Friday, December 28, 2007

PENSBURGH HAS MOVED!!!!

Pensburgh.blogspot.com has joined forces with SBNation and can now be read at
PENSBURGH.COM


Please update your links, and if you aren't on my blogroll yet ask and ye shall receive.

Pens drop Caps 4-3 in OT

It's safe to say at this point that every time the Caps and Pens faceoff, you can expect a fight from Georges Laraque and Donald Brashear. Those guys genuinely hate one another.

What you can't predict is a come from behind victory. Frankly, I hate games like this. They leave me cursing and yelling and screaming one minute, and then cheering and praising and hailing the next. If my neighbors were actually capable of hearing, they'd think I had a combination of a bi-polar disorder and turrets.

Regardless, Pens took down the Caps in overtime tonight by the score of 4-3 in front of the home crowd. Crosby had two assists on the night, with some goal-age coming from the otherwise silent Sydor and new-comer Jeff Taffe. The game-winner in OT came courtesy of Sergei Gonchar who hit a wide open net on a slapper from the point via a Crosby dish. Get used to seeing Sydor on the lines again, as key defenseman Mark Eaton is out with a torn ACL. Therrien has so far experimented with who he plans to pair with Gonch, with Scuderi looking like the go-to-guy at the moment. If his juggling of forwards is any evidence to his ADD tendencies when it comes to line formations, then I'd expect to see every D-man on the team get a fair shot in pairing with Gonch.

The Pens played a very disciplined game tonight. However, much to the power play unit's chagrin so did the Caps. Each team only had two power play attempts and a total of three penalties on the game (including the Brashear/Laraque first period dance.) Pens went one for two with the man advantage, converting in a dire situation in the closing minutes of the third to send the game to OT. The Pens' PK unit killed penalties at an OJ Simpson-like 100 percent. Although not on the PK line, Gary Roberts explained how he'd do it if he was.

Pens are off now till the outdoor extravaganza that is the NHL Winter Classic. Or, as many are calling it, The Ice Bowl. Should Ty Conklin get the start in net for the Pens, this will be his second appearance in an outdoor game. Conk was in goal for Edmonton in the 4-3 loss to Montreal back in 2003.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Penguins vs Caps preview - Crosby vs Ovechkin II

Tonight the Penguins come back from the holiday break hoping to make it two in a row against the Caps at home in Pittsburgh. As is the case in any Sidvechkin game, the NHL hype couldn't be greater. Never mind the fact that if the playoffs started tomorrow both the Caps and Penguins would be watching the games from home.

I don't want to turn this into a who's better match either. I really hate the constant Sid vs Ovechkin battle. Personally, I feel Ovechkin is lost on the Caps. He's an amazing player trapped on a crappy team. Similar to Sid's predicament in his rookie season, the team is struggling to get out of last place in the conference. However, unlike the Pens' 2005 season, the Caps failed to rebound the following year. Or even the year after that. Comparatively speaking, the Caps are the Pittsburgh Pirates of hockey. Ovechkin is to the Caps and Freddy Sanchez is to the Pirates. Rookie of the Year and Slugger of the Year can't do it all.

Ty Conklin has really been holding his own in net, much to my surprise, but I'd expect Sabu in net tonight. Conklin goaltended that almost unspeakable display in the 5-4 Bruins shootout match that nearly led to a loss, but we'll just remember that as a win and move on from there.

Then there was the other 4-2 win later in the week against - you guessed it, Boston. Seems Therrien wants to make Conklin the go-to-guy for Boston matchups. Don't blame him when the kid goes 2-0 in two games against them...

Sid is both hot and cold so far this month. Clearly not his best play of the season, but after all, he's only human. Perhaps the thrill of competition against Ovechkin will really help Sid take off again.

Scary Gary nets two in the last game against the Bruins. Laraque gets another. Now all we need is the first two lines to score. I don't know about you, but I'm missing Max Talbot right about now. Some quality scoring depth would work wonders for this team. That and some solid goaltending...

Lastly, when talking about the aspect of a pattern and potentially falling into a somewhat superstitious state, let's not consider the last six games. (I'll just throw it out there anyways.) If you needed further explanation, then here you go.

L-W-L-W-L-W-(?)

Here's to a W...

Monday, December 24, 2007

Why does Don Cherry even talk?

If you've ever seen a Hockey Night in Canada broadcast then you've no doubt seen the likes of one Don Cherry. And, if you've seen this said 'broadcaster' (and I use the term loosely), then you'd see how the so-called eccentric and outlandish host loves to take the focus off of hockey and place it on himself and his drag queen-like wardrobe.

Seated next to Don Cherry is Ron MacLean. Watch MacLean for five minutes and you just know the guy is a walking encyclopedia of hockey knowledge. Not to mention, from stories and books I've read, he's also the more approachable one of the two. Coincidentally, he's also the lesser paid.

Don Cherry is notorious for going off topic, ranting and raving about anything but hockey. He is, on a similar note, known for doing just the same about a specific athlete or team. In Sid's rookie season Cherry was never short to say with utmost sincerity that he felt Crosby was taking dives. He even went on to say how much of a baby Crosby was. Although in some instances it's hard to say Sid wasn't going for an Oscar, there were also many times when high-sticking calls went uncalled. All arguments aside, Cherry just loves to be right.

And so this brings me to a recent edition of Hockey Night in Canada. In last night's airing, Don Cherry explained how he felt Chris Simon's stomp on Jarkko Ruutu was justified because he "asked for it" and "got it."

In fact, Cherry had a meltdown on television. Even MacLean got to a point where he threw his arms in the air, rolled his eyes and said without saying, "Please get me off the air with this guy." Whenever MacLean would make a sensible hockey argument I.E. Explaining how Cherry had no knowledge to suspect the Islanders' Ted Nolan of trying to undermine his former Buffalo Sabres club. With that, Cherry wanted to end the segment two minutes sooner than planned.

Cherry was quoted as saying, "You ruined the whole thing." Too bad he feels MacLean can't impose his own views. If the show operated in a non-biased reporting sense, then Cherry wouldn't get a word out.

About a week about, Hockey Night in Canada ran a special on Boston's Andrew Ference. (You may remember him from Sid's first fight.) Regardless, the special was not on Ferrence's play on fighting abilities, but instead on his humanitarian work with children in developing countries during the off-season. Rather than condone Ference for his actions that continue to give hockey a good reputation, Cherry said, "“That was sickening last week by the way."

MacLean, clearly caught in the middle of a Cherry's bi-polar world replied with a confused “What? What is going on with you here?”

“What is this stuff?” Cherry asked. “It's Hockey Night in Canada. And we're talking about saving the world and all that stuff. Let's talk about hockey.”

Funny...take a look at this picture and ask me if the guy can talk non-biased, fact driven hockey.



Didn't think so.

Read the entire article about Don Cherry's BS antics here

And if you ever doubted how Cherry loves to turn the conversation towards him and hog all of the attention, here is a good example. In addition to how he loves to stand by his nonsensical words, this clip followed insults he made on Russian National hockey.

Pens drop Bruins 4-2

No, Sid didn't fight again. He didn't score either. He did, however, tally an assist on the night in the Pens' 4-2 victory over the Bruins.

Tonight's scoring was led by what some may deem an unlikely roster. How often do you see Gary Roberts score not only once, but twice in a game? Not to be out-done, Georges Laraque said he wanted a piece of the pie too with a goal in the second. Malkin - well, he scores frequently. In this game he did so just to secure the win.

Notch another win for Ty Conklin as well. Conk is 2-0 on the year, despite his poor efforts to relieve Sabourin in the Flyers beat down two weeks ago. Tonight's win against the Bahstonians was by far an easier game to handle than the 5-4 shootout win four days ago that nearly turned into an upset.

The Pens head into the holiday break with another win, putting their record at 7-5 on the month with only two more games remaining in December.

The Winter Classic is building a lot of hype, and I really look forward to what the overall take on it is on a day otherwise known for its college bowl games. Rumor has it the Pens will play outside again next year, only against their cross-state rivals on neutral territory on state college grounds. Check out the article here. (Thanks to The Sidney Crosby Show for finding it.)

Perhaps this will lead to more outdoor games along similar lines. Although I'm sure a Panthers vs Lightning outdoor game is completely out of the question, I don't see why a battle of Ontario wouldn't be considered.

The Pens return to action on Thursday against the Capitals. Game time 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

My Return - Pens go 2-2

I'm back from my Northern ventures. In the past week I've tried to pack as much excitement and activity into seven days that I was hardly able to keep up on the news. In my visits to Toronto, Ottawa, Niagara and Buffalo, I was fortunate enough to at least have comprehensive hockey coverage to at least keep me in the loop of things.

Not at all shocked by Chris Simon's stomp on Ruutu. There had to have been something mentally wrong with a player to begin with if he's going to take a baseball swing at another's face. Last season I partially thought to myself, "Well, the trainers did say he acted out of character in part to a concussion sustained on the previous hit. Even still, that seemed like a stretch to me. But now I think it's safe to say that Chris Simon is certifiably insane.

Pens were victims to their first scoreless game of the season thanks in part to Lunqvidst and the Rangers. As upset as I was to see such a blemish come from the hands of the Rangers, I was just as equally happy to see Gaborik pop five goals past "King" Henrik a few nights later. The King looked more like a peasant.

Oh yes, holy crap, Crosby throws down! At first when I was checking a score online I was totally surprised to see Crosby in the box for a five minute fighting major. Before midnight hit I was able to find a TV and watch the action myself. You know what? The kid held his own. At first I thought he was a little late to drop his gloves, especially the right gauntlet he seemed to launch towards Ference's face. All in all though, the kid held his own. I don't care what anyone says; if you send the other guy away to the dressing room with blood trickling down, you made your point.

And finally Friday's game against the Islanders proved to be a disappointment. Why can't the Pens win games in their division? This is really going to kill them come the end of the season and the playoff race. Four wins...FOUR WINS out of the team's 17 are in the division. On a similar note, ten losses for a Atlantic Division record of 4-10-1. Not exactly what you'd call impressive.

But we have tonight against the Bruins to worry about. In their last meeting earlier this week Ty Conklin tallied his first win with the Pens, barely hanging on for the shootout victory. The Bruins managed to squeak a point out of that one, whereby at one time they were losing 4-0. Thanks to a collapsing Pens D and stupid penalties, the Bruins rallied back with two PP goals, one shorty and an even strength to send it to overtime and ultimately a shootout. Kudos to Conklin.

Happy to be home after a crazy week of traveling. I'll have some pics up soon, as well as some news as to where you can read Pensburgh in 2008. Till then, everyone enjoy the weekend, the holidays and the time spent with family. And remember - Ice Bowl at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo on January 1st, 1p.m. on NBC.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

HOF

As I venture off to the Hockey Hall of Fame this week I don't necessarily expect to miss games, but I do fear updating here may be a bit difficult. So rather than promise and not come through, I'll return to action the weekend of the 22nd. I'll continue from thereon in - but with a new year comes some new changes. Keep an eye out for a newly formatted blog, as Pensburgh makes the jump to one of the biggest sports blog communities on the net.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Sens beat Pens 4-1

Coming off the recent loss to Philly, Pittsburgh was hoping to turn things around with a solid win in front of the home crowd tonight. That unfortunately, was not the case.

The first period was phenomenal on both ends, especially for the Pens. Knowing the offensive powess of the Senators, the Pens did a great job of controlling the neutral zone and keeping the puck out of their own zone. Unfortunately, they were unable to convert on any of their chances - and they sure as hell had enough of them.

The second period turned things around a bit, with Tyler "John F." Kennedy threading a backhand shot into the thread coming off a Malkin to Gerber rebound. The Senators didn't wait long to retaliate, striking back under two minutes later with a Dany Heatley laser.

At the end of the second the score was notched at one a piece. This would unfortunately mark the end of the Pens' scoring.

Third period scoring in a nutshell - Spezza, Heatley, Spezza (empty net).

Final score; 4-1.

The Pens bombed on countless chances, especially from Jordan Staal and Captain Crosby. Crosby easily had a chance to score at least two goals, but Gerber had his number on the night. Despite his two assist effort in the Flyers game, Crosby has only registered a point or more in one of the last four games.

Jordan Staal was completely destroyed throughout the night. I've never seen the kid rocked that hard before. Considering the team can't use another injury, it was good to see him get up after every trip to the boards. Of course, some might argue promoting a minor leaguers in Staal's position might not be a bad idea.

Danny Sabourin was solid in net, despite the final outcome of this game. The defense collapsed on the penalty kill, allowing two goals on three chances. It's not to say the Senators power play is subpar, but I expected a better performance from the PK units.

Quick Hits
Staal got rocked tonight, but he's ok
Martin Gerber is incredible. I'd rather see Emery in net next time.
Sid couldn't get it going tonight.
Trip to Long Island on Saturday, Should be the true test as to what fans can expect within the next two weeks.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Recchi is bitter - why? Therrien is angry - justified?

Mark Recchi has been quoted in Atlanta papers as being bitter about the ties between him and the Pens. He was recently quoted in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review as saying, "They'll see," Recchi told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I didn't get 68 points for no reason last year."

As the paper said, and I and many fans around the Pens' world will agree, that reason was Sidney Crosby.

Recchi was a highly respected player in the Penguins community. His charity work with fans and his respectable nature on and off the ice for the team as a whole was something that allowed Pittsburgh fans to wish him all the best after his time in town. I personally even said I was happy to see him get with a big club in his last season, rather than go out with a minor league affiliate.

But now, I can honestly say, my opinion has changed.

It's a shame Rex. I enjoyed your time in Pittsburgh. When I look back on some of the fonder memories of the team, your 500th goal comes to mind. I was happy to see you achieve that milestone with the same team that brought you into the league, the same team you played with on three separate occasions. But now - now I look forward to the Pens paying you a visit on January 12. I hope your buddy Gary rocks you out.

There's also a lot more controversy surrounding the recent beating from the Flyers. Coach Therrien felt it was inappropriate for the Flyers' Coach Stevens to send out his number one power play when the score was 7-2. Perhaps to make matters even worse, the goon Ben Eager proceeded to tell Coach Therrien, "You're a joke" when he passed him in the hallway after the game. Therrien's reply was precisely, "Fack you."

Therrien was also quoted as saying:

"Are we talking about the same team that got five guys suspended this year?" Therrien said. "It is a lack of respect what (Stevens) did tonight. At 7-2 you don't send your best power play on the ice. Even Daniel Briere didn't want to go on the ice. It is a lack of respect.

I would've also liked for him to say something like, "Are we talking about the same team that lost all eight games to us last year?" That would've been nice.

More bad news

Here is a post from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Penguins' goalie Fleury out up to two months, Talbot hurt too
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury will be out six-to-eight weeks because of a high ankle sprain, and center Maxime Talbot will be sidelined two-to-four weeks with a similiar injury.

Coach Michel Therrien said the Penguins will stick with goalies Dany Sabourin and Ty Conklin, and have no plans to make a goalie-related personnel move.

Sabourin is expected to be in goal when Ottawa visits Mellon Arena Thursday at 7:38 p.m.


This certainly changes things a bit. Previous rumors have stated that the Penguins were shopping around for a veteran goaltender. Perhaps now would be a good time to move on it. Curtis Joseph was mentioned at one point, along with Andrew Raycroft. Personally, if I had to pick, I'd choose Joseph.

Thoughts...?

Preview vs Ottawa soon to come.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Flyers annihilate Penguins 8-2

In all fairness I have to report on this one. Although, I'd be more accurate doing a fight recap than a game recap.

The Flyers destroyed the Penguins tonight by the score of 8-2. Both Joffrey Lupul and R.J Umberger were in competition with one another to see who could get the most points. Each got a hat trick on the night for the first time since 1985 that the Flyers have had two hat tricks in one game. Lupul also had six points on the night (3-3), while Umberger had only a pathetic five (3-2).

Things were looking alright after the first. Both teams went into the second period tied at two thanks to a power play goal from Whitney and a quick notch from Sykora. but then it all went to hell with six unanswered goals from the Flyers. Sabourin was pulled after the second period, having given up five goals on twenty-five shots. Thus marked the first NHL appearance from Ty Conklin, recently promoted from the Wilkes-Barre squad.

Aside from a sprawling save to prevent the ninth goal of the game, Conklin didn't exactly save the day or make it look any prettier. Conklin allowed three goals on fifteen shots before the much anticipated final horn.

At least the game remained entertaining though. A nice solid rivaly was fueled by 156 penalty minutes distributed between the two, 98 of which belonged to the Pens.

As predicted, Jason Smith didn't go more than a minute into the game before dropping his gloves with Ryan Malone. In the last meeting between the two teams back in November, Malone was ejected when fighting with Smith in the final minute of the third after a missed slashing call on Crosby. Tonight Malone seemed to have the upper hand in the fight, delivering some solid rights to Smiths face. The fight came to its end when Smith more or less dove on top of Malone to end the suffering.

Even Sidney Crosby almost got into a fight with Flyers goaltender Marty Biron when Crosby, accidental or not, tripped up Biron on a play behind the net. Neither player was penalized, but Biron was edging on Crosby to come back to the crease.

Ben Eager and Gary Roberts also tied up after Eager delivered an elbow to Georges Laraque's head that went unnoticed by the refs. Laraque, of course, was penalized for retaliation. Roberts dominated Eager with left after left to the face. Both were sent to the box, where Laraque and Eager continued to exchange some choice words. Neither would throw the gloves later in the game.

Ryan Whitney fought tonight, just as he did in the Pens' last visit to Philly. Tonight his foe of choice was Jeff Carter. Carter would later be seen in the penalty box with blood dripping from a cut above his nose before being sent off to the dressing room.

Colby Armstrong and Scott Hartnell went at it, although it was more of a scuff than a fight. Armstrong suffered self-inflicted facial lacerations earlier in the night when he missed a hit and went flying into the boards face first. To his defense, falling during the fight prevented further injury. Both players were ejected from the game.

Georges Laraque received a game misconduct for running into Marty Biron on what looked like an obvious attempt to take the goalie out. Shortly after, Evgeni Malkin would also get a game misconduct for fighting with the Flyers' Tolpeko.

The final game misconduct came to Jarkko Ruutu with one minute remaining in the game, as the Penguins more or less had only a dozen players or so on the bench. Therrien opted to sit Crosby in prevention of any head hunting that would ensue should he step back on the ice.

All in all, 10 combined goals on the game, 34 called penalties, 98 penalty minutes for the Penguins, 58 penalty minutes for the Flyers, five fights and eight ejections.

If one good thing can come from this game it's the Penguins ability to focus on using this game as a team building exercise. After all, after the first fight, all of the other ones came from retaliation and standing up for one another.

In the end the Penguins bullied the bullies, winning practically every fight on the game. Winning the game itself; well, not exactly.

Round III in the Battle of PA

Tonight the Penguins look to make it five in a row with a win over the cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers. In the previous two meetings this season, the Flyers were victorious in both.

I'm not going to confirm it, but I wouldn't be surprised if Laraque or another heavyweight on the team threw down the gloves early with Jason Smith in retaliation to a slash on Sidney Crosby back on November 10. If you don't recall, allow me to recap for you.

In the dying seconds of the third period, in what was more than likely a Penguins loss, Jason smith slashed across the mitts of Sid as he tried to maneuver in front of the Flyers' goal. Although it may have appeared to be a dive (I personally think Crosby just sold it wrong), the slash was still evident. The incident resulted in a Flyers and Pens scuffle against the boards, ending with a Ryan Malone 10-minute game misconduct. Earlier in the match, Malone engaged in a fight that left him cut and bloody right between the eyes.

To make matters worse, Smith went back to the bench after the obvious slashing call and couldn't contain his happiness. Cameras in the arena and on television caught Smith gleaming from ear to ear with a dirty grin that simply read, "Yeah, I did it. But you didn't catch me."

Bringing back memories of Crosby's rookie season in 2005, Flyers fan began chanting "Craaaawwsbeeee" and "Dive, dive..." You may recall the controversy surrounding Sid in 2005, whereby Flyers Head Coach Ken Hitchcock accused Sid of diving to draw penalties. The Philly media jumped on the accusations as well, only adding more fuel to the already potent fire that is the Battle of PA.

So far this month the Flyers are 1-2, their most recent being a 2-1 loss to the Avalanche. The Pens are 4-1 in November, with their most recent a 2-1 shootout win over Vancouver.

Finally a look at the Pens' injuries. Both Marc-Andre Fleury and Max Talbot are expected to miss tonight's game with ankle sprains. Fleury sustained the injury in a bad fall against Calgary last week. Talbot, who missed four games due to a high ankle sprain, was seen limping off the ice after the Canucks match. Both are listed day-to-day.

Round three of the Battle of PA starts tonight at 7p.m.

Monday, December 10, 2007

The Letang bandwagon

I was checking out some other Pens blogs today and found pretty much everyone jumping on the Letang wagon. I find this funny on many different levels. First off, and I don't want to link the article so as to spare bad relations, but back in September a certain blogger on a rather dominate hockey site claimed Kris Letang wasn't ready and wouldn't be ready for at least another season.

When the Pens dropped four in a row in early November, I felt if Therrien was going to call up a player at any point, that would be a good time. Coming off the poor play of Sydor and Recchi, I kinda felt a D-man and forward would get the call to compensate. Look at the roster now, and you see Tyler Kennedy and Kris Letang have found a comfortable, new home.

One week before Letang was called up, I asked this specific blogger if he thought now would be a good time for Letang to make the jump. "Not yet" I remember him saying, "he still needs work."

Today when I read his blog, he was praising Letang. How he's the 'savior' of the Pens and the future of the blueline. He even tries to take credit for saying he "knew it all along."

Now, I'm not trying to play the I'm better than you card. But seriously man, I called it two days before it happened.

Letang was also my pick as a prospect.

And here.

I'm happy that Letang could make a believer out of the disbelievers. And although he's had his share of some whiffs on shots and even a few plays in the Pens' own end that could have proven costly, he's no doubt a great addition to the roster.

In the end, if he has to score three straight game-winning goals to prove his worth, then so be it. That's an exchange I'll take any day.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Penguins sweep Northwest in 2-1 shootout win

The Pittsburgh Penguins swept their Northwest visit in the last leg of their three game tour with a shootout win over the Vancouver Canucks tonight in Vancouver. For the second time in two straight games the Pens were involved in a shootout, and for the second straight time Kris Letang stepped up for the club with another shootout winning goal. Letang's shootout record is now a perfect 2-2. On top of his game winning goal verse the Oilers, the once looked-past prospect coincidentally became the Pens' savior.

Not a lot of scoring in this one. In fact, the goaltending was beyond exceptional on both ends. Roberto Luongo easily saved what would've been two goals, while across ice his former backup Dany Sabourin was doing just the same.

For the second straight game and for the fourth time this season, Sidney Crosby was held pointless in his efforts. His best opportunity came on an overtime penalty shot, whereby Lungo was clearly beat and practically out of position. However Crosby was unable to fire the puck fast enough and the sprawling Luongo kept the Canucks in it.

In the shootout, Erik Christensen continued to prove his value with a shootout goal on the Pens' first opportunity. Coming down to the top of the third round, Marcus Naslund was called upon to save it for the Canucks, to which he willingly obliged. Three rounds later, Kris Letang sent it home to complete the Pens' Western road trip and send them back to PA. Pittsburgh, however, is not the next destination on the itinerary. One little stop before that - Philadelphia.

Round three in the never-ending saga that is the Battle of PA continues Tuesday night in Philly, the city of brotherly schmucks.

Pittsburgh improved their November record to 4-1 in addition to winning four straight, their longest streak of the season.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Fleury's status - Recchi gone - Vancouver preview

Fleury's OK

Penguins fans everywhere can breathe a little sigh of a relief - Fleury's injury isn't that bad. On an awkward fall during a shot barrage in Thursday night's game against Calgary, Fleury left the game and would not return in what looked like a knee injury. As the game progressed, reports hinted that Fleury was on crutches in the dressing room and it was not his knee injured in the play, but in fact his ankle. The final prognosis Friday afternoon suggested that it was merely a sprain. Although listed day-to-day, he will no suit up in tonight's game against Vancouver.

Through some goaltending shifts in the system, the Wheeling Nailers opened their doors to John Curry, fresh off the Calgary Flames' minor-league affiliate in Las Vegas. David Brown was promoted from Wheeling to Wilkes-Barre in order to fill the skates of Ty Conklin. Conklin, although not expected to play, will be suited up and on the bench in tonight's game in the unfortunate event anything should happen to the reliable Dany Sabourin.

Sabourin is 5-4-1 this season, with a .914 save percentage and 2.34 GAA. "Sabu" made a supreme effort in Thursday's game, coming in cold off the bench to fill in for Fleury. Sabourin gave up only two goals in the 3-2 victory, and held his ground in the shootout.

The Fate of Mark Recchi

In other roster news, 39-year-old Mark Recchi, after initially being demoted to the minor league Baby Pens, has been claimed off re-entry waivers by the Atlanta Thrashers. Both the Pens and Thrash are responsible for half of Recchi's salary, roughly $875,000 each. In 19 games with the Penguins this season, Recchi recorded two goals for eight points. This move is the eighth of his career, on his fifth different team. Recchi spent three different periods with the Penguins from 1988-1992, 60 games in 2004-2005, and again from 2006 to his recent departure. In 2004, Recchi left the struggling Penguins squad to win a cup with the Carolina Hurricanes.

In what the media claimed to be tension surrounding the alternate captain position between Crosby and Recchi, he'd soon return to play for the youngest captain in NHL history. On January 26, 2007, Recchi reached the 500 goal milestone with the Pens, the same team he started his career with.

This move to Atlanta may in fact be the last for the NHL veteran, but his time spent in Pittsburgh was well spent and greatly appreciated by fans. It's a shame to see him go, but an overall consensus is many would rather see him end his career on an NHL team rather than a minor league affiliate.

12-8-07 Preview vs Canucks
Now that we got all of that news out of the way, it's onto tonight's game. The Penguins are hoping to wrap up their Western Canada trip with a three-game sweep and four-game win streak. They'll have to get past Robert Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks first.

Last season Dany Sabourin spent time as the backup for Robert Luongo, at one point even bailing him out during the playoffs when Luongo was sent to the dressing room for an undisclosed injury. Luongo would soon return, but the diarrhea would remain.* Sabu was perfect in net during the overtime play to keep the Canucks in contention.

Leading the way for the Canucks offensively is none other than the Sedin brothers. Unlike the Lindros brothers, these guys navigate and draw out plays all over the ice. Similar to the Crosby-Malkin combination (with the exception being they came from seperate wombs) if one brother has the puck, chances are he's looking for his brudda from the same mudda.

Henrik Sedin (28 points - 5-23) is just one point above his brother Daniel (27 points 11-16). The numbers prove more than just who is the stat leader, but also which one is the set-up guy and which is looking to put the puck home.

Although I have no evidence proving the two swap wives for laughs, or even talk in sync with one another, I do know they are exceptionally talented hockey players. They should be the main concern of the Penguins' D tonight, along with the likes of Marcus Naslund (26 points - 11-15).

Luongo has had a few tough games this season, particularly the one against Philadelphia where he gave up four goals on 13 shots before getting yanked off the ice. However, Luongo has also had some spectacular, jaw-dropping games as well. He's won four of his last five starts and recorded three straight shutouts against Chicago, Anaheim and Columbus. For the Penguins' sake, I hope he's off his game tonight. When he's on, he's unstoppable. Rather, unbeatable.

East Coast fans, tonight's puck drops at 10p.m. Eastern. It's a Saturday night - you can hack it.



*Not a fact, just an assumption

Friday, December 7, 2007

Pens douse Flames in 3-2 shootout victory

The Penguins won their third consecutive game tonight in shootout fashion. In what was known as "The Battle of the Captains", Jarome Iginla and Sidney Crosby each did their part to lead their team to victory. On the stat sheet, Iginla would have the upper hand. But by the end of the night, Crosby's Pens would get the win, two points and move within two points of the division leading Rangers and Flyers.

An early first period injury to starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury really set the mood for an otherwise disappointing night. In a shuffle across and in front of the net, Fleury lost his balance and literally appeared to have trapped his leg under his body. After facing only two shots, he'd skate off under his own power but would not return. The remainder of the night was left in the pads of Dany Sabourin.

Sabourin, coming off the bench and not expecting to play, was challenged early but stood his ground. His side-to-side play across the crease prevented at least one goal in the first, but didn't stop the only one that came on the power play from Jaroma Iginla with 28 seconds remaining in the period.

Heading into the second and down 1-0, the Pens were hoping to rally behind Crosby. However, Sid was kept on lock-down from Calgary Flames defender Dion Phaneuf. By the end of the night Sid would record only two shots on the night and walk away pointless for only the second time this season.

With roughly six minutes remaining in the second, Evgeni Malkin charged in on the Flames' net, going top shelf on Kipprusoff to tie the game at one.

It wouldn't take long for the Flames to rally back, as Iginla notched his second on the night and 16th on the year on the power play brought on by a Jordan Staal high-sticking call.

Down 2-1 in the third the Penguins found themselves in a hole as Dion Phaneuf's pestering of Gary Roberts throughout the entire game drew a high-sticking call with ten minutes remaining. Had the Flames capitalized on the power play, it would've made it nearly impossible for the Penguins to come back down two.

Ryan Malone didn't let that happen.

Pressuring his man on the penalty-kill, Malone was able to kick the puck out of the Pens zone and hurry down ice for a shorty with 8:30 remaining on the clock.

The Flames applied heavy pressure from thereon in, with Iginla nearly finding the hat trick on a shot just wide of the net.


In overtime the Penguins' best chance came on a Sergei Gonchar centering pass through the crease in the dying seconds of the third that couldn't find a connection in front of the net. The Flames applied pressure as well, almost capitalizing on a two-on-one with Mark Eaton as the only defender. Eaton was able to make a great play to break up the centering pass, giving his teammates enough time to hurry down ice and even up the sides. Time eventually ran out on both teams, as they headed into overtime with each guaranteed at least one point.

The shootout was tied 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth round, when Kris Letang stepped up to center ice. In the game against the Oilers the previous night, Letang scored the game winner and was looking to do the same in the shootout. As he drove in on Kipper, the goalie tried to tempt him to the glove side but Letang had his mind made up already. In a slick shot past Kiprusoff, Letang was the hero for the second night in a row and the Pens went on to their third straight win.

The Pens hope to wrap up and sweep the Northwest visit Saturday night against the Canucks. No word has been released on the severity of Fleury's injury or if he'll be eligible to play come Saturday night.

Despite Crosby's point-less effort on the night, he logged nearly 23-minutes of ice time and provided enough of a distraction to Phaneuf to open the ice up to the rest of the team. Although he's no doubt one of the best snipers in the league, his role as a distraction led the team victory just the same behind scoring from Malkin and Malone.

The Pens head into Vancouver Saturday night as they hope to make it four-straight, their longest streak of the season. Puck drops at 10p.m. Eastern.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Penguins vs Flames preview - Recchi down to WBS

The Pens continue their West Canadian trip tonight with a visit to Calgary, Alberta to take on the Flames at the Saddle Dome. Similar to their most recent match against the Oilers, this is the first and only time this season the Birds are scheduled to play the Flames.

Calgary is last in the Northwest Division with 26 points and currently ranked thirteenth in the Conference. The play of Miikka Kiprusoff has been anything but impressive, as he rolls into tonight's game with an 11-11-4 record.

Between the pipes for the Pens, Fleury has been the opposite of Kippy. The young goalie is 9-8-1 on the season and has recorded four-straight wins. Unlike the beginning of the season, Fleury has found his place in net and has managed to stand more grounded on his skates. At the beginning of the season it almost appeared as if Fleury was suffering from a bout of A.D.D, leaving the net wide open in dangerous situations while fetching the puck.

If I had to guess though, I'd say Dany Sabourin will get the start tonight. Coach Therrien has been known to rotate goalies in back-to-back games, as is the case tonight.

Offensively, the Flames pack a mighty punch. Not only is Jarome Iginla a formidable scorer and setup guy, but Alex Tanguay and Daymond Langkow can put up the numbers too. In Penguin terms, consider it along the lines of a Crosby, Malkin and Sykora line.

Speaking of - Petr Sykora missed some great open net opportunities last night against the Oilers. I'd really love to see him capitalize on similar opportunities tonight.

Crosby hit the 40 point mark last night (14-26) in his three assist effort, edging him within two of the league's point leader Vinny Lecavalier. Malkin is second on the team with 33 points (10-23).

The Mark Recchi situation has taken another turn as of earlier today. The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that Recchi, who just cleared waivers yesterday afternoon, would be appointed to the AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. The main question right now is - will he go? Similar to veterans of the past along the likes of Alexander Mogilny and Theoren Fleury, a demotion often signals the end of a career.

As more news on Recchi unfolds, I'll keep you posted.

Flames vs Penguins tonight at 9:00p.m. Eastern.

Penguins beat Oilers 4-2

The Pittsburgh Penguins added a comeback victory to their season's repportoire tonight with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. The Penguins were scoreless in the first two periods of play, heading into the third period down 2-0.

In the first two periods, Ryan Malone, Ryan Whitney and Sidney Crosby combined for zero points, with just as many combined shots on goal. However, once the third period got under, the first line really woke up.

Maxime Talbot, in his second game fresh off a high ankle sprain, notched the first goal in a little over six minutes into the third with a diving backhander that just slipped past Oilers netminder Dwayne Roloson. The scoring continued 21 seconds later on a Letang shot to tie the score at two.

In typical Penguins fashion, the team continued to rally on the offensive. Nearly four minutes later, Colby Armstrong sent the Penguins on 3-2 lead with a shot from a Mark Eaton shot-pass.

Throughout the entire third period the Penguins controlled the puck in the Oilers zone, cutting down the puck at center ice and really putting their best skate forward. Within the span of seven minutes, the Pens scored four goals, with the last coming from Ryan Whitney on the power play to seal the deal late in the third.

Amidst the media hype of his visit to Edmonton, Sidney Crosby put on a show for the fans. Rumor has it, tickets on the street were selling upwards of $600 a piece to see the NHL superstar in action. Crosby did not disappoint as he put on a display on athleticism in his three point, three assist game.

Marc-Andre Fleury, despite giving up an early goal in the first, looked phenomenal in net. He also came within only inches of scoring a goal in the dying seconds of the third period when the Oilers pulled Roloson for an extra attacker.

Additionally, Maxime Talbot is just coming from out of nowhere this season. In the past, especially in 2005, he was a regular back and forth player splitting time in Wilkes-Barre and Pittsburgh. However, he is now just starting to earn his ice time on the lines with Georges Laraque despite the difference of nearly four inches and 50 pounds between the two. One can almost say it's the on-ice version of the classic story "Of Mice and Men."

The Pittsburgh Penguins continue their Western Canada tour tomorrow in Calgary against the Flames. Puck drops at 9p.m. Eastern.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Pens vs Oilers preview

The Penguins head out to Western Canada tonight in the first and only game of the season against the Edmonton Oilers.

In their most recent game against the LA Kings, the Oilers skated to victory in a come from behind shootout victory. Oilers star Ales Hemsky is expected to return to the lineup tonight after being benched for a knee bruise.

Injuries are abound for the Oilers team. Six players rest on the proverbial stretcher, including defenceman Sheldon Souray. On the other side of the puck, Pittsburgh is hoping their star blueliner Sergei Gonchar is fit to play after missing two games from a groin injury.

Expected in net for the Penguins is on-and-off goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who for all intensive purposes has been nothing but hot on the ice. Fleury is riding a three game win streak that involves not only a shutout against the Thrashers, but also only two goals in the sixty-nine shots faced.

Mathieu Garon got the start in Edmonton's last game, so Dwayne Roloson may be making an appearance in net tonight for the Oilers. Roloson has been off to a shaky start with a record of 6-10-1. Garon, who single-handidly could be credited for keeping the Oilers alive in the game against the Kings, has looked sharp in net and may just get a consecutive start tonight.

The Pens start their West Coast trip tonight against the Oilers, with the next game coming tomorrow night against the Flames. Puck drops at 9:30p.m. Eastern Time.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Out with the old - Pens put Recchi on waivers

The Pittsburgh Penguins officially placed 39-year-old Mark Recchi on waivers this afternoon, officially marking what is likely the end of his career with Pittsburgh.

Ironically enough, at last night's home game against Phoenix, the Penguins commemorated Recchi's 500 goal milestone in the form of a bobble head souvenir. Recchi was a healthy scratch for last night's game, as has been the case for the past two weeks or so.

Recchi, also appointed alternate captain prior to the season's start, managed only eight points (2-6) in his 19 games with the Pens.

With the recent and younger talent working its way up through the Pens' system, it is almost evident at this point that Tyler Kennedy has found a full-time job. Initially considered as part of a demotion that sent Alain Nasreddine down to WBS, Coach Therrien was quick to recall Kennedy, a decision he has not since regretted.

In 13 games played, Kennedy has six points (4-2) and has exhibited versatility on lines shared with Gary Roberts and Jordan Staal.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Pens beat Desert Dogs 3-1

Nice win tonight for the flightless birds, edging out a late surge in the third period to win by the final of 3-1. Prior to the game I expected to see a lot of penalties coming from he Coyotes' Carcillo. Oddly enough, Carcillo didn't spend a second in the box, but the same can't be said for his team.

The Coyotes logged 25-minutes of penalties through the course of this game. Nine of those 25 went to Keith Ballard, who had a tough night as the object of Colby Armstrong's retribution for an early first period hit that sent them both to the box for fighting.

Crosby and Malkin both had a relatively quiet night, but thankfully the team could still muster up an attack.

Mad Max Talbot was back from a high ankle sprain that rendered him unable to play for the last five games. He was quick to make his presence known with the first goal of the game, his sixth of the season. The combination of Georges Laraque and Talbot is amazing to watch. It is the ideal example of the scoring depth necessary for the birds.

Second notch of the game went to Kris Letang, his first on the season from Crosby and Malkin. Earlier in the game Letang fanned on a fair number of shots, before finally connecting on the third period goal.

Fleury's only faulter on the night came during a 4:00 Coyotes powerplay in which Captain Shane Doan found the back of the net following the Penguins' inability to clear the puck.

The victory was sealed on a Tyler Kennedy goal, his fourth on the season and fourth point in four games. So much for Coach Therrien looking to send him down to WBS with Nasreddine.

Great game tonight by the Pens, and phenomenal goaltending on both ends. Despite giving up three goals and dropping four straight, Ilya Bryzgalov is the goalie of the future for the Coyotes. I've said it before, I'll say it again and I'll keep saying it: Bryzgalov is to the Coyotes as what Biron was to the Flyers last season.

Pens head out to the west coast Wednesday night in Edmonton for a three game road trip. Preview to come.

Pens vs Coyotes preview

I'll be honest, I thought the Penguins would jump on the signing of Ilya Bryzgalov when he was released from the Ducks. It would've been nice too. The guy was barely team-less by the end of a 24-hour span, and when he did start for the Coyotes he did so by winning four straight. Impressive.

Too bad he's lost three in a row.

The Penguins play host to the dessert dogs tonight at 7:30p.m., hoping to rebound from the win-streak breaking loss against the Maple Leafs Saturday night.

Never mind this being the only time during the season when these two teams faceoff. This is a win-everything situation for the Pens, who have not only been sitting uncomfortably at the bottom of the Atlantic, but are also thirteenth in the conference.

Besides, next season's new scheduling will have the Pens playing every team in the league anyways. Might as well scout them out now.

Couple of key players on the Dogs to look out for.

1. Shane Doan - Had an extremely slow start to the season, but has since come around to put himself at the top of the team with 18 points (5-13). Regardless, Doan has only been held to one point in the last five.

2. Ilya Bryzgalov - If you haven't seen this guy in net yet, watch and be amazed. As long as his defense doesn't collapse around him, he's more than likely to give up only two goals a game. I'm putting him in the same light as Marty Biron last season with the Flyers. I expect to hear about an off-season extension for this guy.

3. Daniel Carcillo - At 22 years-old this guy is a real scrapper. Two games ago against Chicago, Carcillo logged 23 minutes in penalties, including a 10-minute game misconduct. He's a hard hitter who's not afraid to shoot either. Carcillo is tied for fifth on the team with 11 points (4-7). Not bad for a former Wilkes-Barre star...

In order to contend and not hand this game entirely over to the Coyotes, the Penguins need to play a clean game and keep their mouths shut when a penalty is issued. See also - Gary Roberts, Sidney Crosby. Two minutes in the box is bad enough, but two more because you can't stop whining doesn't make it any easier.

I'd like to say this game is highly winnable, but I've only seen the Coyotes play a few times this season. When you factor in the on and off again threat of the Penguins' offense, it really is anyone's game.

Puck drops at 7:38p.m.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Pensburgh on Blogtalk

Pensburgh will make an appearance on blogtalkradio.com tonight around 8:45pm to talk about happenings around the Atlantic Division.

Click this to listen live

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Pens fall to Leafs 4-2

The Penguins just couldn't get it going tonight. Horrible turnovers in their own zone and just no motivation to move it up ice. In the event they even got it into the Leafs' zone, a lack of forechecking resulted in easy clears for Toronto.

Not gonna lie on this one; it hurts to see them team out there without Gonch and Talbot. Gonchar's absence is the obvious one, as the blueline tonight lacked that one-two combo from Whitney to Gonchar. Although Letang is a formidable defenseman, I feel he has a better place on the second line. However, in instances like this, it's good just to have him up there.

Or is it? Letang made a few mistakes in the Pens' zone. I can't tell if the Leafs were just putting on a lot of pressure, or if he did in fact seem like he was running scared in the zone. Either way, his inability to move forward with the puck gave the Toronto the advantage on the offensive.

Dany Sabourin was solid in net tonight. One glance at the number of shots he faced and you'd expect a higher scoring game. Stopping 37 of 40 is a good game in my book.

But where were the Penguins with their shots? The team mustered only nine shots in the first period, mostly attributed to the eight minutes of penalties they had to kill. Thanks Gary Roberts - you can't just take the two and keep your mouth shut. Instead, you call the ref, if my lip-reading is accurate "A F****** C****" and get yourself two more for misconduct. Lucky for you the PK was working hard out there. Otherwise I'd say it was your fault the team lost.

I reserve that statement to Malkin. Yes, I'm blaming the all-holy, sacred-star Evgeni Malkin. The same Malkin who thought it to be a good idea to wistfully dish a no-look pass to the point while the Leafs were in what appeared to be the heat of a line change. Not only did you miss your pass by a mile, but you also handed the puck right to Wellwood. From there, Wellwood and Blake charged down on Sabourin, who at this point was already weighed down by the amount of crap he dropped in his own drawers when he saw the incompetence of his team in the offensive zone. Pass, shoot, score. Even if Sabourin were to block the first shot, there were more Leafs on him than Pens to pick up the rebound.

Not happy with tonight's game. Too many mistakes. When the team finally tried to make up for it, it was too little too late.

I suggest Kennedy stays up when Talbot gets back. I don't know who'd be better off sent down, but I would really like to see a Talbot-Kennedy-Laraque line. Talbot's already shown his scoring ability this year, and Kennedy is really starting to pick up the slack around him. I just hope he hasn't gotten too comfortable with Roberts and Staal to a point where he can't play well with others.

Pens take on the Coyotes on Monday. Preview to come soon.

Pens dim Stars 4-1

The Penguins marched on to a three-game win-streak Friday night with a win over the Dallas Stars. Fleury was sensational in net and the offense was unmatched despite a few key injuries to Sergei Gonchar and Maxime Talbot.

Amazingly all of the Penguins' goals were scored at even strength. The Stars played a well disciplined game, entitling the Pens to only one power play chance in the closing minutes of the third period.

Crosby kicked off the scoring for the Pens, and wind up finishing with two on the night. The youngster Tyler Kennedy netted one as well, showing his potential in the way of scoring. Despite his small frame that often results in being on the receiving end of hits along the boards, Kennedy brings speed and a sharp stick to the third and fourth lines.

Evgeni Malkin also lit up the ice with a late third period goal to further secure the lead for the Pens.

Marc-Andre Fleury's only slip on the night came on a slapshot from Mike Ribeiro via a screen from former Stars defenseman Daryl Sydor.

The three wins at the end of the month put the Penguins at 5-8-1 for November. Earlier in the month the Pens seemed to be struggling. However, the offense was able to turn it around, as was the netminding of the team to secure some W's before the month's end.

Tomorrow we'll take a look at the month of November in review, in addition to a recap of the Pens vs Maple Leafs game.