After a little bit of a slide, the Penguins rebounded nicely with a 6-3 win over the Atlanta Thrashers last night. The win was a big one as the Penguins control just a 1 point lead over the Devils for 3rd place in the Atlantic Division. Even though the Penguins celebrated their 17th win, there are several Christmas presents that have come early; each one tops the win over Atlanta.
- Marc-Andre Fleury returned to his home between the pipes last night. Fleury, who's injury was never fully disclosed, missed several games while Dany Sabourin filled in wonderfully. Despite solid play by Sabourin and John Curry, Fleury was missed and the team will be glad to have him back.
- The Penguins and Ray Shero have announced a two-year contract deal with forward Maxime Talbot. The deal will keep Talbot wearing powder blues through the 2010-2011 season.
- Ryan Whitney and Michel Therrien are planning for Whitney to play on the 23rd of December. The game against the Lightning on the 23rd would mark the first time that Whitney has played since the Stanley Cup finals. Whitney had surgery on his foot to repair a chronic problem and has been missed, especially on the power play, this season.
With three early gifts like that, it is easy to forget that the Pens played last night. It was great to see the offense return to put up 5+ goals once again. It was even better to see that Fleury looked to be his agile self in net for the black and gold. Fleury made several key saves throughout the game. A left toe save off of a deflected shot was all I needed to see to be glad that he was back. Fleury was moving left to right and got his left leg out an extra inch to send the would-be-goal wide. It is saves like that one that we need to be reminded of just how good the Flower is.
As for our three stars, you could probably have guessed them yourself.
- Evgeni Malkin (2g, 2a)
- Matt Cooke (1g)
- Jordan Staal (1g, 1a)
Some might question our choice for Matt Cooke, but his high energy and punishing hits sparked the Pens to their win. As for Gino and Staaly, their stats explain everything. For full game stats, be sure to check out the NHL game summary.
The Penguins will be looking for more Christmas joy when they play the Toronto Maple Leafs at Mellon Arena tomorrow. Game time is 7:00. It's a busy season, but whether you are home or on the road, Fox Sports Net and 105.9 The X will have the game as usual.
Let's Go Pens!
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