Pens Defeat Wings in SO

Hey Pens' Fans,

This afternoons game was a good one to watch.  Early on, it seemed that nothing the Pens did could get them a goal.  The team finally cashed in, when Crosby got his 34th of the season.  The Pens out shot the wings today and seemed to out play them for a large bit of the game too.  The Wings are definetly not the same team they were last season.  They are not playing up to that caliber.  Fleury played well in  net today.  When the game went into the OT, we all new that it would go to the shoot out.  Sid got the SO winner and Malkin also put one in the net in the SO.  It was a good game and fun to watch.  It was no where near, as heated or intense as previous meetings between these two team.  A win is a win and this was a big for us on many levels.

Rumors

Hey Pens' Fans,

I really haven't heard much in the line of rumors that involve the Pens. Everyone is talking Kovalchuk and there is little else out there that anyone is noticing. When there is a big rumor, as big as, this one, a lot of things fall by the wayside and we get blindsided by some of the deals. I know that Shero is going to do something. I think is will more than likely be on a small scale. I don't forsee any of the "Craig Patrick-like" blockbusters occuring, but he may move multiple players. I wouldn't be suprised, if nothing much goes down before the Olympic break. There is a key fact to remember: Just because there is a trade freeze during the break, does not mean that the GMs won't have a long time to talk and line things up for when that is lifted. I don't think that the deadline for the trade freeze will be anywhere near, as active as, the true trade deadline.
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Pens Fall to Sens

Hey Pens' Fans,

Well, tonight was not the best of times for our Pens, but it was not the worst either. Malkin's goal was the only time we managed to to put one in the twine. We seemed to be shooting a fairly decent amount tonight. It was not one of those games where we all are frustrated by the lack of shooting. That is one thing that they definetly improved on. Fleury seemed a little shaky in net, but in turn, the defense seemed to be a bit out of sorts. They didn't seem like they could work in any sort of congruent manner. I would expect that Bylsma will juggle the lines again before Wings game to try to get that spark back in the team.
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It is that Time of the Year...

... rumor time that is.

Here is what I have heard so far on the Pens rumor front. This year is just liek the others with outlandish rumors coming out of everywhere and some credible ones surfacing in ways I would not imagine. I have heard the Pens connected to everyone from Kovalchuck, to Selanne, to Neidermayer. I personally don't think these are extrememly likely, but we have all seen stranger things. In the past few years, the rumor that would not die was Recchi to the Pens. That is not the case this year, but Sykora to the Pens seems to be the current trend. I do not forsee this occuring. He has been on waivers and no one, including the Pens bit. I think this may be the rumor we all dread to hear and will continue to hear over and over again.

Now onto the rumors that seem to have more real potential or, at least intrigue. One rumor that I have been hearing is that the Pens are taking a look at Raffi Torres, of Columbus. Now, I like this rumor. I think Torres would fit into our team. He has 16 goals so far this season and is not afraid to shoot the puck. His style compliments nicely with our lineup and the current vibe is that the Blue Jackets will move him before the deadline. Another credible rumor that has some merrit, would be that of the Pens interest in Alexei Ponikarvosky. this is another play that would fit and also fit in our cap like Torres. Ponikarovsky has been a stable player for the Leafs and with current play they need a shakeup and this may be a move they try.

Now on the front of who the Pens are trying to shop to other teams, it has been pretty quiet. I have not heard who would be someone to lose on any consistant basis. The names that I have seen tossed around oin rumor land are: Dupuis, Skoula, McKee,and Eation. I have not seen any of these in enough places or with enough credibility to put much stock in it yet. I have seen it enough to not ignore, however.

I will have more on the rumors as I hear it. Please feel free to post your thoughts or rumors as a comment and I will see what I can find for you.

Pens Top Rangers

Hey, Pens' Fans,

Oh, what a night? This was a fun game to watch. The Pens topped the Rangers 4-2. Fleury returned in net and did not disappoint making 28 saves on the night. Conner had two goals and Malkin and Dupuis each added one, as well.

Gologoski, Guerin, and Talbot all missed the game due to injuries tonight. Skoula stepped into Gologoski's role and Conner was recalled from Wilkes-barre/Scranton. Conner definetly decided to make an impression in his time with the big club. He played a strong game. To top it off, he scored two goals. His play was very good and he definetly filled the void he was called up to and then some. I would expect to see him up here more often if he continues to work this hard, even without multi-goal games.

The Pens seem to be battleing through thier injury rash and seem to be playing like the team we have become accustomed to seeing. Thursday will be another test against the Senators, but the real task will be the weekend game against the Wings.

Pens Defeat Flyers

Hey, Pens' Fans,

The Pens were on the road in Philly for an early afternoon game on NBC. The Pens topped their cross-state rivals by a score of 2-1. As always, the game did not disappoint. Johnson was in goal for the Pens and made 27 saves. The rest of the Pens played a tough game, as well. Gonchar and Cooke had the goals. This game was turning into a grudge match. It was tied for so long and both teams were so close, yet so far, from taking the lead. The Pens finally broke the 1-1 stalemate late in the third. It was a classic game between these two opponents and no one disappointed. The only thing I missed was the local coverage. Somehow it is not quite the same with the NBC announcers, but that is what the radio coverage is for. It was a well played game.
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Silence is Broken

Hey Pens' Fans,

I apologize for my absense from posting this season. I back now and hope that I can get this blog back to what it once was. So, I am going to jump right into it.

Recently, the Pens have had a bit of a rash of injuries sweep through the team. I know that they way they are playing, at the moment, is not what we had become accustomed to from last season. The Penguins are a formidable team and there are somethings that need to be worked on even without the injuries. The loss of Talbot and Dupuis in recent games hit the team harder than I thought. The loss of Fleury was something that we knew could be bad. I have nothing against Johnson and he is stepping up and doing his best. Unfortunetly, his best and out defesnse together are not enough at times. We are not the most defensive team out there and with Fleury in net, it is not as noticable. Don't get me wrong. We do have a lot of talented defensman. We also have some that really need to step up their game. Most notably, I think that Letang is great for us in some situations. I like his paly and that he can be offensive, when he needs to be. In our own end, he plays well, but he needs to be more defensive. I know that he is an offensive defensman, but step it up and block some shots. Also, Mark Eaton is another player that needs to stepup his game on all levels. The fact that he continues to get the amount of ice time he does just amazes me. I know I have a bit of a reputation for disliking Eaton, but I do feel that he can play better. I nhave seen him play better and he needs to do that again. On an offensive note, Malkin snapping out of his slump could not have come at a better time. We really need him to play his game and he had been down for a quite a while. Thinks are still looking fairly positive for the Pens. Major credit needs to be given Bylsma. The way he has juggleed the line with the revolving door of a roster has gone fairly well. I do really think he has quite a knack for pairing players with linemates that will work well, even if they were just called up. There were many good things to be taken from the lose to the Caps and they way the team worked together was one of them. It just all fell apart in the end. Hopefully, the team can step it up against the Flyers and really hold their own. A big win like that would do wonders foir them right now. More later....