Pens vs. Flyers

After a win yesterday against the New Jersey Devils, the Pens' 11th win in a row, the Pens face off against the Philadelphia Flyers today in Philly. A game less than 24 hours after the previous one. This means the Pens will need to be alert and ready to face the Flyers, who have been doing pretty well themselves lately. The Flyers are 7-1-1 in their past nine games and they are only 3 points behind the Pens currently in the standings. Flyers' goaltender, Ilya Bryzgalov, is a big part of the recent climb as he has lost only once, a shootout loss against the Bruins yesterday, in the month of March. Over the past 8 games, he has had 4 shutouts as well. This means that the Pens will need to take advantage of any opportunity for shots. Though, with the Flyers playing yesterday, we may see backup goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky in net today. Either way though, the Flyers have been strong defensively as of late and the Pens will still need to work to create some offense today to continue their win streak.

Yesterday's 5-2 win for the Pens could have easily been a higher scoring game for the Pens if it were not for Martin Brodeur in net. The Pens will need to be just as offensively minded today against the Flyers as well as strong defensively. The Flyers have some scoring power in the lineup that the Pens need to watch for. Therefore, the Pens will need to be sure to play an all around sound game and stay on their system.
It's a Flyers- Pens game and it is sure to be an exciting one, with two strong teams going against each other with such a rivalry all ready.

The Colorado Avalanche beat the New York Rangers last night, making it a little easier to reach our goal of surpassing the Rangers in the standings.

Matinee feature against the New Jersey Devils.

The Pens got back on a winning track yesterday with their 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins. Fleury was strong in net against the Bruins and the Pens played a strong game.

Now, we must play another strong game today against the New Jersey Devils in New Jersey. If today's game is anything like New Jersey's game yesterday against the Flyers, then we will need to be strong in net again. The Devils beat the Flyers 6-4 yesterday. The Devils were sputtering just before the All Star break but have not lost since coming back to play afterwards. In their past 11 games, they are 7-3-1. The Devils have recently put together Ilya Kovalchuk, Patrik Elias, and Zach Parise together on one line and the results have been pretty good. They are putting up some good numbers and are a line that needs to be contained best as possible.

Overall, the Pens will need to play a strong game and be responsible defensively against this offensive team as well as getting enough shots on net to get past Martin Brodeur.


Yesterday I mentioned Cal O'Reilly making his debut in the Pens' lineup and yesterday he had a promising debut on a line with Tyler Kennedy and Steve Sullivan. He had a shot on net in his nearly 14 minutes of ice time. He saw some time on the second power play unit and won 4 of 8 faceoffs, though also had one giveaway.

In yesterday's afternoon game, Brooks Orpik had a highlight reel hit against Boston's Daniel Paille, sending him flying in the air a few feet. A nice clean, good hit like that is something to see. It will surely be added to Orpik's repertoire of great hits.

News from the NHL.

Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils will be out of the lineup for up to four months to have and revcover from surgery.

Former Penguin, Michel Ouellet was not claimed off of waivers by any team by the deadline today and now is heading up to the Canucks due to various injuries the team has sustained.

Dallas Stars sign free agent Mark Parrish.

The Montreal Canadiens lead the way in the number of players on the All-Star Ballot.
The Pens have 5 members on the ballot including, Marc Andre Fleury, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Ryan Whitney, and Sergei Gonchar.

Pens lose Home Opener against New Jersey.

Someone sitting next to me at the game made a statement that all Pens fans wish were true. It came with about 5 or more minutes left in the third: "I wish this game would just end now!" If only it did. At that point the Pens were winning 1-0 and we had compiled a measly 2 shots on net the entire period so far. Maybe with a win, it would have been easier to take the huge slant in shots. New Jersey 49, Pittsburgh 15. I don't know how many games you can expect to win like that.
When Marc Andre Fleury was named the #1 star of the game, he did not even come out on the ice or even make any appearance at all. I don't blame him. He is the reason we salvaged a point out of that game. The Pens know they did not play well and they better work fast to correct their problems before Tuesday night's game against the Flyers.
You can sense frustration in many of the players when things are going poorly. Most noticeably Saturday was none other than Captain Sidney Crosby. He was visibly upset after ever missed opportunity and when nothing would generate from a pass or any play. Well, many of the fans are right there with ya, Sid! The first period was not terrible, but after that, Brodeur might as well have taken a nap. Now, it is still early in the season, however, this will not be an excuse for playing poorly. It may be one for needing time for certain lines to achieve chemistry, but lets hope they form it in the very near future!