TSN columnist: Colby back as a Pen, Whitney traded to lure top forward?

According to a column written by Darren Dreger of TSN.ca titled "Ten Players to Watch at the Trade Deadline," there is supposedly rumors going around that the Pens have expressed some interest in Colby Armstrong and also that Shero is willing to trade Whitney to lure a top line forward to the Pens. Of course, these are just rumors, and rumors come around everyday. Who knows if these will come true or even if Shero has expressed these ideas. When it comes to trading and rumors, we will just have to wait and see.
http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/darren_dreger/?id=264962

I would love to see Colby back, but I would really hate to see Whitney go.

Pens explode in 3rd to earn victory over Rangers.

The Pens needed a good game after the All-Star break, to get headed in the right direction, and that is what they accomplished last night. A great game that could hopefully propel them in the right direction which would be up the Eastern Conference standings. There was a power play goal, well 5-on-3 and we had some great penalty kills and some great goaltending by Fleury. We also had an explosion from Kris Letang who had scored just one goal this season going into last night's game and then he gets two goals just in last night's game, both coming in the third period. Sykora added two goals and Crosby had a goal and two assists who said his knee did not bother him during the game. The Pens fell short in the second period, but did not dwell on it as they proved that they could play strongly in the third. The Pens need to build off of this win and start climbing the standings.

Pens back in action tonight against Rangers.

The Pens will take on the Rangers tonight at Mellon Arena in their first game back from the All-Star Break. The Pens know that this is crunch time and many have said that the playoffs pretty much start for the Pens now. The Pens are trying to get back into a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and they know it will take a lot of hard work to get there. The Pens will need to play more consistently and create chances. Improving the special teams would not hurt to improve their chances either. Though this season has been decimated by injuries, there are no excuses and the Pens need to step it up now if they want to make it to the post-season.

Minard called up.

Chris Minard was called up from the Baby Pens for tonight's game against the Rangers.

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=406623

Cooke suspended 2 games.

Matt Cooke has been suspended two games for a hit to the head on Carolina forward Scott Walker that occurred in a game on January 20th. Cooke was assessed an interference penalty on the play. Walker left after the hit and did not return to the game.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=264797&lid=sublink01&lpos=headlines_nhl

Crosby probably playing tomorrow against Rangers.

Sidney Crosby is optimistic about playing tomorrow night against the New York Rangers. He says that practicing Monday did not really affect his injury and hopes that everything keeps going well.
Talbot and Dupuis will be back in the lineup and Rob Scuderi says he is ready to play.
Brooks Orpik will not play and is listed as day-to-day.

Players to return to action after All-Star break.

Sidney Crosby practiced today but it is still uncertain whether or not he will play Wednesday against the Rangers. Pascal Dupuis and Max Talbot are expected to be back in the lineup. Brooks Orpik may be on the verge of returning to the lineup as well after he was injured Jan. 16th. Scuderi did not practice today due to illness. Also on a good note, Gonchar started taking slap shots over the weekend. Fedotenko skated before practice by himself with his broken hand.

Evgeni Malkin had a pretty successful weekend at the All-Star game. He won the accuracy shot contest and added a goal in the game that the Eastern Conference won in a shootout, 12-11.

The Pens recalled Bill Thomas and Paul Bissonnette today.

Crosby sitting out of All-Star game

Sidney Crosby will not participate in the All-Star game for the second year in a row. He is missing this year's to rest his injured knee. Taking his place will be Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=264274&lid=headline&lpos=secStory_nhl

"Learn to Play Hockey" program a huge success.

Sidney Crosby, Reebok, and the Pittsburgh Penguins put together the "Learn to Play Hockey" program so that more young children could get involved in hockey. The program provides equipment to any 4-8 year old who signed up at one of the participating rinks. There were 18 rinks involved and all are completely booked. Approximately 600 children were fitted in the gear for the program that gets under way in February, making this program a success!
http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=405613

Jeffrey added to list of players being sent down.

Today, the Pens sent Dustin Jeffrey down to the Baby Pens to add to the three players they have sent down already this week. In 14 games with the Pens this season, Jeffrey had 3 points.(1G and 2A)
http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=405771

Minard, Bissonnette, and Thomas sent back to Baby Pens.

Chris Minard, Paul Bissonette, and Bill Thomas have been reassigned to the Baby Pens it was announced today. The Pens have a 5 day break for the All-Star game and after the break are expected to get some players back from injury.
http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=405537

Pens fall to Hurricanes.

The Pens failed at the opportunity to keep their win streak going to 3 and lost to the Hurricanes last night, 2-1. The Pens scored the first goal, a power play goal, but could not put anything else behind Canes goalie Cam Ward, who was exceptional last night. Fleury turned in another good performance, but could not earn his team the victory. The Pens power play faltered after that first goal and could not capitalize on any of the other opportunities even a four minute power play as regulation time was winding down.
The Pens now have 5 days off as part of the All-Star break. Hopefully they come back prepared to fight this second half and make the playoffs.

Pens face Carolina tonight.

After a great win over the Rangers on Sunday, a 3-0 victory, the Pens will be looking to keep the balance with a game against the Hurricanes tonight. The Pens need to maintain the passion they played with against the Rangers.
Chris Minard got his first goal of the season on Sunday. Maybe number 14 is lucky for Minard. It was his first game wearing the number. He switched from his original number 32 so that newly acquired goaltender Mathieu Garon from Edmonton could wear it. The Pens traded Sabourin, Baby Pens player Ryan Stone and a draft pick in 2011 to get Garon. Garon is a veteran with more experience than Sabourin and is looking forward to his first start, whenever it may be, to get in a good game and show that he may deserve some playing time.

Talbot looks to return the first game after the All-Star break.
Dupuis will most likely return that game as well.
Orpik will not be playing tonight, missing another game.

Gonchar able to practice with team.

With the number of injuries sustained in last night's game, there was one bit of good news to report. Sergei Gonchar was able to practice with the team today after skating on his own for a couple of weeks. Gonchar's recovery could keep him out until early March, but some say a mid-February return is possible.

Crosby, Scuderi, and Talbot leave game with injuries.

As if losing Scuderi, Talbot, and Crosby during the game wasn't enough, the Pens lost the game against the Washington Capitals 6-3. Scuderi does not have a concussion but as of this morning, his head was still swollen and he stayed home. Both Crosby and Talbot are listed as day-to-day. Crosby with a lower-body injury. None of them practiced today and Crosby plans to test his injury tomorrow to see where he is.
The Pens could have built a bigger lead in the first period with the opportunities they had, but left the opening period with a 1-0 lead. They kept up for most of the game and both teams were trading off goals up until the third period. Injuries seemed to be striking the Pens the whole night and it seemed like it caught up to them in the third and the Caps won 6-3. Ovechkin had two goals and was putting on a show every chance he got either by hits or mouthing off and then clapping when Sidney Crosby was leaving the game. Now, whether or not he was applauding the fact that Crosby was able to skate off the ice or simply the fact that he was leaving the game is not known. Some would like to think it was a nice show of sportsmanship and I hope it was. However, with the way he was playing and acting, who knows?

Pens vs. Caps tonight.

The Penguins will play host to the Washington Capitals tonight. Coming off of a great victory over the Flyers last night, the Pens look to continue their level of play.
Everyone has been talking about this game, as many people will talk about every game the Pens play against Caps for a while now, because this pits Crosby against Ovechkin. Well, make that Malkin against Ovechkin. Since it seems Ovechkin has a personal vendetta against Malkin and sometimes goes out of his way to land a hit on him. Now, throw in Semin's comments about Crosby earlier in the season and you have a perfect recipe for a great promotion for a game. Not that it really needed all the extra add-ins.
So, Good luck Pens!

NHL.com picks Goligoski as rookie of the first half in the Atlantic.

NHL. com came out with an article stating their choices for several best players of the first half of the season in the Atlantic Division. For best rookie, their choice was none other than our very own Alex Goligoski. While the Pens have been on a downward spiral lately, Goligoski's efforts did not go unnoticed. He leads all rookie defensemen with 19 points.
http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=404105

Pens face Philadelphia tonight.

The Penguins take on the Flyers tonight. Malkin and Crosby are expected to start the game on the same line to get things going, just like the last game when each player had a goal and an assist each. This time Matt Cooke will be given a shot on a line with Sid and Geno.
Bissonnette was called up from the Baby Pens and is believed to be playing on the fourth line with Dustin Jefferey and Eric Godard, a pretty physical line. Could be a good line against our rival Flyers.
I won't talk about the Pens woes, we are all well aware of them. So, Good Luck Pens!

Dupuis will not be playing tonight.

Dupuis uncertain for tomorrow's game.

Dupuis' condition is unknown for tomorrow night's game, though he practiced with the team today.

The Pens are coming off of two losses and have yet to find their rhythm. The Pens have slipped to 10th in the Eastern Conference with 44 points and NEED to get back on track. Therrien knows the team is going to get back to winning, he says it is just a matter of WHEN it will happen. Hopefully, sooner rather than later. Because if it goes on much longer, it will be too late.

Pens face Colorado today.

Once again the Pens will be trying to get a win after a disappointing loss. This time to the Nashville Predators 5-3. One where the Pens had a 3-0 lead and let it slip away.
The Pens are in Colorado for a 3:00 game today where they will try to improve their slumping record. Some fans are calling for drastic measures to be taken and if the Pens continue on this downward spiral I can't see how some shakeup won't happen.
Anyways, in today's game, the Pens will need to raise their shot total to have a better chance of beating Andrew Raycroft, who has been playing pretty solid his past few starts.

Fedotenko out 4-6 weeks.

Ruslan Fedotenko is out 4-6 weeks with a broken right hand. Not great news especially because Fedotenko has been playing pretty well as of late.
Chris Minard has been called up from the Baby Pens as a result.

Pens face Nashville tonight.

Jordan Staal will be moved to wing on the top line tonight against the Nashville Predators. Staal will be with Kennedy and Crosby. Goligoski will be on the third line tonight. All these changes are of course due to injuries to Pascal Dupuis and Ruslan Fedotenko, both undisclosed injuries.
Hopefully the Pens can continue the momentum they gained from Tuesday's win into their game tonight. The Pens need to get on a better streak now that the season is already halfway over. If we complete the second half like we did the first half, the Pens will not make it to the playoffs.

Staal and Pens ink a deal.

Jordan Staal signed a four year contract with the Penguins. The contract will begin next season and run through the 2012-2013 season. The deal is believed to be a 4 year, $16 million deal.

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=402856

Fedotenko status unknown as of now.

Ruslan Fedotenko will get x-rays on his hand once the swelling goes down. It is believed he has a broken bone in his hand.
The status of Pascal Dupuis is unknown at this point.

3rd Annual "Dads' Trip" begins.

The "Dads' trip" is in its third season now and the fathers and players began their trip this afternoon. The dads will visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Ryman Auditorium this year as well as be able to experience a road trip with their sons.

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=402650

Pens WIN!!

The Pens finally win! Okay, maybe finally was a bit too strong, but a five game losing streak is a long time for what some Pens fans are used to. The Pens defeated the Atlanta Thrashers last night 3-1. Another plus in this win was that the Pens actually scored on the power play, not just once, but twice.
Hopefully, now the Pens can take this win and build on it with some confidence and great play and bring into their road trip that begins tomorrow night in Nashville.

Early in the game, Fedotenko dropped the gloves with none other than former Penguin Colby Armstrong. Fedotenko was hurt during the fight and the culprit may be Army's nose because after one great punch that caught some of Army's nose, Fedotenko went off the ice. There's no denying it is a big nose!

Minard named starter for AHL All-Star Classic.

Chris Minard of the Baby Pens has been voted a starter for the Canadian All Star team at the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic.
Minard leads the AHL with 26 goals and has made one of the best starts in Wilkes Barre Scranton Baby Pens history.

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=402394

Pens face Atlanta tonight.

After another loss, the Pens will be looking to rebound with a win against the Atlanta Thrashers tonight at Mellon Arena. The Pens have lost 5 consecutive games, something that has not happened since the 2005-2006 season. The Pens have had trouble scoring as of late and have been horrible on the Power Play and their Penalty Kill has not been effective recently either.
The Pens will have a lot to correct to pull off a win. The Pens need to get back to the way they were playing earlier in the season when even being down by a few goals did not stop the Pens from earning a victory.

Gill and Goligoski to be healthy scratches tonight.

With 8 healthy defensemen now, players will have to sit out. The two tonight will be Hal Gill and Alex Goligoski. Tim Wallace is expected to be scratched tonight as well.

Also, talks with Jordan Staal's agent have continued and it is believed that Staal is asking for more than what the Pens are offering. It is believed to be one of Shero's top priorities to sign Staal though.

Pens trade T.J. Kemp.

The Pens have traded defenseman T.J. Kemp to Montreal for a conditional draft pick in the 2010 draft.

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=402224

Also in Pens news, Mike Zigomanis has been placed on Injured Reserve. He suffered an undisclosed injury December 3rd against the Rangers.
http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=401976

Pens face Rangers tonight.

It is a recurring theme recently of the Pens, that theme is simply that the Pens need to get back on track and start winning some games! The Pens have lost the past four games. There are a number of things wrong and people are calling for drastic measures! I would just like to see a team effort, I know we are capable of winning and playing a great game and we just have to get back to those fundamentals.
There are some changes for tonight's game against the Rangers. Tyler Kennedy has been moved to the top line to join Crosby and Dupuis. Satan has moved down to the fourth line.