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.

Finding solutions to the problems should be main focus.

Well, as it turns out, yesterday was a great day for hockey. Too bad no one told the players that they were actually supposed to play hockey though.

Judging from the fan reaction at last night's game and social media after the game, I am not the only fan that is frustrated. Boos were heard at Consol Energy Center last night during some of the Pens' power play work, or lack thereof. While I myself am not a fan of booing my team, I completely understand the frustration of other fans. The Pens did not play well last night and the Islanders did play well. That's what it came down to. The Islanders looked good on their power play, had good speed and the Pens were the complete opposite.
Social media also tells me that there are a lot of different people involved in the organization to blame for the way the Pens played, but I will not be pointing fingers. I do not own a hockey franchise, I do not coach a hockey team, I have never played ice hockey and I do not have the credentials to do any of those things either. Therefore, I am not really in the position to cast blame on people and neither are most of you. I find it pointless to find a scapegoat when it's more important to find a solution to a problem and ensure that EVERY ONE understands the problem and situation and how to fix it. Let's face it, the whole team has things that are needed to be fixed.

And apparently today, an attempt to correct a situation has been implemented. The Pens had a new look for their power play at practice today. Evgeni Malkin moved to the right point and James Neal is back to his old position down low. Kris Letang was at the left point and Sidney Crosby was on the half wall while Chris Kunitz was at the net. We will see tomorrow night in New York against the Rangers if this new configuration is the answer to the power play problem.
It wasn't just the power play that was less than satisfactory last night, however. Therefore, the Pens will need to play a more consistent game and have a stronger defense. All in all, every aspect of the game needs to be stronger. Not a perfect game, but a much better one than what was played last night.

Penguin fans are a passionate bunch. Most of us know how lucky we are to have some of the players we have on our team and that translates to a good deal of expectation. It doesn't help that before this season started a week and a half ago, most were betting on the Pens winning the Stanley Cup. I am not saying that can't happen, but if we continue to play like we did last night, I can guarantee it will not happen. Perhaps we need a dose of patience at this point and just hope that the Pens reach their potential sooner rather than later. It's not easy, but what other alternative do we have, become Chicago Blackhawk fans? Well, I am sticking with the Pens. No one said it would be easy. In fact, perhaps we should think of the common logic that anything worth having never came easily. Maybe the Pens need to struggle a little bit to end up where they want to be. It's only 6 games into the 48 game season, we can't lose hope just yet.

Hockey and the fans are back and a lot to look forward to.

After lockouts, one expects that some fans will not return and after such an embarrassing work stoppage for the NHL that officially ended this past Saturday, January 12, one may even expect the number of fans leaving the sport to be greater. It appears that is not the case in Pittsburgh. Practices during this past week during training camp have been well attended and it is expected home game sellouts at Consol Energy Center will continue.

Of course, Pittsburgh is a sports town, even more so when a team does well and has star players. We have yet to see how well the Pens will do, but we know for sure we are lucky to have some of the best talent in the game of hockey on our team. Maybe that's why there seems to be little fallout from the fans after the lockout. Or perhaps, fans have come back because of the attempts by the Penguins to show their gratitude to fans in the form of certain free concession items and 50% off merchandise for the first four home games. Or maybe it's the idea that you don't realize what you have until it is gone. Perhaps taking NHL hockey away for those months left a greater desire in most fans. I realized that I would miss NHL hockey and found ways to fill the void, but it wasn't always easy. Now, a fair amount of fans were realizing how much they missed hockey after the past Steelers' season ended and were left wondering what they would watch then. I have surely missed NHL hockey and can not wait for its return this Saturday. Maybe it's just a pure love of the game that brought many fans back.

Some may want to argue that this shortened season and the team hoisting the Stanley Cup towards the end of June will not be as impressive as if it were a full season. Quite the contrary. These 48 games will be a tad jam-packed into the next few months and while we only see opponents from our conference, there is quite a good bit of competition in our Eastern Conference. The Western Conference will be a good fight as well to the top. This season is sure to bring a lot of excitement.

Though it's the middle of January and not October, that does not change my level of excitment for a new season one bit. The endless possibilities of a new season do not change with a fewer number of games and a later start date. As Pens fans, we have a lot to be excited for:

We are all well aware of how well Sidney Crosby can play and people have been saying that he is back and better than ever from his injuries. If Crosby can get even better, and if there was one player who could keep excelling into even greater excellence, it would be him, then I am ready to see it happen.

Malkin was playing well in the KHL and should be in pretty good game shape already having played in the KHL. He also says he is determined to win the Stanley Cup.

The beginning to a new season means change. Gone is Jordan Staal and in is Brandon Sutter. We will be able to witness what Sutter can offer as a Penguin and I, myself, rather enjoy watching new players on the team show what they've got. With Crosby being back and new players, we won't be seeing the same lines as last year. For instance, for a few days, Eric Tangradi has been on a line with Malkin and James Neal and today, Beau Bennett filled Tangradi's role on that line. In the beginning of a season you see what clicks and what doesn't. The power play has had a new look in some practices with Kris Letang and Neal at the points and Chris Kunitz, Crosby, and Malkin up front.

With some new players and some old, familiar faces gone, new line combinations and special team shake-ups, comes the start of a fresh, new hockey season. While it may be a colder, later start to the season, I don't care about that any more. I'm excited for a new season to get under way and by the looks of it, so is the rest of Pittbsurgh.

NHL hockey is back... and so am I.

The words all hockey fans have been waiting for were uttered and heard this past Sunday and spread quickly. Early Sunday morning, the words we wanted to hear months ago finally held some truth: The NHL lockout is over. After 113 days, but who was counting, of ups and downs, back and forth, media ploys, and a lot of frustration, we will see a shortened season of NHL hockey that will most likely begin by next weekend.

Sure, there were a number of people upset by this lockout. Nearly everyone involved and affected by the lockout were angered by it, in fact. And rightly so. I was one of them. It was an embarrasing work stoppage for the league and left a bitter taste in a lot of people's mouths. Some fans won't return, and I will not hold that against them. I understand their frustration. However, for me, I've never been much of a grudge holder. Hockey is my favorite sport. I don't care much for football, baseball is not at all entertaining to me, it has always been hockey. Therefore, how I could I be anything but excited when NHL hockey is coming back.

I will admit, as a Pens fan it is quite easier to be excited as well. Most of our fan base never held the lockout against our owner, Mario Lemieux. I, myself, would find it very difficult to dislike Lemieux. Most fans in general may never have blamed the players. It might also have something to do with the fact that as Pens fans, we get to see some of the best players in the game play for our team. How can one just simply not watch the best players play if they call themselves a true hockey fan?
I don't want to miss out. Remember, it's a shortened season now, every game is a big game. There will be a lot of hockey crammed into the next few months and we will see a lot of the same opponents from our division and conference. In our case, as Pens fans, a lot of those games are expected to be good ones based on what people believe the teams are capable of. It's no secret that the Pens are one of the teams some are saying has a great shot of winning the Stanley Cup this season. Do you want to miss that? Because you want to prove a point?

During this lockout, I tried to stay away from watching old games or clips because I was trying to put it out of my mind. The more I would watch old clips or games, the more I would have missed NHL hockey. I stayed up-to-date on the lockout news and refused to get my hopes up no matter what the media reports were. These tactics worked just fine for me. Now, I can put the lockout behind me and look forward to watching some great NHL hockey.

I am letting go of the frustration and even the resentment I had towards the Hockey News for writing an article a few issues back about how if there were a season going on, we would be seeing a "scary" Sidney Crosby. How people have never seen him this fast and he would be doing crazy things if there was hockey being played. Well, easy for them to say; now I can let that go because we have the chance to see this new Crosby. As Pens fans we surely are accustomed to Crosby surprising us with his talent and skill. I can't wait to see what surprises he can come up with.

All in all, at this point in time, I don't care to hear all the details of the deal, I don't care to hear much negativity at all. I won't forget this lockout that's for sure, but I also understand that there is not much sense for me to hold onto it either. As a result, I will do my best to put it in the back of my mind. Also, far from my thoughts are the memories of last season's disappointing playoffs and now I am thinking how great it is to have Evgeni Malkin and Crosby starting a season together for the first time since the start of the 2009 season.

I am ready to hear Jeff Jimerson sing the National Anthem, ready to hear the puck drop, the Consol Energy Center crowd cheering. I may not be quite ready to hear Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey and their infamous mistakes and style, but I surely am ready to hear all the wonderful sounds of NHL hockey back again. At times, the odds of a season happening at all seemed nearly impossible and now I will appreciate the start of this season a little bit more, perhaps.

The end of a season.

This past season had its ups and downs and yesterday, in game 6, was the big decline to end it all.
This season we dealt with injuries and Sidney Crosby's concussion symptoms then his neck injury, though we also saw Matt Cooke change the way he approached playing and he was not suspended and had a great year. We went through some losing slumps, but also saw what James Neal could really do alongside Evgeni Malkin and Chris Kunitz. We had our winning streaks and we had a MVP-caliber season from Evgeni Malkin (until the playoffs anyway). There were other highs and lows to this season and we were along for the ride no matter what.

A loss in the first round series of the playoffs though was the lowest part by far. Being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Philadelphia Flyers will leave a sour taste in our mouths for a long time. On paper, the Pens looked nearly unstoppable. The Pens were favored to win the Stanley Cup by so many. Those are predictions though and paper can go up in flames in seconds.
The first 3 games of this past series I am sure the Pens wish they could have back and try again. The Flyers' power play was great and the Pens came up short in the 4 losses they endured. I'm heartroken that the Pens are already out of the playoffs. To be honest, I do not believe that it has hit me quite yet. This postseason offered so much potential and hope for the Pens and to see it end the way it did has left some questions and pondering.
After the first few losses in this series, I had wished the Pens would have won those games against the New York Islanders and the Pens would have been higher in the Eastern Conference, possibly first, and the Pens would perhaps have played against a different team, a team that we would have eliminated. I had wished a lot of things while I believed. I did believe that this Pens team was capable of coming back and winning this series and they were. I believed between the second and third period in yesterday's Game 6 that the Pens could come out strong and make it a game and win. It just did not happen. No matter how much I wanted it to happen, the Pens did not win yesterday's game 6 and their season is over.

There are things that most definitely could have been better, we talked about these factors incessantly after each loss and highlighted the way we executed them after each win. The fact of the matter is that this is yet again another early exit from the playoffs for the Pens. 2010: out the second round at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens. 2011: A dismal powerplay had us eliminated the first round by the Tampa Bay Lightning and now 2012: Another first round exit at the hands of the Flyers.
Change is coming. Who knows how big or small these changes will be, but there will be changes to this team. No matter what takes place after the regular season ends, whether a team wins the Stanley Cup or if they get swept in the first round of the playoffs or didn't happen to make the playoffs at all, a team is bound to change somewhat in the offseason. Our shortcomings in this past series will surely be addressed this offseason in some shape or form.

I am a Pens fan through and through, but that doesn't make this end any easier to take, in ways it makes it worse. I will continue to watch the playoffs, I am a hockey fan after all. I am not sure who I am rooting for now. I know it is not for the Flyers, needless to say. Sometimes I do not mind seeing the team that eliminated the Pens make it to the finals because it shows that the Pens were eliminated by a great team but this is different. I don't want the Flyers to make it out of the next round.

As always, I will be eagerly awaiting a new Pens season all summer. I just wish I would not have to look to the next season so soon. I was really hoping to be looking forward to a new season sometime in June.

This past season was an exciting one and was surely one hell of a ride and while the end seemed like a crash that featured swerving and flips and even a roll or two, it's time to move on and continue to watch the best sport in great fashion. After all, playoff hockey still is the most exciting sporting event there is, no matter who is playing.

As the Pens' season is done, I will be posting less and less. I will still be here to post any new developments or news, but this is my sign-off at the end of a season. Enjoy the playoffs!

Pens remain in series in high-scoring style.

The Penguins needed one win to stay alive in this series and they did just that, in great fashion. The Pens did not just win the game last night, they blew the Flyers away. The Pens scored 10 goals in a 10-3 victory over the Flyers to make the series 3-1. This series is like no other playoff series currently and is extremely rare in playoff hockey history. The amount of goals these teams are racking up are rare in a regular season game and in the playoffs, when hockey is known to be tighter and lower scores are expected, this Pens- Flyers series is throwing away all conceptions of playoff hockey. I must say that I prefer being on the more goals, winning side of things. Last night's win felt great. I knew the Pens were more than capable of winning in this series and last night proved what the Pens can do, even down a few suspended players. Now, the series moves back to Pittsburgh for Game 5 Friday night. I expect fans to be the loudest they possibly can be and I hope that everyone catches the believing spirit.

Now, while the Pens and Flyers have been featuring high-scoring games to go against the norm in the playoffs, another way the Pens hope to stray from what is expected is coming back from a 3-0 deficit. Last night was the first step. The series is now 3-1 and if the Pens continue to take each game one game at a time, one period at a time and come out with a game like last night's game, this series is bound to get interesting. While it will be difficult, this Pens team is capable of many things, as we witnessed last night.

Craig Adams and James Neal will be available for Game 5 Firday night after serving their one game suspensions last night, while Arron Asham still has 3 more games to serve, whether those come in this series or next season. The Pens need to remain focused on each game and playing each period. Last night it worked to their benefit and the Flyers lost their composure with several players taking cross-checks and hits against players. I expect some players will be having talkes with Brendan Shanahan about some of last night's activities.
The Pens need to keep moving on, taking one game at a time, one period at a time, one shift a time; continue to play their game, let the Flyers lose their composure and we can remain in this series. Last night's game proved that the officials are cracking down in this series and they don't want a repeat of Game 3 as they were calling nearly everything possible early on and throughout the game. Therefore, the Pens will need to be disciplined and strong defensively and scoring a lot of goals helps also. Seeinf Evgeni Malkin get some goals last night was a good thing to see as he has been quiet in this series. He will need to be present if we want this series to continue. Jordan Staal got a hat trick last night to lift the Pens and he has been strong in this series. We will need strong efforts from every player in the lineup to ensure this series goes past Game 5. We knew we were capable of beating the Flyers, but one game will not be good enough, we need to keep moving on and winning. We need one more win before we can focus on anything else. Let's focus on that next win Friday night.

Focusing on game 2.

The Pens did not start off the series against the Philadelphia Flyers like they wanted to and that is why it is great that a series is best of seven moves on. The Flyers took game one with a 4-3 victory in overtime. The Pens had a 3-0 lead in the game and let it slip away and the Pens were also 0-for-3 with the man advantage in last night's game. That is why the Pens' power play had some different looks in practice today. Steve Sullivan returned to his spot on the point, where he was for much of the season, alongside Kris Letang. Evgeni Malkin was on the halfwall and Chris Kunitz remained in his net-front position. During the beginning of drills, James Neal and Sidney Crosby swapped spots.
The Pens are also considering having 2 top power play units and splitting the time between the two units to one minute each.
The Pens were successful on the power play during the regular season and they will need to find that success again and stick with it to help them in this series.

Now, on to the missed offside call that resulted in Daniel Briere scoring the first goal for the Flyers last night. Mistakes happen and refs are certainly human; they're going to make bad calls and miss some others. It is unfortunate that it resulted in their first goal, but it is not what made us lose the game last night. We could have easily made up for that goal with a goal on our power play. Colin Campbell, the NHL's senior executive vice-president of hockey operations, says that they are just about as upset as the Pittsburgh Penguins are about the missed call. The goal gave the Flyers some life in the game, but it was still not the reason we lost and the Pens are well aware of that and were good-spirited at practice today making sure to go over and practice what they need to do better in Friday night's game.

I hate losing in the playoffs, but I am still confident in this team and last night was just game 1. In fact, the past 4 playoff series the Pens have won, they have lost game 1. This is a good team that has a goal in mind, they know what they could have done better last night and they will work to correct it tomorrow night for game 2. Game 1 is done and in the books, now it is time to look forward to the next game and hopefully the Pens will be that bear in the woods.

Predators in town tonight.

The Pens had a recent return of a star player, Sidney Crosby, and the Nashville Predators will have Alexander Radulov returning to the lineup either tonight against the Pens or in their game Saturday. Radulov had been labelled as the best player not in the NHL.
Both returns have been discussed as huge boosts for the teams. Radulov, a friend of Evgeni Malkin, was playing in the KHL most recently for 4 seasons and is now returning to the Predators. The Pens are getting serious consideration to make another great run at the Stanley Cup this year from many people and the Nashville Predators are getting some consideration in that discussion as well and the return of Radulov has people talking even more.

The Predators are currently a team that does not have to worry about making the playoffs, though they are a team fighting to get home-ice advantage. They are currently tied with the Detroit Red Wings for 4th place in the Western Conference. The Predators are a strong team obviously and they are a strong team defensively. So, we may not see another 8-goal game like our 8-4 win over Winnipeg Tuesday night from the Penguins tonight. The Pens will need to take shots whenever available. Maybe Sidney Crosby will get his first goal since his second return tonight. Though, I am not one of those people who is worried by the fact that Crosby hasn't scored a goal yet. He has racked up the assists since his return and goals will come. It's Crosby after all.
Predators goaltender, Pekka Rinne, and Marc Andre Fleury are both tied for the most wins this season in the league with 39. Let's see who comes out the leader tonight.

Lineup changes.

I'm sure you have been hearing the phrase "good problem to have" a good bit recently. That is the phrase most writers and others associated in the media have been using to describe the situation the Pens are in now with the return of Sidney Crosby. They are correct, this is this Pens' big trade deadline acquistion. Getting Crosby back in the lineup is the only "move" we needed. Now that Crosby is returning tomorrow night against the Rangers in New York City, there are going to be some changes in the lineup, obviously. These changes are the good problem the Pens had.

So about those changes...
The Chris Kunitz- Evgeni Malkin- James Neal line will remain intact as well as the Steve Sullivam- Jordan Staal- Pascal Dupuis line.
Crosby will be centering a line with Matt Cooke and Tyler Kennedy; a little different than his last return in November. Starting out, Crosby won't get as much as time as he was used to before his concussion. This is to benefit Crosby and hopefully help to keep Crosby in the lineup for a much longer period of time this time around.

Crosby will get some time on the power play though. In practice on Tuesday, the power play had Crosby featured in a different role than what he is used to - playing the point.

The top power-play unit in Tuesday’s practice had Crosby and Kris Letang at the points, Malkin on the halfwall and Kunitz and Neal down low.

These are the lines that are planned going into tomorrow's game against the Rangers but we know there are plenty of opportunities and combinations. We'll have to see how these ones pan out and what happens from there.

He's back... again.

The moment we knew was coming has arrived. The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today that Sidney Crosby will be back in the lineup this Thursday in New York against the Rangers. What a game for the retun of Sidney Crosby. With the Pens fighting to catch the Rangers in the standings and Crosby's return, this game will surely be one not to miss. The Pens need to win both remaining games against the Rangers if they want to have a great shot at overtaking them for first in the Atlantic Division and first overall in the Eastern Conference.

While a good amount of people in the media and hockey world have been saying that with the addition of Crosby back in the Penguins lineup, the Pens are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this year, I will not make any such comment. I will not take a chance in jinxing the team and one just never knows what will happen in the playoffs.

First, I would just like to see Crosby back in the lineup and stay in the lineup. I do not want a repeat of what happened last time, just like everyone else.
Though, I have to admit, we have an amazing team without Crosby playing, as we have seen as of late and with the addition of Crosby back... this team can be scary.
The potential of this team has me just as excited as I am at the start of a new season. In a way, if things turn out well and Crosby stays in the lineup with no symptoms, this can be like a new season in a sense.
Evgeni Malkin will hopefully stay at the same pace with Crosby back in the lineup and this team would be any other team's nightmare. Let's face it, the Pens can come out strong and knock a team down and when the Pens go down by a few goals, its not necessary to panic either because they have come out of holes to win some great games. While I will not say how deep this team will go in the playoffs, (And what does my opinion or lack thereof mean anyways?) I have to say that I am extremely excited to watch this team move forward and I hope that it is all what we are expecting. There's even a chance it will be better than we have been expecting.

With the sun shining and this warm weather, only the optimism is emerging, the glass is half full and all I am seeing are the endless great possibilities. The what ifs seem to go away; only worry about those if they happen. Now, it's time to think about this Pens team with Sidney Crosby back in uniform and adding him to an already stellar lineup. Right now, it's time to think of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin rising to the occasion. It's time to think of this Pens team and all that they can accomplish from here on out. I don't know about you, but I am pretty excited; Thursday can not come soon enough.

Pens defeat Bruins and a Cause to help.

With the Pens ninth win a row coming against the Boston Bruins yesterday afternoon, the gap between the Pens and the Rangers is getting smaller and smaller. If only the Rangers would have lost yesterday, the Pens would be within 2 points of them today, but instead the Rangers are 4 points ahead of the Pens in the standings. Though, our next game is this Thursday against the Rangers and will be a very important game if we want to overtake the Rangers for the first in the Atlantic Division and first in the Eastern Conference.

Some in the media are saying that Thursday's game against the Rangers would be a great game for the return of Sidney Crosby. He may play or he may not play against the Rangers, but one thing is sure, Crosby is close to returning and that means there are going to be some changes in the lineup. Of course, that is inevitable. Some would love to see the top line stay intact because they are one of the best lines in the NHL at the moment. Though, that may not be the case. We may see Chris Kunitz jump to Crosby's line along with Pascal Dupuis, the same line that was together when Crosby was on his way to having a career season last season. Then Malkin's line would still include James Neal and possibly Steve Sullivan. It will be tough to break apart that top line with how well they're doing and we will have to see the line combinations, but we will be getting Crosby back and that is quite the addition. The Pens are spectacular without Crosby at the moment and teams are surely aware of what the Pens can do with Crosby on the team as well. Let's hope though that Malkin doesn't let up when Crosby returns. When everyone is playing at their best, there's not much that can stop this team. That's something I love to see and something I will love to see going in the playoffs.


Now, my readers, I would like to ask you if you could just spare a moment and view this webpage. http://www.donorschoose.org/we-teach/1279173
My sister is a teacher in the Pittsburgh Public Schools and more than half of her class speak English as a second language. These families came to America looking for more opportunity and my sister is trying to make this classroom a home away from home for these children who do not have much. Supplies are not cheap and she is trying, through donorschoose.org, to raise money for some classroom supplies. This week, each donation will be doubled when the code word, BLOOM, is entered into the code box. Whatever people donate, the amount will be doubled by a generous donation. If you can not donate, please share the link through Twitter or Facebook. Thank you for your time and I am appreciative of you being a reader and my sister and I will be extremely grateful for whatever you can do to help the cause. Thank you!

On to the Blue Jackets.

Yesterday's game taught opposing teams, once again, why it is never good to make Evgeni Malkin angry. Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Dwayne Roloson threw a punch at Malkin while he was down and I am sure Roloson will think twice before doing that again. Malkin went on to score some amazing goals. After an exciting game against the Tampa Bay Lightning yesterday with an 8-1 win featuiring a hat trick from Evgeni Malkin though, the Pens will need to focus on this afternoon's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Consol Energy Center. Hopefully, the Pens still have some goals left to score today.

The Blue Jackets have no chance of making the playoffs this spring and are making quite the run at finishing dead last in the NHL. They are well on their way to accomplishing that feat. With a dismal season, that started out with 8 winless games, they have been active lately in the trade market making some trades and their best player this season, who is having one of his worst seasons, Rick Nash, has been a trade deadline storyline for a good bit of time lately.
With an 18-36-7 record and no chance at making the playoffs, that makes the Blue Jackets a desperate team. After playing yesterday, the Pens are going to need to be focused and prepared to play an exciting game like they accomplished yesterday. They need to take the Blue Jackets seriously and complete another win today.
Goalie Brad Thiessen is starting in his first NHL game this afternoon as it has been reported that back-up Brent Johnson "tweaked" something in practice on Thursday. Thiessen, 25, has been a reliable goalie this season in the AHL for the Baby Pens, posting a 20-14-2 record and 2.88 goals-against average in 37 games. Just alst season the goalie had a career year for the Baby Pens, winning the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s top goaltender and teaming with partner John Curry to capture the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award as the goaltending duo to allow the fewest goals in the AHL. We will see how he handles his first NHL game this afternoon. The Pens need to be sure to play a tight game in front of him and be a tough team to play against like they have been doing as of late.

With the trouble Brent Johnson has had this season, some are saying this could be the end for him with the Pens. Jack Johnson will make his Blue Jackets debut today against the Pens. Also, if the rumors and anticipation of Rick Nash are true, this could be his last game with the Blue Jackets this season.
This trade deadline has featured resignings of some players that were expected to be traded, with players like Ales Hemsky and Tuomo Ruutu, which shows that the market just is not that great and prices are high for others. Still, we have a little over 24 hours to see what happens in this year's trade deadline.

Pens host Lightning.

It was announced yesterday that Pittsburgh Penguins forward James Neal will be the next player profiled on the all-access series “NHL 36.” Cameras will join Neal this morning and follow him for the next 36 hours as he and the Penguins host afternoon games this weekend against the Tampa Bay Lightning and tomorrow against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
NHL 36: James Neal will air Wednesday, March 7, at 6:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Network. Then, NBC Sports Network will air the Penguins’ home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.



Another busy weeeknd for Pens hockey and today the Pens are taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning at Consol Energy Center in an afternoon game. The Lightning have been making trades trying to improve their team that is currently out of a playoff spot. However, they are 10-4-2 in their last 16 games. Steven Stamkos has been on a big roll lately and had a 3 point night against the Winnipeg Jets the other night and those 3 points put him in a tie with Evgeni Malkin for the scoring lead in the NHL. Stamkos leads the league in goals with 43 as well. The two players will certainly see a lot of each other today as they will most likely be matched up together for most of the game.
Steve Yzerman has been busy making some trades lately but he also picked a player off waivers on Thursday rather than making another trade. The Lighning claimed former Penguin Tim Wallace off waivers. He should be in the lineup for today’s game. Wallace has played in 31 games this season for the New York Islanders with one assist and six penalty minutes.
The Pens will have to play a strong game defensively and see if they can contain Stamkos' line as they did a few weeks ago. It will be a tough task and the Pens will also need to add some offensive flair to complete a win today. A strong, consistent game from the Pens is what they need and we will see which leading scorer comes out as the winner today.

Hockey Weekend Across America.

What a weekend it will be! It is Hockey Weekend Across America and this sport deserves a weekend, a whole weekend! I never hide my love for the game of hockey and I share my opinions on why it is the best sport all the time and now is a time to celebrate it. I don't think many people do truly understand just how great the game of hockey is. That is their loss though. They can have their other sports with more commercials than action, or slow tempo, or where arrests of athletes are normal. I'll take my hockey any day.

Today, it was being promoted to wear your Hockey Jersey to get the weekend started and for Pens fans it surely will be a hockey weekend. Tomorrow the Pens will be in Philadelphia to take on the Flyers and then Sunday, Hockey Day in America, the Pens will be in Buffalo to take on the Sabres. Another hockey-filled weekend that is perfectly fitting for the occasion.

On a slightly different note:
Yesterday, I received my Hockey News Magazine and our Evgeni Malkin graces the cover with the title, "Malkin's Vast Power." (MVP)
I finally had the chance to read the article written by Ken Campbell today, entitled, "Emperor Penguin: With Sid on the sidelines, Evgeni Malkin is putting the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the NHL, on his shoulders."
It does not present any new information for Pens fans. It merely states facts that we are all well aware of. Pretty much that Malkin is the best player in the league right now and that he is playing the best hockey of his career. We are also aware that with Crosby out of the lineup, Malkin steps up his game and the article reflects that point as well. The article mentions that Malkin's work along the boards has improved and also that Malkin is becoming more comfortable in the spotlight. We see these things first-hand, during each game and every interview. We are lucky to have him on our team and lucky that his focus and determination and skill are paying off immensely.

The article does not mention how lucky we are to have this Russian superstar rather than the other Russian who is not having a superstar season, Alex Ovechkin, though the article could have. We are well aware of how lucky we are for that though.
However, there is something the article presented that I was not aware of though.
The article begins by mentioning the fact that Malkin sent Ray Shero a text last February 4th. Some may have forgotten that date from last year, but it was the night Malkin went into the boards awkwardly in a game against the Sabres along with the Sabres' Tyler Myers. We would of course learn that Malkin had suffered a torn ACL. The text was simple; it consisted of two words: "I'm sorry." Malkin apologized for being injured. That goes to show you once again how much Malkin wants this team to succeed and how he wants to be a big part of it. It also shows Pens fans how lucky we are to have Malkin on our team, but of course, we already knew that.

Happy Hockey Weekend Across America, celebrate the great game of hockey and celebrate just how great some of these hockey players are!

Pens news.

What a great weekend it was for the Pens! With two wins and plenty of goal-scoring, it was a great weekend to be a Pens fan and also a great weekend for Adele fans as well as she scored big at the Grammys. Adele may have won a grammy for each of the 6 categories she was nominated for, but she is still second in my book behind the Pens for a great weekend.

First came an 8-5 win against the Winnipeg Jets. It featured some back and forth goal scoring, but the Pens then ran away with it topping it off with 8 goals. The best thing about that win may be the fact that those 8 goals came from 7 different scorers. For a team that has been featuring scoring from mainly one line as of late, that is welcome and wonderful news.

Then came a 4-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning last night. Evgeni Malkin scored two to help us edge out the Lightning and Kris Letang had another goal last night to make it a 3 goal weekend for the defenseman.
Kris Letang had a great weekend not just offensively, but also defensively. Last night Letang, along with defensive partner Brooks Orpik, were matched up against Steven Stamkos most of the night. Stamkos leads the league in goals with 37 and Letang and Orpik held Stamkos and his line without any points in the game, certainly not an easy feat.

Things were clicking well for the Pens this weekend and the two teams did not make it necessarily easy on the Pens either. In both games, the Pens went down 2-0 before staging a comeback and winning both games. While going down 2-0 is not a trend we would like to continue, it is not such a large hole that the Pens can not get out of. However, that trend will not always end in the Pens' favor, so the team still needs to look to start games stronger. It is nice to know though that going down early in the game does not mean we can count the Pens out. They always prove to be exciting.

With such a great weekend, the NHL named Evgeni Malkin the second star of the week. The Phoenix Coyotes' goalie, Mike Smith, was named the first star of the week, as he has been doing some spectacular work over in Phoenix. The St. Louis Blues forward, David Perron was the third star of the week for his offensive work of the past week.

In other news, Mike Comrie, who was a member of the Pens last season, announced his retirement from the NHL today. It was not unexpected as he has had health issues, mainly with his hip, and has had 3 hip surgeries the past 5 years, most recently having a hip surgery two weeks ago. Retiring at the young age of 31 still must not be an easy decision though and I wish him and his wife, Hilary Duff, the best also wishing them luck with the upcoming birth of their first child.

The Pens have a couple days off before they take on the Anaheim Ducks at Consol Energy Center Wednesday night and then have a couple days off before another busy weekend for Hockey weekend in America. Don't forget to wear your Pens gear on Friday and into the weekend!

News on the Pens and from around the league.

After a tough shootout loss to the Canadiens Tuesday night (which featured an amazing shootout goal by Evgeni Malkin!), the Pens are focusing on a busy weekend of home games.

Coach Dan Bylsma was stressing today after practice that the Pens need to be more dominant in games after some losses. We need to get back to shooting more and capitalizing on power play opportunities. The low goal totals we have been seeing in some recent games is just another reminder that we need more scoring down the lines and we can not always count on the top line to provide our offense. Hopefully, we see these factors in the upcoming games this weekend.

Another injury the Pens are familiar with is a high ankle sprain and it was announced that Tyler Kennedy has fallen victim to the injury and will be out approximately 4-6 weeks.
Jordan Staal was the unfortunate victim of an accidental stick to the face this morning at practice and needed some stitches. Luckily, it was nothing too serious and he will be fine.


After rumors have been floating around for quite some time now about the location of the 2013 NHL Winter Classic, it was confirmed and announced today that the 2013 Winter Classic will be played in Detroit at Michigan Stadium, where the Universoty of Michigan football team plays. The game will be played between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

It was also announced today that Comerica Park, where the Detroit Tigers play, will be home to the Hockeytown Winter Festival. This will be a week long event leading up to the Winter Classic featuring games and festivities.

Michigan Stadium will draw the biggest crowd for an NHL Winter Classic yet to date with 115,000 tickets being available in the large venue.
I was a little sad to hear the rumors about the venue a while ago because I enjoyed knowing that I attended the first official Winter Classic in Buffalo that had the largest attendance yet to date. Though, I still was able to attend the first official Winter Classic between the Pens and the Buffalo Sabres and the memories I have from that game are special and I will cherish them for the rest of my life.

Also, the trade deadline is fast approaching as it comes on February 27th. Not too much has happened yet around the league, but this may be the calm before the storm. We'll have to wait and see if the Pens will be involved in some trading or if it will be a quiet trade deadline for us.

What a game, and now a rematch!

Last night's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs is what some people love and others hate. For me, there is nothing quite like a nail-biting, on the edge of your seat, exciting game. Now, not every minute of last night's game was like that for Pens fans. I am sure there are some moments we would like to forget. Oh, and how easy they are to forget with a finish like that. The Pens were going into the third period being down 4-1 and were able to come back and win in a shootout 5-4. Late goals by players that we love chipping in on the offense and then of course, Malkin to tie it up with less than 7 seconds left in the game. Sure enough, Malkin was the only player to score in the shootout as well, securing the Pens' 8th victory in a row. It was a nice welcoming after the All Star Break and quite a way to start off a new stretch of games.

As much fun as last night's game was and how I would love to spend more time talking about, we can not forget that the Pens have a rematch against the Maple Leafs tonight in Toronto. Now, if the Pens were on the receiving end of that loss, I know they would come back fighting tonight, so the Pens must be prepared for a Maple Leaf team that will come out strong. Who knows what tonight's game will bring. Last night's game was a perfect example of why not to change the channel when your team is down.

Toronto is a strong team and they are a team that has had some secondary scoring chip in as of late and the Pens should be prepared for a tough game tonight, not that last night wasn't.
The Pens look to continue their winning streak tonight and we all know... 9 is better than 8.


NEWS: The Pens claimed forward Cal O'Reilly off of re-entry waivers from the Phoenix Coyotes today.
The 25 year old has 5 points in 22 games this season with Phoenix.


On the Crosby front, another press conference was held yesterday and it was announced that Crosby has a soft-tissue injury of the neck, in which the symptoms are related to those of concussion symptoms. He is being treated for this injury and we will have to see what happens.
Also, Tom Brady has said he has never met Sidney Crosby. Don't believe everything you hear folks!

Now, let's focus on the important thing: We have a rematch against the Maple Leafs tonight and if it is anything like last night's game, then it should be quite entertaining.

Eventful All Star Weekend.

The Pens had three players attending the festivitites and partaking in the All Star game this past weekend, James Neal, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin. Though, it was not any of these three players who sparked the most questions and attention this weekend. That honor went to our captain, Sidney Crosby.

It was announced this weekend that Crosby had a neck injury that went undiagnosed along with his concussion. When Crosby was in Los Angeles and seeing Dr. Robert Bray, a neurological spine specialist, he was diagnosed with a neck injury and concussion. Dr. Bray reported the neck is fully healed, however. Now, Crosby will be evaluated and the latest findings will be evaluated further by independent specialists taking place this week.

Some blame and disbelief have been cast towards the Pens' doctors for missing the injury with all the tests Crosby had gone through, but I will not speculate on the details of the story or cast blame because I am not close enough to the situation nor do I know all the details. Also, it was reported that Tom Brady, quarterback for the New England Patriots, was talking to Crosby on the phone when Brady's wife, Gisele Bundchen, also got on the phone to recommend a doctor of Brady's in Utah that Crosby should visit. What a strange thing, at least in my mind. I had no idea the two were friends, but again, who knows what the whole story is.
As long as Crosby is on the way to better health, then that is all that matters. No use really specualting on anything else.


Now, on to the All Star Game festivities from this past weekend. It's not necessarily must-watch tv for hockey fans, but it can be somewhat entertaining to watch. I always find something to laugh about and there's usually always a record being made with Zdeno Chara in attendance. He keeps breaking his own record for fastest shot and this year he had an amazing 108.8 mph shot. Wow.
As for me, I was a fan of Corey Perry's shootout antics over Patrick Kane's, but the fans voted Kane as the winner.
Team Chara won the All Star game with a score of 12-9 over Team Alfreddson, making our Malkin the victor of the game and Marion Gaborik of the New York Rangers won MVP title with his hat trick and assist.

And as for Alexander Ovechkin not being in attendance... I didn't even notice his absence.

Odds and ends.

I know it's old news and I am quite tired of hearing about it myself, but the Tim Thomas skipping the White House visit is a topic I have had varying views on.
First, I did not care that Thomas decided to skip the event and when I read Thomas' statement on why he skipped the White House visit, I still didn't have that much of an opinion on it. He's allowed to think whatever he wants about the government and express it in different forms as well. I accepted that he chose to express it by skipping the event. Would I have done the same thing? No. Now, Thomas explained his reasoning saying, "I believe the federal government has grown out of control, threatening the rights, liberties, and property of the people," Thomas wrote on his Facebook page. He continued, saying, "This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country," he said in the statement, adding he did not plan to speak further about his decision.
Now, I may agree with Thomas' views or not, but I would have attended the event, but that is just a difference of responsibility and judgement.
I wasn't all that affected until I heard Steve Mears discussing his view on the matter, in which he felt it was wrong for Thomas to not attend and that the event was a celebration of the Bruins' Stanley Cup win. Mears also stated that he does not think every other player there, or any player who has ever visited the White House in the past, agrees or has agreed with the government, but that is not the point of the visit anyways.
I agree with Mears and think that in this case, it would have been a way to celebrate a Stanley Cup win with your team. I understand Thomas' views, but I don't think the reasons were enough to pull out of this particular event.

Next subject: I recently read a feature from Ryan Lambert on Yahoo Sports saying that people should feel sorry for any team trying to win the Eastern Conference. Well, that is the boat we are in. Lambert stated that the Western Conference has it's great teams a few good ones and maybe some mediocre ones and some really bad ones. They have some teams that are clearly going to make it into the playoffs.
On the other hand, the Eastern Conference, he says, is less clear. Yes, we have our share of bad teams and some mediocre ones, but he says we have a number of great teams and good teams that are all capable of winning the Eastern Conference. The Eastern Conference always does have an exciting battle at the end of the season to see who will make it into the playoffs and who could win the Conference as well. The West has some battling for spots up until the end as well, but the East does seem to keep fans guessing on who will make it out with the most points and tie breakers to lead the East.
This season is no different and the streaks and ups and downs of teams will surely leave many things to guessing up until the very end, probably in both conferences. That's part of what makes hockey exciting, you just never know what will happen, so stay tuned.


Now, on to the next subject: Tonight, be sure not to miss the "draft" for the All Star game this upcoming weekend. The Pens now have three players attending, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and James Neal.

Why the NHL All Star Game does NOT need Alex Ovechkin.

As a Pens fan, I have a general dislike towards Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, it seems to come naturally. Does that mean that I am one of the people who say he is a horrible player and a horrible person? No. I would say he is a horrible rapper and guest in a 'rap' video from what I have seen on Youtube, but that is a different matter entirely.

There is no doubt that Alex Ovechkin is a great talent and an asset to the NHL at most times with the skill and attention he brings to the game of hockey. However, I do not believe that the NHL needs Ovechkin to attend this weekend's All Star Game. Ryan Kennedy, of the Hockey News seems to think differently. http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/44395-Kennedy-NHL-needs-Ovechkin-at-AllStar-Game.html


When Ovechkin was handed a 3- game suspension for a hit he delivered on Zbynek Michalek in a loss to the Pens, he decided that he did not deserve to be attending the All Star Game and that his heart was not in it. To me, this sounds like a player who is upset about a suspension and is acting a little childish. His excuse of saying he does not 'deserve' to attend because he is suspended seems like a great excuse to take a little vacation and sit and lick his own wounds, that he created himself. The NHL said he was still welcome to the NHL All Star Game when he was suspended and there is no doubt about that. The NHL knows that Sidney Crosby, arguably the league's best player, is out and they think they need Ovechkin to attend to salvage some of the viewers that they struggle to maintain for the event anyways.

Though, I do not think that is necessarily true. Ovechkin also said that his decision not to attend was based on the fact that he did not want to be a distraction with his suspension. No doubt his suspension would be a topic of conversation while at the event and is that really the kind of attention we want the NHL to be getting? 'NHL's top player receives suspension for hit to the head.'
I believe the NHL has a number of other players it can work on promoting rather than Alex Ovechkin. Also, we are aware that Ovechkin is not even having that great of a season. He is on pace to amass his lowest point total of his career this season and some hits he has been delivering have been questioned. Therefore, all the more reason to promote other players who are playing better hockey than Ovechkin for the All Star Game.

Evgeni Malkin, the best player in the league right now will be attending the All Star Game and is enough to promote the game. Though, as it turns out, the league has some other great talent, besides Ovechkin, Crosby and Malkin. It is up to the league to showcase other talents. Some superb goaltenders will be attending the All Star Game as well as some potent scorers. As much as it pains me to say it, the Flyers have some players attending that are playing well, not to mention Steven Stamkos and his league-leading 32 goals. James Neal, of the Pens, who will be taking Ovechkin's spot, has been on fire playing alongside Malkin. The list can go on and on.

Ovechkin currently sits at the 41st spot in scoring in the league and is suspended and he is the player we NEED at our All Star Game? If that's the player we need at our All Star Game, then I think we have bigger problems than Ovechkin not attending. Seems like the NHL needs to do a better job of promoting other players.

The All Star Game itself is not much of a must-see event and is not great with the ratings, but I don't think Ovechkin would help all that much if he would be attending. The problem is not the players attending and not attending so much, the bigger problem might just be the event itself. That is a whole other topic and issue though.

The NHL does not need Alex Ovechkin to attend the All Star Game. The NHL may not realize its own talents and personalities present within, but I do. I will watch the 2012 All Star Game and see the talent the NHL does have without some star players in attendance. I will see great skill and amazing talent and I won't be watching Alex Ovechkin.