Igloo Dreams

Ever see a video camera hit by lightning?

2008-07-12T08:28:00.000-04:00

I haven't... until now.

Pens sign Matt Cooke

2008-07-06T10:14:00.003-04:00

Matt Cooke signed a two year deal worth $2.4 million with the Pens on Saturday. He took a pay cut to come to Pittsburgh.

This is the guy that many people thought the Pens should go after a few years back when they got Jarkko Ruutu. Cooke is, by all accounts, faster than Ruutu. He can also chip in offensively more than Ruutu did.

Cooke will score 10-15 goals and won't kill you with penalty minutes, while bringing a physical presence.

Great signing by GM Ray Shero.

Free Agency - Day 3

2008-07-04T09:49:00.002-04:00

Things are staying busy for GM Ray Shero these days. You have to figure that busy time is going to slow down. Here's a synopsis of day 3:

Miroslav Satan signed for one year at $3.5 million.
Ruslan Fedotenko signed for one year at $2.5 million.
Marc-Andre Fleury signed a seven year contract worth $35 million.
Evgeni Malkin's extension became official. He has essentially the same deal Crosby received.
Georges Laraque signed with Montreal (3 yrs, $4.5 million).
Naslund signed with the Rangers and Jagr signed with a Russian team.

I really like the Satan and Fedotenko signings. Both guys took a pay cut because of poor performance last year. Satan has been in decline for the past two seasons, but time on Long Island will do that to anyone. Fedotenko is the replacement for Ryan Malone, which is to say he's an inconsistent left wing.

Both Satan and Fedotenko (need a nickname for him soon - Fedotenko is too much to type) have something to prove, and Ray Shero is giving them the chance to prove it. If they play well, they'll get bigger money next year.

Locking up Fleury and Gino leaves Staal as the remaining core component that needs to sign. After his regression last year in the goal scoring department, I'd try to sign him long term. If I'm Jordan, however, I'd want to wait until after this season when I would likely have better numbers to negotiate with.

So what's left? You have to figure the Pens could use more scoring and depth at forward, and they have a plethora of defensemen. Something could happen there. You also have to wonder if they'll be comfortable with Sabu as the backup goalie.

There are still a few things to figure out, but I think Ray Shero has done a great job filling the gaps so far.

Happy 4th of July.

Free Agency - Day 2

2008-07-02T21:44:00.002-04:00

I didn't think day 2 could be more exciting than day 1, but it was. Here's the quick synopsis:

Hossa signs a one-year deal with Detroit for $7.4 million.
Ruutu signs a three-year contract with Ottawa at $1.3 million per season (he made $1.15 last year)
Orpik signs with the Pens - 6 years (wow) at $22.5 million ($3.75 million per year against the cap for the math-challenged)

It's great to see the Pens sign Orpik. He brings a much needed physical presence. This does leave them with 8 NHL defensemen (Gonchar, Orpik, Scuderi, Whitney, Gill, Sydor, Eaton, Letang) plus Goligoski. Some of those guys won't be here to start the season.

The rumor is that they're going to trade Gonchar. I can't see that unless you get a really good winger in return. Even with that, I think Sarge has been the glue that holds that defense together. He's top 3 or 4 in the league right now. You can't replace him.

You also have to wonder if the exodus out of Pittsburgh is just guys taking advantage of the team's success. Is there something more here? Is Therrien that hard to play for? Does Gino not speak enough English? Does Sid have nasty BO? The guys that left, except maybe Malone, aren't signing for huge money. Ruutu, Hall, Conklin and even Hossa are taking money that's in the ballpark of what the Pens were probably offering. What's the deal?

Speaking of Hossa, he did deliver a slap to the Pens on the way out in saying that he thought Detroit had the better chance to win the Cup. I can't say I disagree, but it doesn't make it any easier to hear.

There aren't too many impact players left after the first two days (hello, Jaromir), so it will be interesting to see where the Pens go from here.

Hossa signs with Detroit

2008-07-02T13:03:00.002-04:00

Just a one year deal for $7.4 million.

My guess is that he didn't give Ray Shero a chance to match, because if I'm Mr Shero, I jump at that offer.

This makes the offensive situation at forward a bit on the bleak side compared to last year. It will be interesting to see how our GM manages to fill in the holes. I don't think it will be Jagr filling them... but that's just my opinion.

Free Agency - Day 1

2008-07-01T22:21:00.002-04:00

So what went down today for the Pens in the free agent market? Here's a summary from the Trib. The short version:

Dupuis - 3 years - $4.2 million
Eaton - 2 years - $2.0 million
Godard - 3 years - no dollar amount given

I like the signing of Dupuis and Eaton. Both are good players and both are at good dollar amounts. If Eaton can stay healthy for an entire season, he's a steal at $1.0 million per year. Dupuis at $1.4 isn't bad either.

The only question I have is that the Pens now have 7 NHL defensemen, with Alex Goligoski possibly ready to join the big club. That's before mentioning Brooks Orpik, but I think the Eaton signing may signal the end for Brooks in Pittsburgh.

The Godard signing probably means that there will be no Georges Laraque either - you can't have two right wings that play 5:00 per night, and that's what Godard is. I suppose you could put him in Wilkes-Barre, but you wouldn't think that would happen - he played 74 games in the NHL last year for Calgary.

Adam Hall signed in Tampa for bargain basement dollars - 3 yrs, $1.8 million. Not sure why he didn't resign here. Maybe Ray Shero didn't make him an offer, and maybe he wanted to play more...

The only one I'm really curious about is Ty Conklin. I know the Pens have Sabourin, but Conk signed with Detroit for only $750,000. Granted it was just for one year, but Sabu is only signed for one more year. For that money, you could buy out Sabu and put Conk back in the second spot. Maybe he figures there's a better chance of Chris Oldgood breaking down in Detroit...

No signing yet for Hossa or Jagr. Things will be interesting, that's for sure.

Ryan Malone to sign with Tampa Bay

2008-06-29T22:11:00.003-04:00

The changes are rolling in.

Ryan Malone is an expensive member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, making this the second consecutive year we shake our heads and wonder what they know that we don't. Last year it was Michel Ouellet. This year, it's the big salary being paid to Ryan Malone.

Is Ryan worth $4-5 million per year? I don't think so, and neither does most of Pittsburgh. Most importantly, Ray Shero doesn't think so.

Tampa is also hiring Greg Malone and Ryan's former agent.

Tuesday will be here before you know it.

Lots of rumors...

2008-06-19T12:15:00.002-04:00

Lots of rumors are flying around right now. Whenever you hear something, just take a deep breath and relax. Here are a few of the more prominent ones, along with why I don't believe them:

Ray Shero is trying to trade Malkin - Supposedly he's been offered to the Kings for the #2 pick and Mike Cammalleri. Do not believe this one for a second. The only reason to make this trade is if you don't think Malkin is worth $8-9 million per year. I think he's proven that he is worth that.
Malone is being traded to (Columbus / Minnesota) prior to July 1st - This would make sense if the Pens have resigned themselves to letting Ryan go. However, Malone himself has said that he wants to test the free agent waters after July 1st. That statement alone takes the wind out of the sails of any potential trade (unless he's using it to drive up a potential contract offer).
Hossa is close to signing - While I believe Hossa and the Pens will come to a contract arrangement, I don't think we'll hear about the offers in the paper. Ray Shero seems to subscribe to the Craig Patrick school of media relations, meaning you'll hear about the deal after it's been completed, and probably not before.
Markus Naslund wants to come to Pittsburgh - Okay, even if this were true, would you take him? Isn't he another version of Petr Sykora? He'll be 35 when next season begins, and he's an overall minus player since the end of the lockout (-23 over three seasons).

Remember, we're only dealing with the outgoing rumors right now. As July 1st gets closer, we'll start to hear more about the players who are willing to take less for the chance to play here. We've already heard the first one, from Markus Naslund. Take them all with a grain of salt.

Ever see a plane crash during a baseball game?

2008-06-15T19:34:00.001-04:00

Me either... pretty intense.

Penguins contract status

2008-06-10T12:35:00.000-04:00

Here is the contract status for each of the players that was on the big club's roster at some point this season (not including the guys we traded away). I sorted them by age.

Here's a fun, yet scary question - how many players from this list do the Pens have under contract beyond next season? The answer is FOUR - Crosby, Whitney, Gonchar and Letang. Obviously, anyone that is a restricted free agent can be kept at the option of the club, but still... only four? I was surprised.

Here's a great reference for looking up these pieces of information:
http://www.nhlscap.com/salarynumbers/pittsburgh.htm

Unrestricted free agent - can sign with anyone
27 years old OR seven years in NHL
--------------------------------------------------
Kris Beech - Age 27 - Signed one-year contract with Columbus 8-7-07 as UFA
Adam Hall - Age 27 - Signed one-year contract with Pittsburgh 10-1-07 as UFA
Brooks Orpik - Age 27 - Signed two-year contract with Pittsburgh 7-23-06 as RFA
Ryan Malone - Age 28 - Signed two-year contract with Pittsburgh 7-28-06 as RFA
Pascal Dupuis - Age 29 - Signed one-year contract with Atlanta 7-1-07 as UFA
Marian Hossa - Age 29 - Signed three-year contract with Ottawa 8-23-05 as RFA
Mark Eaton - Age 31 - Signed two-year contract with Pittsburgh 7-3-06 as UFA
Georges Laraque - Age 31 - Signed two-year contract with Phoenix 7-5-06 as UFA
Jarkko Ruutu - Age 32 - Signed two-year contract with Pens 7-4-06
Ty Conklin - Age 32 - Signed one-year contract with Pittsburgh 7-19-07 as UFA
Alain Nasreddine - Age 32 - Signed one-year contract with Pittsburgh 7-23-07 as UFA
Gary Roberts - Age 42 - Signed one-year contract with Pittsburgh 7-22-07 as UFA

Restricted free agent
off of entry-level contract but not old enough to be UFA
must be tendered a "qualifying offer" to retain rights
once rights are retained, any contract offers from other teams can be matched
--------------------------------------------------
Marc-Andre Fleury - Age 23 - Signed two-year contract with Pittsburgh 8-5-06 as RFA
Jonathan Filewich - Age 23 - end of entry-level contract
Ryan Stone - Age 23 - end of entry-level contract
Tim Brent - Age 24 - Signed one-year contract with Pittsburgh 7-20-07 as RFA
Connor James - Age 25 - Signed one-year contract with Pittsburgh 6-19-07 as UFA

Under Contract
-----------------
Jordan Staal - Age 19 - on entry-level contract - will be RFA after 08-09
Sidney Crosby - Age 20 - Signed through 2012-13
Kris Letang - Age 21 - on entry-level contract - will be RFA after 09-10
Tyler Kennedy - Age 21 - on entry-level contract - will be RFA after 08-09
Evgeni Malkin - Age 21 - on entry-level contract - will be RFA after 08-09
Alex Goligoski - Age 22 - on entry-level contract - will be RFA after 08-09
Maxime Talbot - Age 24 - Signed through 08-09
Ryan Whitney - Age 25 - Signed through 2012-13
Nathan Smith - Age 26 - Signed through 08-09
Chris Minard - Age 26 - Signed through 08-09
Jeff Taffe - Age 27 - Signed through 08-09
Dany Sabourin - Age 27 - Signed through 08-09
Rob Scuderi - Age 29 - Signed through 08-09
Petr Sykora - Age 31 - Signed through 08-09
Hal Gill - Age 33 - Signed through 08-09
Sergei Gonchar - Age 34 - Signed through 09-10
Darryl Sydor - Age 36 - Signed through 08-09

The Aftermath

2008-06-06T10:25:00.003-04:00

Check out my latest post for Slap Shot, the hockey blog of the NY Times. It has been fun writing for them this season.

Red Wings 3, Penguins 2

2008-06-04T20:14:00.003-04:00

Great game by the Pens. They left everything on the ice. They came up just short against a team that they can learn a few things from. Great effort, and they left everything they had on the ice.

Congratulations to the Red Wings.

First period:

Franzen ran into Fleury in the opening minutes. No call. Looks like Babcock's whining worked.

Sykora had a golden chance early when the puck squirted to him right in front of Osgood. He was almost too close, and he couldn't beat Ozzie.

Sydor took a really weak interference call. Watson put his arm up really late, putting the Wings on the power play.

On the power play, Scuds had two chances to get the puck out. On the first one, he had room to carry the puck and on the second one he tried to wrap it around but it hit Holmstrom.

The Red Wings took advantage. Zetterberg drew a man to him and passed across to Rafalski. Brian shot the puck to the net with Holmstrom right in front of Fleury. The puck hit off of Gill and went right behind Fleury. Crappy goal. 1-0 Wings.

The Wings finally took a charging call (Drake), putting the Pens on the power play.

Early on in the power play, Draper took an absolutely cheap shot with two hands to the back of the head of Gonchar, putting him into the boards. Two man advantage for the Pens.

For the next 90 seconds, the Pens put several good scoring chances together. There were several chances on shots from the point with rebounds available, but no dice. Would have been nice to see more screens in front of Osgood.

After the penalties expired, the Pens took another penalty when Hall's stick appeared to catch Lidstrom. In looking at the replay, I'm not sure Hall got him... but the Wings were back on the power play.

The Wings weren't as successful this time, and the Pens did a good job smothering after shots.

Orpik was hit in the ear with Franzen's stick late in the period. No call.

The NBC broadcast was crappier than usual. There were two times when action started back up, but the replay hadn't ended yet. One particularly notorious case was on Rafalski's goal - the replay showed nearly the entire power play. I think everyone knew when they started it that they didn't have time to get the whole thing in. How did they not know that.

Oh, and NBC? Rob Scuderi is NOT Brooks Orpik.

All told, not a bad period. The ice seems really bad, which is unfortunate. The Pens are hanging in there.

Second period:

Early in the second, the Pens execute the stretch pass for one of the few times in the series. It led directly to a power play when Malone was slashed after a pass from Gino.

The Pens generated some great pressure again on the power play, but couldn't beat Osgood. Even though they didn't score, you could feel some pressure building.

The pressure continued on the next shift with the Pens able to establish some cycling in the offensive zone with the puck. No goal, but more pressure.

The Pens nearly had another stretch pass to Crosby. I don't know if that's open more or they're trying it more, but it seemed to be working.

Samuelsson shot the puck from the right point. Fleury gave up a bad rebound, and Filppula put it between the pads of Fleury. Bad goal for Fleury, and bad coverage to allow Filppula to get an open chance at the rebound. 2-0 Wings.

Crosby, Hossa and Dupuis continued their work as the Pens best offensive line, generating a few great chances in even strength action. Still no goals. Still generating pressure. They need to keep this up and keep coming.

Shortly after that, there was another great chance, this time by Roberts. Osgood barely made the save.

Datsyuk took a penalty on a hit on Jordan Staal.

Power play = Malkin Laser Beam = Penguins goal. FINALLY! 2-1 Wings.

Roberts took a high stick penalty. Wings went back on the power play. HUGE kill for the Pens coming up.

The Pens killed the power play with not too much difficulty.

After the Wings power play, Hossa, Crosby and Malkin generated some great pressure. No shots, but great puck possession. Things seemed to be building for the third period.

The Pens had seen on Monday a special presentation of "How to Storm Back at Home". Hopefully they took some notes, because they would need to put the plan into action.

Third period:

Nothing doing early in the third. Malone had the best chance on a high hard shot that missed the net just a bit high.

Zetterberg came into the offensive zone and got a shot off that Fleury stopped. The puck dropped right behind him, and no one but one of the Zebras saw it. Fleury fell backwards and knocked the puck in off of his butt. Talk about bad luck. 3-1 Wings.

Malkin, Crosby and Hossa again had a great chance. Hossa shot it high and a bit wide.

Fleury was keeping the Pens in the game at this point. The Wings were still carrying the play for the most part, and Fleury was making several big saves.

The Wings took a late penalty with under two minutes left. Fleury was pulled and the Pens went to work.

Crosby won the faceoff and the Pens went to work. Gonchar shot it from the point and Hossa deflected it brillantly. 3-2 Wings.

Less than 90 seconds remaining and Fleury was off the ice. They got the shot from the point by Gonchar, but it was deflected up into the mesh. Timeout Detroit.

One last chance for Crosby, who just barely missed on the backhand off the glove of Osgood. Hossa made a great effort that would have been too late had it gone in.

Terrific effort by the Pens. They have nothing to be ashamed of.

Stanley Cup Finals Game #6

2008-06-03T20:20:00.003-04:00

Detroit Red Wings (1) at Pittsburgh Penguins (2)

Detroit leads series 3-2.

This is the last game of the season at the Igloo. Let's take a moment to reflect on that.

The first game at the Igloo in the 07-08 season was against the Ducks, who had just won the Stanley Cup. The Pens won that game 5-4. They had a fantastic run at the end of the season at home, and it carried over into the playoffs.

The team has only one loss in the playoffs on home ice, and by most accounts, they have been a different team when playing in the friendly confines.

Just take a second to be grateful for all we've been privileged to see on the home ice this year.

...
...
...

All done?

That's good, because there's one more game to be played and it's easily the biggest of the year!

The Pens got a huge lift with their OT win on Monday night in Detroit. The Wings had to be stunned by that, as they were just 35 seconds from winning the Cup. They also couldn't beat Fleury in any of the OT sessions.

I see a chance for a trend to form with this game. If Fleury can continue his strong play, he can lead the Pens to victory in Game 6.

The Pens cannot afford to come out flat. They must press the issue and work with the same desire and intensity they showed in the previous three games.

Most people will say that the Red Wings are the "better team". However, in winning two of the previous three games, the Pens have shown that they can be the better team. The better team is defined as the one with more goals than their opponent when the game ends.

It doesn't matter how many faceoffs you win.

It doesn't matter how many hits you have.

It doesn't matter how many shots you take.

It only matters how many goals are on the board.

This is what the Pens have been telling themselves, and it has been working.

Here's what I'm telling the team if I'm the coach:

Keep the Wings off of the power play.
Stay strong along the boards.
Show the relentless desire that you demonstrated both in taking the lead in Game 5 and in getting the tying and winning goals (especially the Talbot goal, when all of the Wings faithful in Joe Louis were against you).
Protect your goalie.
Be opportunistic.

Do those things, and we'll be headed back to Detroit for Game 7.

Both Malone and Gonchar are expected to play. That's great news for the Pens. They need them both.

Let's Go Pens!

Penguins 4, Red Wings 3 (3 OT)

2008-06-02T21:15:00.004-04:00

This one had the best ending that I can remember in a long time. Here are just a few of the HUGE moments:

Talbot tied the game with just over 30 seconds left in the third. The Wings were 30 seconds from the Cup and the Pens denied them.
Gonchar came back from what had to be a concussion to quarterback the winning power play, earning an assist on the winning goal.
Sykora not only told McGuire he would score the winning goal, but also told the bench that he was going high glove hand on Osgood. He did it, and the Pens won.
Fleury was the best goalie in the world tonight. He came up HUGE time after time when the team needed him the most. You can't say enough good things about his game tonight, especially once the overtime started.

The Talbot and Sykora goals immediately become HUGE goals in Pittsburgh history. If the Pens can somehow win two more, their stock rises even more.

The Pens somehow won the game. HUGE!!!

First period:

Things didn't start out terribly well for the Pens in the first. Brooks Orpik took an early hooking call on Filppula. That was immediately followed by a too many men on the ice penalty.

Neither power play proved successful for Detroit. The Pens did a nice job of killing off those penalties.

Shortly after the second penalty expired the Pens made some noise. Crosby, Hossa and Dupuis had a dominating shift in the Detroit zone. Dupuis made a great play to shoulder Rafalski off of the puck, keeping it in the zone. The puck ended up on the stick of Hossa, who wasted no time shooting it to the far side of Osgood from near the right circle. 1-0 Pens.

Six minutes later, Adam Hall scored yet another HUGE goal when he shot the puck from near Osgood. The Detroit netminder made the save, but Kronwall's clearing attempt pulled a Backstrom and went right off of Hall's skate in behind Osgood. 2-0 Pens.

The Pens had several chances to extend their lead, but Osgood made several big saves during the remainder of the first.

Second period:

Darren Helm scored to cut the deficit to one goal. His shot deflected off of Rob Scuderi and behind Fleury. 2-1 Pens.

Gonchar made a great defensive play to stop a near breakaway, but he went hard into the end boards head first. He left the ice with under 3:00 left in the second.

Ryan Malone took a shot to the face shortly after that. He left the ice as well.

Third period:

Malone and Gonchar both came back out to start the third. Gonchar only lasted until the halfway point. He didn't return after that.

The third didn't start well for the Pens, as the Red Wings turned the early minutes into a shooting gallery.

Fleury was the best player on the ice, making several big saves.

Hossa hit the crossbar when he beat Osgood to the short side. That's another huge opportunity that the Pens just couldn't take advantage of.

Datsyuk missed a big chance when he flipped the puck up over Fleury from right in front of the crease. The Detroit goal judge (and just about everyone else) thought the puck was in. It hit squarely off of the crossbar. No goal.

There was a pretty big non-call when Holmstrom slashed the stick out of the hands of Staal.

There was a pretty big penalty call on Kennedy. The Red Wings cashed in when Zetterberg fired a shot-pass to Datsyuk, who redirected it beautifully between the pads of Flower. 2-2 tie.

The Wings kept the pressure and maybe turned it up another notch. Less than three minutes later, the Wings took advantage again of the offensive pressure when Rafalski wristed the puck to the far side to beat Fleury. 3-2 Wings.

At this point, every Pens fan was cursing. The Wings had come out with all of the fire and momentum in the third period.

The Wings kept the pressure up, slowly strangling the Pens, who seemed to have no answer offensively.

It didn't change as the clock dwindled. Fleury was pulled. The extra attacker was on. It was... Max Talbot?? I have to admit, I was a bit surprised to see that.

The surprise didn't last long. The Pens got the puck in deep when Crosby tossed a backhand down the boards. Hossa tossed it right at the net, and Talbot rammed two attempts at the left leg of Osgood.

The second one went in.

3-3 tie.

Everyone between here and Detroit was shocked. Any hair Pierre McGuire had left immediately fell out.

The Wings had 34 seconds left to try to win in regulation. They managed a few shots, but couldn't score. It was troubling how the Wings picked things right back up and turned on the offense in the last 30 seconds.

First Overtime:

I'm getting too wound up to take notes. Let's keep this period recap simple.

Players slowing down.

Pens had late power play, but no dice.

Fleury = MVP. If the Pens win this game, it's because of him.

Second Overtime:

Another power play for the Pens early in the second OT. The NBC announcers don't seem to understand that you can't run into the goalie after you shoot the puck.

No dice for the Pens again on the power play.

Ruutu hit the post. Ugh.

Sykora put the puck just wide. Osgood didn't even react to the puck.

Sykora took a hooking call right in front of Osgood in the offensive zone with just over two minutes left in the second OT. Huge kill needed.

Huge kill achieved.

Third Overtime:

The Wings had the early pressure in the third OT. Fleury was wonderful, and the Pens were blocking shots in their own zone.

Hudler took a four minute high stick penalty when he hit Scuderi, putting the Pens on the power play.

Sergei Gonchar came off of the bench for the first time since the halfway point of the third period to play on the four minute power play.

The Pens only needed 36 seconds. Peter Sykora, who had told Pierre McGuire that he would score the game winner, scored the game winner. 4-3 Pens.

Game Over. PENS WIN!!!!

Stanley Cup Finals Game #5

2008-06-01T21:29:00.003-04:00

Pittsburgh Penguins (2) at Detroit Red Wings (1)

Detroit leads series 3-1.

So, to preview this game, I thought I'd take a look back at the last time the Pens were down 3-1 in a series and going on the road. It was last year against the Senators. Granted this is a much different team, but check out some of the stuff I wrote back then - seems a little eerie, doesn't it? (especially considering the Pens lost Game 4 on home ice last year by a score of 2-1)

The Pens need to play the same style game they did on Tuesday. They need to out hit the Sens. They need to play with the same desperate intensity. The only thing they need to improve on is simply to score more goals. If the power play isn't working, they need to find a way to get it done at even strength.

Same thing still applies - they worked hard and had chances, which they were unable to finish.

I also think that the coaching staff needs to do a great job tomorrow. Michel Therrien needs to be smart about his player utilization. He needs to do a good job matching lines. I know Therrien says he doesn't think about that too much, but you don't want Crosby to see the top combo from the Sens all night long. You want to put Sid in the best position to succeed. Isn't that the job of a coach?

Matching lines discussion anyone? Wow - this is like a broken record - Coach Therrien still says he's not worried about matching so much.

Mike Yeo also needs to have some answers for the Pens on the power play. To some extent, they're generating offense and not scoring, but the Sens also seem to have them figured out. I think it's time to have a different wrinkle available, just to give the Sens a different look. You have to keep them honest.

This one hasn't applied quite so much until the Pens were unable to find a way to score with a two man advantage. You have to put the puck in the net there.

So can the Pens change what happened last year in a Game 5 on the road with the series on the line? I sure hope so.

Holmstrom will play tomorrow. Likely no changes for the Pens, but I'd be tempted to get Letang back in there with instructions to get the puck on the net. He has the shot to do it, more so than Rob Scuderi, who appeared to hurt his shoulder a bit. I think you leave Sydor in the lineup. He has been solid, in my opinion.

Let's all say a prayer to St Lemieux, the patron saint of scoring, that Geno is able to step up in Game 5. He did register 5 shots in Game 4, so maybe that's a good sign. Getting a contribution from Malkin / Sykora / Whoever would be a HUGE boost, and boy, I'd like more reasons to use that word (HUGE, in case you missed it).

Let's Go Pens!

Red Wings 2, Penguins 1

2008-05-31T23:10:00.003-04:00

Blugh. That's my new word for the day.

Blugh = Blech + Ugh.

I'm not sure of a better way to describe what I watched tonight. The Wings got back to suffocating the Pens, and the Pens got back to not being able to finish the chances the managed to get.

One miserable little backhand shot that slid past Fleury was the difference in this game, and it was all the Red Wings would need.

The Pens got off on the right foot with an early power play goal by Marian Hossa. He nearly added another one in the first, but it ricocheted off of Osgood and the far post / crossbar.

The Wings answered right back with a goal just after their power play had expired on a nice shot from the point by Lidstrom.

The score stayed 1-1 until the third when Jiri Hudler put a backhand past Flower. The Pens had failed to get the puck out of the zone and it burned them.

The game turned on a 90 second 5-on-3 advantage that the Pens were unable to capitalize on. They had several great chances but Osgood was just good enough, and Zetterberg showed why he is considered a great defensive forward by tying up Crosby's stick.

The Pens almost tied it again with less than 20 seconds remaining, but just couldn't beat Osgood.

I'm not going to say the Pens are done, but man, you can see that Detroit has just about stuck the fork in them.

I really didn't want to write this tonight, but then I thought about getting up in the morning and going through it all over again... so I figured it was best to get it out and put it in the past.

Next up: A must-win Game 5 on Monday.

The jersey goes everywhere

2008-05-31T09:03:00.004-04:00

Just got a nice photo in my inbox that needs to be shared.

Scott from Johnstown went to China and took his Pens jersey with him. This is a picture from the Great Wall that he wanted to share with all of you.

Thanks for the nice picture, Scott!

Stanley Cup Finals Game #4

2008-05-30T21:05:00.002-04:00

Detroit Red Wings (1) at Pittsburgh Penguins (2)

Detroit leads series 2-1.

Well it all hinges on this one, doesn't it? If the Pens can pull out another stirring win at home, they'll be squared away with the Wings heading back to Detroit. If they can't... well, let's just say the Detroit victory parade might go off as planned.

Expect the Pens to stick with the same lineup as Game 3 (no Letang, no Laraque).

Also expect the Pens to stick with the increased confidence they showed in Game 3. They weren't afraid to dump and chase, and their defense seemed to have more time to make plays through the neutral zone.

No word yet on whether Holmstrom will play, but the Magic 8 Ball says that "signs point to yes".

If you aren't glued to the TV (or your seat in or around the Igloo) on Saturday night, there's something wrong with you.

Let's Go Pens!

Penguins 3, Red Wings 2

2008-05-28T22:03:00.004-04:00

Huge. That's the word of the day. Absolutely HUGE.

The Pens found a way tonight.

They found a way to score first.

They found a way to score on the power play.

They found a way to get a goal from an unlikely source.

They found a way to keep Detroit in check.

They found a way to win.

First period:

The Pens got the early power play, and though they didn't score, they managed to get some decent chances against Detroit.

The zebras decided that the early theme of the night was "Reach out and touch someone", because every time it happened, they blew the whistle. Staal was whistled immediately after the Pens' power play expired.

The Pens killed both penalties they were hit with during the first. Excellent penalty killing job by just about everyone.

Sidney Crosby put the team on his back when Brad Stuart turned the puck over in his own zone. The Pens intercepted and Crosby and Hossa charged the net. Sid had it last and he banked it in off the inside of Osgood's leg. Absolutely HUGE goal. If the Pens come back to make this a series, this goal will be the reason why. 1-0 Pens.

Much better period from the Pens, especially since they were out shot early, but managed to come out of the period with the lead.

Second period:

Early in the second, the Pens finally broke through on the power play when Sid was in the right place at the right time. Gonchar made a nice play to keep the puck in the zone and got away a shot from the point. It pinballed through several players before winding up on Sid's stick (which was on the ice in the right place). He banged it into the cage before Osgood could get his glove back to stop it. 2-0 Pens.

Things settled down a bit, other than Holmstrom suddenly turning into a turtle when he goes to the front of the net. When he was hit / pushed in the back, he went down faster than a hungry man at a buffet. Gill was the target of two penalty calls when he hit Holmstrom.

On the second call against Gill, with less than 15 seconds left on the Detroit power play, Johan Franzen made a great individual play to beat Scuderi and made the worlds slowest beeline to the net. What made his goal remarkable was the ability to elevate the puck. Great hands by Franzen. Bad result for the Pens. 2-1 Pens.

Protecting a one goal lead going to the third, you knew this was going to be a HUGE period.

Third period:

The Red Wings unleashed 16 shots in the third. They threw everything possible at Flower.

Hall got a garbage goal when his line (which included Talbot and Roberts at the time) generated some noise in the offensive zone. They got Osgood out of position, and when Osgood tried to get back into the net, Hall banked it off of Osgood's backside from behind the net. I guess this means that if Franzen is the Mule, Osgood is the Ass. 3-1 Pens.

The Red Wings brought the pressure on a more consistent basis. With less than 7 minutes remaining, MFS (Michael Frickin' Samuelsson) threw a shot from the right circle that may have deflected off of Orpik's stick and behind Fleury. 3-2 Pens.

Malkin took a hooking call (which was helped by Kronwall holding onto Geno's stick) with just over four minutes left. The Pens came up with a huge penalty kill. Nothing is ever easy, eh?

After the PK, the Wings were looking to get Osgood off the ice. The Pens kept them bottled up until there were about 30 seconds left. The Wings generated some pressure, but couldn't score.

Notes:

Fleury was great. He wasn't perfect, but he stopped everything he needed to.
Can you say enough about Sid after tonight? When his team needed him the most, he led by example. You have to think Mario was smiling in the his box.
Hossa came up big with two assists on Crosby's goals.
Holmstrom didn't return after his disqualification from ice dancing with Gill in the third.

Next up: You all have plans for Saturday night. That's the next huge game.

Hey! He's getting paid for that!

2008-05-28T12:02:00.003-04:00

Here are the first three paragraphs of Bob Smizik's column from today:

No one should be surprised by what has happened to the Penguins in the first two games of the Stanley Cup final, nor should they be astonished if it happens again tonight when they meet the Detroit Red Wings in Game 3 at Mellon Arena.

The Penguins, once so full of all that seemed necessary to become a champion, have been exposed in the first two games of the final. Not exposed as a bad team, but as a team not worthy of the most cherished trophy in team sports.

No one expected this -- not the players, not the coach, not the fans. Everything had been near-perfect. All phases of their game were humming.

So the point of the first paragraph was that it was not surprising that the Pens were destroyed in Detroit. The third paragraph says that this was not expected by anyone. Hmmm... how can you say something is not surprising AND unexpected? Let's go to the listed synonyms for surprising, from synonym.com -

surprising (vs. unsurprising)
amazing, astonishing,startling,stunning Also See: unexpected

Right. Surprising = Unexpected. So, we all know that Mr. Smizik is still riding the high of thinking he was able to get Mark Madden fired, but really, he makes about as much sense as some of my writing does, and for me this is just a hobby.

I don't make a habit out of discussing the Post-Gazette, but don't you think they could make a better effort when the eyes of the hockey world are on Pittsburgh?

Stanley Cup Finals Game #3

2008-05-28T11:04:00.003-04:00

Detroit Red Wings (1) at Pittsburgh Penguins (2)

Detroit leads series 2-0.

So from where I'm standing, tonight is the Game of the Year for the Pens. If they win, they have a chance to go back to Detroit with the momentum and a series tied 2-2. If they lose, the series is effectively over. It's a huge swing either way.

The Igloo should be a madhouse tonight. The fans really need to get behind the Pens and support this team.

Of course, our lovely local paper, the Post-Gazette, is taking this chance to take shots at the Pens:

"Is it too late to pick the Detroit Red Wings in three games?" - Ron Cook - 5/27/08

"History suggests the Penguins have very little hope of winning the Stanley Cup this season. Reality suggests they have absolutely none, unless they can figure out how to make some radical changes during the rest of the series." - Dave Molinari - 5/27/08

"No one should be surprised by what has happened to the Penguins in the first two games of the Stanley Cup final, nor should they be astonished if it happens again tonight when they meet the Detroit Red Wings in Game 3 at Mellon Arena." - Bob Smizik - 5/28/08

Feel free to read the articles to make sure I haven't misrepresented the tenor by taking quotes out of context. As the saying goes, with friends like these...

Maybe I'm being unfair. Maybe it is the job of the beat writer (Dave Molinari) to capture the spirit of what is currently happening. There are also no rules for what a columnist can take a position on. It just seems odd that Don Cherry can say the Pens will win Game 3 while our Pittsburgh writers are busy helping to dig the graves for the Pens.

Anyway, the game itself is the story. Desperation time has set in. The Pens must win. Fleury must be stronger. The Pens must avoid mistakes at even strength. They must find a way to score on the power play.

Sydor seems likely to play. I'm not sure who you sit. I hope it's not Letang - next to Gonchar, he's one of the few that can carry the puck. He's the most likely suspect, though.

Let's Go Pens!

Red Wings 3, Penguins 0

2008-05-26T21:14:00.004-04:00

Second game, slight improvement, same result.

It's all the same stuff as Game 1, though they did manage more offensive pressure. The Pens really need someone to step up and score a big goal or two. Hopefully that will come at home on Wednesday.

First period:

Roberts, Staal and Kennedy started the game with some tough play. They punished the Wings in the offensive zone. As with everything else this series so far, it didn't help.

The teams each were whistled for two penalties in the first. Nothing amounted from any of them, but the Pens were able to use theirs to generate their only offense of the period.

Brad Stuart gave the Wings the opening goal with a slapshot from the circle to Fleury's left. He fired a slapper that Fleury got a piece of with his blocker, but not enough. Probably a soft goal. 1-0 Wings.

Later in the first, the Pens got careless with the puck again in their own end and it cost them when Holmstrom threw the puck out in front to Zetterberg. Henrik got just enough on the shot to start it trickling out from behind Fleury's pads. Holmstrom tapped it into the open net. 2-0 Wings.

Second period:

The Pens were able to kill off the remainder of the power play.

After that, there really wasn't much going on. Neither team was able to generate any sustained offense. The Pens did, however, manage a shot on goal at full strength.

Staal, Kennedy and Roberts managed to keep the puck on the offensive side of the red line. It didn't amount to anything, but it was nice to see for what seemed like the first time in the series.

With under 5:00 remaining in the second, the Staal line created the Pens best chance when Lebda tripped over absolutely nothing. Roberts took the puck and made a great pass to Staal. Jordan shot the puck wide, but they almost put in the rebound. It was a great chance, and it was a shame the Pens couldn't take advantage of it.

Malone took pretty weak slash with just over two minutes remaining in the third. The Pens were able to kill it off without too much difficulty.

At the end of two, the Pens were withing striking distance. They were starting to play better and generate some sustained pressure in the offensive zone. Detroit has played about as well as possible, and the Pens were just down 2-0.

You had the feeling that if the Pens could just break the ice and get a goal, this could be a whole new series.

Third period:

Hossa took an amazingly weak "holding" penalty. It probably should have been a square-dancing penalty, because with their arms hooked together, I thought they were ready to do the Do-Si-Do.

Another solid penalty kill for the Pens. With luck, they could use that to spur some offense.

You could see early in the third that the Pens had started to turn the tide. It hadn't translated to any goals, but they were playing more in the Red Wings' zone.

With a little more than half the third left, Gary Roberts drew a tripping call on Dallas Drake. The Pens never needed a power play goal more than right at that moment.

Of course, that would make it the perfect time for Chris Osgood to buy a goaltender interference call. Malone was in the crease, but no one made Osgood flail his arms and fall over like he was shot.

On the four-on-four, Filppula made a great individual play, beating both Letang and Fleury. 3-0 Wings.

At this point, you just wanted the Pens to get a goal. Just one. Break the ice.

With eight minutes left in the third, Detroit gets a power play. We have no idea why. Not only do we get to leave Detroit behind, but we also don't have to watch Versus until next year. Thank God for small blessings.

Near the end of the game, with about a minute left, Sykora collided with Osgood, who again looked like a octopus flopping on the ice, with limbs everywhere.

Next up: The series and season are on the line in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

Stanley Cup Finals Game #2

2008-05-26T10:08:00.002-04:00

Pittsburgh Penguins (2) at Detroit Red Wings (1)

Detroit leads series 1-0.

The Pens have not trailed in a series in the playoffs until now. In fact, they've never been tied. They won the first two games at home in each series and jumped out to a 3-0 lead overall in each. Losing the first game was tough, but they have the chance to earn the split tonight.

Is earning the split really that hard of a task? The two meaningful goals scored by Samuelsson were both a bit on the fluky side. They're certainly correctable mistakes. Ruutu could have iced the puck to live to fight another day. Fleury could have swiped the puck to the corner instead of trying to go to Malkin.

If I'm Coach Therrien, this is what I'm telling my players: Hey - when the game mattered, we made a few mental mistakes that burned us. Eliminate those and we have a good shot to win that game. We had a few great goal scoring chances that just didn't go for us. Keep pushing the offense and ramp up the intensity on the defensive end.

Gary Roberts will likely play today. George Laraque will likely sit. He played the fewest minutes of any player on Saturday, and McCarty wasn't interested in dancing with him during Game 1 either.

Lines are also changing. Malone is skating with Hossa and Crosby. Malkin and Sykora get Talbot with them. Third line is Dupuis, Kennedy and Staal. Roberts, Hall and Ruutu are on the fourth line.

I don't know if it's a panic move to shift the lines so quickly, but if you look more closely, the important pieces are intact. Crosby and Hossa are together. Same deal with Malkin and Sykora. Those are the important parts. The third line will be a bit faster with the addition of Dupuis at the expense of Ruutu. The fourth will still be able to hand out punishment.

Hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day weekend. I'm also hoping we can have a great ending to the holiday weekend.

Let's Go Pens!

Red Wings 4, Penguins 0

2008-05-24T22:52:00.002-04:00

That was a perfectly crappy way to start a series. The Pens were unable to take advantage of early chances and went on to lose 4-0.

The Pens came out and played well early. They were the beneficiaries of four straight power play chances (though the first was only 9 seconds) in the first period. They managed some good chances and nice scoring opportunities, but they were unable to score. Some of that may have been due to gripping the sticks too tightly, but more of it was because of the play of Chris Osgood. He didn't need to make many saves, but he was excellent when the team needed him.

Late in the first and into the second, the tide started to turn, due to the Red Wings going on the power play, as well as a chance for Dupuis that was stopped by Osgood (again).

About two minutes after the Osgood save on Dupuis, Mikael Frickin' Samuelsson took advantage of a tired Penguins' defense and scored when his wrap-around attempt banked off of Fleury's skate. If Flower doesn't touch it, that puck never crosses the goal line. You can't blame Fleury for that deflection, however.

Mikael Frickin' Samuelsson made it 2-0 Wings early in the second when the puck pinballed off of Malkin straight to the stick of MFS in front of Fleury.

The Pens never gave up, despite their lack of shots on goal, and had a nice sequence late in the third when Hossa rang one off the post, followed immediately by some more pressure from the Pens, to no avail.

The Wings added two more goals at garbage time, one at the end of a power play with just over two minutes left and the other while on the power play with 12 seconds left. If I'm Detroit, I'm not sure I have my top power play unit on the ice in the last 30 seconds, but the Pens need to stop them if they don't want them to score.

I'm more concerned about a few things:

The Pens turned the puck over several times in their own zone. The Wings seem to forecheck with two players, but they surely can't be the only team that employs that strategy. This is something Coach Therrien will need to game plan for.
The Pens would gain the offensive zone and then get jumped, leading to turnovers. Early on, they looked like they were shooting early to avoid this. As the game wore on, they started holding the puck more and it didn't work out very well for them. I'd rather see them dump it a few times. If they get success with that just once or twice, they'll give the Wings something different to think about.

I think, despite the domination on the scoreboard, that the Red Wings can be beaten. Osgood isn't the best goalie the Pens have seen in the playoffs, but the Pens have to solve the Wings system to get the chance to show that.

Next up: Game 2 is Monday night. The Pens have some work to do before then.

Top Five Playoff Goals - Honorable Mention

2008-05-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

Top 5 Playoff Goals, Rounds 1 - 3

I'm running a series on the top five goals scored by the Pens in the playoffs so far. These goals aren't the prettiest, but the ones that had the most impact and made the biggest statement.

Honorable Mention - "Poor Downie"

Max Talbot vs Flyers, Game 2

Game 2 against the Flyers was tied 2-2 in the third period until Steve Downie got involved. He bumbled the puck along the boards, allowing the Pens to keep it in the offensive zone. Max Talbot took advantage of a great opportunity and the Pens were on their way to a 2-0 series lead over Philly.