Just as a warning, this article will not only be fused with commentary as I normally include as spectator of a televised game, but also with additional commentary as a spectator rooting for his team in the city of not-so-brotherly love.
It's not every day a game at the Wachovia Center sells out, so I guess I didn't give it much thought beforehand. I did consider people would come to watch Sid play, as I was, but more for the jeering than the cheering of his play.
My friend and I walked up to the ticket window to buy tickets, but were met with the not-so-expected "Sold Out" jargon. Eager to get into the game, we wandered off into the vast crowds of Flyers' faithful in hopes of finding tickets. It's funny, when you have tickets in hand walking up to an arena; any arena or stadium for that matter, you tend to fend off scalpers like diseased, parasitic creatures. Yet when you are ticketless and begging to get in to the game before the puck drops, you tend to keep an eye open for the sketchy guy in a leather jacket, or the guy who just happens to casually stand with his hands in his pockets pacing to and fro by the main entrance.
I found one scalper offeringlow level for $120 each, to which I openly shot down. Another said $60 for lower level, but he only had one. Finally as Jason and I tried to make our way to the front of the arena, where we'd been heckled by other scalpers along the way to the ticket window, a security guard stopped us in our steps.
"What are you guys doin, lookin for tickets?" he asked, in more of a 'what do you think you're doing' tone than anything else. "Yeah" said Jason, "you have any?"
I guess I thought it was a bit ridiculous to think a security guard would have tickets for sale, but I think Jason was just matter of factly joking with the guy.
"Yeah" he said, to our surprise. "I took two off those guys trying to sell before. They're upper deck. I'll do two for $40."
SOLD
The puck had already dropped as we entered the building, about a minute and a half in. Having been starved for a good three hours, we figured to grab food then so as to prevent the intermission rush. I looked up at the screen while waiting in line, and saw Brierre sneak behind the net. "Look, Brierre's behind the net" I said, "here comes a goal."
I've never hated being more right any time before.
We got to our seats with about 16:00 remaining in the first. I'll transcribe a few insults shot towards me while finding my seat. Jason, a Flyers fan, pretended he didn't know me the whole time.
There was the ever so generic, "Penguins suck!", followed by the territorial "get out of our section!", but not to be topped by the equally laughable "f*ck you" and my personal favorite - the subtle "die".
Before I could choke down some fine Aramark dining, the score was 2-0.
Assuming the Penguins would make another late period run, I remained optimistic that it wasn't over yet. Regardless, the first period ended 2-0 Flyers.
At the end of intermission I did the typical routine move - I hit the bathrooms. Another lovely barrage of comments flew throughout the room, all of which really had me genuinely laughing. "I didn't know Penguins fans peed standing up". "Ladies room is next door Penguins". "Hey Armstrong [a guy wearing a Colby Armstrong jersey] why don't you hold it for your buddy Malkin [his friend wearing a Evgeni Malkin jersey]."
Barely into the second period, the Penguins were losing 3-0. Their passing was atrocious, there were too many forced plays and just not enough shots. Not to mention, but I'll say it anyways, the penalty kill completely and utterly sucked.
The Penguins managed to answer back with a powerplay goal on a Malkin one-timer from Whitney and Crosby, thus extending the captain's point streak to 15 games. By the grace of the black and gold, on what seemed like the dying seconds of the second period, Gonchar let one loose from the blueline to close it within one with only two-tenths of a second remaining on the game clock. Heading into the third period 3-2, I had high hopes for a comeback.
Alas, that would be the end of the Penguins scoring, as the Flyers would go on to add another two, one of which was the empty netter. Speaking of, pulling Fleury in favor of an extra attacker while barely in the Flyers' zone was a pretty poor call. I suppose it didn't matter much when down by two, but at least play with your heads up. The last few minutes of the period were marred by overall fighting matches around the rink, both verbal and physical. Chants of "Crooooosby" emanated from within. I looked at the clock, counting down the seconds for my escape.
I suppose, that is when the Wachovia Center decided it'd be a good time to put my solemn, blank staring, desperately seeking the end face on the big screen monitor. Hell, my team was down two goals, the least I could do was point to the logo on my hat and get a few more boos just for the fun of it. Seconds later, the chant of "Go home Penguins" started from my section.
On my way back to the parking lot I received a few more screams and jeers, my favorite from a little kid calling from the security of his Dad's SUV "Penguins suck".
Thus marked the end of my trip to Philly, complete with ticket scalping, Penguin bashing goodness.
I am no doubt disappointed in another loss, thus making it three straight for the club. Prior to the game I was hoping Fleury would have a better game in net, but the answer to my hopeful mind came within the first ten minutes of the first.
Baby steps I suppose. I'm happy to see Ryan Whitney back on the line, as he managed to contribute to both Penguins' goals. I was also happy to see some fists thrown around, although Ryan Malone was more on the receiving end of a barrage of punches that left his face looking like he was a donor to the Philly blood bank than anything else. Sydor also dropped mitts and held his own, possibly even having won the fight in my eyes.
All in all I'm grateful to the lovely city of Philadelphia - the home of the nation's first capital. The birthplace of freedom. The city of brotherly love. It may not be a city open to fans from other teams, but the love amongst Flyers' fans is apparant. In a world of civil marriages, they definitely bring new definition to the term brotherly love.
Penguins Goals
1st Period
NONE
2nd Period
Malkin from Whitney-Crosby
Gonchar from Malkin-Whitney
3rd Period
NONE
Fleury - 25-29
Biron - 29-31
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Penguins vs Flyers preview
These two teams face off again for the second time in less than a week. The Flyers, who walked away victorious in a 3-1 win in Pittsburgh Wednesday night will now have the home-ice advantage in another installment of Pennsylvanian ice hockey supremacy.
I'll take my bets and assume Marc-Andre Fleury will be in net for the Penguins, as the Flyers routed Dany Sabourin blocker-side for three goals as if he were blind in one eye. Of course, this all will come down to Therrien's coin-flip prior to the game. It seems to be his method of doing things.
Crosby is looking to continue his 15 game point streak, as it appears he's the only member of the Penguins squad who knows how to play the puck. Veteran Mark Recchi has been getting the nod in favor of Colby Armstrong as of late, although both appeared in the lineup the other night against the Rangers. Ryan Whitney, however, was again a no-show, taking the night off for the fourth consecutive game in hopes of nursing his injured groin back to health.
Instead, Therrien has opted to put Alain Nasreddine on the blueline with the man advantage and it has yet to really work to the team's advantage. With Whitney out of the lineup, the Pens saw their 14 consecutive games with a powerplay goal come to its untimely end. Having Nas's chip shots in favor of Whitney's lasers doesn't help much either.
In the last matchup between these two, neither team was able to score a powerplay goal in a combined ten attempts. Perhaps tonight will be a different story when the puck drops in Philly at 7pm.
I'll take my bets and assume Marc-Andre Fleury will be in net for the Penguins, as the Flyers routed Dany Sabourin blocker-side for three goals as if he were blind in one eye. Of course, this all will come down to Therrien's coin-flip prior to the game. It seems to be his method of doing things.
Crosby is looking to continue his 15 game point streak, as it appears he's the only member of the Penguins squad who knows how to play the puck. Veteran Mark Recchi has been getting the nod in favor of Colby Armstrong as of late, although both appeared in the lineup the other night against the Rangers. Ryan Whitney, however, was again a no-show, taking the night off for the fourth consecutive game in hopes of nursing his injured groin back to health.
Instead, Therrien has opted to put Alain Nasreddine on the blueline with the man advantage and it has yet to really work to the team's advantage. With Whitney out of the lineup, the Pens saw their 14 consecutive games with a powerplay goal come to its untimely end. Having Nas's chip shots in favor of Whitney's lasers doesn't help much either.
In the last matchup between these two, neither team was able to score a powerplay goal in a combined ten attempts. Perhaps tonight will be a different story when the puck drops in Philly at 7pm.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Rangers beat Pens 4-2
Out-shot, out-played, and ultimately out-scored. That's the best way to really sum up this game.
Had the Penguins played the entire game like they did in the third period, this game would have been entirely different. Sigh. Could've, would've, should've but didn't. The Penguins mantra?
I don't know who the better goalie has been in the past two games...and I mean that in the sense of opposition. Biron or Lundqvist? Both did an excellent job of shutting down the Penguins, although I will add on as an extension to Lundqvist his defense's ability to just completely and utterly shutdown Evgeni Malkin.
This win marks five straight for the Rangers on home-ice and two straight losses for the Pens. I think Therrien will resort to a coin toss for the decision of next game's starting goalie.
Gary Roberts commited the cardinal sin when playing the Rangers - he allowed Sean Avery to get under his skin. The four minute double-minor ultimately cost the Pens a powerplay goal, but Roberts decided 4 minutes wasn't enough. He'd have three minors by the end of the night.
Let me say this now. The Pens NEED Ryan Whitney back on the blueline. Nasreddeine's shots look like chips from the point, and he in no way drives in towards the net in the way Whitney does. Plus, I'm starting to think the Crosby-Malkin combo is becomming a bit too choreographed. It's getting to the point where when Sid has it, the D knows it's going to Malkin, and when Malkin has it it's going to Crosby. It's a nice attack having both Malkin and Sid on the same line, but perhaps it was a good idea keeping them seperate. Not only does it leave depth to the lines, but it also opens up the ice to any other attacker when Sid is in control.
I'll hand it to the Rangers. I've always considered myself to be a person who is able to give credit when credit is due. Lundqvist is a machine. He's beyond human. The only way to beat the Rangers is the way in which the Pens won last time. Shutdown their offense and try and maintain a small lead. Now it's going to be an entirely different story, as Gomez is really starting to open things up for the tema with five consecutive point-or-more games.
Congrats to the geriatric Recchi for scoring his second goal of the season. I never really tought he'd be a first liner this year, but a fourth line appearance was entirely out of my parameter of thought. Of course, he's also one of the most shuffled Penguins, and tonight I think he played on the third line. Either way, nice effort Recchi. Perhaps he was ignited by Lindros' retirement.
I said it in my last recap and I'll say it again - the Pens REALLY need a right-handed shot on the blueline. Every time you see the puck leave the zone, check the position of the defenseman. More often than not it's a left-handed defenseman on his backhand. Tonight that was the case at least twice, hurting even more when on the powerplay.
The Pens head in to Philly again Saturday night in hopes of evening the season series with the Flyers. This is a horrible time for the Pens to go cold. Considering all of the division games this month, it certainly won't bode well should they come up winless in over half of their next six.
Penguins Goals
1st Period
Gonchar from Crosby-Malkin
2nd Period
NONE
3rd Period
Recchi from Roberts-Gonchar
Fleury - 35-39
Lundqvist - 26-28
Had the Penguins played the entire game like they did in the third period, this game would have been entirely different. Sigh. Could've, would've, should've but didn't. The Penguins mantra?
I don't know who the better goalie has been in the past two games...and I mean that in the sense of opposition. Biron or Lundqvist? Both did an excellent job of shutting down the Penguins, although I will add on as an extension to Lundqvist his defense's ability to just completely and utterly shutdown Evgeni Malkin.
This win marks five straight for the Rangers on home-ice and two straight losses for the Pens. I think Therrien will resort to a coin toss for the decision of next game's starting goalie.
Gary Roberts commited the cardinal sin when playing the Rangers - he allowed Sean Avery to get under his skin. The four minute double-minor ultimately cost the Pens a powerplay goal, but Roberts decided 4 minutes wasn't enough. He'd have three minors by the end of the night.
Let me say this now. The Pens NEED Ryan Whitney back on the blueline. Nasreddeine's shots look like chips from the point, and he in no way drives in towards the net in the way Whitney does. Plus, I'm starting to think the Crosby-Malkin combo is becomming a bit too choreographed. It's getting to the point where when Sid has it, the D knows it's going to Malkin, and when Malkin has it it's going to Crosby. It's a nice attack having both Malkin and Sid on the same line, but perhaps it was a good idea keeping them seperate. Not only does it leave depth to the lines, but it also opens up the ice to any other attacker when Sid is in control.
I'll hand it to the Rangers. I've always considered myself to be a person who is able to give credit when credit is due. Lundqvist is a machine. He's beyond human. The only way to beat the Rangers is the way in which the Pens won last time. Shutdown their offense and try and maintain a small lead. Now it's going to be an entirely different story, as Gomez is really starting to open things up for the tema with five consecutive point-or-more games.
Congrats to the geriatric Recchi for scoring his second goal of the season. I never really tought he'd be a first liner this year, but a fourth line appearance was entirely out of my parameter of thought. Of course, he's also one of the most shuffled Penguins, and tonight I think he played on the third line. Either way, nice effort Recchi. Perhaps he was ignited by Lindros' retirement.
I said it in my last recap and I'll say it again - the Pens REALLY need a right-handed shot on the blueline. Every time you see the puck leave the zone, check the position of the defenseman. More often than not it's a left-handed defenseman on his backhand. Tonight that was the case at least twice, hurting even more when on the powerplay.
The Pens head in to Philly again Saturday night in hopes of evening the season series with the Flyers. This is a horrible time for the Pens to go cold. Considering all of the division games this month, it certainly won't bode well should they come up winless in over half of their next six.
Penguins Goals
1st Period
Gonchar from Crosby-Malkin
2nd Period
NONE
3rd Period
Recchi from Roberts-Gonchar
Fleury - 35-39
Lundqvist - 26-28
Penguins vs Rangers preview
Let's just say the last meeting between these two wasn't exactly a display of red lights, streamers and raining hats. In a 1-0 win over the Rangers, the Penguins' Marc-Andre Fleury was considered as a goalie in the process of heating up. He'd soon follow this game with a five goal forfeit against the Leafs. Needless to say, a lot has changed since the last Rangers/Penguins contest that went down roughly two weeks ago.
Fleury has been benched, or so it seems, in favor of Dany Sabourin. The Penguins managed to muster up another shutout with him in net, but haven't exactly improved in the way a goalie change would hope to help a team.
Lundqvist on the other hand has seen three shutouts since then, two of which have come in the past week. Although the Rangers' scoring hasn't exactly increase ten-fold, their defense has yet to really let them down. It's kinda hard to be the team with both the best goaltending and worst offense. Certainly a tough combination to work with on a nightly basis.
In the last six games the Penguins have gone 2-6, with both wins coming on the road. Perhaps tonight in NYC, the Pens can improve by one more win and hopefully take another one down on the road.
In a league now dominated by speed, agility and intense puck movement, one would almost think a player like Jagr to be out of his element. There's no denying this former Penguin played phenomenally when paired with Lemieux and Francis/Stevens, but since his departure from Steeltown the effort has been anything but average. Maybe it was his moved to one of the most overly critical cities in the world that did it. Or, maybe he really is past his prime. Trade material? Possibly. But who'd really benefit from having him? It's upsetting sometimes to see former 'amazing' players fizzle out in otherwise disappointing ways. Gretzky, Hull and Federov come to mind.
Eklund, the anonymous online hockey blogger (why he insists on being anonymous still annoys me) had this to say about the Penguins:
The Penguins will be ok. They are really are the essence of a team, meaning they are a single unit. last year that single unit was in its rookie season, caught everone by surprise, and started to hint toward an eventuality. This year that unit is in a sophomore slump, though their record is respectable. They sometimes forget the extra level that is needed at times to win games. When all is said and done they will be downright scary.
Let's see how this game turns out tonight for both teams. It's going to say a lot for the rest of the month.
Puck drop 7ish.
Fleury has been benched, or so it seems, in favor of Dany Sabourin. The Penguins managed to muster up another shutout with him in net, but haven't exactly improved in the way a goalie change would hope to help a team.
Lundqvist on the other hand has seen three shutouts since then, two of which have come in the past week. Although the Rangers' scoring hasn't exactly increase ten-fold, their defense has yet to really let them down. It's kinda hard to be the team with both the best goaltending and worst offense. Certainly a tough combination to work with on a nightly basis.
In the last six games the Penguins have gone 2-6, with both wins coming on the road. Perhaps tonight in NYC, the Pens can improve by one more win and hopefully take another one down on the road.
In a league now dominated by speed, agility and intense puck movement, one would almost think a player like Jagr to be out of his element. There's no denying this former Penguin played phenomenally when paired with Lemieux and Francis/Stevens, but since his departure from Steeltown the effort has been anything but average. Maybe it was his moved to one of the most overly critical cities in the world that did it. Or, maybe he really is past his prime. Trade material? Possibly. But who'd really benefit from having him? It's upsetting sometimes to see former 'amazing' players fizzle out in otherwise disappointing ways. Gretzky, Hull and Federov come to mind.
Eklund, the anonymous online hockey blogger (why he insists on being anonymous still annoys me) had this to say about the Penguins:
The Penguins will be ok. They are really are the essence of a team, meaning they are a single unit. last year that single unit was in its rookie season, caught everone by surprise, and started to hint toward an eventuality. This year that unit is in a sophomore slump, though their record is respectable. They sometimes forget the extra level that is needed at times to win games. When all is said and done they will be downright scary.
Let's see how this game turns out tonight for both teams. It's going to say a lot for the rest of the month.
Puck drop 7ish.
Penguins falls to Flyers 3-1
Ask any coach and he'll tell ya, "The best way to win a game, unless you're the Penguins, is to give up two goals in the first five minutes". Somehow, this strategy worked well for the Avalanche and Islanders, but not the Penguins.
Talk about deflating. Coming off a Devil beat down on Monday night, the Penguins found themselves in the hole tonight by the score of 2-0 before Therrien could even switch up the lines half a dozen times. He'd eventually go on to do it anyways, even working Laraque on to the powerplay unit in hopes of opening up the front -but alas, to no avail.
Despite practicing and saying he'd have a go on the night, Ryan Whitney opted to sit out one more in favor of playing tomorrow against the Rangers. I'd like to have seen him play both games, but if I had to choose I'd say take the one with the Rangers.
Could Alain Nasreddeine be any more worthless? I'd almost rather see Ruutu take a stab at being on defense rather than having Nas running around and fumbling the puck like a peewee. Speaking of, the Pens REALLY need a right-handed shot somewhere in that lineup, most preferably on the blueline. Eaton's diving attempt to swat a puck in on the backhand might have had a better chance had he possessed a right-hand shot. Sykora's one-timer might have gone in had Malkin's pass been to a righty shooter. And as far as Gonchar goes, that guy plays more kicks to the point on the backhand than I've ever seen a defenseman do. I'm not saying the Penguins lack quality puck movement (minus this game), but a right-handed shot would be stellar.
Perhaps it's time for: "Hi, Mr. Letang? It's Coach Therrien".
Come on Therrien, what are you waiting for?
I don't blame Sabourin for this one. Frankly the score had a chance of being close to 5-1, especially coming on that Brierre blank right on the goal line. If you had to blame anything this game, it'd be the inability to clear their own zone, poor puck handling both in AND out of the zone and a insanely good Flyers penalty kill.
Thus ends the 14 consecutive games with a powerplay goal. Thus ends another 8-0 season against the Flyers.
So much for starting a divisional winning streak.
But hey, at least Crosby kept his scoring streak on a roll with his assist to Malone in the closing seconds of the first.
Perhaps this year the Flyers will be the Penguins of last year, as it almost seems certain they're on their way to a HUGE turn around. Well played, Flyers - well played indeed.
See you again on Saturday 'round your parts.
Penguins Goals
1st Period
Malone from Crosby-Malkin
2nd Period
NONE
3rd Period
NONE
Talk about deflating. Coming off a Devil beat down on Monday night, the Penguins found themselves in the hole tonight by the score of 2-0 before Therrien could even switch up the lines half a dozen times. He'd eventually go on to do it anyways, even working Laraque on to the powerplay unit in hopes of opening up the front -but alas, to no avail.
Despite practicing and saying he'd have a go on the night, Ryan Whitney opted to sit out one more in favor of playing tomorrow against the Rangers. I'd like to have seen him play both games, but if I had to choose I'd say take the one with the Rangers.
Could Alain Nasreddeine be any more worthless? I'd almost rather see Ruutu take a stab at being on defense rather than having Nas running around and fumbling the puck like a peewee. Speaking of, the Pens REALLY need a right-handed shot somewhere in that lineup, most preferably on the blueline. Eaton's diving attempt to swat a puck in on the backhand might have had a better chance had he possessed a right-hand shot. Sykora's one-timer might have gone in had Malkin's pass been to a righty shooter. And as far as Gonchar goes, that guy plays more kicks to the point on the backhand than I've ever seen a defenseman do. I'm not saying the Penguins lack quality puck movement (minus this game), but a right-handed shot would be stellar.
Perhaps it's time for: "Hi, Mr. Letang? It's Coach Therrien".
Come on Therrien, what are you waiting for?
I don't blame Sabourin for this one. Frankly the score had a chance of being close to 5-1, especially coming on that Brierre blank right on the goal line. If you had to blame anything this game, it'd be the inability to clear their own zone, poor puck handling both in AND out of the zone and a insanely good Flyers penalty kill.
Thus ends the 14 consecutive games with a powerplay goal. Thus ends another 8-0 season against the Flyers.
So much for starting a divisional winning streak.
But hey, at least Crosby kept his scoring streak on a roll with his assist to Malone in the closing seconds of the first.
Perhaps this year the Flyers will be the Penguins of last year, as it almost seems certain they're on their way to a HUGE turn around. Well played, Flyers - well played indeed.
See you again on Saturday 'round your parts.
Penguins Goals
1st Period
Malone from Crosby-Malkin
2nd Period
NONE
3rd Period
NONE
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Penguins vs Flyers preview
The Battle of PA starts a new season as the Flyers pay a visit to Pittsburgh tonight at 7pm. By division and conference standings, both teams are evenly matched. Philly, with 16 points, stands fifth in the conference while Pittsburgh has a four way tie with the Bruins, Rangers and Leafs with 15.
What was deemed a 'rebuilding year' for the Flyers has certainly come to be more than that. The addition of Daniel Brierre has done wonders for the offense, in addition to the outstanding play from Mike Richards, Joffrey Lupul and Simon Gagne. Marty Biron, the guy known as Ryan Miller's backup for most of last season, has no doubt made a name for himself. With seven wins and two shutouts, Marty is far from being a backup and may very well be one of the best financial moves the Flyers made towards the end of last season.
Pittsburgh's Ryan Whitney, who suffered a groin injury heading into the third period against Colorado last week, is expected back in the lineup tonight after Therrien scratched him for both the Islanders and Devils games. The Pens' powerplay has nonetheless managed to convert in Whitney's absence, but his presence back on the ice can only strength it even further.
Is Therrien waiting for another game time decision on his netminder, or is it safe to say Dany Sabourin will start? Sabourin, coming off his first shutout of the season, is my guess against the Flyers who just happened to get shutout themselves on Monday night. Coincidence? No - I find it to be hard to make any such comparison or justification between the two, so I'm just going to step away from this one...
One shutout against the Flyers doesn't exactly scream "These guys can't score". All you have to do is look at the team's statistics to see for yourself. I'd expect the Flyers to challenge much more and put a lot more pressure on (insert goalie's name here) and the defense than the Devils did. I don't expect back-to-back Penguins shutouts, but I do expect a win tonight.
In the realm of rumors, there are a few circulating about the Pens. Now I'll admit - I'm not really one who likes to engage in rumors or even so much as fuel them even further. Yes, there has been talks of a veteran netminder like Curtis Joseph coming to the Pens, but I think we can hush that one up a bit now with Sabourin's level of play. I will say this though; this past weekend I read a rumor claiming both Ryan Malone and Eric Christensen will be out of the black and gold before the season's end. What say you on this matter?
I for one think Christensen is too unstable for a full-time role, but when he wants to play he sure as hell does. And as far as my money goes, there's no better guy to have in your lineup during a shootout.
Ryan Malone, on the other hand, is a different story. Malone is one of those guys who has been known to just 'click' with Crosby. He's also a native of Pittsburgh, which in my mind makes him somewhat of a hometown hero. Dishing out Malone is like taking Jersey native Jim Dowd away from the Devils. On second thought, they did that already. Hmmmm
This is, I'd also like to add, one of the weirder months of the season. Up until tonight, the Pens haven't played the Flyers. Yet after tonight, the next match-up comes next Saturday in Philly. Similarly, we play the Devils again Monday after having already played them this past Monday. Seven of the remaining ten games this month are all division games. If the Pens are going to heat up at any point, now would be a good time.
What was deemed a 'rebuilding year' for the Flyers has certainly come to be more than that. The addition of Daniel Brierre has done wonders for the offense, in addition to the outstanding play from Mike Richards, Joffrey Lupul and Simon Gagne. Marty Biron, the guy known as Ryan Miller's backup for most of last season, has no doubt made a name for himself. With seven wins and two shutouts, Marty is far from being a backup and may very well be one of the best financial moves the Flyers made towards the end of last season.
Pittsburgh's Ryan Whitney, who suffered a groin injury heading into the third period against Colorado last week, is expected back in the lineup tonight after Therrien scratched him for both the Islanders and Devils games. The Pens' powerplay has nonetheless managed to convert in Whitney's absence, but his presence back on the ice can only strength it even further.
Is Therrien waiting for another game time decision on his netminder, or is it safe to say Dany Sabourin will start? Sabourin, coming off his first shutout of the season, is my guess against the Flyers who just happened to get shutout themselves on Monday night. Coincidence? No - I find it to be hard to make any such comparison or justification between the two, so I'm just going to step away from this one...
One shutout against the Flyers doesn't exactly scream "These guys can't score". All you have to do is look at the team's statistics to see for yourself. I'd expect the Flyers to challenge much more and put a lot more pressure on (insert goalie's name here) and the defense than the Devils did. I don't expect back-to-back Penguins shutouts, but I do expect a win tonight.
In the realm of rumors, there are a few circulating about the Pens. Now I'll admit - I'm not really one who likes to engage in rumors or even so much as fuel them even further. Yes, there has been talks of a veteran netminder like Curtis Joseph coming to the Pens, but I think we can hush that one up a bit now with Sabourin's level of play. I will say this though; this past weekend I read a rumor claiming both Ryan Malone and Eric Christensen will be out of the black and gold before the season's end. What say you on this matter?
I for one think Christensen is too unstable for a full-time role, but when he wants to play he sure as hell does. And as far as my money goes, there's no better guy to have in your lineup during a shootout.
Ryan Malone, on the other hand, is a different story. Malone is one of those guys who has been known to just 'click' with Crosby. He's also a native of Pittsburgh, which in my mind makes him somewhat of a hometown hero. Dishing out Malone is like taking Jersey native Jim Dowd away from the Devils. On second thought, they did that already. Hmmmm
This is, I'd also like to add, one of the weirder months of the season. Up until tonight, the Pens haven't played the Flyers. Yet after tonight, the next match-up comes next Saturday in Philly. Similarly, we play the Devils again Monday after having already played them this past Monday. Seven of the remaining ten games this month are all division games. If the Pens are going to heat up at any point, now would be a good time.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Penguins shutout Devils 5-0
What better way to end a four game road trip then with a shutout? Dany Sabourin - the key to Pittsburgh victories? I suppose it's too soon to say.
Now listen up guys. I've found the key to a Penguins victory. First, you must drive to your local liquor store and purchase three beers that go by the name of Red East; the 'classic' beer of Russia. You must thereby go about drinking one before the game, and during each intermission. Then and only then will you invoke the spirit of Malkin to lead the Penguins to a victory.
I suppose that's all a farce. Afterall, he only had a single assist on the night, but what an assist it was. From his knees on what would have been a tripping call, Malkin dished it off to Sykora who popped it into the net past his former teammate Brodeur for a 3-0 lead.
Sid was no doubt the star of the night, with two goals (eight and nine on the season) in his 13th consecutive game with a point. This was also his second two-goal performance on the season, the first coming against Colorado last week.
To be honest with you, I think the best goal of the night came on Adam Hall's re-direct in front of the net late in the first. On a shot that would have wound up in the corner of the rink, Hall re-directed an Orpik shot to net the second goal of the game.
I'd also like to know how an Ashom punch to the back of Laraque's head results in a Laraque penalty. I suppose it was balanced out in that Mottau high-sticking call.
Tonight's game also marks the second shutout of the season for the Penguins but the first of the year for Sabourin, whose play may very well have earned him a starting role.
I suppose it's safe to say the battle is on for the Pens' netminders. Sabourin vs Fleury in a fight to the death. Alot of talk has circulated with regards to the man between the pipes for the Pens. If you want my honest opinion, I say give the nod to Sabourin, pick up a veteran backup and ditch Fleury come contract negotiation time in January. With whatever money is left, try and secure a defensive-defenseman for the playoffs. Now please keep in mind, I'm saying this as an impartial fan. I will not forget Fleury's 40 wins from last season, but if wheeling and dealing in the way I just mentioned brings home the cup, then I'm all for it.
The powerplay clicked AGAIN tonight, for the 14th time in 14 games. Incredible.
And what's really better than a 5-0 shutout against the Devils? (Well almost better). Watching Brodeur get pulled in favor of Kevin Weekes. Sigh. Truly brings a tear of joy to my eye.
Better luck next time Devils. See you next Monday.
Penguins Goals
1st Period
Crosby from Sykora-Gonchar
Hall from Orpik-Talbot
2nd Period
Sykora from Malkin
Christensen from Talbot-Laraque
3rd Period
Crosby from Orpik
Sabourin 20-20
Brodeur 19-24
Weekes 6-6
Now listen up guys. I've found the key to a Penguins victory. First, you must drive to your local liquor store and purchase three beers that go by the name of Red East; the 'classic' beer of Russia. You must thereby go about drinking one before the game, and during each intermission. Then and only then will you invoke the spirit of Malkin to lead the Penguins to a victory.
I suppose that's all a farce. Afterall, he only had a single assist on the night, but what an assist it was. From his knees on what would have been a tripping call, Malkin dished it off to Sykora who popped it into the net past his former teammate Brodeur for a 3-0 lead.
Sid was no doubt the star of the night, with two goals (eight and nine on the season) in his 13th consecutive game with a point. This was also his second two-goal performance on the season, the first coming against Colorado last week.
To be honest with you, I think the best goal of the night came on Adam Hall's re-direct in front of the net late in the first. On a shot that would have wound up in the corner of the rink, Hall re-directed an Orpik shot to net the second goal of the game.
I'd also like to know how an Ashom punch to the back of Laraque's head results in a Laraque penalty. I suppose it was balanced out in that Mottau high-sticking call.
Tonight's game also marks the second shutout of the season for the Penguins but the first of the year for Sabourin, whose play may very well have earned him a starting role.
I suppose it's safe to say the battle is on for the Pens' netminders. Sabourin vs Fleury in a fight to the death. Alot of talk has circulated with regards to the man between the pipes for the Pens. If you want my honest opinion, I say give the nod to Sabourin, pick up a veteran backup and ditch Fleury come contract negotiation time in January. With whatever money is left, try and secure a defensive-defenseman for the playoffs. Now please keep in mind, I'm saying this as an impartial fan. I will not forget Fleury's 40 wins from last season, but if wheeling and dealing in the way I just mentioned brings home the cup, then I'm all for it.
The powerplay clicked AGAIN tonight, for the 14th time in 14 games. Incredible.
And what's really better than a 5-0 shutout against the Devils? (Well almost better). Watching Brodeur get pulled in favor of Kevin Weekes. Sigh. Truly brings a tear of joy to my eye.
Better luck next time Devils. See you next Monday.
Penguins Goals
1st Period
Crosby from Sykora-Gonchar
Hall from Orpik-Talbot
2nd Period
Sykora from Malkin
Christensen from Talbot-Laraque
3rd Period
Crosby from Orpik
Sabourin 20-20
Brodeur 19-24
Weekes 6-6
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