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.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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