All That Glitters Is Not Black and Vegas Gold

19-13-4. This doesn't seem so bad in the win/loss column, does it? Thirty six games into the season, 42 points isn't too shabby. Seventh in the Conference, it looks decent. However, you're just looking at the cover of the book and deeming it quality. A further peak inside tells of troubling times in Penguinland.

In the last 10 games, their have a 4-6-0 record. Looking deeper at stats, they are 8-9-3 against teams currently in the top 8 in their conferences (Buffalo, Philly, Washington, Boston, Rangers, Montreal, New Jersey, Detroit, Pheonix, San Jose, Edmonton). Now, stats dont tell the entire story but they are some of the chapters.

The current slide of the Penguins should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the team without their black and gold glasses on. For the majority of the season, they have constantly played uninspired hockey. The number of full games they've played can be counted on one hand.

For a large part of the season they've either play poorly for all but the last 10 percent of the game, where they make a miraculous comeback or played well in the first 10 percent and then blew the lead they've built. What's the cause of this? Well, there are several possibilities, all of which more than likely fill out the rest of the book.

Their youth: The core is young and plays streaky. I can buy it for the current down trend. They had an incredibly hot streak between games 12 and 17 where they were just on fire. You couldn't keep them off of the score sheet. They came back down to earth, now they're bottoming out.

No Secondary Scoring: 116 goals scored in 38 games has them 7th in the league in goals for. However, either Malkin or Crosby have contributed at least an assist in nearly 68% of all the goals scored, meaning out of every three goals scored, only one was not because of Malkin or Crosby's hand.

Injuries: While not including Gonchar and Whitney, since they've been out since before the season, they've been struck by some injuries. The biggest being to Fleury. However, third line spark plug Tyler Kennedy is out and since then their play has dropped. Key face off man Mike Zigomanis is injured. The defense has been plagued for on and off injuries. It's not helped for consistency. Fleury has returned and is playing reasonably well, and Whitney has returned stronger than ever. Perhaps when they adjust to the flow of the game again, things will get better.

Coaching: Therrien is a one trick pony. He only knows one system, and if the players can't conform they fail and the team fails. He was not able to tweak his system to make up for the loss of Gonchar and Whitney, two people extremely important to the Penguins breakout system. He hasn't adjusted for the lack of grit the team has, and he hasn't been able to motivate them to play a full 60 minutes.

Special Teams: Currently the Penguins' special teams rank in the middle of the league. While respectable, a power play that has Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Petr Sykora, and defensemen like Phillipe Boucher, Alex Goligoski, and Kris Letang should be ranked higher than 15th. Before their 9-2 blowout of the Islanders, their power play was way down in the lower third of the league. Their PK, ranked 14th. Hal Gill has been injured and the poor positional play of Dany Sabourin can be contributing factors to that. Not to mention that Mike Yeo is a terrible, terrible special teams coach.

The biggest fear amongst Pens fans should be whether the current trend continues. If it does, it could be a long season. A big trade deadline could make things better, and the return of Whitney and Gonchar would be a big help. That's assuming that they are able to get into the swing of things right away.

There's still hope for this years team. However, there's plenty of work to be done in order to make those dreams a reality.

2008-2009 Eastern Conference Preview

With training camps underway, I go ahead and make my snap decisions on who will finish where in the NHL Eastern Conference.



1.) Montreal Canadiens- Too much for them to not be too good. Deep with talented forwards and good defense, the only real question mark is Carey Price. Even then, his play in the playoffs was due to a bad hand. The only question mark is age. Some of their vets aren't getting younger and they traded for a declining Robert Lang. Will this hurt them?



2.) Pittsburgh Penguins- Too much talent in two players alone. Two scoring wingers for each, a few talented players in the line up as supporting cast, and an above average plus defense. Also a goaltender who may or may not be coming into his own. Satan and Crosby, Malkin and Sykora will be point monsters. They'll also be getting back one of the better young defensemen in Ryan Whitney around the deadline.



3.) Washington Capitals- Someone has to win this division and it will be the Caps. Ovechkin alone gives them the edge. While they will miss what Huet brought them in net during the playoffs, a decently able defense and offensive talents like Mike Green, AO, Semin, Niklas Backstrom, Viktor Kozlov, Sergei Federov they'll be able to score their way through the weak South Eastern division.



4.) Philadelphia Flyers- A team with depth that made a great bounce last season from worst to Eastern Conference Finals. Off season moves and injuries has made them lose some of the offensive punch they had, but they remain steady in the top six. The "loss" of Darian Hatcher will only help the team become more mobile. Biggest question lies in the health of Simon Gagné.



5.) New York Rangers- Henrik Lundqvist. Prepare to hear a lot about him this season. He will be the main catalyst for this teams success. A large roster turn over with the loss of Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka, the additions made in off season result in a lot of question marks. Will Nik Zherdev finally produce as expected? Will Markus Naslund regain his old form? Will Wade Redden produce?



6.) New Jersey Devils- Marty Brodeur's decline continues, but his talent alone and a boost in offense is still enough to see them sneak in to the playoffs. Their thin defensive core continues to be masked by the teams overall defensive play, especially with the return of former stars Brian Rolston and Bobby Unibrow.



7.) Boston Bruins- Clause Julien surprised everyone last season, taking an offensively starved team to the playoffs and then leading them to the brink of upsetting the team with the best record in the East in the first round. This season starts with the return of Patrice Bergeron. Early reviews have him back in fine form, providing a huge boost to the meager offense that accompanies a superb defense headed by My Giant Zdeno Chara.



8.) Buffalo Sabers- A team torn apart by free agency in the last few years still finds a way to squeak in. Super Coach Lindy Ruff pieces together a roster with youth but talent. Ryan Miller, a high quality goalie, will be the back bone of their run towards the playoffs while Derek Roy looks to be the go-to star along with long time Saber Maxime Afinogenov.




9.) Tampa Bay Lightning- They're a more talented version of the post lockout Pens. Enough young players with establish chemistry to not make them in the basement, but too many questions on the back end, in net, and in scoring depth. In the end their thin blue line and lack of true role players and solid goal tending will do them in.



10.) Carolina Hurricanes- Early season injuries and lack of goal tending will sink the team. They will miss Eric Cole more than they realize, especially with the loss of Justin Williams to a ruptured Achilles Tendon. Joni Pitkanen is not an upgrade on the blue line and they made little other moves. Tuomo Ruutu and Sergei Samsonov are question marks and injury prone but could have a huge years if healthy. Another "almost" year harmed by injuries.



11.) Ottawa Senators- The mighty continue to fall. Not much done in the off season to right a quickly falling ship and the loss of Wade Redden on the blue line. The big three will still produce but not much beyond that will fill the net. The blue line takes a big hit and while Ray Emery is gone, look for goal tending to continue to be an issue.



12.) Florida Panthers- Another year of almost. They'll be in the race until the trade deadline when someone will wow them and pry away Jay Bouwmeester who is riding his one year contract. While the return may be something decent, don't count on it being enough to get the Panthers to the top eight. Poor Nathan Horton.





13.) Atlanta Thrashers- Ilya Kovalchuk. Kari Lethonen. Who else? True talent is hard to find on this team. They have nothing in the cupboard. Kovalchuk is in the final year of his contract, has been the face of the franchise from the start. For a team talking about having Angelo Esposito and this years No. 3 pick Zach Bogosian in the line up, it doesn't look pretty.



14.) Toronto Maple Leafs- They finally come to their senses and decide to actually play poorly for a high pick. They're anxious to get in the Tavares lottery to really draw them in and upper management finally decides that they need to rebuild. Or they'll just suck that badly. The latter is more likely.



15.) New York Islanders- Garth Snow continues his reign of terror as the Islanders once again toil is mediocrity. The only thing keeping this team relevant is a Rick DiPietro coming off of hip surgery. That's bound to not last. And for the sake of any Isles fan, hopefully neither will Snow.

What Should the Penguins do with Jordan Staal?

In 2006-2007, everyone expected Evgeni Malkin to come to Pittsburgh and have a stellar rookie campaign. No one expected to see the rapid emergence of Jordan Staal onto the hockey scene.

Kept up with Kris Letang for 10 games from his junior team; the Peterborough Petes, he was going to be given a look-see to grade his NHL readiness. By the end of those 10 games, he'd scored five goals, including three shorthanded (two in one game).

His uncanny defensive prowess for an 18-year-old combined with his long reach, assured him a spot on the permanent roster. While Kris Letang went back to juniors, Jordan Staal was there to stay. Partnered throughout the season with Malkin, he amassed 29 goals and 13 assists and was runner-up for Rookie of the Year to his linemate.

Heading into 2007-2008, big things were expected of Staal. He was placed on Crosby's wing after the acquisition of Petr Sykora filled the need for a scoring winger on Malkin's line. Some fans were thinking of 40 goals for the season playing alongside the previous year's MVP and Art Ross winner.

Things didn't go as planned. After 24 games, at the start of December, he had scored a total of two goals and netted three assists. The dreaded "sophomore jinx" was hung around his shoulders as he was dropped back to third line duty.

He would go on to thrive on the third line, playing a defensively responsible game alongside rotating wingers and his time on the penalty kill continued to remain steadily high. While his offensive game wasn't there through December, his defense continued to become stronger.

By the end of the season, he anchored his own line extremely effectively. A third line that would eventually pot 31 goals for the year between four or five different players. Many GMs would love to have a third line contribute as much.





Even through his bad start, Staal finished up the season scoring 12 goals and helping on 16 others. A total of 23 points in 58 games is not bad for a 19-year-old, nor for a third-line center on a team infected with injuries throughout the year.

As a result, there's talk of what to do with Staal coming into the 2008-2009 season.

Due to free agency and signings, there would seem to be a lack of top-six wingers. Right now, the top five are filled out by Crosby, Miroslav Satan, Malkin, Ruslan Fedotenko, and Sykora. The departure of Ryan Malone leaves a lack of physical presence that made the "Steel City Line" of Malone-Malkin-Sykora (who carried the team when Crosby went down) so effective.

You have Jordan Staal. What do you do?

There are two camps with this thinking:

1. Put Fedotenko on Sid's left and move Staal to the left of Malkin

Malkin's game is much more suited for Staal than Crosby. The reason Staal wasn't effective on Sid's line is Sid's speed. While Staal is deceptively fast, he's by no means swift of foot. Malkin's Lemieux-like ability to slow the game down suits Staal, which is why he had such success in his rookie season.

2. Keep Staal centering his own line

This serves two distinct purposes, one short term and one long term.

The short term: It gives the Penguins depth down the middle that is hard to be matched by any other team in the NHL. Crosby, Malkin, Staal is group of centers most teams would love to have on their payroll. Staal's defensive prowess makes him the perfect shutdown line center. This allows the third line to be able to go against any first line in the NHL and shut them down with relative ease.

The long term: It forces Staal to focus on his abilities as a center that need addressing, most importantly his playmaking abilities. His assist totals have been very unimpressive, as has been his passing in general.

While he can go to the front of the net to tap a puck in, it's hard to count on him to make the pass to set up a winger. Putting him as center of his own line so he doesn't rely on Malkin to create the plays will benefit him and the Pens.

He slightly improved from year one to year two with assists (13 to 16), and in the playoffs had some hot streaks where he was able to put everything together. If kept on his own line to grow with the same linemates, his abilities will fall into place.



While, in the end, it's entirely up to the coaching staff as to what will happen to Staal, perhaps the best interest of the team in the long and short term is keeping him on the ice centering his own line. Once his playmaking improves to where he can notch around 25 assists or so with third line talent—if Malkin needs a winger, I say make it so.

They would be even more dangerous as a duo (or trio if the chemistry with Sykora sticks). A one-two punch of anyone, Crosby, anyone and Staal, Malkin, Sykora could push the record books for goals scored.

At 19 years old, he's already got a bright future ahead of him. His development this year is crucial to how bright it is. Here's hoping that what ever is done is the correct decision when all is finished.

Michel Therrien is Not the Answer for the Penguins

With a new three-year contract freshly signed, Michel Therrien seemed to cement his status as perhaps the luckiest coach in NHL history.

When he was called up from the Baby Penguins in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to coach the professional Penguins following the firing of head coach Eddie Olczyk, the Penguins were in the right position for him: last place.

This allowed for the shedding of veterans who were under-achieving to bring up the youth he'd just finished teaching, including Colby Armstrong, Maxime Talbot, Ryan Whitney, and Michel Ouellet. He was also handed the reigns of the likes of Sidney Crosby and Sergei Gonchar.

From there he did something a Penguins coach hadn't done for around five seasons. He installed a system of play.

Until that point, the supposedly high-powered Pittsburgh Penguins (with forwards Ziggy Palffy, Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux, Mark Recchi, John LeClair) were supposed to do nothing but score, so defense wasn't supposed to be an issue. (Tampa Bay, I hope you're paying attention.)

This proved to be a poorly judged assessment, and by the time Eddie O. was fired 31 games into the season, they had amassed a total record of 8-17-6. It was clear changes were needed and Therrien was the answer.

With his defensive system installed (with the help of four new players that knew the system already), Therrien guided the Pens to a 14-29-8 record (actually a .002 less winning percentage than Eddie O. had).

The Penguins were set to pick second overall and did so, selecting Jordan Staal. This set into action the chain of events that has me convinced that Michel Therrien owes the devil (and not Sid's new winger) his soul.

Expectations were mixed coming into the 2006-2007 season. No one knew what to expect, other than another fine performance by Sid. Randomly, highly touted Russian prospect Evgeni Malkin defected to America. However, his introduction to the ice was delayed by a shoulder injury caused from a collision from Johnny Vermont LeClair.

As the season started, Jordan Staal was curiously kept around for a short stint. Showing confidence in his rookie, Therrien put Jordan on the penalty kill. For a season likely to be another rebuilding season, this was fine. And for an 18-year-old, he did admirably, even potting a few short handed goals.

Malkin burst onto the scene, announcing his presence in a big way. After a few games of Malkin-Sid-Armstrong, Malkin was deemed good enough for his own line. It happened to shift Staal over to Malkin's wing. That was another fortunate break for the Penguins. Jordan, at 18, potted 29 goals while Malkin piled on 89 points.

Things were going stunningly well for the Penguins as they screamed towards the playoffs. Therrien was looking like a genius.

Until you looked closer.

Nils Ekman, traded during the offseason to play on Sid's wing, had immense success playing alongside someone similar to Sid in Joe Thornton, putting up back-to-back 50 plus point seasons (before and after the lockout) despite being injured for a good portion of the season.

Upon his return, he was playing sparingly with Sid. As they seemed to be clicking and Ekman seemed to be getting his game back, he was relegated to the third line for a large part of the season.

Marc-Andre Fleury was still young and perhaps under-confident. Therrien worked with Fleury in WB/S and jerked him around between three goalies (Sebastian Caron, Andy Chiodo, Dany Sabourin), making it hard for Fleury to really gain any form of rhythm. The same thing happens when he plays in the big club.

While he was anointed the starter, his playing time was extremely staggered. He'd be pulled from games after giving up early goals, or when he seemed to be getting hot, he was put on the bench the very next game so Jocelyn Thibault could take some time.

What were the lines? Therrien would play whomever, where ever, whenever. One shift you would see Crosby out with Malkin and Recchi. The next it would be Staal with Ouellet and LeClair. Next shift: Crosby, Staal, and Malone. There was little consistency for the team to form chemistry.

Everything was overlooked as the Penguins surged ahead with a double digit game unbeaten streak, allowing the Penguins to finish two points behind the Devils as the best in the Division. Sid won the scoring title, and the Pens were in the playoffs for the first time in years.

Therrien was then exposed further.

While his roster was thinner, and a tired Recchi and Malkin hurt the team, he showed what little technical abilities he had. The fast, talented, and tough Ottawa Senators quickly dismantled his system. Therrien had no counter punch. The Penguins were quickly eliminated.

The Penguins added some talent coming into the new season, but the same problems remained. Petr Sykora, brought in to play with Sid or Malkin, was put on the third line. You never knew who was going to be playing with whom. Despite more scoring depth, Recchi remained on Sid's wing even with his very poor play.

The only smart moves that were made (Staal being third line center and Recchi being waived) were made when upper management stepped in. And then, the improved Penguins (expected to be a Cup contender) struggled out of the gate.



Until Thanksgiving, they were either at or under .500. It wasn't until a significant comeback against the best team in the league on Thanksgiving night that the Pens started on their way. Even then it was another Therrien anti-player, Jarkko Ruutu, who was depended upon to save the game.

There were rumblings of players' dislike of Therrien. It could explain the departure of said Ruutu and the loss of trade deadline pick up Marian Hossa.

Speaking of which, the trade deadline passed and the Penguins were improved. Despite many injuries to key players (Crosby, Fleury), the team was still in contention. While it can be claimed that Therrien was responsible, it doesn't take much logic to see past this.

Evgeni Malkin turned his game up to a whole new level as Therrien was finally forced to stick with lines and found that (gasp!) players develop chemistry when playing together for more than two shifts.

Add to that a stretch of play in which Ty Conklin played on a whole new plain of ability for the former "next great USA goalie," and it's no mystery why the Penguins remained in contention.

It wasn't Therrien. It was the players.

Come playoff time, the top two lines were basically set. Dupuis-Crosby-Hossa and Malone-Malkin-Sykora. However, the bottom lines continued to alternate as Therrien desired.

The defense was stellar in front of a 100 percent Fleury, but for some reason Therrien switched D-pairings after a first round sweep of the Senators. The Whitney-Letang combination was terrible positionally, and cost the team a few goals.

The Pens coasted anyway. They made it to the Finals when the better coach and an even team exploited Therrien. Every shift, the Red Wings would press deep into the zone, taking the large amount of room the Pens defense gave them as they continued backing up into the zone.

The Wings would also cut off any chance at a breakout (which always runs from defense to defense to center) by putting pressure on both defensemen.

It wasn't until the Penguins dropped the first two games to the Red Wings, after the Wings exploited the Pens system, that Therrien did something (after muttering in a post game conference he "did not know what else to do") and switched things up.

He finally removed the deer-in-headlights Kris Letang and slow-and-useless Georges Laraque from the lineup in favor of experienced and skilled players. Unfortunately, the Pens would go on to lose what were then close games.

It can be argued that the Penguins had the better players, but the players' leader (Coach Therrien) held them back from being the better team.

Over two and three quarter seasons, Therrien has shown a penchant for not knowing the right time to stop playing players to the detriment of the team. He has been unable to keep set lines and too quickly abandons things, throwing out the "I Give Up" line of Malkin-Crosby-Whoever.

His disciplinary actions have caused issues with players, and his style of game is not flexible.

Don't get me wrong, Michel Therrien is a good coach. The problem is that he's not a great coach.

Therrien can develop players. Just look at his record in youth and developmental leagues. He's had fantastic success. He did a good job helping players like Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Talbot, and Whitney grow into solid players (though it wasn't much work with the first three).

Now that the Penguins are showing signs of competing year in and year out, the youth will be moved in favor of older players who are staying longer term. This is when Therrien should no longer be their coach. They need someone who can take an established team and make them better.

Who that person is, I'll be honest in saying I do not know. Ted Nolan is on the market, and he took a very bad Islanders team to the playoffs not but two years ago.

I do feel confident that Therrien's actions of holding on to players for too long, not playing certain types of players (like Ruutu) enough, playing games with players as "punishment" (the scratching of Orpik back home in Boston, he and Whitney playing wing), never taking blame for mistakes, not having a more flexible system, and his inability to let lines gel are a detriment to the present and future of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This will keep the Pens from reaching the summit. This will keep the Penguins from becoming a "dynasty." He will keep the Penguins from being what they could be.

Can the Penguins win with Therrien? Maybe. With a top flight coach, their chances of winning are improved.

Three more years of Therrien? Not likely. If there is no Cup in Pittsburgh by the end of the decade, expect to see someone new at the reigns.

Janne Pesoneon- What Pittsburgh Penguins Fans Should Expect

As the end of June approached, Pittsburgh Penguins fans everywhere were anxious to see what would happen to their favorite players.

"I heard Shero offered seven years, $56 million to Hossa," one whispered.

"Malone is staying. He's taking less to play for the Pens," was another grumble.

"Roberts is going to retire, he loved Pittsburgh that much," overheard during another conversation.

"Orpik is gone. He's going to Boston or back home to San Jose," was also popular.

Then it all fell apart.

Malone and Roberts to Tampa for a pick. Adios.

Hossa had endeared himself to the Pens and their fans so quickly. He was the toast of the town, could have had a free drink anywhere in the city.

Then he committed the ultimate stab in the heart. He signed in Detroit. For one year. At slightly more money than the Pens offered, but with far less stability and assurance.

Also among the exodus?

Ty Conklin, who went in a similar kick-to-the-gut route to Detroit. Adam Hall, who bolted for the Lightning. Big Georges, who powerlifted back home to Montreal. Jarkko Ruutu, everyone's favorite agitator, who went to the equally-hated Ottawa Senators.

Many Penguins fans were stunned. Saddened. Betrayed. They didn't know whether to cry or wind their watch.

Then came the signings as they trickled in.

Orpik is staying. And for quite a while, as it were. Six years in Black and Vegas Gold, barring a trade.

Malkin is sticking around for just as long, at $8.7 million. Another bargain for an MVP candidate.

Welcome back, Pascal Dupuis! Good to have you for three more seasons!

Mark Eaton, hopefully your bones are now coated with adamantium for at least two years.

Fleury? Locked up long term at only $5 million a year.

Then came the new names.

Miroslav Satan? He's got potential.

Ruslan Fedotenko? Nice Malone replacement.

Matt Cooke? Ruutu, only younger with more offensive upside. A steal at $1.3 million a year.

Eric Godard? Okay. We'll take a face puncher.

If there had been applause for all the following moves, this one would draw the proverbial crickets.

Janne Pesonen.
















Wait. Who?

Janne Pesonen. Former ninth-round draft pick by the Anahiem (then Mighty) Ducks. A Finnish left winger whose point totals have steadily increased over the last three seasons in the Finnish Elite League, SM-Liiga.

A collective silence fills the room still.

Finns are known for their two-way play. He is no exception.

Okay...? the crowd says.

In 2004, he was SM-Liiga's rookie of the year.

Get to the point, they say.

He and his teams won the Finnish league championships in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008.

Well, at least he knows how to win.

Oh, did I forget to mention he lead SM-Liiga in scoring in 2008 with 78 points (34+44) in only 58 games, and was voted the leagues MVP in 2007?

Why yes, yes you did.

Well it's all true. The guy is a solid talent. And at 26 years old, he's just starting to peak physically.

There are concerns about several things with Janne:
1.) Will the smaller ice effect his game?
2.) How will his skill with his size (5'11" 180 lbs) translate?
3.) Has everyone forgotten Vladimir Vujtek?


Without a doubt, No. 1 and No. 2 are key to his transition. I do have a feeling that there will be a period of time where he is out of place.

However, I would venture a guess that his skill and intelligence will make the transition a lot easier. Pesonen is extremely smart. If you don't believe me, click here.

As for No. 3? Yes. I've done my best to do so. Let us never speak of it again.

As far as his size, I don't think it would be too much of an issue. Pesonen seems to be a fast, shifty skater. Most of the goals I've seen of his from YouTube come from in front of the net—and not a Ryan Malone "Stand In Front and Get Beat to Hell" way. He will appear in the slot at the last second, somehow in position to put the puck in the net.

So what can we expect from Janne Pesonen? Well, you can't expect Olli Jokinen, Teemu Selanne, or Saku Koivu. I will tell you that right now. Otherwise he would already be over here.

Worst-case scenario for Janne Pesonen? Well, he's on a two-way deal for one year, as per the CBA's demands. He will likely start out in WB/S (unless his camp and pre-season games blow everyone away) to get acclimated with the North American style and ice.

Worst-case is he is never called up and he goes back to Finland at the end of the season. No harm, no foul. It was worth a shot.

The best case scenario? To me, at least, it seems that Pesonen's best upside is Pascal Dupuis—with better hands and finishing abilities.

If you go back to Games One and Two of the Cup Finals, you will see that the Red Wings were focusing all of their players on Crosby and Hossa. This left Dupuis wide open. In Game One, he blew at least three chances because he didn't have the ability to put the puck in the net.
Now go back to those YouTube videos. Notice his break-away skills and hands in front. If Pesonen is able to convert his game, the best-case scenario (and what I could easily see happening) is Pesonen burying those chances.

He is, essentially, a more offensive Dupuis. Perhaps the perfect compliment to Sid's left side, in that he can play a two-way game, has above-average hands and shot, has that fine muscle twitch reaction that is needed when playing with Sid, and will jump into the play.

Who knows how many goals he could score sliding into the slot, as Sid fires a pinpoint pass off of his stick? Or how many could go vice versa?

Don't get me wrong here—I'm not proclaiming him to be some offensive juggernaut. In this best-case scenario, he'll put up 40-50 points, with 50 being extreme.

However, with his shootout abilities, defensive capabilities, and the potential he brings, Janne could either be a no-cost experiment who didn't pan out, or a fine compliment to Sid and Satan.

Only time will tell. Until then, Pens fans, I hope you're seeing Janne Pesonen in a new light.






Or, perhaps, for the first time at all.

Questioning the Penguins Offseason Moves?

This is why you shouldn't.

First, let's say hello and goodbye to everyone:

Hello:












Goodbye:























Now, let's look at last years roster at the start of the season for perspective.

Malone-Crosby-Recchi
Staal-Malkin-Sykora
Roberts-Christensen-Armstrong
Ruutu-Talbot-Laraque

Gonchar-Eaton
Whitney-Orpik
Sydor-Scuderi

Let's look at who it again. This time, after the trade deadline

Dupuis-Crosby-Hossa
Malone-Malkin-Sykora
Roberts-Staal-Kennedy
Ruutu-Talbot-Laraque

Gonchar-Orpik
Whitney-OrpikGill
Letang-Scuderi

We lost two third liners. Regardless of where they were picked in the draft, they were third liners none-the-less, a hit-or-miss prospect, a late first round pick, and a second round pick for a chance for the Cup.

So the team that got us to the Cup Finals was better than the team we started out with.

Common sense, right?

That team after free agency now becomes:

Dupuis-Crosby-???
???-Malkin-Sykora
???-Staal-Kennedy
???-Talbot-???

Gonchar-Orpik
Whitney-Gill
Letang-Eaton

And Scuderi and Sydor are on the bench.

The loss of Hossa was a big deal. Yes. But Shero did the right thing in re-signing Malkin and Orpik to long term deals. Especially when Hossa turns out to be nothing more than Roger Clemens on Ice.

Shero turns around and signs Miro Satan to ably (but not fully) replace Hossa, Ruslan Fedotenko to replace Malone perfectly, Eric Goddard as a cheap and more effective replacement for Laraque, Matt Cooke as a more offensive, cheaper pest instead of Ruutu, and a small cast of tweeners (Beech, Billl Thomas, Joey Mormina, Jani Pesonen) to fill out the roster.

We now look at:

???-Crosby-Satan
Fedotenko-Malkin-Sykora
Dupuis-Staal-Kennedy
Cooke-Talbot-Goddard

Gonchar-Orpik
Whitney-Gill
Letang-Eaton

And Scuderi and Sydor are on the bench.

This team is immensely better than the team that started out last season. That team was without Sidney Crosby for almost half of the season, without Marian Hossa for 90% of the season. They were only one point away from the best record in the East with that line up.

The trade deadline leaves one blank spot to fill: Sid's left wing. You have assets and picks to trade to fill in that gap. And the team plays in an Eastern Conference in which no one vastly improved them self. Their odds of getting back to the top are just as good as they were.

In the long term, the Pens are set. Assuming the Pens re-up Staal long term for around $3 million or so, the Pens will have $33 million wrapped up for the next 4 years. The Salary Cap could raise around $63-$65 million in two seasons, when the core is set in stone of Sid, Malkin, Staal, Fleury, Orpik, Whitney. You then have yourself over $30 million to fill in the gaps with.

Shero did the correct thing this off season. Do not stress. Even if the Pens do not reach the summit again this year, they will be back soon.

It's Christmas Time!

UPDATE 2:30 pm: Going to take a break. I'll recap what happens later.

UPDATE 2:25 pm: Orpik's return not looking good. He currently has two offers on the table of $4.25 million a year. It's either the Rangers, Sabers, Capitals, Sharks, Coyotes and Wild. Also, Pens have made offers to Jagr, Rolston, and Naslund. Offers to each are for two years.

UPDATE 2:20 pm: Sportsnet.ca says Pens are courting Jagr. Could be 2 years at $5 million.

UPDATE 2:10 pm: Eaton signs with the Pens for two years, $2 mil total. Also some team offered Sundin $10 million a season for two seasons. Also, the Chicago Blackhawks have offered Marian Hossa a 6 year, $50 million deal.

UPDATE 1:55 pm: Pens pursuing Mark Eaton, but at a reduced rate. They're also aggressively pursuing Ruutu and Orpik.

UPDATE 1:50 pm: More info on the Zidlicky trade. Also, Spectors has Andrew Brunette going to Minnesota in a multi year deal and Anton Babchuk going to the Hurricanes for a year. Offer from Pens to Rolston says it was two years, $9 million.

UPDATE 1:35 pm: Kyle Wellwood accepts a deal for just under $1 mil a year for a year from the Canucks, and Nashville sends Marek Zidlicky to the Wild for Ryan Jones and a 2nd round pick.

UPDATE 1:25 pm: Rumor has it Pens have upped the years on Hossa.

UPDATE 1:15 pm: Blake Wheeler officially a Bruin.

UPDATE 1:05 pm: Sources say "all mid tier players are in play" but Pens are extremely interested in Naslund and Rolston. Hossa still on their radar. Ruutu and Laraque giving Pens the chance to match any offer. Also, CuJo heads back to Toronto on a one year deal. No money released yet.

UPDATE 1:00 pm: Montreal, Nashville, Colorado rumored in strong pursuit of Georges Laraque. Maybe three more involved in talks. Also, Pens have offered deals to Naslund and Rolston. More details to come if all true.

UPDATE 12:50 pm: Radim Vrbata signs with Tampa for $3 mil a year for 3 years.

UPDATE 12:40 pm: Another rumor! San Jose, Rangers, Washington, Buffalo, Minnesota and Phoenix have inquired about Brooks Orpik

UPDATE 12:30 pm: Details on the up-and-coming Malkin extension (rumored to mirror Sid's $8.7 million a year cap hit) and more words about the Dupuis signing.

UPDATE 12:25 pm: Chicago trades Rene Bourque to Calagary for a 2nd round pick.

UPDATE 12:20 pm: Pens inquiring about Sean Avery, and making a big run at Brian Rolston. Also poking around at Radim Vrbata, Markus Naslund, and Michael Ryder. I remind you, unless there's a solid link attached to an update, take these with a grain of salt.

UPDATE 12:12 pm: TSN and Sportsnet are reporting the Dupuis deal is for $1.4 mil a year. Also Anaheim re-sign forward Corey Perry to a five-year deal worth $26.625-million which will average $5.325-million a year.

UPDATE: 12:10 pm: TSN reports the Edmonton Oilers have traded defenceman Joni Pitkanen, a restricted free agent, to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Erik Cole. Details here.

UPDATE 12:00pm: Sources at TSN saying that Brad Stuart agreed to terms on a 4 year contract that averages $3.75 million per year. Details to follow. Also rumored deals on the table of two years for Ruutu (no money mentioned), 5 years at $18 million for Orpik, and 7 years for $52 million for Hossa.

UPDATE 11:55 am: Reports of Adam Hall being offered a two year deal.

UPDATE 11:50 am: Reports from Dave Molinari of Pascal Dupuis re-signing with the Pens for three years, $1.2 million a year.

UPDATE 11:45 am: Jay Pandolfo re-signs with Devils, as do fellow forward Barry Tallackson. Details to follow. Sergei Brylin's option declined.

UPDATE 11:35 am: Oilers trade Raffi Torres to the Blue Jackets for Gilbert Brule to free up some cap room.

UPDATE 11:10 am: Boston Herald says Bruins unlikely to make big splash. More likely to find second tier scoring options.

UPDATE 10:30 am: New Jersey has signed Bryce Salvador for 4 years, averaging $2.9 million a season. It's Bryce Salvador. I'm not doing the math.

Less than two hours to go until free agency officially begins and things are already starting, with the Capitals re-signing Mike Green to a 4 year deal worth $5.25 million a year.

Yesterday the Red Wings locked up Andreas Lilja for four years, and the Sabers inked Paul Gaustad to a four-year, $9.2 million contract.

Follow the free agency madness here. We'll try to keep you up to date as much as possible, but as we have other lives we can only do so much.

Biggest rumors at the time are the Oilers and Bruins wanting in on the Hossa sweepstakes and looking like they're going to go big or go home in the process with deals in excess of $8.3 and $9 million a year being rumored in each case. If Hossa comes back, you better be extra happy because he probably left a lot of potential money on the table.

Malone Update

It's official. Ryan Malone signs a 7 year, $31.5 million offer with the Tampa Bay Lightning. If you're too lazy to read, that's $4.5 million a year against the Salary Cap with the contract being front loaded, earning him between $7 million and $8 million a year for the first two years.

Can you say over payment? Tampa Bay sure can't.

Bye bye Malone. You brought us all some great highlights during the rough years and while it's good for you that you got your pay day, I'm not too upset to see you go.

The adventure begins tomorrow with spots to fill on offense on both wings with Crosby, Malkin's left wing, a left winger for the 3rd line around Staal and Kennedy, a fourth line around Talbot, and some help on defense. That's at least seven spots that need to be filled. As many as ten, potentially. The next few weeks should be a flurry and we'll keep you posted on the rumors with appropriate warnings and facts when they are facts. In Shero we trust. -Nick

Say Bye Bye Bugsy

Yesterday afternoon I got a text message from the Pittsburgh Penguins free text service (no, I wasn't paid for that plug) saying that the Pens had traded the rights to Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts (who signed for a year with a contract up to $2 million in incentives) to Tampa Bay for a 4th round pick in next years draft. If Malone re-signed with the Melrose's, then the Pens would get a 3rd round pick instead of a 4th. This is all funny seeing as the previous deal to Columbus was nixed after he claimed he fully intends to pursue the free agent market. In that time several things came to light that changed his mind:

New vice president of hockey operations Brian Lawton was Malone's agent before getting out of the business last year.

Also:

In addition, it is believed that Malone's father, Greg, could join the
organization in some capacity. Greg Malone was a scout with Pittsburgh from
1988-2006 and was with Phoenix last season.

Today it all happened, hello third round pick. Rumors are $30 million for 7 years, or 3 years for $5.1 a year. Far too much for Malone in either case and let me explain why:

First off, Tampa really needs more defense more than anything. This just adds to the talks of Dan Boyle heading out of town, their only major threat on the blue line. Marc Denis, Mike Smith and Karri Ramo are decent in the goal and could be good behind a solid defense and system, but with all due respect to the Mullet, I doubt that he has the ability to do it, nor does he have the personel. The Lightning look to have around $44 million or $45.2 million in salary on books after this move depending on the sources (note that Vaclav Prospal's signing at $3.5 million for four years is not on that site), with a cap at $56.7 million (meaning the owners and NHLPA know how to count in ascending order). They also need an entire 4th line, part of a 3rd line, have to worry about a $3 million cap hit for Steve Stamkos. That'll put them around $50 million. A complete overhaul on defense will cost you more than $6 million. They didn't need to add another piece of offensive personel. Especially one at a cost of $4-$5 million a year. A second line of Malone-Stamkos-Oullet is not something that strikes fear into the hearts of any opponent.

Now dont get me wrong, Malone will still put up around 40-50 points a year, no doubt. He's always been steady in that respect. He also did improve his game, his skating had gotten better as had his fitness and penalty killing. He's got worth in the world of the NHL, but it's not worth $4-$5 million a year. He'll be wanted to anchor a line with a rookie and a fringe NHLer that cant play anything but second line right wing (and spent a lot of time on the 4th line last year). The Bolts are still in a position to to be also-rans to the class of the division in Washington and the close number two in Carolina.

Two more days until July 1st and the real fun begins. Hossa and Orpik both declined the Pens offers. Get ready for a real roller coaster ride. We'll report the rumors with caution and the facts as soon as we get them. -Nick

Fleury news

The Penguins have filed for arbitration with Marc-Andre Fleury. This means Fleury is back next season no matter what, and best of all it keeps any other GM from signing him to an offer sheet potentially stealing him away.

He's also seeking a long term deal:

"The talks are at a very preliminary basis," [Fleury's agent Allan] Walsh said. "We're identifying terms and we're identifying a framework to work from. We have not exchanged numbers in any detail. What has been made very clear from both sides is that we both want to work out a long-term deal."

And it seems that various sources in the Pens organization are reporting that Hossa is their #1 priority:

The Penguins have made signing right wing Marian Hossa to a long-term contract their No. 1 priority, according to several players, agents and team officials who spoke to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on the condition of anonymity.

And one more bit of good news regarding Brooks Orpik from the same article:

Orpik, praised by team officials and coaches and opponents during the Penguins' playoff run, told the Penguins he would accept less than market value for a deal of at least five seasons. Several agents speculate he will command above $4 million annually on the open market.

Seems these guys really do want to play for a winner. In other words, do not expect Ryan Malone to be back. Rumor is his agent isn't even returning calls.

Nothing else on the rumor front. We'll keep you posted. -Nick

From the rumor mill...

First off- DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING YOU READ HERE IS RUMOR AND NOT TRUE DO NOT TAKE IT AS FACT UNTIL IT IS ANNOUNCED BY PENGUINS MANAGEMENT

With the NHL's annual awards show ending last night, Evgeni Malkin walked away empty handed to a very deserving Alex Ovechkin in the top categories of MVP and Pearson (MVP as voted by players). It was not uneventful, though.

There was some good news to come from the events. I'll pull out the key points for you lazy folk:

But he said the prize he really covets -- a long-term contract extension with the Penguins -- is on its way.

"I'm thinking maybe five or six years," said Malkin, set to enter the final season of his three-year entry-level deal. "I'm an easy guy to deal with. I'd love to stay in Pittsburgh."

The NHL's collective bargaining agreement forbids the Penguins from signing Malkin to an extension until July 1. Malkin said he expects the extension will be signed "soon" after that date.

Further:

Malkin added that his annual salary did not need to top the $8.7 million teammate and Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will average each of the next five seasons. Crosby signed a five-year extension worth $43.5 million last summer that picks up this season.

This squashes the floating words of Malkin seeking the spotlight on his own or a max contract around $10 million or $11 million a year. And:

He also shrugged off speculation the Penguins will trade him this summer to create salary-cap space necessary to sign several impending free agents, including forwards Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone and defenseman Brooks Orpik.

"Those are just rumors," Malkin said, through an interpreter. "I don't even pay attention to those."

And to his credit, he confronts his poor play in the Finals head on:

Illness, Malkin said, was partially to blame for his decline in production.

"I didn't have an injury or anything; I just had a little fever," Malkin said. "I wasn't ready for the final. It was probably just me. I lost my game. At the end of the final I thought I found my touch again, but it was too late."

That's it on the Malkin front. When it comes to Hossa, the rumor mills are spinning and they look promising.

Another blog (here) posted a rumbling they heard of Shero making an offer to Hossa of 6 years for $38 million ($6.3 million a year). That is far under his market value (which could be near $8 million), but as he states here:

"If I wanted to make a couple more dollars, I would probably just re-sign with Atlanta," Hossa said. "But I'm glad Pittsburgh got me here. This was a fun journey for myself, and a great experience. I hope I can stick with a great team like this.

"There's always a limit, but I'd rather take a little less and play on a good team, definitely."

Now that blog is not the most trust worthy to say the least, but it's encouraging news.

They also have a blurb about Fleury:

It's has been very quiet on the Marc Andre Fleury front which usually indicates a deal is close. There are a lot of numbers are being thrown around but a consistent one I've been hearing in recent days is 6yrs - 27 million. That would pay Fleury 4.5 million per season but prior to the Stanley Cup, Fleury's agent was seeking a 5 year deal at 5 million per season.

Another rumor going around has the Pens possibly getting a first round pick back. The rumor states that the Pens would trade the rights to two of their unrestricted free agents to the Blue Jackets before July 1st (similar to what Philly and Nashville did last year with Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell) so they can try to sign them to contracts before they become free agents, and in return for these negotiation rights the Penguins would get the Blue Jackets #18 pick. With the draft coming up there isn't much time to work this out, so expect to find out soon how true this is.

Finally, some news on Jordan Staal according to Rob Rossi:

Jordan Staal's situation is similar to the one with Malkin. As of July 1, his camp and the Penguins are allowed to open talks on an extension. As with Malkin, the Penguins wish to get Staal inked long-term. This one is a tougher read. Staal likes playing in Pittsburgh, but has some concerns with how he is used by the current coaching staff. He has told us he does not wish to be a third-line center and that is his role at the center position so long as Crosby and Malkin are Penguins. Also, Staal and his camp are at least intrigued by the idea of testing the restricted free agency waters on July 1, 2009 -- maybe not enough to prevent an extension agreement with the Penguins this summer, but perhaps enough to not feel obligated to reach terms on any offer from the Penguins. Of all the contract issues facing the Penguins, the one with Staal, to me, is the most intriguing and is worth paying most attention to. He is an invaluable part of their future.

While I'm not a fan of the coaching staff, I personally believe that they did and are doing the right thing having Staal on the third line. It's helped him improve his already above average defensive play, given him the chance to work on his face offs, and make strides (pardon the pun) in his skating (both speed, technique, and stamina). Most importantly, it's forced him to address the part of his game that he's weakest at: passing. The only thing I'd be upset about if I were Staal is not getting more power play time, which would increase if the coaching staff would actually split the power play into two units instead of one uber unit. Maybe in a few years you can move up, Jordan. Right now you're not cut out for it.

And from Rossi's article, one final bit about Hossa:

Hossa told us last week he really appreciates the opportunity he has with the Penguins to chase the Cup and rack up goals and points. However, he is the big prize of this free-agent class and he won't come cheap. Any reports that he and the Penguins have essentially reached a deal are not true. However, there are a few people in the organization with a lot of stroke -- they may even share the same household -- that fancy Hossa wearing a Skating Penguin crest for the next few years. Those people could influence just how hard the Penguins will push for Hossa.

So what he's saying is, "What Sid wants, Sid gets." That being said, Sid deserves someone of Hossa's calibur on his wing. Playing with Armstrong, Recchi, Ouellet, Hilbert, Leclair on his wing has made him force the play and take it all on his shoulders. The only players worth a damn that he's ever played with have retired early (Mario and Palffy). Since Malkin cant do it on his wing, Hossa is a great fit and provides and even more formidable 1-2 punch for the other team. Give Sid another winger with decent hands and speed and Malkin another grinding type (i.e. Niklas Hagman) and those top two lines will be two of the best in recent memory. Not to mention the whole team benefits from Hossa's stellar two way play.

As I said before, this is all speculation and nothing concrete. It just gives you something to think about and us something to talk about. As more breaks, we'll report it. -Nick

Finally back...

After a two month hang over that culminated in losing two wins shy of the ultimate prize, we're back. This is Nick here with your Free Agency outlook:

If I'm Ray Shero (which last I checked I'm not), this is the approach I take:

I let Malone walk. A great replacement is a free agent and much cheaper in Niklas Hagman. In the last two seasons he's combined for 70 points, likes going into the corners and will take a pounding in front of the next (27 goals last year attest to this). And he only made $660K last year.

You let Orpik go. There are two d-men that will be/could be free. Rozival and Brad Stuart. Both can play physical and can move the puck, which is really what damned us in the Finals.

You sign Hossa for no more than $6.5 a year. If he really wants to stay at a contender, this is his best shot. The Pens should walk through the East again and he'd be huge in that process.

Ruutu is back. You need him. He's a leader, a rallying point of a player.

Roberts comes back at a pay cut. Half of what he made.

You bring Dupuis back to play with Sid/Hossa or as insurance. I'd really like to see someone else on that line, but chances are that's more than they could afford. Especially since our best (and cheapest) options are the oft injured Ladislav Nagy who made $3.75 million last year but only played in 38 games, or Ruslan Fedotenko whose 33 points last year made the $2.9 million contract worth every penny. Perhaps the best option for Sid would be Cory Stillman, who made $1.75 million but put up 65 points between Carolina and Ottawa.

Eaton can go. Too many injuries.

Laraque goes the way of the dinosaur.

Conklin walks if he asks a dollar more than $1 million. He helped Fleury's play a ton so it'd be sad to see him go, but in the Cap era...

Hall returns as well. Though I wouldn't mind him moving up to the third line for a face off specialist that can center the 4th line like Scott Nichol or Curtis Brown, moving Talbot up to Staal's wing and having Hall play the opposite wing.

Your lines are then:

Stillman?-Crosby-Hossa
Hagman-Malkin-Sykora
Talbot-Staal-Hall
Roberts-Nichol/Brown-Ruutu

Gonchar-Stuart/Rozival
Whitney-Sydor
Letang-Gill

Fleury
Sabourin

Or on the top lines:

Dupuis-Crosby-Hossa
Hagman-Malkin-Sykora
Talbot-Staal-Kennedy
Roberts-Hall-Ruutu

The money you'd save on Hagman (who can more than capably take over Malone's PK duties) and Stillman will allow you to spend more on someone like Stuart.

That's just my opinion on what I would do during the off season. We'll keep you up to date as things develop.

Another day

Game 5 of the SCF will be a game that is talked about for years, regardless of what happens the rest of the series. The Red Wings and their fans were already picturing how great the Stanley Cup was going to look in Detroit for the next season.

Then, it happened.

It wasn't a goal by Sidney Crosby, or Evgeni Malkin or Marian Hossa. It was a goal from the heart of the team, the sparkplug center who has been nothing but clutch for the entire playoff run.

Max Talbot, out on the ice as an extra attacker with less than a minute remaining in the Penguins season, was on the doorstep next to Chris Osgood and took two shots, the second one went behind Osgood, and Detroit was quiet and would have to wait for overtime to celebrate.
(That was a long ass sentence)

The Pens scored the first 2 goals of the game, and their first 2 goals in Detroit. The Wings would score 3 to take a 3-2 lead late into the 3rd, where Max Talbot would be the hero.

Marc-Andre Fleury had his coming out party in this game. While he allowed 3 goals and looked frustrated after Rafalski made the score 3-2, he was unbeatable early on and after that goal. If the Pens go on to stun Detroit and win the series, you will look back on his game 5 performance as the greatest performance by a Penguins goaltender ever. Even still, this game has to rank top 5 all-time.

Adam Hall has quietly been one of the most soild players for the Pens in these Finals. I hope the Pens reward him with a job on the team next season. Solid PKer's and good face-off men are hard to come by in this league.

Petr Sykora will win the lottery tomorrow because he has already called what the numbers will be.

Hats off to the entire Penguins defense. They lost Gonchar midway through the 3rd and remaining 5 had to toughen up and rotate through basically another entire game. Rob Scuderi, Hal Gill, Ryan Whitney, Brooks Orpik and Darryl Sydor all deserve praise and the Willis Reed that Sergei Gonchar pulled on the winning goal is what legends are made of.

Game 6 is Wednesday night at the Igloo. Your life will change if this series goes back to Detroit.

True Story

In case you haven't noticed, and judging by the amount of traffic, you haven't, the blog was not updated at all since early in the Rangers series. We are pretty superstitious and did not want to ruin the good karma the Penguins had during this amazing run. Now that the Penguins are with their backs against the wall, the time has come to visit some facts that we uncovered about the Detroit Red Wings roster. Ironically, all of these facts involve the Wings and vehicles.

If you don't believe these facts, you have been brainwashed by the gubment.

Chris Osgood was hit by a parked car.
Tomas Holmstrom is a backseat driver.
Henrik Zetterberg lies about being able to drive a stick.
Chris Chelios is afraid to drive faster than the speed limit.
Johan Franzen drives until he runs out of gas.
Nicklas Lidstrom gets off on wrong exits.
Pavel Datsyuk tells everyone his dad's car is his.
Brian Rafalski won't move his baby seat.
Darren McCarty doesn't let anyone ride shotgun.
Dallas Drake won't let anyone touch the radio, even if he isn't driving.
Dominik Hasek still can't pass the driving test.
Niklas Kronwall is giving the finger on his license photo.
Brad Stuart has stuffed animals in the back window.
Kris Draper uses the rearview mirror to brush his hair.
Jiri Hudler wears driving gloves.

Shanahan is still waiting for an explanation

The playoffs are full of games that make your hair fall out. There are games that are shootouts like game 1.

Then, there are games like game 2, games where you know the first goal could be all the difference.

I have said "games" or "game" 6 times already. Actually, make it 8.

Somewhere, Brendan Shanahan demands to know why the arena is empty.

Martin Straka is crying because the game didn't end quickly enough.

Sean Avery is trying to figure out what shirt looks best when eating crow.

And Scott Gomez loudly reads Mein Kampf on the flight back to New York.

Once the excitement from game 1 was over and game 2 was underway, the fans were treated to some dominate Penguins hockey early. Henrik Lundqvist was as a brick wall throughout the game, and his best saves came early on.

Marc-Andre Fleury was apparently playing in the first as well, but he didn't have to do much early on. The Rangers owe their souls to Lundqvist for his play in the first. If he isn't on his game, the score is already 3-0 Penguins after the first.

More back and forth hockey to begin the 2nd. Both teams take penalties, and Brendan Shanahan makes an appearance in Fleury's crease. No word yet as to who explained the crease concept to Shanahan. That was also the last time Shanahan was noticed.

By the way, doesn't Scott Gomez play for the Rangers?

Anyways, Chris Drury forgets that holding is a penalty and he goes to the box and Shanahan yells something from the place on the bench where he could continue to be useless.

The Pens swarm Lundqvist, but they continue to be stopped and/or missing the net.

Finally, Malkin makes the perfect pass to Staal who not only undresses Lundqvist, but also names his future children.

1-0 Penguins!!!

Whitney made a nice play to keep it in the zone.

The 2nd period ends with less action than you during your senior prom.

The 3rd period was just as intense as the first 2 periods. The action was quick and soon there was less than 10 minutes left.

As the game got more and mor eintense, Sykora forgets to keep control of his stick and Girardi takes one in the face. No blood is drawn, but Shanahan needs told what blood looks like.

This originally was the biggest penalty of the game, and the Pens do a tremendous job of killing it. Rob Scuderi does all the little things right, and his penalty killing work is underrated.

Somehwere in the scramble, the puck goes in the net behind Fleury. But wait, Crosby dives in front of the ref and the ref blows the whistle because he can't see the puck.

Goal is disallowed. Replays clearly show that the whistle blew before the puck crosses the line.

Brendan Shanahan demands to know what a goal line is.

The penalty is killed and with just 2:22 remaining, Sean Avery pretends he gets shot and goes down like he is in the lockerroom when Gill's stick makes contact. Penalty on Gill.

The Rangers keep the pressure on and pull Lundqvist. The Rangers try to get shots on net, but the Penguin penalty killers block shots like it was their job.

The Pens clear the crease, the puck goes to Adam Hall and Hall clears the puck off of the boards and the puck just rolls, and rolls, and rolls and Hal Gill just out of the box chases it very slowly and the puck rolls over the goal line.

Game. Set. Matching shirts for Avery and Drury.

The Rangers call a time-out and decide to throw Avery out there.

Therrien sees Georges Laraque and throws him out on the ice, along with Hal Gill.

As time expires, Avery tries to get Fleury's number, Fleury tells Avery he isn't into guys and Avery throws a fit and Hal Gill doesn't appreciate it.

Avery shits his fabulous pants and grabs onto a linesman for protection.

Game ends.

Game 3 is Tuesday in Madison Square Garden.

So yea...

When I said "game 2 preview coming soon," I actually meant to say "Round 2 preview coming soon."

The Pens will most likely face the New York Rangers, aka The Bloody Vagina Rags.

Once it is established, a preview will be posted.

~` Game 2 preview coming soon...

Phil Sheridan

The "columnist" from the Philadelphia Inquirer posted this crap.

Phil Sheridan still gets wedgies from the rest of the sports department.

He should really worry that if the Pens really did tank the last game, why were the Flyers only able to score a lone legitimate goal? (The empty netter aside)

Worry about your own team and get back to trying to meet women on the internet.

Eastern Conference Match Ups

Playoffs are set. The Penguins, having lost (or thrown) the game against Philly will face the Ottawa Senators, again. Tomorrow I'll break down the Pens/Sens, but for now let's check out the rest of who is facing who.


#1 Canadiens vs. #8 Bruins

The Bruins are an extremely effective trapping team. Any Pens fan the latter half of the year can attest to that. However, they're not playing the Penguins. The Habs have a coach who will adjust his offense around the B's trapping. His boys will find a way around Zdeno Chara's Stretch Armstrong like reach.

The Bruins will take Game 3 as a gimme home game. They're in front of their home crowd and pumped up. They'll squeeze one win out. Otherwise, the Habs at even strength and on the Power Play will prove to be too much for the Bruins to handle.

Habs win in 5 very lopsided games.

#3 Capitals vs. #6 Flyers

It's going to be an overly physical series, but that plays right into Ovechkin's hands. He loves that kind of game, and he's going to be lapping up every second of ice he can get to try to throw some big check on Richards, Briere, or any other female the Flyers have. The extra adrenaline will make Ovechkin play even better. If you think the Steel City Line did damage to the Flyers, wait until Ovechkin gets his step on home ice.

The Caps team will simply over power the Flyers. They also wont be as beat up as everyone thinks they will be. The Caps injured defense will cost them a few games, but over all the Ovechkin's will triumph behind his stellar shot and behind the able goal tending of Huet.

Caps in 6 extremely physical games.

#4 Devils vs. #5 Rangers


The last few seasons Marty has failed come playoff time, and adding another year to that equation wont help. He's the glue that holds the team, an otherwise weak and offensively putrid team, together. He'll be solid the first few games, then by game three he'll come unhinged. Soft, un-Brodeur like goals will find their way behind him.

Even though they're not offensively stacked, the Rangers have more offense than the Devils and have a very solid goaltender. The Rags may lose the first two when Marty is running on home ice adrenaline. After they get to MSG, his ex-wife's voodoo doll takes full effect. His five hole becomes wider, his arms become a little heavier, his legs a little clunkier. Things aren't as smooth, and pucks he'd normally stop will go by him.

Rags win in 6 very boring games.

Tomorrow: Pens/Sens and West

Let's Not Forget the West

In the West, things aren't quite as clear. The only thing for sure right now is the Red Wings, who won the President's Trophy with113 points against the Predators of Nashville. Too many scenarios for my feeble mind to compute right now, so I'll update these tomorrow when all is said and done.

The one thing that is for sure is who is in the playoffs:

1. Detroit Red Wings 113 pts
2. San Jose Sharks 108 pts
3. Minnesota Wild 97 pts
4. Anaheim Ducks 100 pts
5. Dallas Stars 95 pts
6. Calgary Flames 94 pts
7. Colorado Avalanche 93 pts
8. Nashville Predators 91 pts

That is the rankings at this time, but with everyone but the Flames and Predators having to play one more game, things could change as towards the match ups. I will update you tomorrow as soon as the match ups are set.

Through the play offs we will primarily cover the Penguins, but we will also do our best to give you details about every match up we can.

I should really check with Aaron when I say these things....

Nick

Sunday Update

After last nights games, things are much clearer. The Hurricanes are out after a 3-1 win by the Capitals over Florida. The Canadiens won their game by the same score, giving them temporary hold of the #1 overall spot. No matter what happens, they're playing the Bruins.

What this means for the Penguins:

A win today and they're #1 overall. They will face the Flyers in the first round. A loss today and they have #2 locked up, and face the Ottawa Senators.

What the rest of the playoffs look like:

A Pens win today means the Capitals at #3 will play the Senators. A Pens loss means the Caps get the Flyers.

The Rangers and Devils are playing each other no matter what, with the Devils getting home ice as the #4 seed.

The 1/8 match up could be:

Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia
or
Montreal vs. Boston

the 2/7 match up could be:

Montreal vs. Boston
or
Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa

the 3/6 match up could be:

Washington vs. Ottawa
or
Washington vs. Philadelphia

and the 4/5 match up is:

New Jersey vs. New York Rangers

It all depends on today's games and quite honestly... I'd rather see the Senators. It'd be easier, and there's the whole revenge factor. I wont complain either way.

Let's go Pens!

Nick

Sunday, April 6th Penguins @ Flyers

vs

Sunday, April 6th 3:00 pm @ Wachovia Center



A potentially top seeded Pittsburgh Penguins team comes into Philadelphia to play their cross town rivals, the Flyers at 3:00pm. The season series is at 4-3 in favor of the Flyers, however the Pens have taken the last three.

The Penguins come into the game with a record of 47-26-8 with 102 points, aiming for the #1 overall seed in the East.

The Flyers start the game at 41-29-11 with 92 points and trying to enter the playoffs as the #7 seed.

This is the final game of the season for both teams.

This game could very well be a preview of a playoff series that will start Wednesday. The only way the Penguins do not face the Flyers is a Canadiens defeat tonight and a Flyers victory tomorrow. If that were to happen, the #1 Penguins would face the #8 Ottawa Senators and the #2 Canadiens would play the #7 Flyers.

This game is notable as it marks the return of Gary Roberts to the line up. Will he be disappointed that whipping boy Ben Eager is no longer there? Only time will tell.

With Ruutu, Laraque, Roberts, Gill, and Malone expected to play and the Flyers being... well... the Flyers, expect this game to be extremely chippy and have more than a few gloves dropped.

Since the Flyers swept the first half of the season series, the Penguins have destroyed the Flyers, winning all three games since by a combined total of 14-6.

Expected Penguins starter Marc Andre Fleury is 2-1 against the Flyers this season, with a 2.33 GAA and .917 Save %, stopping 76 out of 83 shots.

Expected Flyers starter Martin Biron is 4-3 against the Penguins this season, with a 3.14 GAA and a .872 save %, stopping 155 of 172 shots.

Penguins top scorer against the Flyers on the season: Evengi Malkin- 6 goals, 7 assists in 7 games

Flyers top scorer against the Penguins on this season: R.J. Umberger- 4 goals, 5 assists in 7 games

Home team is 5-2 on the season.

And finally, because this needs to be re-lived: Gary Roberts stamping Ben Eager's ticket to Chicago

Carolina on my mind...and my shoe

-Someone forgot to tell the Hurricanes that a win last night would have cemented them into the playoffs as the 3rd seed of the eastern Conference. Thanks to their epic Mama Cass choke, they now await the winner of the Capitals/Panthers game. The same Panthers that defeated them last night.

-Speaking of collapse, the Ottawa Senators have installed a beeping noise into their team, that way everyone knows that they backed into the playoffs. The Canes loss gave Ottawa a playoff spot, and the chance to relax for a few days since they have no remaining regular season games.

-Montreal takes on Toronto in each of those respective teams last games of the regular season. In the case of Toronto, their last game of this hockey year. If Toronto can pull off an upset, the Penguins would clinch the eastern Conference for only the 2nd time in their history. The 1st and only time the Penguins were the best team in the East, they were also the best team in hockey, winning their only President's trophy. I need not remind true hockey fans what happened that playoff season, but if you forgot, don't ever say the name Volek around Pittsburgh.

-My prediction is a Penguins/Flyers first round match-up. If you don't hate the Flyers yet, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU??!!, but also, you will, if this match-up happens.

Nick will have the preview later on, but that is all from Aaron. IFYOUKNOWWHATIMEAN!

Playoff Possibilites Part 2 (where I spell Hooray right)

So continuing our look at potential playoff match-ups for the Pens, some games were played last night. Nothing that happened effects who the Pens could play so thankfully this makes my job MUCH easier and I dont look quite so stupid.

Possible matchup #3:

Philadelphia Flyers

Currently #8, 93 Points, one game left

Season series: 4-3 in favor of Flyers

The Flyers have always been in a thorn in the Penguins side. From the early days of the match up that I'm far too young to remember, to the recent times Eric Lindros has forgotten (not because he wanted to, either) the Flyers have always played the Penguins hard and beaten them like a rented mule.

In the past two years, the script was flipped a bit. Last year the Flyers were woeful, finishing at the bottom of the league. The Penguins, during their magical mystery tour, swept the season series 8-0, including Crosby's first hat trick.

At the trade deadline and during the off season a series of shrewd trades were made, accruing players like Kimmo Timmonen, Scottie Upshall, Braydon Coburn, Martin Biron, Scott Hartnell, and Joffery Lupul. As a result, they picked up a new attitude and came out of the gates on fire. In spite of several early season suspensions for extremely dirty plays, they climbed to the top of the league ranks. They swept the first half of the season series 4-0 with the only highlight being the destruction of Ben Eager's children's children.

Perhaps it was karma, or just Philly being Philly but somewhere along the way they lose their attitude and changed. Since then the Flyers have plummeted, dropping to 8th in the East (by a nose). The Pens have managed to nearly reclaim the season series, taking the last three in a row. It hasn't stopped the Flyers from trying to force their way into games by taking out the oppositions best players. This is why the Penguins should worry about the Flyers.

The Flyers match up extremely well against the boys from the city that loves brothers. The Pens can outscore, out hustle, and out goalie the Flyers. The problem lies in how dirty the Flyers actually are.

They received a total of 52 games in suspensions throughout the season and if the Flyers know they're not going to win, they're going head hunting. That means Hossa, Sykora, Crosby, and Malkin are the prime targets. If the Flyers cant advance, they want to make sure the team that does cant make it to the next round.

They're not the Broad Street Bullies, they're just douchebags. And while the Pens could win this series in 5 or 6 easily, they would do so at a severe disadvantage going into the next round. This series would not only be won on the score board, but along the board by Laraque, Ruutu, Roberts, Malone, and Gill. The Flyers are who should be feared the second most, and not because of upset potential.

I know I said there were four potential match ups, but over night the Hurricanes lost to the Florida Panthers and lost their control of their playoff destiny. If Washington wins tonight, they are in as the #3 three seed and Carolina, having completed their season, are left sitting at home. If the Capitals lose, they're golfing and the Canes are still in the picture as the #3 seed.

If the Canadiens lose tonight to the Maple Leafs, then the Pens are locked in at #1 no matter the outcome of the Flyers game tomorrow. If the Pens then lose, they will play the Senators. If the Pens win tomorrow, they play the Flyers.

What it all boils down to is, the Pens are playing the Flyers or Senators. Making half of the work I did yesterday pointless.

I'll write up a Flyers/Penguins preview shortly. Or before the game. Or somewhere in between. Start taking bets, I want a share of the winnings.

Nick