Moving on to the Bruins.

After an eventful game Sunday against the Philadelphia Flyers, Monday was not that much more tame. Mike Milbury, an NBC hockey analyst and former player and coach, was on a Philadelphia radio station and had some rather careless statements geared towards the Pens, mainly Head Coach Dan Bylsma and Sidney Crosby. I don't think I need to repeat them; they were discussed everywhere. Today he issued an apology. Well, he was told to make an apology. Clearly, it was not sincere and he most likely still means what he says. Ray Shero responded to Milbury's comments today saying that Milbury should know better. My favorite response to the comments were from Dan Bylsma. In regard to Milbury saying that Bylsma should have "taken off his skirt" and gone over the bench to argue and fight, Dan Bylsma responded with, "I wasn't wearing a skirt. [I was wearing] a blue suit." Goes to show that the comments had no effect on the team or Bylsma and why would they? They were from Mike Milbury and have no merit. Now it is time to drop the antics and focus on tonight's game against the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins are on a roll and just as they did last season, they are ending on a high note. The Bruins have been 7-1-1 in their past nine games. They are first in the Northeast Division and second overall in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins are a high scoring team so the Pens' defense will need to be strong in tonight's matchup. Tim Thomas has been getting the majority of the workload as of late, but tonight, Marty Turco will be in for the Bruins. Brent Johnson will be in tonight for the Pens.
The Pens have lost 4 of the past 6 games and have not been playing as well as they are capable of. The Pens will look to correct that tonight and throughout the remaining games up until the playoffs where I hope the Pens will return to the consistent team that we know they are capable of being. Let's hope the consistency and strong defense come into play tonight and stick around.

Also, I would like to add that this may be my last post for about a week. I am leaving on a short trip tomorrow, but I will be back before you know it! Let's Go Pens!

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.