Sunday, November 30, 2008

Pens Net 2; Crosby Nets 3

The Pens defeated the New Jersey Devils at Mellon Arena last night with the final score of 4-1.  In Marc-Andre Fleury's absence, Dany Sabourin continues to be a dominant goaltending option.   Sabourin made 29 saves and looked solid holding on to grab his 5th win in 8 contests.

League Leading scorer, Evgeni Malkin, looks as if he is the best player in the world.  Game by game, Gino evolves in front of our eyes by becoming a more creative and efficient passer.  There is no way of guessing what is going to happen next with this guy.  Will it be another 3 goal period?  Or will it be another 13 game assist streak?  All we can do each day is look at his last game and wonder if and when he is going to cool off.  Malkin snagged 2 assists in the victory last night; maybe because he was feeling a little heat from Sidney Crosby.

Right now it feels like there is only 1 player in the league of taking the point lead from Malkin, Sidney Crosby.  It is no longer Alexander Semin or Simon Gagne that sits second in scoring, but it is the Pittsburgh Kid himself.  Crosby has decided to prove that he is not just a passing threat and has been on a goal-scoring tear.  Yes, Sidney Crosby is often the catalyst to the Penguins offense without being the leading goal scorer.  No, Sidney Crosby is not going to just sit back and let Gino have all the fun.  Crosby beat Scott Klemmensen 2 times last night and beat an empty net once to record his first hat-trick of the season.  Aside from his hat trick, Crosby made a beautiful pass to Sykora after taking in a tremendous feed from Gino to gather an assist on the night.  The Kid's 4 point night moved him into 2nd place on the NHL's scoring leaders and should generate some extra competition to keep Malkin and Crosby on top.  By the way, the Penguins' "Playmaker" now leads the team in goals with 13.

Official score sheet.

The Pens will finally get another chance at the New York Rangers this coming Wednesday.  It's been a while since the top 2 Atlantic Division teams met and the Pens will get a chance to gain ground on the division leader.  Stay tuned for a preview of what should be an exciting rivalry match-up.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Penguins Lose in 3rd; Host Devils Tonight

The Pens lost a tough game against the Sabres last night in Buffalo.  John Curry got his first NHL start in the game and looked flustered at times.  It seemed like Curry was moving frantically and never in control of his movement or the puck.  Despite making 3 highlight saves in the 3rd, Curry found the puck infrequently and gave up a goal in the last minutes of play.

Sidney Crosby scored 2 goals and Tyler Kennedy found twine in the game.  While the Penguins controlled the pace for most of the game, they were unable to possess the puck in the 3rd and was ultimately the reason why they left.  The Pens never really gained control of the puck in the final minute and were unable to get a real chance with Curry pulled.

A good note on the game was that we thought Janne Pesonen was called up to replace Talbot because of his injury.  Luckily, it looks like Maxy will be playing through the foot injury as he played last night.

Watch the Penguins look for redemption as they take on the New Jersey Devils tonight at Mellon Arena.  Game time is 7:30 and can be seen on FSN Pittsburgh and heard on 105.9 The X.

Let's Go Pens!

Matt@Penstation

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Pesonen Up; Talbot Day 2 Day

The Penguins recalled Janne Pesonen today to replace Maxime Talbot while he is injured.  This could be an exciting opportunity for the Finnish star who has 21 points in 19 games with the Baby Penguins.  We hope to see Max Talbot lacing them back up soon, but for now let's watch Pesonen's ability become realized.

The Pens are just 5 points back from the Rangers and have 4 games at hand.  Hopefully, with continued good play, the Guinos will be sitting atop the Atlantic in no time.

Unfortunately, we have heard no good news about Marc-Andre Fleury.  The Penguins' star netminder continues to be listed as day to day and we hope rumors of 3-6 weeks are shot down.  Although, if he misses another game or 2, we'll be looking at those kinds of numbers anyway.

Watch the Pens take on the Sabres tomorrow night in Buffalo.  Game time is 7:30 PM and will be covered by FSN Pittsburgh and 105.9 The X.

Matt@Penstation

Mr. Natural

For the 2nd time this year, a Penguin player scored a natural hat trick in the third period of a game. First was Jordan Staal, this time it was Evgeni Malkin's turn.

The Penguinos got off to a slow start tonight against the red hot New York Islanders. There was no black and gold offense at all and the first period led to a 2-0 Islander lead. To make matters worse, Max Talbot took a point-blank slap shot to the ankle in the neutral zone--he would not return.

The 2nd period showed a game play improvement on the Penguins side. Unfortunately, it didn't result in a Penguin goal until almost the 3rd period. When Bill Guerin scored to make it a 3-0 game, Michel Therrien pulled Dany Sabourin and gave John Curry his first look at NHL ice. At the 19:41 mark of the 2nd period, Brooks Orpik scored his 2nd of the year. We thought for sure it was Crosby who deflected the puck, but the scorekeeper said otherwise. The goal made it 3-1 Isles and gave the Pens a puncher's chance.

When Sidney Crosby scored a goal had a goal disallowed, we thought it might have demoralized the now full speed Penguins--we were wrong. The Kid came back to score a beautiful goal in the 47th minute of play. After cycling the puck back to Gino at the point who then drove down the boards and toward the net, Crosby slid from behind the net and got open on the far post. It was then that Malks made a beautiful soft-touch backhand pass to Crosby who finished it. 3-2 Islanders. Malkin made a beautiful play to generate the scoring chance and was just getting started.

At this point, I would have broken Malkin and Crosby back up to generate opportunities from 3 lines. I was wrong and a friend just chuckled when Gino and The Kid hooked back up to tie the game. This time it would be Crosby who made a great pass to Malkin. Gino made sure to finish like Crosby as he was falling when he took the shot. If you thought Therrien should break the duo up here, you were more wrong than I was. Crosby found Malkin again to put the Penguins up 4-3. Just like that the Penguins turned the game around and looked to get 2 points out of the night. Malkin jumped on the open-net opportunity to put the Pens up 5-3 and net himself his 3rd hat trick of his career. The cardiac kids did it again.

It was clear to us that the turning point in the game was a period during the 2nd when the Pens were short handed. The Penguins grabbed 2 great scoring chances and looked to keep the Islanders on their heals for the rest of the game. Malkin fired a puck off the post and Jordan Staal just missed on a breakaway opportunity. Although neither player scored, it was the first moment that I felt like the Pens would come back to win this game. Of course, we can not short change Therrien's decision to pull Sabou. A change like that isn't always to pull a tender because you think they are playing poorly. In this case, Sabourin wasn't playing his best hockey, but neither were the Penguins. When coach made the call to bring in Curry, it sent a message to the Penguin players that they were going to need to step up their game--they did.

It is hard to have a 3rd period hat trick overlooked, but tonight goes to the underdog. We feel that Gino gets enough spotlight attention. ;) With the Penguins' win, John Curry recorded his first win in his first NHL experience. The 24 year old had no warning that he would be getting ice time tonight and said "I didn't have time to think. All I could do was just go in and play." (Pens) Congratulations John!

The Penguins have a break tomorrow to eat mashed potatoes. I personally like turkey but feel that mashed potatoes, like John Curry, deserve the spotlight this time around. For a good change, fire them up with some hot sauce and butter instead of the old gravy. I promise, it's good!

Everyone have a good Thanksgiving (for the Americans) and we'll see you Friday for the Buffalo Sabres. Don't forget to watch the Pens beat the Sabres in the Winter Classic tomorrow on FSN!

Official score sheet.


HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Matt@Penstation

Saturday, November 22, 2008

On Penguins, Vancouver, On Crosby and Malkin. On Ziggy, On Cook(i)e, On Orpik and ... Whitney??

There were 3 things that we expected to happen when the Pens faced off against the Canucks today:

  1. We would see a tight, defensive game.
  2. Roberto Luongo would have an effect on the game.
  3. Matt Cooke would continue to be a monster.

One

As far as defenses are concerned, the Penguins and the Canucks have both allowed a fair share of shots. Both teams have solid defensive pairings, but there is no question that the goaltending at each end of the ice has been superb.

In Marc-Andre Fleury's absence, Dany Sabourin has stood on his head. Every game that Sabu starts, the Penguins are given a chance to win just as if The Flower was headlining the defense. When tonight's game started, Sabourin was in control of a phenomenal 1.59 GAA with a .940 Save %. With the loss, Sabourin moves to 4-2-1, but ultimately played a solid game allowing 2 tough goals on 18 shots.

Two

On the other side of the ice was Canucks' captain Roberto Luongo. Coming into the game, Luongo led the league with 5 shutouts. Luongo has also faced a league leading 540 shots and has already amassed over 500 saves. With a shutout in every 2.2 games, Luongo was sure to be a game changer.

Little did we know, it would take less than 5 minutes for Captain Rob to change the game. Luongo left the game at the 4:54 mark of the first with a lower body injury. Backup goalies have been an NHL trend this season and it looked like 2 of the better ones would finish out this game.

Curtis Sanford played the remainder of the game and got a big away win for the Canucks. Like Sabourin, Sanford faced 18 shots, but only allowed one goal. The Pens didn't get a ton of amazing scoring opportunities, but when they did, Sanford stood tall.

Three

Matt Cooke has been on a tear and we figured he would show up at 110% against his former team. For one shift, Cooke did just that. Cooke stirred things up the way that only he could and it all happened in a matter of moments. After dumping a Canuck with a perfect hip check, Cookey brushed up against a couple Canucks in the neutral zone. Altercations ensued and ended with 4 fighting majors, 2 game misconducts and a couple of double-minors.

Cooke and Burrows started to square up after some neutral zone contact when Brooks Orpik jumped in to protect his teammate. Cooke, who also had his gloves off, jumped at the opportunity to go with Jannik Hansen. Due to NHL rules, both players were ejected for being involved in a 2nd fight.

Tyler Kennedy and Ryan Kesler also got involved, but only received double-minors. Both players had gloves off and went at it for a while, but it looked like they resorted to pushing and pulling after a warning from the officials. We were kinda hoping to see Teagues shed the elbow pads and throw down light-weight style.


Overall, the Penguins were outplayed this afternoon in their 3-1 loss to Vancouver. In my opinion, losing Matt Cooke hurt the Penguins in more ways than breaking up Jordan Staal's 3rd line. Michel Therrien was forced into his juggling act and found a hard time keeping lines together for any amount of time.

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin found themselves playing together for much of the game and it definitely cut down on the Penguins offensive output. Aside from Mike Zigomanis' goal, most of the Penguin opportunities came from the Malkin-Crosby line.

The Sedin brothers dominated the game and each had a point on all 3 of the Canuck goals to give the brothers 6 spots on the score sheet. Pavel Demitra found twine twice including an empty net goal in the 60th minute of play.

For a complete rundown of penalties and events, be sure to check the official NHL score sheet.


The Penguins did have good news this weekend. Ryan Whitney practiced with the team for the first time yesterday and is planning on a Christmas return. While the Penguin defense has improved game by game, Whitney provides a veteran defenseman with a scoring touch that could spark the now struggling power play. If Whitney can stay out of the injury box, he has Norris Trophy finalist potential. The surgery he underwent was to fix a chronic foot problem that has plagued Whitney during his time with the Pens. We certainly look forward to his return.

Matt@Penstation

Friday, November 21, 2008

Thrashers Down, Canucks To Go

If you haven't fallen 100% in love with Matt Cooke, you have problems.  This kid is nothing but exciting and is quickly becoming a favorite of this writer.  Aside from Cooke destroying somebody, some Penguins showed up to play a game of hockey.

The Penguins won a close game that ended with a score of 3-2.  Sabourin got another start and we are unsure of Fleury's exact return to the team.  The game was more or less a Sidney Crosby show and he proved why there will always be a spot on Sportscenter for him to shine.  Crosby scored on a beautiful wrist shot while falling backward.  Instead of taking the puck with his body, The Kid shot against the grain and scored left side below the crossbar.  The goal came in the second and gave the Pens a temporary 2-1 lead.

If anyone got a chance to watch the game on TV, you might have noticed the lack of fans in attendance.  As much as I love winning, it would be nice to go back to the days where getting a ticket at the arena was possible.  It feels like yesterday that the Penguins were fighting to put fans in the stands, but that's probably because it almost was.  We at Penstation just wish we could get a game or two.

Official NHL score sheet.

With the Vancouver Canucks coming to town on Saturday, the Pens will be face with another Wild-esque game.  The Canucks moved ahead of the Wild in the Northwest Division and play a similar defense-first game that the Wild do.  We look forward to seeing Jordan Staal putting a puck or two past Captain Luongo.

Check back for more info about Saturday's game.

Let's Go Pens!

Matt@Penstation

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Army's Army

colby_armstrong

Colby Armstrong was a big part of the Penguins organization for the last few years.  Armstrong developed quite the fan following in Pittsburgh and has been missed since being dealt to Atlanta. 

Armstrong played a lot of his games in Pittsburgh alongside Sidney Crosby.  He served as a protector to The Kid and was a best friend and road trip roomie.  People in Pittsburgh will always remember Army as an energetic workhorse that threw the body and found occasional twine.

A common deadline joke around the league is to clear a player's locker and make them believe that they've been traded.  Normally the joke is played on a player that is a big part of the team and is unlikely to be moved.  During last season's deadline, jokester Colby Armstrong was on the receiving armstrong_pensend of this joke.  Little did he or the Penguin players know, Armstrong would be part of a blockbuster deal for Marion Hossa.

In tonight's game against Atlanta, someone will be out to prove something.  Whether it is Colby and the struggling Thrashers or the Penguins is yet to be seen.  The Penguins need to bounce back after a tight game that should have been a shut out win.  The game can be seen on FSN Pittsburgh and heard by Mike Lange and the old two-niner on 105.9 the X.

Matt@Penstation

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Several Streaks End in Shootout Loss

The Penguins were defeated tonight by the Minnesota Wild in a 2-1 shootout game.  The loss ended the Penguins 6 game winning streak, but they got a point to continue their points streak to 7 straight.  Other losers included Evgeni Malkin (13 game point and assist streaks end), Danny Sabourin (13 straight shootout saves), and the blue jerseys (first modern loss wearing classic blue jerseys).

Mr. Automatic, a.k.a. Mike Zigomanis, was as good as ever from the faceoff dot.  He was so good that he actually won a draw that got past Sabourin in the first.  It was an odd goal awarded to Mikko Koivu to set the Wild up 1-0.  10 seconds later, Matt Cooke scored his second of the season to tie it up.  Cooke now has points in 5 straight and continues to be a big contributor with Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy.  Staal's primary assist on the goal continued his great play over the last several games.

It was good to see Sabourin put up another strong performance in net.  Although the Wild aren't an offensive power house, they moved to 11-4-1 with the win and were a formidable opponent.  Sabourin allowed the first goal of the shootout, but stopped the next 2.  He has now stopped 15 of 17 shootout attempts for the season.

There was a scary moment in the 2nd period when Gino took a puck to the mouth.  It seemed as if he didn't see it coming and couldn't make any adjustment to avoid the rubber.  Luckily, Malks made it back on the ice at the beginning of the 3rd period and appeared to be unaffected.

The Penguins move to 11-4-3 with the loss and are still playing great hockey.  For the complete score sheet, click here.

Matt@Penstation

Monday, November 17, 2008

Fleury Day-to-Day

Netminder Marc-Andre Fleury has been listed as day to day with an undisclosed injury.  He will be inactive for Tuesday night's game against the Wild where Sabourin will get another start.  Game time is 7:00PM on VS. and 105.9 The X.

Matt@Penstation

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Bulking Up

The Penguins acquired veteran defenseman Philippe Boucher today from the Dallas Stars.  35 year old Boucher was traded in exchange for Darryl Sydor.  Bringing Boucher in will bolster the Penguins' blue line while providing another right handed shooter for the power play.  It will be exciting to see what the veteran will do with the experienced youth that the Penguins are full of.

Matt@Penstation

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Lucky Number 6

The Penguins defeated the Buffalo Sabres in tonight's game by a score of 5-2. In a game in which the Pens were dominated for the first 2 and a half periods, they finished stronger than ever.

Buffalo lost at home last night to the Blue Jackets 6-1 and came into Pittsburgh with something to prove. The Sabres played a solid defensive game through 50 minutes by only allowing 1 goal while putting 2 past Marc-Andre Fleury. It was in the 3rd period that the Penguins took over to win their 6th in a row and yet another come-back win.

Malkin had 3 assists tonight to move him in front of Alexander Semin of the Capitals with a league leading 29 points. Tonight's points continued Gino's point and assist streak to 13 games.

The Flower played a great game after two shaky starts. He stopped 21 of 23 and made sure to make the big saves when he needed to. Fleury showed up to be the Penguins best penalty killer and make several saves that showed why he is one of the best goalies in the league.

The line of Matt Cooke, Tyler Kennedy and Jordan Staal reminds us why the game is played. It is magnificent to see these kids playing every second of every game with their hearts as well as their body. Staal, who has exploded, scored his 6th and 7th goals of the season and looks to improve his play game after game. This line is currently the heart and soul of the team and we look for them to be one of the most productive 3rd lines in the league.

Official score sheet.

Notable Streaks: Penguins 6 game win streak, Malkin's 13 game assist and point streak, modern blue jersey's 2 win streak.

Matt@Penstation

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Winter

It's a cold night in Pittsburgh and the Buffalo Sabres will be seeing blue when they skate in to Mellon Arena tonight. Game time is at 7:30 and will be on FSN Pittsburgh as well as 105.9 The X. Tonight marks the first time the Pens will wear their powder blue alternates this season. Ironically, it is the first time that they have been worn since they brought the jerseys out of the vault for last season's winter classic.

Check back for post game information and analysis!

Matt@Penstation

Friday, November 14, 2008

Goligoski the Hero in Rivalry Game

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been nothing short of entertaining over the past couple of weeks. There hasn't been anything perfect about the Penguins' play, and most of their wins have come with last minute heroics, but they have gotten the job done for their 5th straight win.

Let's put a little Tarantino in this and get to the excitement. Alex Goligoski got his first NHL shootout goligoski_winneropportunity tonight, but it took 5 shooters to get it. He was the 6th Penguins shooter and took the cha nce to net his first shootout goal. Goligoski was actually the only scorer during the overtime finish as Dany Sabourin stopped all of Philadelphia's shooters. If you haven't been keeping track, that brings Sabou to 13 of 14 on the year. His near perfect shootout performances this year have him sitting at a 93% save percentage. NHL goaltenders would kill for that percentage during a game, yet alone their shootout save percentage.

Sabourin's win gives him his third of the year (3-1-0; 3-0 in OT), but he didn't start the game. Marc-Andre Fleury began the game and kept the Flyers scoreless through the first period. After the 6 goals he let in against the Champion Red Wings, it looked to be a great start for The Flower. Malkin and Crosby both scored to make it a 3-0 game. With 15 minutes left in the period, we felt that we were going to see one of those classic one-sided Pens vs Flyers games. Something happened during the second period to change how we felt about that... The Penguins were 1-7 on the power play, but managed to allow 2 short handed goals. The 2 goals moved the Penguins into 2nd place behind the Columbus Blue-Jackets for short handed goals allowed. Gagne's short handers made it a 3-3 game and the Flyers would go on to take the lead with 4 seconds remaining in the 2nd. After 10 goals being allowed by Flower in only 5 periods, Sabou would come out for the 3rd.

Once again, it took 15+ minutes in the 3rd for the Penguins to find their ability to tie any game in any situation. Sid scored his 2nd of the night (1st multi-goal game of the season) in the 17th minute of the 3rd. This marks 3 straight games where the Pens have been down with 5 minutes left and have won--Heartbreak Kids back at it again.

Official game score sheet.

***Note***

Malkin scored a goal and an assist on the night. He now has a 12 game point streak as well as a 12 game assist streak. His 20 assists lead the league and he is looking at a 100 assist season if he keeps going like he has. We expected that kind of passing from The Kid, but having two guys to feed from anywhere is a beautiful thing.

Let's Go Pens!

Matt@Penstation

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

He's Heating Up... HE'S ON FIRE!!!

Jordan Staal amazed all of the nation by putting on a spectacle and picking up a natural hat trick (3 goals in same period) in the third period of tonight's game. In a game that saw 6 of its 13 goals scored in the third period, Staaly's 3 did the trick. There is nothing more beautiful than a grinder with a scoring touch--at least to us at Penstation.

The Penguins went into the third period of the game with a 4-2 deficit. To make matters worse, Henrik Zetterberg scored in the 6th minute of play to make it a 5-2 game. Down by three, Evgeni Malkin was sure to do two things: Gino wanted to make sure that he would close the scoring gap as well as extend his point streak to 11 games. In the 7th minute of the third, he accomplished just that. Malks scored his goal on the power play with helpers from Satan and Crosby; the goal reduced the lead back to 2 and set him back atop the scoring race by one point.

When Jordan Staal got his first goal of the night, it was a mere 1:12 after Malkin's strike. The goal reassured the Red Wings and the fans coaching from their sofas that the Penguins were still a team that would do what it took to win games. Down 5 goals to 4, the Penguins had plenty of time to get the equalizer and look for points in the hostile Joe Louis Arena. It was right when the Penguins had finally gained all of the momentum that Jiri Hudler stole it back for the Red Army. Just 2:05 after Staaly's goal, Hudler added the important third period insurance that should have put the Penguins away, especially with Osgood in net. 6-4 Wings.

With only 5 minutes left in the game, Jordan Staal went to work. His line with Matt Cooke and Tyler Kennedy on his wings had some of the best shifts in the game. It was incredible to see the spark in Jordan's skates aside the two energetic wingers. Penstation had felt that Staal was due to break out, and after 2 games of hustling and playing great hockey, he got his swagger back. His 2nd goal came with just 4 minutes left in the game and gave the Penguins one last breath of hope. At this point, you had to think that it would be impossible for the Penguins to repeat their classic game 5 Stanley Cup performance to send it to OT--you were wrong.

The Penguins pulled Fleury to get the extra man with a minute left in regulation. With as many stars on the ice as there were Cosbys, you knew there was going to be an amazing finish. Crosby had an opportunity to tie the game on a spinning backhander, but was denied by Chris Osgood. With about 30 seconds to go in the game, the Wings took their time out to discuss strategy. Fortunately for the Pens, they had the best faceoff man in the NHL, Mike Zigomanis, on their bench. Zigomanis drew the faceoff that would break detroit hearts. Evgeni Malkin fired a slapper that would be rebounded in by Staal to complete his natural hat trick in the third period--6-6 game.. Just like game 5 of last year's finals, the Penguins had tied the game in the last minute of play. With around 5 seconds left in the game, Jordan Staal danced into the Wings end and drew a penalty which prevented another great scoring opportunity. This would send the Penguins into overtime with a near 2 minute 4 on 3 power play.

The Penguins dominated the full two minutes of the power play generating an incredible amount of scoring opportunities. Jordan Staal had done everything you could possibly ask out of a 20 year old athlete, but he wasn't finished. As Pavel Datsyuk, one of the league's best puck handlers and 2 way forwards, moved out of the Wings' zone, Staal performed a perfect stick lift and stole the puck from the big number 13. As he turned into the zone, Ruslan Fedotenko jumped back into the play turning the situation into a 2 on 1. Staaly fed a perfect pass to Tank who buried a one-timer from the top of the circle.

"You had to be here to believe it." - Mike Lange

There is nothing more that can be said about this incredible game. It is an instant classic and surely one of the greatest games we will see this season. With Jordan Staal awake and ready to play, the Penguins can feature 3 lines with incredible scoring potential. Your first 2 line centers are already among league leaders in more than one category, now you have a 3rd line that is needed to compete with the big dogs of the NHL. With the 7-6 win over the defending champions, the Penguins extended their win streak to 4 and proved that they are still the Heartbreak Kids that we've grown to love.

For compete game details, check out the official NHL score sheet.

Matt@Penstation

Pens vs Wings Game 7

The Penguins and Red Wings will play game 7 tonight in Hockeytown. Unfortunately for the Penguins, it's a few months too late. Malkin and company will be skating into Detroit looking for some type of redemption after losing game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Maxime Talbot and Petr Sykora will always be remembered for their game 5 performance last season. Maxy did what any fine grinder does and found a way to become the hero when no one else would emerge. Talbot scored the game tying goal with 34 seconds left in the third period to send the game into overtime. It was in overtime when Petr Sykora decided to be "Babe-like" and call his shot. Pierre McGuire, TSN and NBC broadcaster who won two cups with the Penguins as an assistant coach, was commentating from the section between the player benches. Petr Sykora turned to after a shift and told him he was going to score the game winning goal. McGuire let everyone listening on TV know what Sykora had said, explaining that this was the first time a player had ever made such a claim to him. After predicting so after the first OT period, it would take Sykora another period and a half to score the game winner. In the 10th minute of play in the third overtime, Sykora ended the game and Detroit's hopes of winning the series at home.

Tonight's game won't mean anything toward the outcome of the season, but it will mean a lot to the Penguins that left their hearts on home ice when their season ended. If it wasn't bad enough losing the Stanley Cup Finals, Sidney Crosby filmed this commercial to advertise for the NHL. You better believe that there is nothing more that these guys want than to beat the Wings in tonight's game. Pittsburghers believe that the young Penguins' days are still ahead of them, but players know that there is no guarantee of ever returning to the finals. Look for the Penguins tonight to play with the passion and playoff attitude that it will take for them to return to that final stage.

Game 7 - The Return to Detroit - 7PM - Joe Louis Arena - Hockeytown - VS. (Channel Varies) - WXDX (105.9 The X)

Matt@Penstation

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Pens get K.O. in 5th Round

The Pittsburgh Penguins won their game tonight against the New York Islanders by a score of 4 to 3. The young stars on each team made it an exciting game by streaking up and down the ice relentlessly. Both goaltenders, Sabourin for the Pens and MacDonald for the Isles, were tested early and often in the fast paced game.

The first period set the pace for the game, but only contained one of tonight's goals. Veteran Doug Weight got the first goal of the game at 16:23 of the first with helpers from Guerin and Hilbert. Both teams had 2 minutes of power play opportunity during the first, but neither resulted in anything more than a minor penalty on the score sheet.

The second period continued the pace set in the first, but contained much more action on the score sheet. Teagues Kennedy scored at 2:16 of the second to tie the game at 1 (Zigomanis and Cooke). Jackman and the Isles retook the lead in the 9th minute of play to bring the score to 2-1 NYI (Weight and Sutton). Hilbert then added a security goal, assisted by Okposo and Sutton, that would make the score 3-1 in favor of the Isles. Luckily for the Penguins, Staal kept up his strong play and netted a short breakaway goal that would bring the score to 3-2 New York. Malkin and Letang had the helpers on the goal which brought Malkin's assist total to 18 on the year and continued his point streak to 10 games. The Penguins had 6:38 worth of power play time in the period, but failed to score a goal.

The third period was led off with a continuation of the Pens power play opportunity from the second. The Islanders successfully killed off the remaining 1:22 to hold the Penguins to 0-4 on their power plays tonight. Sykora fought to get back on an Islanders scoring opportunity but took a hooking penalty during the 12th minute of the third. Luckily, Sabourin and the Pens killed off the short handed situation and stayed within 1 shot's ability of stealing points in New York.

There is nothing that can sum up the Penguins third period performance more than the word "dominant". The Penguins defense held strong and gave up a massive 1 shot during the whole third period. Sid and company turned the tides of the shots-on-goal war by amassing 18 shots during the period. It was due to this relentless effort that Tyler Kennedy managed to tie the game at 3 on a magnificent redirect from near the right wing circle. Goligoski and Zigomanis each added 1 to their assist column on the goal. Although both teams had scoring chances, the game would remain 3-3 and head into overtime.

The 4 on 4 overtime period was pretty sloppy, but largely due to the poor condition of the ice. Both teams did generate a couple of chances, but sure enough the teams headed to a shootout; the winner of this game was still clear as mud.

Sabourin entered the shootout with an .800 (4 out of 5) save percentage during shootout opportunities. He continued his 1 on 1 dominance in tonight's game by stopping all 3 of the Islander shooters. It was Petr Sykora on a beautiful backhand top-shelfer that won the game for the Pens.

Final score: 4-3 Penguins over the Islanders in a shootout. (NHL Score Sheet)

A couple of our notes pointed to the continued strong play of Jordan Staal. It was good to see Staaly net one that he had to work for and we are hoping he will continue the strong 2-way game he is known for.

One of the best things that we saw in tonight's game was the confidence that Miro Satan is currently playing with. Of all the Pens, he is certainly playing with the most apparent "swagger". One of our biggest criticisms of Miro has been his soft play against the boards and his unwillingness to fight for the puck. Satan showed steps toward being Hossa-like an all-around-contributer by getting involved at the drop of the puck and fighting hard with his body throughout the game. He didn't get a goal tonight, but we feel that this might have been his strongest game.

Gino is turning into the best player in the league. Nothing more, nothing less. 100% solid. Can he have his A back permanently? (Brooksy too)

Tyler Kennedy continues to make Penstation's love for grinders look like it is justified. We are certainly looking for more efforts like tonight from Teagues. I personally would love to see him end up with shaving cream on his face at the end of every game.

Look for our extended preview of Tuesday's Detroit game coming soon.

Let's Go Pens!

Matt@Penstation

3 of a Kind?

The Penguins look to make it three straight Saturday night when they travel to Long Island to face the division foe New York Islanders. The game starts at 7PM and will be broadcast on WXDX FM (105.9 The X) as well as FSN. As much as the Penguins would love to get a streak going, they may have to do so without Captain Kid. Sidney Crosby did not practice today and Michel Therrien was unsure whether or not he would play tomorrow (Pens).

With Rick Dipietro out, Joey MacDonald will get the nod in the game. With either Fleury or Sabourin playing, the Penguins should have the advantage in net. From what I've been reading, it looks like the Flower will get the start. Penstation is just hoping that the team in front of him isn't the 3rd period team from Thursday night.

This is a game that the Pens should win, even on the road. The kicker is going to be that it is a division game against a young and energetic hockey club that will be extremely excited to line up across Crosby and Malkin. This should be a fast paced game with a lot of scoring opportunities; look for most of them, however, to come in the Islanders zone.

The difference maker for the Penguins is going to be the defense. Although the team broke down allowing the 4 goals in the Oiler game, most of the goals were result of an odd situation on ice. Orpik and Letang should lead the Penguins to 2 points and a victory.

3-0 Penguins: Defense owns the game.

On a side note, I saw Zack and Miri and wanted to post a picture of Elizabeth Banks in her baby blue Pens jersey. Unfortunately, 30 minutes of searching led me to nothing. We'll have to get that one up when it becomes available.

Until then, LET'S GO PENS!

Matt@Penstation

Friday, November 7, 2008

5-4 Thriller

If Penstation was right about anything, it was that there was no acceptable prediction for last night's game. The Pens took a game that should have been a no-contest and make it look like a close thriller. With a massive 5-0 lead, the Oilers found a way to go into the third down by 4.

Even though the Pens scored 5 goals in the first two, it seemed as if the 3rd period was where the action was. The Oilers killed off about 7 minutes worth of penalties in the middle of the period including a 5 minute major and a full 2 minute 5 on 3. Fighting through that, the Oilers managed to put 3 on the board to make it a 1 goal game. Hemsky scored a goal that will be on highlight reals all season. I'll grab a copy of the "breakaway" and upload it for all to see sometime later today.

When all was said and done, Satan and Sykora netted 2 apiece with Talbot scoring a single short hander. The team looked great until the letdown began after enjoying the 5 goal lead.

Sorry about the short post, but we didn't have a lot of time to get a full recap up tonight.

Let's Go Pens!

Matt@Penstation

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Oilers @ Penguins 7:00 PM

The Oilers are in town to face off against your Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:00PM tonight. Only one thing is for dustin_pennercertain in this game, some of the best young talent in the NHL will be facing off against each other in tonight's game.

Dustin Penner leads the young group of Oilers into Mellon Arena. Penner was a part of the Stanley Cup winning Ducks franchise and signed a big deal with the Oilers prior to last season. After a disappointing year, look for Penner to explode and motivate the young team to improve toward a playoff birth.

The Oilers haven't had a consistent season this year, but they know how to score goals. The Penguins have shown just as much consistency, but looked to take a step toward greatness again in their previous game against the Blues. The Pens should win this game after a long rest at home that followed the 3 point road trip. The Oilers are playing their second game in as many nights and will be tired on the road. There are a lot of things to watch for in this game, but keep your eye on Jordan Staal. Staaly played a solid game in St. Louis and we are looking for him to net a real goal in this game.

Sid might have said that he wasn't bothered by Semin's comments, but we might know Crosby better than he knows himself. Look for The Kid to leave a trail of fire on ice tonight while he leads the Penguins to a 4-1 victory over the Oilers.

Matt@Penstation

No Grinder Left Behind

When Colby Armstrong was traded away during last season's "blockbuster" deal, the Penguins lost a player that put his heart into every second he played. Armstrong was not the best skater, he didn't have the hardest shot and he didn't pass with the eloquence of "The Great One". Colby Armstrong was, however, one of the hardest workers on the ice at all times. Because of this, Armstrong found himself skating next to Sid "The Kid" Crosby during a large part of his games.

In case the fans haven't caught on, Penstation is a big supporter of using grinders to compliment the Pens high octane offense. During the Blues game, Max Talbot did just that for The Kid. We fully expect Talbot to be playing opposite of Satan on the Penguins first line tonight. Handlebars Talbot may be an A&L Motor Sales "Superstar", but he has always been a star to his cult-like following of fans.


Talbot's hard work is represented best by his game 5 goal in last year's Stanley Cup Finals. Penstation is looking for more hard work to come from Max during his time alongside Sid. Talbot has scoring potential with Sid, but will do his best work grinding the boards behind the cage and getting the puck to Sid and Satan. Look for Talbot to light up the ice tonight when the Penguins take on the Edmonton Oilers at 7pm EST.

By the way, you will be able to catch Talbot's goal again when FSN Pittsburgh plays game 5 during its Thanksgiving replay classics. The network will also air the Winter Classic '08 game along with all of 2008's instant Penguins classics (Pens).

Matt@Penstation

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Penstation@Robinson Tonight

Penstation will be at Robinson Mall tonight for the unveiling of the Penguins 3rd jerseys. I am trying to put together a prize or two for a drawing at the event, but we will see what happens. I will be passing out flyers with the new Penstation.info address on it to encourage even more viewers to make Penstation.info a common stop for their Penguins reads. We will be getting lots of pictures and I will try to get a few questions in with some of our favorite Pens!

If anyone will be at the event, drop us a line at Penstation.Blog@gmail.com to meet up.

***Edit*** There is a good chance that we will not be able to make it due to a prior arrangement. The unveiling of the jerseys takes place from 6-7pm and we were only going to make an appearance sometime during the 6:00 hour due to the previous engagement. Sorry for not being able to be there, but Penstation will be at the Steeler game this Sunday in full force. We are talking about hot dogs and beverages in one of the lots surrounding the stadium. Stay tuned for an official announcement regarding Sunday's game and tailgate info.


Matt@Penstation

Brodeur Out 3-4 Months

Dominant Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur will be out for 3 to 4 months after requiring surgery to be performed this Thursday. Brodeur suffered damage to his left bicep earlier this week during a Devils win. The Vezina Trophy winner had a 51 consecutive games streak until he was forced to sit out of Monday's game.

This is now 2 goaltenders out in the Atlantic Division. Hopefully no more go down, but the division of tender supremacy is wearing thin. We'll see how this plays out, but the Devils and the Islanders will be without their big money makers for quite some time.

Matt@Penstation

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

A Change for Everyone

vertchangeABC News and CNN have both reported that Senator Barack Obama will officially be declared President - Elect. It appears that Obama will win in a landslide victory; he is already projected 300 electoral votes with several states yet to report.

Now that this is all over with, Let's Go Pens!

Matt@Penstation

Penstation.info

As of this morning, Penstation.info will now forward to Penstation.blogspot.com. You don't have to change anything or update bookmarks if you don't like. Depending on site growth in the future, Pensation could move off of blogspot and into a private hosting environment. For now, continue visiting penstation.info or penstation.blogspot.com for your Penguins blogger needs.

Thanks for the wonderful support in the early going!

Matt@Penstation

Be Heard in 2008

I know that this isn't a normal sports topic, but we'll jump on the ESPN bandwagon. This could very well be the most important election in United States history. For those of you that live in the US, it is very important to exercise your right to vote today. It is not a matter of who you are voting for and this is not the right forum for pitching political opinions, but it is the right forum to make sure everyone makes a decision for themselves and goes to their local voting center to see that their vote counts.

mccain_obama

May the best candidate win. Good luck America.

Matt@Penstation

MLS Penguins; More Blues Again Wednesday

For those that haven't heard, Miro Satan and Jordan Staal are soccer stars. The Penguins held a limited practice at Southpointe's Iceoplex this afternoon. Instead of lacing up on the familiar ice side of the rink, they kicked around a soccer ball on the turfed side. From the sounds of things, Miroslav Satan and Jordan Staal are quite the footballers.

While I think playing a variety of sports is always a good idea, I don't think putting your star player and injured captain in a soccer net is particularly smart. According to friends that were at the practice, Sid had a noticeable limp and probably should have omitted practice today. I didn't hear whether or not he was being an aggressive goaltender, but hopefully Staaly was scoring so many goals (5) because The Kid was standing still. Oh well, all is good.

Most of you already know that the Pens will be "unveiling" their 3rd jersey for this season. You also will sid_winter_classicalready know that it is the familiar powder blue jersey Sid and his crew wore in 2008's Winter Classic shootout thriller. The unveiling is taking place at Robinson Mall's Dick's Sporting Goods. Be there Wednesday (5 November 2008) from 6:00 to 8:00pm to witness the event. On hand will be players models Letang, Kennedy, Goligoski, Bissonnette and Godard. I am going to do what I can to be there for the event (taking pictures of course), but would love to know if some of you readers are going to make it out there. Toss me an email at Penstation.Blog@gmail.com and let me know who's going to be there.

Let's Go Pens!

Matt@Penstation

Monday, November 3, 2008

Ovechkin Back in US, but Semin the Star?

MVP Alex Ovechkin returned back to the US today after visiting with his grandfather in Russia. With 2g and 5a on the year, I am not exactly sure what makes him so special. Sure, he is a great player to have on your team, but all he can do is skate well, have a good head, pass well and put up 100 point seasons. Isn't Alexander Semin the real star?

Semin (24) was the Capitals first round selection in 2002 (13th overall). He is currently the 2nd leading ovechkin_seminscorer in the league, behind Malkin, but Pittsburgh knows him more for his off-ice antics. Semin said in a Yahoo Sports interview, "What's so special about [Crosby]? I don't see anything special there. Yes, he does skate well, has a good head, good pass. But there's nothing else." (Yahoo!).

Sorry Mr. Semin, but Sidney Crosby is the leader of the NHL's young talent. Whether or not he is the leagues best player and the new NHL's savior is yet to be determined. There is no doubt that players such as yourself, Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Corey Perry are all going to be great players. The NHL today has the best young group of stars that I have ever seen; frankly, I enjoy watching each player and will continue to do so. When the final whistle blows, Sid "The Kid" Crosby will still be the face of the NHL. He has an on-ice and off-ice presence that is matched by none. This Kid is making things possible and making dreams come true. I know that what you said came through an interpreter and was most likely a meaningless statement, but if you want to be a star, you need to know when to fill your mouth with your sushi and know when to talk. Because, after all, being a SUPERstar is more than grabbing points.

Matt@Penstation

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Brodeur Streak Ends at 51

In inner-division news, Martin Brodeur suffered what looked to be a left arm injury in last night's win against the Thrashers. Information 306-brodeur081101about the injury is unclear at this point, but the Devil organization will be taking a close look over the next few days. Brodeur, who had started 51 consecutive games, will sit out in Monday night's game. I will be sure to update everyone on the Vezina holder's status as more information becomes available.

Matt@Penstation

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Penscap - Blues Medicated, Pens win 6-3

Look for Penscaps throughout the season. Penscaps will be a special edition recap that is updated throughout the game. Due to my inability to be at the tv for the full length of every broadcast, Penscaps won't be available for every game. Feel free to comment or email at Penstation.Blog@gmail.com

1st Period

The Pens came out looking much better than I had anticipated. Malkin and committee look like they have some of the fire back that makes them a championship contender. The Pens had quite a few chances on their first power play opportunity of the night, but couldn't put one home. Cooke and Orpik are looking like they are ready to make a physical statement in St. Louis and we'll be looking forward to them putting bodies on ice through the 2nd and 3rd.

Satan was reunited with Crosby and scored his 6th of the year. Unfortunately, the Penguins still enter the dressing room with a 2-1 disadvantage. It is good to see, however, that Therrien is giving Satan another shot up with The Kid. I had always thought that he separated the line prematurely, but only time will tell. Letang and Crosby had helpers on the goal.

My favorite part of the 1st period was the new-look Jordan Staal. Staal has a jump in his step that we haven't seen since the postseason; hopefully a trade rumor or two reminded Jordan that he has to work for his new contract. Staal is playing with Kennedy and Cooke which could turn into a very productive grinder line. The two high energy players on Staals wings will hopefully spark him towards his first goal of the season.

2nd Period

Uh oh, Letang.

Letang is continuing to play out of his mind defensively. His small stature means nothing since he throws his body like he's got Orpik's frame. With that said, it did appear that he suffered a hand injury on a big time slash in front of of the Pens net. Letang did return to the ice and appears to be his normal self. Hopefully the wrist will be fine.

Staaly had a 2v1 with Kennedy and chose to rip a big snap shot. It was great to see the big guy throw the puck at the net and we are hoping he continues to do so. The line is moving very well and we are looking for bigger things from our third line.

Goligoski tied the game at 2 as predicted, but in the 2nd period. He took a weak wrist shot but provided proof to the old adage that 100% of the shots you don't take, don't go in. I'm just glad he remembered how to shoot. Throw the puck on net and the Pens will generate goals and opportunities.

Tkachuk buried a puck that was disallowed due to a high sticking call next to The Flower's mask. Blues fans were disappointed, but we're certainly ok with it.

Oshie left for the Blues' locker room after Zigomanis' stick appeared to bend his knee on a faceoff. Injuries aren't fun for anyone, especially knees. We'll certainly hope for his return.

The Penguins continued to look dumbfounded on their 3rd power play of the game until Malkin put a sniper-shot between the eyes of the twine. 3-2 Pens.

Annnnnnnnd there's our grinder goal. Tyler "Teagues" Kennedy put his effort to work on Mason's pad and fought a puck into the net beside the post. 37 seconds between goals, 4-2 lead, St. Louis timeout. Welcome back Penguins.

3rd Period

The Pens power play unit looked fantastic, but again failed to take advantage of the extra man. Goligoski had a prime opportunity to bury the puck, but fanned on the pass from Malkin. If the Pens are going to continue using Malkin with a defensemen, they need to look at using Letang more. Goligoski was lined up stage-left where he has a tougher shot to take. Letang would have been on his off-side wing and would have had a much easier time burying that puck. With Sid playing the right-side wing, Letang would be perfect across from him and Gino up top.

On a side note, Steigerwald seemed to be confused as to why Staaly doesn't slip through defenders more often. As an example, he cited the "Big Guy" Mario's ability to do just that. Luckily for those of us watching at home, Errey politely let Steigy know that he was talking about Mario vs Jordan Staal. Thanks for reassuring us that they weren't on the same level............

The Penguins did get a brief power play opportunity, but didn't have much time since it followed a 4 on 4 session. I just wanted to point out that the Penguins did throw Letang out there with the top unit. Hopefully the boys on the bench realized that he would have the more natural shot with the power play line they put out there tonight.

Though the Guino's defensive effort remained solid, the Blues were able to make it a 4-3 game at about the 16 minute mark of the third.

Don't worry, though. Talbot picked a spot and made sure it connected to make it a 5-3 game. Less than a minute apart, "Handlebars" made sure the Pens would go home with more than a point.

The Blues pulled the tender with 2:30 left in order to make a last-minute effort. Jordan Staal played an excellent game and deserved EVERY OUNCE of the empty netter that Gino fed him. Congrats, Staaly. Glad you showed up, would you like to stay a while?

6-3 Pens and Elvis has just left the building.

Matt@Penstation

Pesonen, Malkin, Sykora

Initial thoughts led to Pesonen being Sid's new "star" wing, but at the start of tonight's game against the Blues, Pesonen sits as Malkin's left hand man. We will see how this chemistry works, but I am loving the high point potential the line sits on.

Matt@Penstation

Pens Recall Janne Pesonen; Crosby to Play

In an effort to generate more points, the Penguins recalled Finnish Elite League superstar Janne Pesonen. 449px-Pesonen_Janne_KärpätPesonen has 9 points in just 7 games (2g, 7a) for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Baby) Penguins looks to have Petr Sykora potential in the NHL, especially with his potential centers. He finished last season with Oulu Karpat scoring 78 points in 56 games (34g, 44a). Look for Pesonen to possibly get some playing time next to Crosby to try and bring a scoring touch to the Pens' first line.

On that note, Crosby is set to play tonight. Expect Crosby, who suffered an undisclosed injury Thursday, to come out working on all cylinders. Captain Kid is going to come out on the ice tonight looking to prove that the Penguins are still everything that they were last year. When you are a captain, there are times when you must handle criticism by talking to the media and times that you need to take care of business on the ice. This is one of those times where Crosby needs to set the on ice pace for the Penguins.

Lead us into temptation, Sid. Deliver us some goals.

Matt@Penstation