healthy. His play however is not proving that theory wrong. It was also good to see him stick up for his team mates tonight.
• Matt Cooke is definitely one of those players who you love him on your team but hate him if he played somewhere else. Well, he is on our team and I love him. He just plays that perfect role. 

The Pens next game comes up Friday when they play Anaheim. 

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New Jersey Devils troubles continue, Brodeur hurt

Last week, I had a good laugh at all the troubles the New Jersey Devils are having this year. As if all the events I detailed in that post weren't bad enough, Zach Parise, one of their best forwards, goes down with a knee injury and will be out 3 months. Now tonight, Martin Brodeur left the game with an apparent elbow injury. The severity is not known. Our old buddy, The Moose, Johan Hedburg is the backup.

New Jersey is last in the Atlantic Division despite playing the most games. They are last in the league in goals per game and next to last with a power play % of 7.3. They are also giving up 3.2 goals per game which puts them near the bottom. It's getting to the point I am almost feeling bad for them.....No, nevermind, it's not that bad yet,,,

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Some notes on Malkins move and other stuff

On the Penguins official website, Coach Bylsma had this to say about moving Malkin back to the middle:

“During the first 12 games Jordan missed, we didn’t know when he would be coming back. Now, with him being injured again, he is going to be out six weeks. We thought about this immediately when we knew Jordan wasn’t going to come out.”
I certainly don’t want it to be a situation where he is bouncing back and forth game to game. Right now, with Mark Letestu playing very strong, having (Letestu) be the third-line center makes our third line strong in the middle winning draws. Having Evgeni on the top two lines as a center makes us look more like we have in the past.”.


I think this is the right move at this time. Letestu can move back to the 3rd line, where he may be better suited in the long run. 




Another interesting decision tonight will be whether Bylsma goes with 6 or 7 defensemen. With Michalek coming back, one of either Ben Lovejoy or Deryk Engelland will be bumped down to the 7th spot. Who will be the odd man out? I would really hate to see Engelland take a seat. If you read my posts, you know I have been a fan of his all year. Can he sustain all season and continue to get better at defense? I dont know but I do know I really like what I have seen from him so far. 




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Congrats to Pascal Dupuis

According to Dan Bylsma, Dupuis made it back to Pittsburgh and to the hospital with 8 minutes to spare before the birth of his 4th child. His wife delivered a baby girl, named Lola, at 12:57 PM. Congrats to him and his family..



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Extremely different lines for tonights Pens games

The Penguins held their morning skate today and had some very diffeent looking lines. I asked the question on one of my Jordan Staal posts if it is time to put Malkin back at center. Well, it looks like that has happened. Also with Dupuis out, Comrie has jumped up to Crosby's line. Here's how things looked at practice


Kunitz-Crosby-Comrie
Cooke-Malkin-Kennedy
Talbot-Letestu-Asham
Rupp-Adams-Godard




Letestu, who has cooled off scoring wise, is now centering the 3rd line. I'm a little mixed about this. The top line could be great if Comrie could find that finishing touch and quit turning the puck over. The 2nd line of Malkins will be interesting. 



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Pascal Dupuis to miss tonights game

The Penguins have reported Pascal Dupuis has left the team to fly back to Pittsburgh. His wife is giving birth to their child. Best wishes to him and his family. Hopefully he got that stache trimmed up!


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Pittsburgh Penguins vs Dallas Stars Pros and Cons

I'm running a little short on time, so I'll jump to the point...

The Pens play at Dallas tonight. Gametime at 8:30 PM EST. The Stars come into the game with a 6-4-0 record, good for 2nd place in the Pacific division of the Western Conference. This is the 1st game of a 3 game roadtrip for the Pens that also have them going to Anaheim and Phoenix.

The Stars began the year going 4-0, but have struggled lately going 2-4 in last 6 games. They are coming off a win, 4-0, against Buffalo last Saturday. Their statistics are not all that great as far as team rankings go. They average 3.0 goals per game, which does rank 9th in the league. The Pens are ranked 11th with 2.9 goals a game. However, the Stars are giving up 2.7 goals(16th overall) compared to the Pens 2.3(7th overall). The Stars penalty kill has been downright awful, killing only 68.4% of man disadvantages. This puts them dead last in the league. The Penguins are faring better at 84.9%(11th overall). Finally the Stars power play is in the bottom half of the league(19th) with a 14% rate. Of course, this is better than the Pens 12.9%.

The Stars feature some good young players who are up and comers. That group is led by forwards James Neal, Loui Erikson, and Jamie Benn.They also feature some key veterans such as Brendan Morrow and Brad Richards. In goal, the Stars main guy has been Kari Lehtonen. He is backed up by Andrew Raycroft. Lehtonens stats on the year are 5-4-0 with a 2.93GAA and .908 save %.


All injured players for the Pens, with the exception of Jordan Staal are expected to play. This includes Malkin, Goligoski, Letang, and the return of Michalek. Pascal Dupuis will not play due to the birth of his child.

The Stars are healthy. They have no known injured players on their roster. I'd love to be able to say that about the Pens!

Here are tonights Pros and Cons


PROS: 

• The Pens are coming off a solid effort win against Carolina. They simplified their game and looked to get back to basics. They had solid goaltending and good fundamentals. Hopefully they carry that success into tonights game
• The Pens have some dinged up players but they are getting the return of Zbynek Michalek. He may have some rust but he is a big addition to have back
• The Pens are expected to have Brent Johnson in goal tonight. Right now, anytime you have him in there has to be seen as a Pro. He is just playing too strong and looking too good not to have confidence in him. 
• The Stars power play has been downright awful this year. Could this be what the Pens need to spark their power play? I hope so

CONS:

• As mentioned above, the Stars have a pretty good mix of youth and experience. They have speed and some grit. I'm sure they will be using this game as a "measuring stick" to see just how far along they are.

So lets see what team shows up tonight. Both teams have had a long off stretch. They should both be rested although Pittsburgh is more banged up. Should be a good one!






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One more Jordan Staal update from the Penguins official site

The Penguins have made the worst case scenario official. Jordan Staal will undergo surgery tomorrow to repair his fractured hand. The injury occurred when he got hit by a puck at practice today. He is expected to miss up to 6 more weeks. This was announced by Ray Shero and posted to the Penguins official website.

Well, best wishes go out to Staal. In all the interviews I have seen, he was beaming and smiling when the thought of him returning was mentioned. This is a huge setback for him and the team.

Comrie, Letestu, Asham, and others will need to step it up once more. I imagine the Pens will also need to bring up a player as well. Another question to look at, do you possibly consider putting Malkin back at center until Staal can return?



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Jordan Staal update...NOT GOOD NEWS

Well, it looks like it will be a few more weeks until we see Jordan Staal back on the ice. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette is reporting that Staal now has a broken hand. The Penguins have yet to make it official. There als is no word on how the injury happened other than he left practice 45 minutes early today. This is a huge blow to Jordan Staal and you gotta feel bad for the kid. It's expected he will miss an additional 3 weeks or more.

UPDATE HERE

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Other Penguins injury news

In my earlier post, I mentioned the Pens page is reporting Staal left practice early due to an upper body injury.

Alex Goligoski also left practice after only 15 minutes. No word yet on why. There are no injury updates coming from the Penguins other than Malkin, Letang, and Goligoski are all day to day.

Just when we all thought things were getting better! The good news is that the injuries to Malkin, GoGo, and Letang do not appear to be serious. Staals injury right now is unknown to me but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.


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Staal has possible setback

It's being reported on the Pens Home page that Jordan Staal had to leave practice 45 minutes early today. Afterwords, Coach Bylsma had this to say"On why Staal left the ice early:
Jordan left the ice with an upper-body injury and is getting evaluated right now. 

On how discouraging it could be for Staal:
I can tell you my own feelings. And it’s disappointing on a couple levels. But mostly it's personal for Jordan, because he’s had a difficult offseason and training camp. And then to get to the point where you’re looking to coming back to play and possibly having to deal with another injury is disappointing. "

Lets keep our fingers crossed on this one. How disappointing would that be for Staal if this were an injury that will keep him out longer. 

UPDATE HERE

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Whats ex Penguin Billy Guerin up to?

I came across an interesting article today in the Boston Herald. It talks about Bill Guerin and what he has been doing. As we all know, the Penguins chose not to resign Guerin for this year. It was a tough decision but one that, in my opinion, was correct. Guerin was a valuable player the past 2 seasons for the Pens and was a mentor, sort of , for Sidney Crosby. He always told things how they were and had that veteran presence in the locker room. On the ice he fared well too, posting 28 goals in 95 career games for the Penguins. He was also a key addition for the Penguins Stanley Cup title in 2009, posting 7 goals and 15 points in those playoffs. I would love to have a prime Billy Guerin on the team now, but it was becoming fairly obvious he was slowing down. This is no fault of his, afterall, he will be 40 on November 9.

After learning the Penguins would not resign him, Guerin went to Philidelphia during the preseason for a tryout. That ended when he was released Oct. 4. So now Guerin does not have a team, but he is still busy in the hockey world. The article states he is still hopeful someone will come calling and believes he has some hockey left.

So where has Guerin been spotted? According to the article, he was at the TD Garden in Boston Thursday with none other than Pittsburgh scout and official Tom Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald planned on spending a few days with Guerin to show him what the scouting business is like in case Guerin would like to choose that path.

The full article can be read here



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Jordan Staal and Zbynek Michalek coming back!!

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette is reporting that both Jordan Staal and Zbynek Michalek are penciled in to return on Wednesday against the Dallas Stars. This is great, great news! The Pens will be getting one of the best 2 way centers in the league and one of the best shutdown defensemen in the league. How can you beat that? So the debates can really begin now about what the lines will look like and who will sit. I'll post my take later in the week but I think it's fairly obvious who will get knocked down the lineup and his last name starts with Comrie.



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Penguins and Hurricanes wrap up and random thoughts

The Penguins simplified their game last night against the Carolina Hurricanes and the results were positive. The Pens blanked the Canes 3-0. The game was much more "normal" than what we have been seeing lately. Brent Johnson again was just plain great in the net. Here are some quick thoughts from last night......

• The power play only got 2 chances but I liked how they looked. They got some shots and created some chances around the net. They are now 0-22 in the last 5 games. This is obviously a problem but if they throw shots on goal and create traffic in front of the net like they did last night, things will hopefully turn around.
• The penalty kill looked very good. They held the Hurricanes scoreless on 7 chances. They now rank 11th in the league with a 84.9% kill ratio.
• With Johnsons 1st shutout of the season, the Penguins have 7th overall in the league in goals against. The opponents are averaging 2.3 goals a game. 
• I have openly said that I am not a Pascal Dupuis fan. Even I gotta admit he looked great last night. He was flying around the ice and the puck seemed to follow. Even if you take away the goals, this was by far the best game I have seen from Dupuis in quite some time.
• Nice to see Max get on the scoresheet also. How can you not like Max Talbot?
• Kris Letang did not play in the 3rd period. The injury is believed to be in his hand/wrist and occured when he got hit by a shot in Fridays game against the Flyers. He was shown to be in obvious pain at several points through the game. After the game, Coach Bylsma labeled him as day to day. Hopefully thats all, Letang has really been having a breakout season.
• The Penguins were outshot 33-31. 
• The Hurricanes came into the game as the worst faceoff team. They showed why as the Penguins won 36 compared to the Canes 16.
• Brent Johnson is jsimply unbelievable right now. He is always in position and seems to never labor for saves. He makes it look easy. He has lowered his GAA to 1.16 and a save% of .960. Unreal numbers.

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Pittsburgh Penguins vs Carolina Hurricanes Pros and Cons

Well, I'm still trying to get over last nights loss. I'm honestly struggling to be excited about tonights game. But here goes...

The Hurricanes come into the game with a record of  5-4-0. That is good for 4th place in the Southeast division. The Penguins dropped to 5-5-1 last night that puts them 2nd in the Atlantic. The Hurricanes are coming off a 4-3 win over the Rangers last night. As we know, the Penguins also played last night but lost to the Flyers. The loss was the Pens 3rd in a row. Carolina has been getting a lot of shots on goal(32.67/game) but also giving up a lot(35.89). They average 2.67 goals per game and give up 3 goals against per game. To compare, the Pens score 2.91 and give up 2.55 per game. Carolina edges the Penguins power play 15% to 13.3%. However Pittsburghs penalty kill wins out 82.6% to Carolinas 76.3%.

I do not follow Carolina, but judging from some of these stats, it looks like the Pens should be able to come at these guys. They give up a ton of shots and aren't very good on special teams. Jordan Staal's brother, Eric leads the team in goals, assists, and points with 3, 4, 7 respectively.

The Hurricanes have not had a very friendly schedule. This is only their 2nd home game of the year. They started the season overseas in Finland. All the travel plus playing last night may be an advantage for the Pens.

It looks as if it will be Brent Johnson in goal for the Pens and Cam Ward for the Canes.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Malkin is questionable tonight with a bruised knee. It sounds like he will test the knee at the pregame skate.

On to the Pros and Cons.....


PROS:

• Carolina has got to be tired. Playing 2 games in Finland then coming home to 5 straight road games has got to take a toll on you. Both teams played last night as well, but I got to bet the Pens will have the stronger legs tonight. 
• Brent Johnson is in goal tonight. Fleury is definitely not to blame for last nights loss, but Johnson has given the team every opportunity to win every time he has played this year. 
• The Pens have faired better on the road this year at 3-1-1. Maybe they simplify their game or maybe its just the way it happens? Who knows, but this is a game they could and should win.

CONS:

• Cam Ward has been solid in his career vs the Penguins. He has posted 9-3-2 record with a 2.39 GAA
• The Pens power play is now 0-20 in the last 4 games. You are not going to win too many with these numbers

So thats it, this should be a winnable game. Lets see which Penguins come out tonight. Game is at 7:00pm.



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Malkin questionable tonight with knee bruise

Evgeni Malkin is questionable for tonights Penguins and Hurricanes games with an apparent knee bruise. According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, he was injured after being pinned to the boards. There appears to be no ligament damage and he will test the knee during the pregame skate. 

The Pens announcers last night kept saying Malkin was not on the ice after he served a penalty for too many men on the ice, but he did play one shift. He went behind the Flyers net to retrieve a puck and was hip checked against the boards. This must have been the play in question. Hopefully it is nothing more than a bruise and we will see him in the lineup tonight.




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Penguins Flyers aftermath

It started off ugly and ended ugly. Fights, penalties, stoppages of play. This game started off with all the flair that has been the Penguins Flyers rivalry. It ended rather ugly as well, with the Pens going 0-6 on the power play and losing 3-2. Here's some random thoughts after watching last nights game....

• I've been having patience with the pp. I was willing to give it a chance. There's a new coach in charge of the pp and a new scheme. I wanted to give it a shot before I gave up on it. But this is just plain bad. It's time to get to basics. Put Malkin on the right side circle where he can unleash that wicked one timer. If the coach wants a rover, let Crosby handle those duties. Keep the D on the blue line. 
• After the 2 fights to start the game, the game really got bogged down by whistles, offsides, and play stoppages. It actually turned into a hard to watch, frustrating game. By the 3rd period, I was extremely frustrated with the action
• I am not impressed with Ashams first two games. I will still cut him a break since his injury, but I have not seem anything physical to his play. As a matter of fact, I thought I saw a couple times where he actually pulled up on hits. He is not very valuable unless he is throwing his body around. To his credit, he did have a nice shift late in the game where he, Talbot, and I believe Kennedy controlled the puck. 
• Deryk Engelland...I've been hyping this kid in my posts and I continue to be impressed. He took on another established tough guy in Shelly last night and again came out the winner. He also has been playing pretty good defense. He has not been a liability out there. He is making a push for more playing time and will make it tough when Michalek comes back. Ben Lovejoy better step up his game or he may see Engelland blow right past him.
• Paul Martin has not been having a very good stretch of games. He is regularly getting caught up ice and being in the wrong position. 
• The players held a post game meeting last night. Hopefully a few guys got called out.
• Crosby and Malkin again held to no goals. These guys are the stars. They get paid to produce and right now, they arent.
• Speaking of Malkin, he left the game in the 3rd period last night. The last play I saw of him was when he got hit behind the net. No word on any injury at this time.

Well, there is no time to dwell too much, the Pens move on to Carolina tonight and face off with the Hurricanes at 7pm. I will try to get a pros and cons preview up sometime today.



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More notes on Pens vs Flyers game tonight including new lines

The Penguins skated some new lines at the morning skate today. I always kind of take these reports with a grain of salt because Bylmsa tinkers with lines more the Coach therrien used to. Five minutes into the game, this may be all different, but here goes...

Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Asham-Letestu-Malkin
Cooke-Talbot-Kennedy
Rupp-Adams-Comrie


So really the main point is Comrie has been demoted to the 4th line. Given his production, or lack of production, this doesnt surprise me. After a great preseason, he has really struggled when it really matters. He has 0 goals on the season. He has been playing primarily on Malkins line and has had his fair share of scoring chances. At times he seems lost on the ice. Byslma did mention he will still give Comrie chances to pull out of it by using him on the power play and in other spot situations. This is a big disappointment so far. I was in the group that believed the Penguins got a real steal with this guy. Theres a lot of hockey left and hopefully he will show the finishing flashes that he had in the preseason. 


Asham up on the 2nd line brings an element that wasnt there before..toughness. Letestu has cooled off points wise but still plays a smart style of hockey. Asham might be able to do what Malkins other linemates could not do consistently-drive to the net and clear some space. We'll see how it works out. 




All the news outlets are saying Fleury is definitely in goal tonight. Bylsma would not comment other than to say it is a game time decision. 




Laperriere, Walker, and Leighton are all injured for the Flyers and will not play tonight.



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Pens vs Flyers round 3 pros and cons

Ok, tonight marks the third meeting already between the Flyers and Penguins. They split the first 2 games. Philidelphia comes in with a record of 4-4-1, good for 4th place in the Atlantic division. They are 2 points behind the Penguins but do have a game in hand. Some stat stuff to think about...The Flyers average 2.78 goals per game compared to the Pens 3. They give up 2.67 compared to the Pens 2.5. The Flyers power play has not been sharp this year either. They are converting 15% while the Penguins are at 14.8%.

After what I thought was a pretty tame opener against the Flyers, the last game featured more of what we are used to between these 2 teams. One good story line for tonights game is Aaron Asham facing his former team for the first time after being injured for the first 2 meetings. He has admitted that he still has friends over there but I want to see him take it to them. Boy, wouldnt and Asham pounding of Scotty Hartnell just be great?

Another storyline is the comments from Flyers captain Mike Richards after last game. Richards accused the Penguins as falling easily and drawing unfair penalties. He also mentioned he would fight Matt Cooke when Crosby fights Carcillo. I wonder if this will give Cooke a little extra incentive(like he needs it!) to punish Richards every opportunity he gets.

I expect a good one tonight. It is expected Fleury will get the nod and have the chance to gain some momentum. If Fleury does start, he needs this game, big time. Its the Flyers, in front of the home crowd, Fleury cannot afford anything less than a stellar game to save face in this city. If the first shot for the Flyers goes in tonight, it could get pretty ugly with Fleury and the home town crowd. With that said, I believe in Fleury and think he will rise to the occasion.

On to the pros and cons


PROS:

• The Pens have gotta be hungry. This is Philly. This is in their building. They got ripped pretty good by the media, talk shows, and fans for their performance last game. I expect Cooke, Asham, Rupp, and others to come out here and set the tone.
• Flyers goalie Bobrovsky has looked human since the 1st game of the season. After being the star of the opener, he has posted a record of 2-2 and has a 3.02 GAA in his last 4 games. The Pens got to him last game and should be able to do the same tonight.
• It's the Flyers. They will find ways to self implode. They will take stupid penalties. They will be, well, the Flyers!!

CONS:

• Although I said above I believe Fleury will rebound tonight, you still gotta be concerned. If he does give up a goal early it could get pretty rough for him. Hopefully that doesnt happen. I never like to see Penguins players get booed or mock cheers from the home crowd. 
• I really dont see any other cons..I could go on an on about inconsistency, goaltending, power play, ect. but the Pens have the Flyers right where they want em. They are in their head with the Richards comments, they have gotten to Bobrovsky last game, and the Flyers will be playing in a hostile environment. 

Game time at 7:00 pm tonight. To quote Mike Lang, if you miss this one, shame on you!



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Hossa out at least 2 weeks

Marian Hossa  of the Chicago Blackhawks is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks due to an "upper body injury". The injury happened in the 2nd period Wednesday against Los Angeles. The Coach of the Hawks, Joel Quenneville, said it is not believed to be serious yet he is expected to miss at least a couple weeks, with some new reports saying at least a month. Quenneville also said he does not know how or exactly when it happened. 


This hurts Chicago. Hossa started the season red hot and led the league in goals for awhile. He currently has cooled a bit and has 7 goals and 4 assists. Chicago is tied for the league lead in points with 13 although they have played at least 2 games more than the other 3 teams. Hossa also missed 22 games to start the season last year due to injury

Penguins unveil winter classic uniforms

The Penguins showed off the new uni's today after practice. They will debut in the Winter Classic and also be worn Feb. 10 and March 12. The Jerseys will go onsale to the general public the week of November 14. Here is a photo...

I guess these are ok. In my opinion, a little too many stripes. I do like the colors.

Thoughts from Tampa Bay game

Well, the game was played like I expected it. It featured quick action, lots of scoring chances, and the Pens got killed by the 2 players I mentioned in the pros and cons post as being Penguin killers. Here are some random thoughts...

• I imagine the talk shows and message boards will be lit up with the bench Fleury demands. I am a huge Fleury fan. I believe this guy is the franchise goalie and the Pens will live or die with his performance. However, I gotta admit, he is not playing good. Giving up the 1st goal on his first shot faced again is not acceptable. The 2nd goal, in my opinion, was pretty soft as well. Sure, he did make some key saves later in the game including the penalty shot, but the consistency just isnt there at this point. So you have 2 sides to an argument. One could say, put Fleury back in there Friday. Let him try to get some flow to his game. The other side is bench him. He is potentially costing the Pens points in the standings and Johnson is clearly outplaying him at this point. Which side am I on? I say you gotta ride the hot hand right now, especially against division rival Philadelphia friday.
• The power play again struggled. Coming into this season, the power play was one area Coach Bylsma stressed needed improvement. Mike Yeo, who coached the power play the last few couple seasons,  is gone so we cant blame him anymore. The Pens have a new look to the power play. They move guys around more and have adapted a "rover" player. All these changes to this point have not translated to goals. I think the power play does "look" better. So many times last season the pp looked out of sync and often times the Pens couldnt even get set up in the offensive zone. This year, they get established but they still dont shoot the puck enough. This is basic stuff. Throw the puck at the net, get some scrambles, and get some dirty goals!
• What can I say about Marty St Louis? I dont know why but this guy is one of my most disliked players in the league. Some guys you just dont like. There is no real reason for this other than, I guess, he always seems to kill the Pens. 
• One player I am liking more and more is Derek Engelland. I believe he is underrated defensively and the grit he brings can impact a game. 
• Hopefully Kris Letang is ok. He took a puck off the hand/wrist area last night. He did return to the game. Letang is really moving into prime time this year. Offensively and defensively.
• Aaron Asham made his debut last night. I really didnt notice him much, which isnt a good thing. Asham should be one of those players you notice because he is disrupting the other team. When you dont notice him, he is not playing good. Ill give him a break though since it was his first action of the year. 

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Tampa Bay Lightning pros and cons

Tonight the Penguins play the Tampa Bay Lightning in Tampa Bay. Gametime 7:30pm. There are quite a few story lines to watch for. For one, they are playing for the lead in points in the Eastern Conference. Tampa Bay has started off 5-3-1 for 11 points. The Pens are also 5-3-1. The Pens are 3-0-1 on the road while Tampa is 2-1-1 at home. Both teams have lost their last game. The Penguins are coming off a great played game however they lost to St Louis 1-0 in OT. The Lightning's last game was Sunday and they lost to Nashville 4-3.

Tampa Bay has several Penguins connections. Of course there is Ryan Malone. Malone has started the season pretty slow. He has 1 goal and 4 assists. Malone will not be wearing the number 12 we are used to. He switched to number 6 after Simon Gagne asked for the number 12 jersey. Other ex Pens on the team are...Dominic Moore and Adam Hall.
The Lightnings coach, Guy Boucher, was an assistant on Crosby's major junior team in Rimousk. 


Tampa has several injuries including Moore and Gagne who are both doubtful. Defenseman Mattias Ohlund (knee), Brett Clark (wrist) and Matt Smaby (illness) are all questionable.


For Pittsburgh, in addition to Staal and Michalek, Eric Godard has an illness and will not play tonight. 


Tampa features several very dangerous forwards to look out for. Steven Stamkos is the real deal. He shared the league leader in goals with Crosby last year. He leads the NHL in points this year. Martin St Louis is always a Penguin killer. Vincent Lacavalier also has had good success against the Pens.


The Pens have not announced a starting goalie for tonight. I have to believe its going to Marc Andre Fleury. For Tampa, most likely Mike Smith. Smith is 4-0 on the season but with a 3.12 GAA. Against the Pens alltime, Smith is 3-3 but has an impressive 1.68 GAA.


Here we go, tonights Pros and Cons....




PROS:

• The Penguins are 5-1 in their last 6 trips to Tampa Bay. 
• Health, Tonight the Pens will get another piece back when Asham makes his regular season debut. He practiced on a 4th line yesterday but will most likely be moved around as the game progresses.
• The Lightning are 26th in the league for Goals Against. 

CONS:

• While the Lightning have been giving up alot of goals, they score even more. They lead the league in goals per game with 3.38
• Whats interesting is that while they are 26th in the league in goals against, they are 5th overall in penalty kill. They also have a dangerous power play that is 4th in the league
• As mentioned above, Stamkos is a real threat. St Louis and Lecavelier also average almost a point per game against the Pens

Should be a great game tonight. I expect alot of wide open play and tons of scoring chances for both teams. 

My Penguins Blog

Hello everyone. I started this blog because I am a huge Penguins fan. I have fun writing about and following the team. With the help of PenguinPoop.com and other avenues, I am beginning to get a few more readers. One thing that I envisioned was having good conversations and views from other Penguin fans. I invite everyone who reads to leave comments, suggestions, criticism, or whatever it is you wanna leave. I am new to blogging and still need to tweak my site to make it more interactive. So please leave some comments, tell me what you think of my thoughts, give me some suggestions, let me know how I can make this site better, tell me what I'm doing good, tell me what I'm doing bad. Anything is appreciated and I will respond to everyone. Thanks

I also have a Twitter acount up and running. All my posts feed to Twitter. You can follow me on there at http://twitter.com/#!/pittspens1

Penguins roster numbers and clarification

Kind of slow day so far. We all know the news yesterday of Tangradi and Hutchinson being demoted. I did make a mistake in my numbers though. I said that when Staal returns, the Pens will have to make a roster move. That was incorrect. The Penguins currently have 23 players on the roster counting all of the injured. This is the maximum allowed by the NHL. There would be no need to make a move.

By NHL rules, teams can dress 20 players for each game, 18 skaters and 2 goalies. Teams have the option how they want to allot the skaters. Most go with either 11 forwards and 7 defensemen or 12 forwards and 6 defensemen.  If the Penguins decide to keep all 23 around, this would mean there would be 3 healthy scratches per game.

The Penguins currently have 21 healthy players on their roster. 2 goalies 6 defense and 13 forwards. Barring any moves before tomorrow, that will mean there will be 1 healthy scratch, most likely Eric Godard.

I hope this clears up any confusion. Sorry for my mistake yesterday.

Tangradi and Hutchinson sent down

Well, with a couple injured Pens getting ready to return, the Penguins have made 2 roster moves today. Eric Tangradi and defensemen Andrew Hutchinson have been sent to Wilkes Barre.

Neither of these moves are too surprising. I am disappointed Tangradi couldnt establish himself and make it impossible for the team to move him. It was obvious at times he needs some work. I think he is and will be a very good player but its just not his time yet. It also made it a little easier that he is on a two way contract and did not have to clear waivers.

Once Staal comes back, one more move will have to be made. This one will be a little trickier.

New Jersey Devils issues..hahaha!

Sorry to laugh at the Devils situation but it is just getting funnier and funnier by the day. 1st you have the whole signing issues with Kovalchuk. Then the resigning of Kovalchuk. Then the fines and punishment for the Kovalchuk signing. Then the cap issues because of the Kovalchuk signing. Then the roster issues because of the salary cap because of the Kovalchuk issues.

Now the latest...Kovalchuk was benched in favor of a 22 year old rookie. There hasnt been a good explanation from the Devils on why but this really makes you wonder whats going on over there. Here is an article from Yahoo sports that details this saga a little better

Ahh, back to normal...random Penguins news

After a pretty rough week of work and personal business, this week should be back to normal! Since my last in depth post, the Pens played 2 very good games, one an OT win and one an OT loss. Both games featured intense edge of your seat play. Unfortunately, I didnt get to see much of the Nashville game but caught most of the Blues game on DVR. I'll tell you what, for a 0-0 regulation game, that was very fun to watch. It's too bad we ended up losing and from Brent Johnsons reaction, he wishes he had that one back. So here are some random news bites.....

Vancouvers Rypien suspended indefiniteley for shoving fan (video)

Just wanted to share a video in case you haven't seen it. This happened in Minnesota and involved Vancouvers Rick Rypien and a fan. The fan in this case was clapping that Rypien got tossed out of the game, and well, you watch. If you were the comish, what would you do with Rypien?






UPDATE: Rypien's punishment has been handed out today by the NHL. He has been suspended 6 games. I believe this amounts to a slap on the wrist. I was looking more for 10-20 games.

Goalie Controversy? Not according to Coach Bylsma

I was just checking out the practice report on the Penguins Official Website. There is an interview with Coach Bylsma conducted after the practice. This is what Coach had to say concerning Marc Andre Fleury....





On having two good goaltenders:

"Brent has come in and played really well and has been outstanding for us. He got an opportunity to play an extra game or two because he’s been going so well. But there’s a ton of games left and Marc-Andre Fleury is going to be the guy who’s going to play 60-plus games for us. He’s going to get back in there, and we know he’s going to play really well for us. So it’s great to be able to have Johnson go in and play really well for us and go in and get some wins. But we all know that Marc is going to do the same for us."

On if he is just going with the hot goaltender:
"In this situation, Johnny played really well, and we went with the guy who has been winning some games for us. It hasn’t been that way all the time, but it was in this case. But again, Flower’s going to play 60-plus games and win a lot of hockey games for us. The way Johnny has played is that he stepped in and won some games for us, so we know that when he goes in there he’s going to give us a great game. "

On if Fleury will play during the upcoming road trip: 

"We will see Marc back this road trip. "








So although Brent Johnson has clearly outplayed Fleury to start the season, which lead to Coach Bylsma calling Fleury out publicly, the Coach is now showing some love and confidence in the Flower. In many fan circles, Fleury has already been buried. And I cant say he doesnt deserve some of it. He is coming off a subpar season and did not look good in his first 3 games this year. However, Fleury has always been a little streaky and has shown he has what it takes to win the cup. We may have to live with the soft goals now and then. We also have come used to the spectacular saves that seem to happen at least once a game. Fleury is our goalie. At 25, he should be entering his prime. He will be fine. Bylsma knows it, the team knows, I know it!