One story ends. A more thrilling one is set to begin.

Saturday brings us to the end of the regular season for the Pittsburgh Penguins. We end the regular season at home with a game against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Pens go into the game losing the past two with some poorly played hockey and will look to end the regular season on a winning note. Though, it was a short time ago that the Pens clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference, so these losses have meant nothing to our position in the standings. However, it might not be the best thing to come into the playoffs with a losing streak with games featuring some mistakes. Therefore, the Pens will look to correct their mistakes and will look for a boost in the return of James Neal and Paul Martin this Saturday.

Win or lose Saturday though and the Pens are still in the playoffs. That is a nice feeling to have and one Pens' fans as of late are used to. We haven't had to battle for the 8th spot in the Conference for some time, but that does not mean that we have had smooth sailing once in the playoffs. As we all surely know. Last year's first round loss to the Philadelphia Flyers was extremely disappointing. A first round loss, no matter the opponent, this year would be even more disappointing. A first round loss again would surely mean some changes in the organization. This team is expected to perform well and a mediocre or dismal playoff season just will not do. Making the playoffs for some teams is an accomplishment all in itself (Congratulations Toronto!). But not the Pens. For the Pens, it's just a beginning.

While some teams will pack their things this weekend and go their seperate ways, the Pens will join 15 other teams in closing the book of the regular season and begin to prepare for the story of NHL playoff hockey. Every team begins a season with the sole purpose to begin this second story, one that each team hopes will end with another book chronicling what each team member did with the Stanely Cup on their day with the sacred trophy. Only one team will prove to be the best, the toughest, the most skilled, the hardest working, the most complete, the Stanley Cup winners. It most certainly is not an easy task. Upsets will happen, good teams will fall, better teams will prevail, series sweeps will occur, overtime hockey means much more, and perhaps a game 7 or a few will go into overtime where everything will be on the line. History will be made.
Playoff hockey is another level of hockey. Teams know what they have to do to accomplish their dream of raising the Stanely Cup. Next week each of these 16 teams will begin this journey. Each of the 16 teams will be just 16 wins away from their goal. Only one team will make it through though. We won't know until June who succeeds. Of course, we have our expectations and hopes and wishes. But that's the thing about playoff hockey: It is usually impossible to predict. Playoff hockey is meant for surprises; it is meant for exciting hockey. Playoff hockey is meant to bring fans to the edge of their seat or to their feet. Playoff hockey is meant to bring tears of disappointment or tears of pure joy. Playoff hockey is meant to make you nervous, excited, sad, happy, angry and just about any other emotion one can have. Playoff hockey is like nothing else. Therefore, each story will be unique, but only one team will be able to end their story how they want: by raising the most prestigious trophy in sports, the one and only (sort of) Stanley Cup.

So, while the Pens hope to end the season on a winning note, either way the story will end and a new one will begin. One that is much more important, one that has a possibility of a much more meaningful end.

Are you ready for some playoff hockey?

Mario Lemieux and Game Day.

At the time of the Mario Lemieux statue unveiling today in front of Consol Energy Center, it was an appropriate 66 degrees in the city of Pittsburgh. Not only was it an appropriate temperature but the sun was shining as hundreds of fans and practically the whole organization was there for the unveiling.
Lemieux may not have wanted a statue of himself, but it is well-deserved. Mario Lemieux is the greatest hockey player and one of the best people to ever grace this earth. Some of you may think I am going a bit overboard there, but Lemieux has faced so many obstacles and has risen above them all, more like soaring above them, and also has saved the Penguins numerous times from multiple problems. Not only for his work with the team, Lemieux also has donated to many charities and has begun charitites that have been benefitting cancer and neonatal research. To put it simply, Mario Lemieux is one stand-up guy. I believe he is a person all hockey players should look up to as he handles himself with grace now off the ice just as he played with such grace on the ice. Not only should hockey players look up to Mario Lemieux, any person should look up to Lemieux. He is an idol of mine and Mario Lemieux is another reason why I love the sport of hockey; I believe he is everything a hockey player and human being should be.

With such an event taking place at Consol Energy Center today and the players being present, I hope they get a chance to now focus on tonight's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. While the Leafs have not been doing so well lately, just like every team out there, the Pens need to take them seriously. Also because the Leafs have a record against the Pens this season of 2-0-1. The Leafs' defensive problems are still apparent under new coach Carlyle and they will surely be working hard in all facets of the game to turn things around. The Pens better be prepared for a team that is desperate for wins.

Trade Deadline Day

Trade Deadline Day in the NHL is like a holiday. Some may even compare it to Christmas. A new acquisition can feel just like getting something new on Christmas Day, though the real test is when you get to put it into play following Christmas and the same goes for Trade Deadline Day. How will those players fare with a new team and how much of a difference can they make? It's a day all hockey fans are glued to multiple devices waiting for updates on their own favorite team or waiting to hear about the big deal of the day, whether it was involving their team or not.

Well, today's trade deadline day is almost like the Christmas that you did not get exactly what you wanted. I, myself, am pleased that the Pens remained intact. There wasn't much out there that could benefit the Pens and with speculation that Sidney Crosby will return this season and/or for the playoffs, that may just be the best acquisition a team could get.
However, I like to see some big blockbuster trades take place and there weren't really any HUGE deals. Vancouver and Buffalo were part of some big trades today though pretty close to the wire. Here's a look at all the trades that went down today:

*F = Forward
D = Defenseman

Vancouver acquires Andrew Gordon, F from Buffalo in exchange for Sebastian Erixon, D

Vancouver also acquired Zack Kassian,F and Marc-Andre Gragnani,D from Buffalo in exchange for Cody Hodgson,F and Alexander Sulzer, D.

Anaheim acquired Mark Fraser,D from Toronto in exchange for Dale Mitchell, F

Nashville acquired Paul Gaustad,F and 2013 4th-round pick from Buffalo in exchange for 2012 1st-round pick.

Rangers acquired John Scott, D from Chicago in exchange for 2012 5th-round pick.

Minnesota acquired Steve Kampfer, F from Boston in exchange for Greg Zanon, D.

Boston acquired Brian Rolston, F and Mike Mottau, D from the Islanders in exchange for Yannick Riendeau, F and Marc Cantin, D

Chicago acquired Johnny Oduya, D from Winnipeg in exchange for 2013 2nd-round pick and 2013 3rd-round pick

San Jose acquired Daniel Winnik, F, T.J. Galiardi, F, and 2013 7th-round pick from Colorado in exchange for Jamie McGinn, F, Michael Sgarbossa, F and Mike Connolly, F.

Ottawa acquired Matt Gilroy, D from Tampa Bay in exchange for Brian Lee, D.

Vancouver acquired Sami Pahlsson, F from Columbus in exchange for 2- 2012 4th-round picks.

Toronto acquired Carter Ashton, F from Tampa Bay in exchange for Keith Aulie, D.

Minnesota acquired Tom Gilbert, D from Edmonton in exchange for Nick Schultz, D

Tampa Bay acquired Mike Commodore, D from Detroit in exchange for a conditional 2013 7th-round pick

Nashville acquired Andrei Kostitsyn, F from Montreal in exchange for a 2013 2nd-round pick and a conditional 2013 5th-round pick.



News on the Pens had been light and while there was some chatter on players I have mentioned, the market was not one for the Pens this season and I am happy to see the Pens have a strong team and if they continue to build on their play and if they happen to get Crosby back, the Pens will surely be a scary team to go against in the playoffs.
Now, after these trades, we will have to see which ones turn out to be great or which ones are a bust for teams as we finish off the season and venture into the playoffs. Happy Trade Deadline Day and I think it should be a happy one for Pens fans!

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.

Presidents' Day news.

Happy Presidents' Day to you. If you are one of the unlucky people who did not have off today, I am sorry.

Hockey fans are also aware that a week from today is the trade deadline day. I may have to take off this day; it should be a holiday just so we can all stay home and stay connected for all the updates.

Rick Nash, of the Columbus Blue Jackets, continues to be the biggest name thrown out there and it has been reported that the New York Rangers want him. However, the price for Nash is quite high and the Rangers have not given in. Some players the Blue Jackets look for in return are supposedly untouchables on the Rangers roster. We will have to wait and see if Nash will be traded to the Rangers or any team or if the Blue Jackets keep him.
The Detroit Red Wings could be in the market for a forward or defenseman to add depth to their already stellar lineup.
Toronto could use some help on defense and could be looking to add an elite defenseman.


The Pens called up Eric Tangradi today.

Tomorrow night the Pens will host the New York Rangers at Consol Energy Center. They have to be a lot better than they were in Buffalo yesterday against the Sabres if they want a win. The Rangers are one of the best teams in the league and yesterday the Pens did not play their best. The Pens lost 6-2 and the score reflects that the defense needs to be better. We can not play the way we did yesterday and expect many wins. Now, we put yesterday's game behind us and move on to the Rangers. We need all of our focus and attention on tomorrow night's game.

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.

Pens face Sharks tonight.

The Pens are in San Jose to take on the Sharks tonight, which means a late start, 10:30 p.m.
Jordan Staal and Kris Letang are game-time decisions to play tonight and Alex Picard was called up from the Wilkes-Barre Sranton Baby Pens as a precaution. We'll have to wait and see who plays tonight.

Zbynek Michalek, who broke his finger a week and a half ago in a game against the Devils, skated today after the morning skate. His revovery was timed at 4-6 weeks.

The Pens haven't had much luck when playing in San Jose against the Sharks, so the Pens will be looking for a win tonight and also look to get back on track for their stellar penalty-killing, as it did not fare so well against the Maple Leafs on Saturday.

I am sure, like me, all of you are anxious to see the Pens play again. It was the longest break of the season so far for the Pens and I know some of you were uneasy waiting so long, but the Pens are finally back tonight. Don't fall asleep between periods though, or if you do, make sure you have someone or something waking you up, don't want to miss a second of any game action tonight!

Pens Hockey Withdrawal.

Pens fans got used to watching a Pens game usually every other night and this long break between Saturday's game against Toronto and tomorrow night's game against San Jose is a tad too long. I find myself going through a bit of Pens hockey withdrawal, not knowing what to do some nights from 7:00 p.m. until about 10:00 p.m. Ok, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration, but I am missing my Pens hockey and the fact that tomorrow night's game is a late start for us on the East Coast (game starts at 10:30) makes it a little bit harder.

On the other hand though, the Pens needed this break and got a chance to rest up and let some injuries heal and I even heard that Sidney Crosby took some hits in practice and is doing well, who would have thunk it? Yes, these long breaks can be tough on us Pens fans, but they can do wonders for our team. They can heal, practice and work on some areas that need improvement, get in some much-needed contact (a word we have heard so much recently), and anything else they may need to prepare for that next game. This long break happened to come after a loss and the Pens surely had enough time to analyze what they did wrong and things that went well in the loss against Toronto. Now, the Pens are hopefully more prepared and ready to go for tomorrow night's game. Let's hope that nice California weather isn't too distracting, I know I would love to be there right now!

So, we only have about 30 more hours to go until the next Pens game! Can't come soon enough.

Much needed break comes for Pens.

Just as the Pens are getting a break from the schedule, I took a small break from posting because of a busy schedule recently and I apologize. So here is the much anticipated next post:

After a pretty tough schedule for the Penguins for the month of October, they are coming to a stretch where they have some time off between games. Our next game is not until Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. This will give the Pens a chance to have some practices where they can focus on all facets of the game and work out any problems they may have noticed during the busy month of October.

Sidney Crosby will have a chance to get in some good practices and hopefully get some contact to see whether or not he is ready for some game action. However, with this time off and more chance for practices, we know that Crosby will be returning soon, hopefully. I am predicting a return shortly!

The Pens also will have a chance to reflect on their 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The game was a bit back and forth in the goal-scoring, but the Pens could not pull off a tying goal and the loss ended their win streak at 5. They'll have plenty of time to analyze this loss and others and work on areas that are struggling perhaps, maybe 5-on-5 play. Their penalty-killing was not as strong as it has been all season Saturday night either. There is always room for improvement and the Pens who are exiting the first month of the season with the most games played and an 8-3-2 record, this time will give a pretty good team the chance to get even better and some injuries to heal.

Can't wait for Thursday!

Kennedy suspended for 1 game.

Tyler Kennedy got a one game suspension for his fight against Luke Schenn in Saturday's game. Kennedy was suspended per Rule 70.2 which states: “A player who has entered the game on a legal line change... who starts an altercation may be subject to discipline ...”.

As a result of Kennedy's suspension, Luca Caputi was called up from the Baby Pens to participate in tonight's game against the Montreal Canadiens.

Pens vs. Bruins tonight.

After a miserable loss to the Washington Capitals, the Pens redeemed themselves Saturday night with a great win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. This win came with a milestone hat trick for Sidney Crosby and also included a milestone for Evgeni Malkin. Crosby recorded his 100th career goal, his 200th career assist and therefore his 300th career point. Malkin added his 100th assist. Both had a four point night. Though many fans do not agree with Therrien putting Malkin and Crosby on a line together, and I do not especially like it either, but there is no doubt that it was effective for Saturday's game. It was just nice to see something working for the Pens.
Now we are set to face the Boston Bruins at 7 p.m. tonight. I am not sure what Therrien has in mind for his lines, but I hope we put in another 60 minute effort!