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.

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!

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!