It's time for Pens to play to their full potential.

The playoffs are usually never lacking in excitement or some surprises.
Well, some might be surprised with how the Penguins vs. Islanders series is going. If I knew nothing about it, I am not sure I would guess that it was a battle between the first seed and the eighth seed. An eighth seed that was not very good during the regular season. That's exactly what this battle is, as we well know, but the Pens are not looking like their first seed selves. Yes, we are up 2-1 in the series, but we are lucky to be there.

Sure, give some credit to the Islanders, but let's face it, at times, the Pens are making it way too easy for the Islanders. The Pens have had poor puck management their past 2 games. Yes, remember how we won the first one 5-0? Then The Pens had a poor effort in a game 2 loss and then with yesterday's overtime win the Pens were lucky to get a win. We came back after going down 2-0 but again giveaways and poor play resulted in the Islanders tying the game and sending it to overtime. The Pens were lucky to win Game 3.
I am not seeing a team that is determined to redeem themselves after last year's first round loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I have lost faith in the Pens. I know they are capable of playing better, just like they did after some losses during the regular season. Let's hope to see their best in tomorrow night's Game 4.

Some injuries aren't helping us. We could use Brooks Orpik back. It was a good sight to see him back at practice today and hopefully he is back in the lineup soon. Many also point out that it seems Jarome Iginla and Evgeni Malkin lack chemistry. It does appear that way, but some want that Dupuis, Crosby and Kunitz line together no matter what, so Iginla and Malkin will most likely stay. James Neal is still out. He was present in practice today too and when Neal comes back into the lineup some changes will be made, obviously.

Game 4 is tomorrow night. I am ready to see a better Pens team, the team we know the Pens are capable of being. I am ready to see the Pens be the dominant force that many were predicting they'd be in this series. Let's hope the Pens are ready to show us better hockey tomorrow night.

Pens vs. Rangers tonight.

Ok, while trying to forget about superstitions, I also realized that recently I have not been visiting Pinterest like I had been. I mean, the past few weeks, there have been days when I did not pin one thing or even visit the site. Therefore, just in case, I made sure to vistit Pinterest.com and pin a number of things today. Just in case.

Well, silly superstitions aside, it is time to get down to business. The Pens are hosting the New York Rangers tonight. The Pens will be looking to redeem themselves against the Rangers, coming off the 6-1 loss we suffered a few days ago to the same team. Tonight there will be some new line combinations with Jussi Jokinen centering Kunitz and Dupuis. The rest of the lines are: Neal-Malkin-Iginla; Morrow-Sutter-Cooke;
Glass-Adams-Kennedy.
The second power play unit had a different look in practice today: Jokinen, Kennedy and Morrow were down low and on the points the Pens used Dupuis and a rotation of Orpik and Eaton.

We hope that the Pens will pull things together tonight and see the newest additions to the team fitting into their roles. We understand it takes time, but the past two games were just bad. Hopefully we see a much better Pens team tonight against the Rangers. If they don't improve tonight they have a longer break to figure things out before the Pens head to Carolina to face the Hurricanes on Tuesday.
Though, after an entire month of wins, 15 in a row, and now two tough losses, I'd say we are all ready to see a much better game tonight.

Call-ups, practice, and trades.

Matt Niskanen was back at practice today after missing yesterday's due to sickness. However, Brent Johnson was not at practice today and apparently he may have tweaked an injury in practice yesterday. Therefore, Brad Thiessen was called up again and we will have to see who will be backup for tomorrow's afternoon game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Johnson is listed as day-to-day and so is Brooks Orpik with his upper-body injury.

A pretty big trade took place in the NHL yesterday, with the Los Angeles Kings acquiring three-time 30-goal scorer Jeff Carter from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Jack Johnson and a first-round selection in either the 2012 or 2013 NHL Draft. The Kings have not been doing so well offensively this season and they hope Carter can help to rectify that. They hope he can be better than he was with the Blue Jackets.
Jeff Carter was also part of a big off season trade from the Flyers that drew a lot of attention along with teammate Mike Richards. Richards and Carter were close friends on the Flyers team and were involved in some off-ice antics that were said to be bothering the Flyers and they were dealt. Carter went to the Blue Jackets while Richards went to the Kings and now his good friend Jeff Carter is joining him. Maybe now that they are on the same team again, Carter can step it up. People in the NHL have described Carter as a bitter person, so maybe being back with his friend will turn that frown upside down. Perhaps he was just suffering from some seperation anxiety.


The trade deadline has not brought us many huge trades at all this year, but there are still rumors around about Rick Nash and Dustin Brown and some other players. We will have to see what the weekend and and the early part of Monday bring in trades.

Updates.

Game day is still a couple days away for the Pens, but they were practicing this morning. Sidney Crosby was out there with the team for practice, but settle down... he was not in any contact drills.
Brooks Orpik was practicing and is slowly recovering from his upper-body injury but he says he is not sure if he will play this weekend or not. Brent Johnson was back in practice from his sickness but Matt Niskanen did not practice today due to illness.

The Pens sent Cal O'Reilly down to the Baby Pens. If we want to bring him back up at some point O'Reilly will have to clear waivers to rejoin the team.

That trade deadline keeps getting closer and closer. For the Pens, it is a different situation than most teams. Crosby's status and whether he will return this season or for the playoffs is unknown and if the Pens were to get him back, that would be just about the best move any team could ever make. Though, if Crosby does not improve, then the Pens might want to get someone to be a little extra help down the stretch. The uncertainty of the situation for Shero makes things a little tricky, but we have seen how good of a lineup the Pens have without Crosby certainly, so there is not a ton of pressure to pick up a player this year. While there doesn't seem to be as much going on as other years for the Pens, you just never know. The trade deadline always seems to bring some surprises, who knows what this year's deadline will bring to the Pens or other teams.

Matinee feature against the New Jersey Devils.

The Pens got back on a winning track yesterday with their 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins. Fleury was strong in net against the Bruins and the Pens played a strong game.

Now, we must play another strong game today against the New Jersey Devils in New Jersey. If today's game is anything like New Jersey's game yesterday against the Flyers, then we will need to be strong in net again. The Devils beat the Flyers 6-4 yesterday. The Devils were sputtering just before the All Star break but have not lost since coming back to play afterwards. In their past 11 games, they are 7-3-1. The Devils have recently put together Ilya Kovalchuk, Patrik Elias, and Zach Parise together on one line and the results have been pretty good. They are putting up some good numbers and are a line that needs to be contained best as possible.

Overall, the Pens will need to play a strong game and be responsible defensively against this offensive team as well as getting enough shots on net to get past Martin Brodeur.


Yesterday I mentioned Cal O'Reilly making his debut in the Pens' lineup and yesterday he had a promising debut on a line with Tyler Kennedy and Steve Sullivan. He had a shot on net in his nearly 14 minutes of ice time. He saw some time on the second power play unit and won 4 of 8 faceoffs, though also had one giveaway.

In yesterday's afternoon game, Brooks Orpik had a highlight reel hit against Boston's Daniel Paille, sending him flying in the air a few feet. A nice clean, good hit like that is something to see. It will surely be added to Orpik's repertoire of great hits.

Pieces to the puzzle.

When a team is losing and playing badly, it is so easy to look for a scapegoat or two and then reminisce on the days when we had a healthy lineup, all those few games. It is also quite easy to overlook some good performances because most people are just stuck thinking, "If (insert star injured player's name here) were in the lineup, he would have made that shot, made that empty net, blocked that pass, never would have turned the puck over, and so on and so on.

I've said it before and I will say it again, we are extremely lucky as Pens fans. Sure, we've had our share of ups and downs from bankruptcy, possible relocation, dismal seasons, but we have risen to such a great spot. We have some of the best hockey players in the world on our team and one of the best to ever play in the NHL as an owner.

While in our 6-game losing streak, it was tough to see the good at times. It's not easy to see the good when you are focusing on what needs to be fixed and just thinking, "Would this be happening if we had a healthy lineup?"

Now that the losing streak is over and the Pens have won 3 in a row now, it's time again for people to realize how well players are playing and how some are contributing in ways that may not be so blatantly obvious to the casual fan.

First, it is plain to see who is playing spectacularly for the Pens at the moment. None other than Evgeni Malkin. He is a force to be reckoned with on the ice and unstoppable at most times. The fact that we have our captain, our best player, out with concussion symptoms and we have another player who would be the main star on pretty much any other team still to rely on is one example of how we are so lucky.

Everyone has also noticed the play of James Neal as well. After a disappointing goal output with the Pens after the trade to end last season, Neal has met and exceeded the expectations the Pens had when they traded for him. Neal has been scoring big goals and leads the NHL with the most power play goals. It is obvious that Neal has been a major piece of the puzzle this season.

Goals and points are what most base a good player on. Yes, those players who score a ton of goals and rack up the points are important to a team and we sure know that, but we also are aware that it is other factors also that help a team become a success. Sometimes, it's those players who continuously give up their body to block shots, or the players who draw the penalties, or the players who deliver the hits that halt a play, or those players we rely on to win those crucial face-offs or good back-checking, whatever it is, it's more than just goals and assists that make a good team great.

We have a number of players who step up and play their best but their efforts may go unnoticed by some. One of those players is Brooks Orpik. Pittsburghpenguins.com writer Sam Kasan wrote a great piece on how Orpik is an unsung hero of the team. Link available by clicking on title of post.
For Orpik, it can be a strong defensive play or a hit that can change a game and he does these things often. The physical presence Orpik brings to the game is an asset to this team and can help change the outcome of games, without scoring a goal or getting an assist. As the team member who has been here the longest, Orpik is a leader on and off the ice. Piling up the hit totals and being strong defensively, you better believe Brooks Oprik is an important part of the team who helps the Pens win. Without him, the Pittsburgh Penguins puzzle would be incomplete.

What a game!

There is nothing quite like winning a game after being down by 2 goals multiple times, or any amount of goals for that matter. After being down 2-0 and 3-1, the Pens pulled off a spectacular 6-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche last night. We were lucky enough to see some amazing goals last night, from both teams and the talent and skill of these players never ceases to amaze me. The Pens had an overall team win last night with goals going to 6 different players: James Neal, Jordan Staal, Evgeni Malkin, Brooks Orpik, Pascal Dupuis and Kris Letang. If you missed the game, you need to watch some highlights!

Some team news: Eric Tangradi was sent back down to the Baby Pens and the Pens recalled Steve MacIntyre from his conditioing assignment with the Baby Pens.
This may come as a shock to you, but Sidney Crosby will not be in tomorrow night's lineup for the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Pens are currently on their Dad's trip so the past shows that Johnson is most likely to start in goal tomorrow night.

Pens host Montreal Canadiens tonight.

Coming off of a win against the Minnesota Wild, the Pens are facing the Canadiens at home tonight. After a few losses in a row, the Pens hope to continue their winning streak they started Tuesday night. James Neal got his 6th goal of the season Tuesday night and continues his great play while we are down quite a few members.

However, we are getting a member of the Pens back for tonight's game... Brooks Orpik is expected to play tonight for the first time this season. Kris Letang will be out again, serving the second and last game of his suspension. It is nice to see some of our injured players beginning to come back to the lineup because when we have a healthy team, that's a scary team to play against.

Orpik and Scuderi invited to USA Hockey Olympic Camp.

Two Pittsburgh Penguins, and some former members of the Pens as well, were invited to the USA Hockey Olympic Camp.
Both Brooks Orpik and Rob Scuderi have been invited to participate in the 2010 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Orientation Camp next month. USA Hockey will hold the orientation camp from Aug. 17-19 at Seven Bridges Ice Arena in Woodbridge, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. The Olympic tournament runs from Feb. 12-28 in Vancouver.

Players invited:
Goaltenders: Ryan Miller, Jonathan Quick, Tim Thomas

Defensemen: Tom Gilbert, Tim Gleason, Ron Hainsey, Erik Johnson, Jack Johnson, Mike Komisarek, Paul Martin, Brooks Orpik, Brian Rafalski, Rob Scuderi, Ryan Suter, Ryan Whitney

Forwards: David Backes, David Booth, Dustin Brown, Dustin Byflugien, Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Patrick Kane, Ryan Kesler, Phil Kessel, Jamie Langenbrunner, Ryan Malone, Mike Modano, Kyle Okposo, T.J. Oshie, Zach Parise, Joe Pavelski, Bobby Ryan, Paul Stastny


-pittsburghpenguins.com
http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=432251

Pens begin Eastern Conference Finals tonight against Canes.

The Pens take on the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at Mellon Arena, beginning the Eastern Conference Finals. Most say there is no hatred at this point between these two teams, that it may take a little while before animosity between the two teams comes alive. Well, no, the Canes are not our rival the Philadelphia Flyers that we already got rid of, and no they do not offer a rivalry between two players who are battling out for the title to be the best like the Washington Capitals offered us, and we of course got rid of them as well. However, this series does have sibling rivalry, with the likes of both Eric and Jordan Staal. While they play differently, who knows, maybe Jordan will raise his game to another level in this competition. Though, this may be the only evident rivalry at this point in time, besides the Brooks Orpik and Erik Cole one, I have no worries that the Pens and Canes will develop a hatred for one another, that could only come from versing an opponent in the playoffs. That's just how the playoffs work. So, let the series begin!

Malkin given "A" permanently, Orpik until Gonchar returns.

The rotation of the "A" is over and Evgeni Malkin has been named a permanent alternate captain and Brooks Orpik will wear the other "A" until Sergei Gonchar returns from injury.

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.

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.

Pens players deliver turkeys.

Brooks Orpik, Kris Letang, and Eric Godard distributed holiday turkeys to underprivileged families today in the Hill District. The Pens were happy to help out and all agree that it is nice to put smiles on people's faces and makes them feel better. Brooks Orpik described the event as "humbling" and says it helps him to be more thankful and not take anything for granted.

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=394205

Pens Vs Carolina Hurricanes tonight.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will host the Carolina Hurricanes tonight.
The Pens will be without Matt Cooke again and Hal Gill will also be out tonight. They both hope to play Saturday against the Rangers and are listed as "day to day."
The new defense pairings will be Brooks Orpik-Rob Scuderi, Kris Letang-Mark Eaton and Alex Goligoski-Darryl Sydor.
Tonight is a special Student Rush night. 600 tickets were set aside for student rushers. I wish I was one of the people in line, however I doubt I would have showed up at 6:30 p.m. yesterday and slept outside like a group of fans did. If it were possible, I would get there early in the morning. Though, I commend that group of fans who slept outside and will wait about 24 hours for tickets. They wanted to be guaranteed tickets, I think that did it! They will also be there for the "special surprise." For the past couple years this has been several members of the Pens showing up in line with pizza!

Pens win final Pre-season game against Jokerit.

The Penguins won their final pre-season game today 4-1 against Jokerit. Malkin, Fedotenko, Kennedy, and Dupuis scored for the Penguins. Dupuis had an empty-netter with 13 seconds left. Crosby added 3 assists. Jokerit's Janne Lahti scored on a penalty shot in the third after being upended by Brooks Orpik.
Fleury and Sabourin split playing time.
This means that the next game action will be Saturday, when the regular season opens against Ottawa in Sweden! I am extremely excited for this season to get underway.

Malkin will wear A, will Orpik too?

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_591060.html?source=rss&feed=8

Malkin has said that he will be wearing an "A" this season, but for the first month. He said they will be rotating. The team has not made an official announcement, but said one will be made this weekend. Malkin also says there will be "no problem" with him speaking to officials, something only a captain and alternate captains can do during a game.
It is also a possibility that Orpik will be wearing an "A" this season, perhaps permanently or rotational, for his leadership skills in the locker room.
I believe Malkin can handle being an Alternate captain and do I see him speaking a lot to the officials? Probably not, because he may not wish to at times and yes, he may be a little uncomfortable with some of the English. However, the truth is, without Gonchar helping him with translating now, Malkin will need to be speaking English even more and this can only help him to become more comfortable speaking English and more confident when speaking it as well.
As for Orpik getting an "A," I believe it is great! He is a great candidate because of his character and leadership and him signing the long term deal this summer showed his dedication to Pittsburgh and the Penguins and that dedication can be turned into an "A" on his jersey.