Pens win Home Opener

The Pens opened the Consol Energy Center with a win last night against the Florida Panthers. The Pens pulled off a 4-2 win last night at home without Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. Not that that should surprise anyone. Especially with our wonderful line of Matt Cooke, Joe Vitale, and Pascal Dupuis. That was meant to be read with a tone of sarcasm, because some might not expect that line to be as lethal as they have been, but they have been fantastic. Last night's game was no exception either. They have been chipping in offensively, Matt Cooke has 3 goals in 4 games, and work hard every shift they are out there. With key players out of the lineup, it's great to see the rest of the team click and make our great team that much stronger.

Matt Cooke is not only adding goals to the Pens, he is adding a new perspective to his game. That would be less hitting, or at least the kind that would get him suspended, which for Matt Cooke could be any hit he delivers since he has earned a reputation for the suspensions he receives for hits. Last night Matt Cooke got his first penalty of the season and it was for interference. He knows he hurt the Pens last season with a hit that caused him to have a 17 game suspension including all 7 games against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs. The Pens struggled and who knows what might have been if Cooke had been able to pitch in during that first round elimination. Now, Cooke has a new philosophy and it seems to be working well. I commend Matt Cooke on the changes he has made to his game and look forward to seeing the changes continue the rest of the season.

Also, last night, Marc Andre Fleury was trying to get that empty net goal and I was rooting for him to get it just as much as he wanted it. It would be great to see Fleury get an empty-net goal and I loved seeing him trying last night because it is a tad funny to watch and see the team trying to help him. I hope he can achieve that goal this season and I'd love to see that huge grin of his when it does happen.

The Pens play host to the Washington Capitals tomorrow night and a question most are wondering is if Evgeni Malkin will be in the lineup. We'll see.