Pens face off against Stars.

Happy Leap Day to you all!

An extra day of the year, and what better way to celebrate this extra day than with a Pens game?

The Pens are in Dallas tonight to take on the Stars. The team that Matt Niskanen and James Neal came from in a trade last season for Alex Goligoski. Well, the trade has payed off for both teams, but Niskanen says it will be really weird playing in Dallas for the first time since the trade and that he wants to prove to his former team what they're missing.

Niskanen, and the rest of the Pens for that matter, should be prepared to face a team that has won 4 straight games including a great game against the Vancouver Canucks a short time ago. The Stars are in the eighth place in the Western Conference, but are only a few points behind their Pacific division leader. If they reach their division leader, the Phoenix Coyotes, they could jump all the way up to one of the top spots in their Conference. They are a team on a mission, just as the Pens are and the Pens better come out tonight ready to complete their mission of reaching the Rangers and ready to battle against the Stars who will be playing their best to reach their goal.
It's the last stretch of the season and most teams are focused on reaching certain goals and the teams completely out of the playoff spots like to play spoiler, so the Pens will need to stay determined and focused and continue to play a strong team game if they want to catch up to the Rangers.
The Pens will need to fire a good amount of shots on net tonight to beat the Stars' goaltender, Kari Lehtonen, who has been playing great between the pipes as of late. The Pens should stick to their game in tonight's matchup and this can be a very good game.

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 conclude season-opening road trip.

The Pens have concluded their season-opening road trip and earned 5 out of a possible 6 points. That's not too bad and I will take it. Yes, it would have been nice to see the Pens win in the shootout last night against the Oilers, but they got a point. Last night, the Pens were without Evgeni Malkin. He left the game against Calgary the night before early and sat out last night's game.
Brent Johnson looked sharp most of the game in net and then stumbled a bit in the shootout, but he played better than most back-up goalies out there.
The Pens had some chances on the power play last night that just came up short and could have been a difference maker in the game, including a 5-minute major where the Pens failed to capitalize on.

However, I am still pleased with many things from this road trip and can not wait for the Pens to be back home and have their home opener tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers. It will finally be a hockey night IN Pittsburgh tomorrow.




Short and sweet blog post, just what my best friend and blog reader asked for!

Pens win season opener.

The Pens got off on a great foot for the season, and a familiar one as well. The Pens beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in a shootout last night to earn the victory. Last season, we saw plenty of shootouts and most of those were winners. However, it was nice to see Evgeni Malkin get that shootout goal last night because his shootout attempts have not always been spectacular in the past.

It's nice to see that the power play was strong last night and I hope that that continues. James Neal getting the first goal was hopefully a great sign. I believe I was just as happy as he was scoring that goal. I mentioned that I want him to show more of his scoring potential as a Pens player as he struggled with us late last season. I hope to see his goal total rising consistently and last night's goal was a beauty and we could use more of those. Of course, Matt Cooke adding two goals, one short-handed, last night was great as well. I love the Matt Cooke who scores goals and works well on special teams, not the one who gets suspended. He says he is changing the way he approaches hitting now and I hope to see that working and more goals can come as a result rather than more days spent in street clothes sitting out of games.

I saw a lot of positives in last night's game and can not wait for tomorrow's game against the Calgary Flames. That's right, it's another late start at 10 p.m. but if it's anything like last night's game, it promises to be an exciting one!

Pens season starts tomorrow.

For most of us Pens fans out there, today is like Christmas Eve. The anticipation and excitement most of us are feeling can only compare to that of a child waiting to open all their presents Christmas morning. I believe hockey fans have it a bit better though. Whereas a child gets a short amount of time opening all those presents and then enjoying playing with their new toys, hockey fans get months of nail-biting games, superb goals, jaw-dropping moments, great battles, intense rivalries, great saves, awesome breakaways, last minute goals to tie a game or break a tie and so much more. I can not wait for a new season to start, but I look forward to each and every game and this season has me particularly excited because I have a feeling we will see some great things. I may have trouble sleeping tonight because of excitement for a new hockey season, but I will need to rest to stay up for the late start for the Penguins tomorrow night in Vancouver. Something tells me though that I won't have any trouble keeping my eyes open.

So, we are almost there hockey fans! Another season is about to begin and anything is possible. At this point, any team can be lifting Lord Stanley's Cup at the end of the season. Ok, some teams and that dream are really far-fetched, but anything is possible at this point.

I also have to wish a Happy Birthday to the beloved Mario Lemieux. The Pittsburgh Penguins would not be what they are today without him. I truly believe that Mario Lemieux is one of the greatest people to ever step foot on this planet and the greatest player to ever grace the NHL. Thank you for all you have done Mario!

I'm back and the Pens are coming back too!

Well, after a two year hiatus, I decided I would come back to the blog world and do something I love about something I love: write about hockey! College got a tad busy and my blog went on the back burner. However, I have graduated and the job market allows me to dedicate a good amount of time on my blog now!

We all know the Pens season is just days away as we all have been waiting anxiously. The Pens were stellar in the preseason, going 5-1. Evgeni Malkin looked strong out there and with Sidney Crosby out with a concussion for who knows how long, it's great to see that Malkin is dedicated this season and worked hard in the offseason.

The Pens did extremely well last season under the circumstances with all the injuries. Remember, Malkin, Jordan Staal and Crosby played together for about 40 minutes. We made it to the playoffs only to be eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Our power play was atrocious during that round and was definitely something discussed and addressed. Enough about last season though, it's time for a brand new Penguins season to start and I know I am extremely excited for it to begin.

New hockey seasons bring a wide range of possibilities along for the ride. I love to see some surprise teams and players, whether it be a pleasant surprise or a disappointment. The Pens are getting high marks in a lot of different rankings, but I tend not to look at those too closely. With the players we have on our team, we are bound to end up high on most lists. And yes, I have heard that some are predicting that the Pens will win the Cup this season, but I am focused on just the beginning of the season and watching how the Pens shape up to be. One thing I am hoping for is that James Neal finds his scoring touch. He was not that stellar after coming over in a trade late last season, but I am hoping that we get to see his confidence and goal scoring go up.

The Pens 2011-2012 season starts this Thursday with a late start time for the East Coast at 10 p.m. as the game is in Vancouver. When that puck drops, anything is possible and all those possibilities of a new, fresh hockey season are why I love hockey and love this time of year! Let's go PENS!!!

Pens have disappointing loss against Canucks.

The Pens lost to the Vancouver Canucks this past Saturday 3-1. The game started interesting enough with 3 little skirmishes, some fights, about 25 seconds into the game. However, Matt Cooke was ejected from the game for a second fight and therefore could not play a game he said would be filled with a little more emotion due to the fact that he was once a Canuck. The fights did not seem to get either team going. Another thing that did not get going for the Pens was the power play. The power play that has gone 1 for 12 the past 3 games. Therrien is calling the power play a small concern right now and he says we get no energy from a power play. If the Pens look to win more games they will have to focus more on better power plays and also not resting on the fact that they have come from behind to win many games. Perhaps the Pens were thinking that this Saturday, but this time, they could not manage a comeback to force a win or even overtime.

Saturday's game also saw Luongo, the Canucks captain and starting goalie, go down with an injury.