Game night vs. the Jets.

Sunday's loss to the Philadelphia Flyers was a tough one to take. It snapped our 11 game winning streak and we lost control in the third period. Also, it was an overtime loss, with just seconds left, nonethelss to the Flyers. Everything about that is bad. However, it's time to move on. It was still a good road trip for the Pens with 5 points out of a possible 6. Time to forget about the loss to the Flyers and focus on the Winnipeg Jets who are in town to face the Pens tonight.

The Winnipeg Jets are just 4 points behind the Washington Capitals for that 8th and final spot for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. We know what that means. The Jets are a desperate team and desperate teams are capable of many things. Plus, they are coming off of a disappointing loss to the Hurricanes in which they let the lead slip away from them. Add those things together and we have a team that is determined to win. The Jets have been an offensive team as of late and the Pens will need to be sure to contain them. The Pens want to get back on the winning track as well and to move on from the loss to the Flyers and they better be prepared and focused for tonight's game.
Brad Thiessen is in goal tonight for the Pens for his third start.

I'd like to wish my brother a happy birthday. If it were not for him, I doubt I would be as obsessed with hockey as I am and I would probably not have this blog.

Also, Happy First Day of Spring everyone, let's hope it ends happily as well!

Big night in NYC.

Sidney Crosby's return to the lineup aside, Kris Letang is returning tonight as well after missing 5 games with concussion-like symptoms. However, put both of those returns aside, and tonight is a big game for the Pens. The Pens face the New York Rangers tonight at Madison Square Garden, the team above them in the standings by 6 points leading the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference with 95 points, while the Pens have 89 points.

The Pens have had a goal of reaching and even surpassing the Rangers in the standings for quite some time now. Winning 9 games in a row has certainly helped, but in order to accomplish their goal the Pens must beat the Rangers tonight and another win against the Rangers in the final regular season meeting between the 2 teams on April 5th would definitely help also.
Whether Crosby and/or Letang were returning tonight or not, it would still be a huge game. With Crosby and Letang back in the lineup for tonight's game, it's a tad bigger.

The Rangers recently lost a few games in a row, but seem to have returned to their form in a 4-2 win over Carolina the other night. The Rangers are an overall strong team and one the Pens must be prepared for and they should be. The Pens certainly know how big this game is tonight to reach their goal of taking over top spot in the standings.
Getting over a flu, Henrik Lundqvist, who sat out Tuesday's win, will not play tonight and Martin Biron will get the start in net for the Rangers.

With the return of Crosby and Letang, the Pens are on their way to getting back to a healthy lineup. What a great time of year for it to happen. Let's just hope it stays this way.
Tonight's game is a huge game and the excitement towards tonight's game is palpable.

Pens host Canes tonight.

The positive thinking has been paying off. Good news has started to flow in for the Pens. Winning two in a row and breaking our 6 game losing streak was the best news of all. Finally, we have been playing more consistently and the goals and wins have started to come again!

A lot has happened while I took a mini-vaca from my blog, but I will not recap or discuss everything. Though, we all know what happened anyways. Crosby skated with the team, not that big of news, but the media in the area wanted to make something big of it and Malkin was named to the All Star game. Also, amidst all the rumors that players were questioning Crosby's symptoms and his ability to play at this point in time, the team responded by wearing C's on their jerseys during practice in support of their captain, Sidney Crosby, and poke fun at the media stories suggesting the rumors.

Also, Kris Letang was given clearance to practice with the team and he did just that today. Meaning his return is coming sooner rather than later and he is trying to get ready for this week.

Now, the Pens will be looking to continue the win streak tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes at Consol Energy Center.

Just because the Canes are currently out of the playoffs and are hovering around 13th place in the Conference, does not mean they will be an easy team to beat tonight. They've had their share of wins, including a recent win against the Boston Bruins and their share of losses, including their most recent game, a loss to the Capitals on Sunday. Though, they recently got Jeff Skinner back from a concussion where he missed over a month and that is surely a boost for the team.

Both teams will be looking for a win tonight, the Canes to gain some ground in the standings and the Pens to continue the win streak they have going as well as gaining ground in the standings also.

What a busy day!

Well, it's been a busy first week back for Sidney Crosby and it was a busy day in the NHL today for coaches, and not the good kind of busy for some coaches.
First of all though, let's talk about Sidney Crosby. He has been back for 4 games now and has been doing a pretty great job after missing such a long time. Such a great job in fact, that he was named the first star of the week in the NHL. He has put up 9 points in those first four games and specualtion has already begun on whether he can take over the points column. It's a tad too early for that in my opinion, but I would be happy to see him try his best at it. Though, you never expect anything but Crosby's best when he is playing. Why do you think he had such a long recovery? He wanted to be sure he could play at his best upon his return.

The Pens are off to a great start, leading the NHL currently and with the addition of Crosby back in the lineup, I am sure the Pens are not a team a lot of other teams want to face. Which means that Dan Bylsma is doing a great job as coach, but that's not the case for two other Eastern Conference teams today. Bruce Boudreau, the Washington Capitals coach and Paul Maurice, the coach of the Carolina Hurricanes were both fired today. Boudreau was replaced by Dale Hunter and Maurice was replaced by Kirk Muller. Both teams have not been performing as well as some would expect and stars on those teams have also been suffering so far this season with mediocre starts. We'll have to wait and see what these coaching changes do for these teams.



To change subject, I read a great feature on Marc Andre Fleury last week on thn.com by Ryan Kennedy that was a great read. Here's a link to the article for you to check it out. http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/43125-Kennedy-Can-Fleury-catch-Brodeurs-win-total.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=thn_daily_20111126

The column is about whether or not Fleury can catch Martin Brodeur's records and gives a good case as to why our top netminder is capable of doing just that!

The good, the bad and the ugly.

It wasn't that bad of a weekend for the Pens. They beat the Dallas Stars 3-1 Friday night with a 2-goal effort from James Neal who continues to keep scoring the goals that we had hoped he would bring when we signed him. Saturday night, the Pens fell a bit short in a 5-3 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes. Jordan Staal had a 2-goal game against his brother Eric, but it wasn't enough to bring a win. That loss is behind us now though and we can now look forward to hosting the Colorado Avalanche tomorrow night. That's the good and the bad, now here comes the ugly...

In case you were wondering, Coach Bylsma stated today that the status of Crosby has not changed and he reiterated that they are not keeping a secret from the media and they will notify them when they know Sid is playing. When asked what the doctors are looking for in order for Crosby to return, Bylsma stated that he is not educated in that area and does not know what the doctors are looking for. Well, join the club. It seems as if all the pieces are together for a return but apparently, the jigsaw puzzle still has some key pieces missing. It seems like we need another press conference with the doctors to understand what is taking so long after Crosby has been cleared for contact. I really hope it does not come to that though, that press conference was too long and there were too many similes for my taste.
I understand that concussions are extremely delicate injuries to recover from and we have too many examples in the NHL of how they can end a career, but it just seemed like things were looking optimistic for a while. I knew better than to get my hopes up though and I am thankful I did not. I am prepared for Crosby's return to take quite a bit more time. Just in case of course. I am sure my mind could quickly adjust to the idea of Crosby returning in the very near future though.

Date Change for Pens vs. Carolina game.

The NHL announced today that the game between the Pens and the Carolina Hurricanes that was originally scheduled on Thursday, October 15 has been changed to Wednesday, October 14.

The date was changed because Oct. 15 is the opening day of the North Carolina State Fair, which will be held at the State Fairgrounds, adjacent to the RBC Center.

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=451072

Penguins 'Beard-a-thon' most successful.

The Pittsburgh Penguins had the most successful "Beard-a-thon" of all the teams in the playoffs, raising $113,541 for the Mario Lemieux Foundation. The Boston Bruins were second raising over $93,000 dollars and then the Carolina Hurricanes with raising a little over $55,000.
Thanks to all the players and fans who participated in this event and making the Pens the most successful team in the "Beard-a-thon." It should be that the Stanley Cup Champs have the most successful "Beard-a-thon."

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=426229

Eastern Conference Champions.

For the second straight year, the Pittsburgh Penguins are the Eastern Conference Champions and have earned a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Pens completed their series with the Carolina Hurricanes last night with a sweep, winning game 4, 4-1.
Sidney Crosby, changing routine, touched the Prince of Wales trophy after the win last night. It was not that much of a surprise. He didn't touch it last season and we all know the outcome. Crosby, being superstitious, changed his strategy and touched the trophy as well as his teammates to hopefully bring luck and a different outcome to this year's Stanley Cup Finals.

Canes on brink of elimination.

Going into tonight's game 4 in Carolina, the Pens hold a 3-0 lead in the series. That means, of course, that if the Hurricanes don't win tonight, their season is over. Which also means that the Canes will be battling to keep their season alive tonight, so expect their greatest effort. The Canes know what is at stake and therefore have all the reason in the world to bring their best and prove what they can do.
However, the Pens are most certainly aware of this revelation and know they need to come prepared to face the Canes' best effort. The Pens want to finish them off tonight and need to give it their all to come out with a victory as well. The Pens want to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final. They are determined to do so and want to be guaranteed a spot in the Finals as soon as possible.
Two teams battling for something, putting everything they have into a game, to end up with keeping a dream alive. All they need is a win. Let's see if desperation to keep a season alive, or the desperation to return to the Cup Finals all that much sooner for a chance at Lord Stanley's Cup, will prevail. Should be a great game, where opportunities begin... or end.

Pens vs. Canes. Game 2 Tonight.

The Pens seem to be going with the same lineup as they did for game 1, dressing 7 defensemen once again. Well, seeing as the 7th defensemen was Philippe Boucher and he happened to just add a goal and an assist in game 1, even with less than ten minutes of ice time, Dan Bylsma seems to think it is a good plan. If it produces a win like in Game 1, who can argue with it? We will see if the final decision is to dress 7 defensemen again.

The Pens know they did not play their best in Game 1, so they will hopefully come out stronger tonight and keep their momentum. The Pens had a strong first period in Game 1, but did not really keep that strength going into the later periods, luckily Fleury kept us in the game. Therefore, the Pens need to keep the momentum and the pressure up. The Canes have lost game 1 in each of their series so far and have come back to win game 2. Let's stop that trend tonight.

Game 2 a "Whiteout."

Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes will be a "whiteout." There will be t-shirts and towels given to fans in attendance.

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=423351

Status of both Ruutu and Cole unknown.

Tuomo Ruutu and Erik Cole were both injured in Game 1 last night. Ruutu did not return and it is believed that he could be held off the ice for a few days with a groin injury. Cole was hurt after a collision with Matt Cooke, and what Paul Maurice, the coach of the Hurricanes, described as a "knee-on-knee" hit after the game. Cole returned to the game, but was expected to be reevaluated today. Cole is expected to be back on the ice Wednesday though.

Pens win 3-2, lead series 1-0.

The Pens played a strong first period in which they scored two quick goals and Fleury made some great saves to jump start a 3-2 win over the Canes. Boucher and Satan were goal scorers for the Pens last night, making them their first of the playoffs, and not the players the Canes were worrying about before this series started. However, it has been said so many times how important secondary scoring is in the playoffs. Without secondary scoring last night, who knows what the outcome may have been.

Marc Andre Fleury was spectacular in goal last night, quieting all those critics of his lately, as he made some spectacular saves. He kept the Pens in the game and closed the door late in the game to keep the Canes from tying it up.

Two Carolina Hurricanes players were hurt during the game: Erik Cole and Tuomu Ruutu. Ruutu never returned, but Cole was able to finish.

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!

Next round opponent will be determined tonight.

The Pens have made it to the Eastern Conference Finals but do not know as of yet who they will be playing. That fate will be determined tonight when the Boston Bruins host the Carolina Hurricanes in a game 7 matchup. Another exciting series, the Bruins and Hurricanes game tonight should be an exciting matchup.

2nd Round matchups.

Scenario 1: Capitals and Devils win.

Some might say this is the most-likely scenario, since both teams have home-ice for their Game 7s. If Washington and New Jersey hold serve at home, then Boston would host Pittsburgh in the second round and the Capitals and Devils would open a second-round series in Washington.

Matchups:
No. 1 Boston vs. No. 4 Pittsburgh
No. 2 Washington vs. No. 3 New Jersey

Skinny: The Bruins split the season series with the Penguins two games apiece with one of the Pens' wins coming in a shootout. The Capitals and Devils also split their four matchups, but both of New Jersey's wins came by way of the shootout.

Scenario 2: Capitals and Hurricanes win

This would leave us with an entirely different second round. As the top seed, Boston gets to face the lowest seed remaining, and in this scenario it's Carolina. That would set up a second-round showdown between Washington and Pittsburgh. Is there anyone out there against seeing Alex Ovechkin battle Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in a seven-game series? Probably Devils fans.

Matchups:
No. 1 Boston vs. No. 6 Carolina
No. 2 Washington vs. No. 4 Pittsburgh

Skinny: The Bruins dominated the Hurricanes, winning all four meetings by a combined score of 18-6. The Capitals took three of four from the Penguins, with their only loss in the season series coming in a shootout.

Scenario 3: Rangers and Devils win

Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist has the ability to steal a game, and should he do so Tuesday night, the Rangers will head to Boston to face the top-seeded Bruins in the second round. A Rangers win coupled with a Devils win would result in New Jersey hosting Pittsburgh in Game 1.

Matchups:
No. 1 Boston vs. No. 7 N.Y. Rangers
No. 3 New Jersey vs. No. 4 Pittsburgh

Skinny: The Bruins split the season series with the Rangers with all four contests being one-goal games. The Devils and Penguins also split their season series with each team winning three times.

Scenario 4: Rangers and Hurricanes win

Should the No. 6 and No. 7 seeds pull the upsets, the Rangers will head to Boston and the Penguins will have home-ice advantage in the second round against Carolina. In theory, fourth-seeded Pittsburgh can still have home-ice advantage through the East playoffs.

Matchups:
No. 1 Boston vs. No. 7 N.Y. Rangers
No. 4 Pittsburgh vs. No. 6 Carolina

Skinny: The Rangers and Bruins split their games. The Hurricanes and Penguins also split their four meetings.

- NHL. com

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=420493

2 important games tonight.

The Pens will know who they face in the second round after tonight's Eastern Conference games are over. The Rangers vs. the Capitals and the Hurricanes vs. the Devils. Both are game 7s. However, the Pens can not face the Rangers.

2nd Round opponent unkown as of now.

The Pens will have to wait to find out who they verse in the 2nd round, as the Carolina-New Jersey series is going to a 7th game as well as the Rangers-Washington series. Boston defeated Montreal. The Pens will not be facing the New York Rangers, that much is known. Some expect the 2nd series to start on Thursday.

It is rumored that Sykora will need to go all out in practice to return to the lineup. The Pens need to see some more output from their wingers, like Fedotenko did in Game 6, giving the Pens their first goal and sparking their 5 unanswered goals.

Pens lose back to back games.

The Penguins played two games this weekend against teams that are fighting for a better position or a spot at all in the Eastern Conference for the playoffs. The Pens ended up losing both of them. The Pens were in the same boat, trying to climb up in position and even trying to claim a guaranteed playoff spot. However, the Pens lost to the Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers this weekend. The Pens outplayed both teams for a good amount of each game, taking over in shots and having some intensity, but it was not enough to win and the Pens remain at 93 points and 6th place for right now. The Pens will play the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow night and they will once again be trying to claim a guaranteed playoff spot with a victory. The Pens will need to refocus and come out strong once again, and hopefully they let nothing stand in their way of getting a victory tomorrow night.

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