The Next Level!

The last two Penguin games have been heart stoppers. It seemed that we forgot how to play our style of hockey. I was actually worried about the series simply because we let them take control. Then, out out nowhere, our hero emerged. Was he on the first line? Nope. Second line? Nope again. Third? Wrong again. It was our hometown favorite Max Talbot to the rescue. It is amazing what a simple fight can do for a team. And they want to take fighting out of hockey? This is the definition of why it needs to stay in!

In game five at home, we played great in the first period, out shooting the Flyers 15-5 and getting all kinds of chances. Unfortunately none went behind Biron. The spirits were down and the Flyers scored one more in the second and two in the third to clinch it. We were outplayed and outmaneuvered in the second two periods. We somehow forced ourselves out of that game. We let them win that battle. It was at home as well. It shouldn't have happened. The battle we can lose, but not the War!

Game six started almost the same way, although we looked much better. The Flyers got two quick goals in the first though and one early in the second and it looked like game five all over again. I was scared to come back to Pittsburgh for game seven. I know how I felt last year when other teams were not able to close it out and forced into it. I felt that they weren't Stanley Cup quality. That is just how my mind works. I feel if a team can't close it out soon after going up three games to one or none, they won't make it to the finals. I am glad the Pens didn't give me that thought.

At 4:21 in the second period, we were down 3-0. Every minute before that mark in the second, we looked like we were done. We looked like we were going to lose and deservedly so. Then Max Talbot got on the ice and started talking to Daniel Carcillo, an ex-Penguin for Wilkes-Barre. He used to play with Max down there. Now, as far as fighting goes, you don't typically fight when you are up 3-0, simply because you could possibly, win or lose, give the other team some momentum. When Max asked for the fight, Carcillo was hesitant even though he wanted to, but with some encouragement from the bench, he agreed. This was the best example of a player being a bonehead. Max may have been beaten in that fight, but what happened afterward with the team was nothing short of amazing.

In a matter of 14 seconds after the fight, Evgeni Malkin crashed the net and Ruslan Fedotenko push the puck in past Biron's right pad. He finally broke the ice after a game and a half of not scoring. It also looked as if it broke Biron's will to play on the level he had been previously. Before the period was up, we had Mark Eaton and Sidney Crosby scoring in a similar fashion, batting the puck out of mid-air into the net after a juicy rebound. If you do the math right, we tied it. If the Flyers truly deserved to win this one, they wouldn't have let that tying goal in.

Just past two minutes into the third period the clincher happened. Malkin skated into the zone and it looked like he pushed their defense back, without actually touching anyone. He then had a nice little dish to Sergei Gonchar who wound up and fired his signature slap shot into the top left corner of the net. Biron didn't have a prayer. They let the Penguins control the ice. That was all she wrote aside from the hard fought empty netter by Crosby in the end. We won the game and clinched the series, now we wait for our next opponent.

Now, back to fighting. I am a big proponent of fighting in hockey, but only a certain kind. This was it. It was the type that comes with passion and emotion. Now I have said that I didn't like the ones right after the faceoff, but in this case, it was right. I guess it is circumstantial. What I mean is that when you send your heavyweight guy out that is know to be a fighter and the other team does as well, it isn't an emotional fight. It is just their jobs and doesn't have the same effect. Now, if the great hockey minds can figure out how to control the difference, that would make it great!

Just to let you know, Boston won its series as the first seed, so if the Rangers knock off Washington today, no matter what, Boston would face them and we would get whomever wins between New Jersey and Carolina. If the Rangers eventually lose the series against the Caps, then we would play Boston. I don't care who we play, but think of this...the last two times we played Boston in the Conference Finals, we won and went on to win the Stanley Cup!

Let's Go Pens!

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Loving It!

How about them Pens!

Now, I didn't love the two temporary comebacks from the Canadiens, but I did love the way we played. Malkin scored an incredible goal and Sykora scored a great goal, which is nothing out of the normal routine for them. The thing that wasn't routine was the in front of the goal deflection by Satan, the crash the net goal by Talbot, and (the best one of all) Gonchar scoring a slapper from the point. It was like the good old Penguins. The 94th consecutive sellout was screaming like maniacs, almost like a playoff game.

“When we play a real good game you’ll see extended periods in the offensive zone,” Bylsma said. “It’s up-and-down hockey. It’s not run-down hockey we’re looking to play. We’re looking to play offensive zone time and repeatedly get shift after shift after shift where we can (pin) them in and gain the momentum that way.”

The differences I noticed between Therrian's system and Bylsma's system are as follows:

1. On offense, the defense is chipping in and sometimes even going deep, even when it doesn't look like their is a play developing. I saw on several occasions the defense were in deeper than a winger.
   
2. On defense, the offense was backchecking and giving the defensemen room to move the puck and dig it out of the corners easier. This clogs up the opposing offense and doesn't give them a clear possession. “From behind the bench I saw good things going on the offense, speed, going north-south quickly. I think what I was most pleased with was how I saw our forwards come back in a lot of situations. I think we lifted up sticks, about 10 or 12 times with our forwards coming back and tracking down their forwards.”-Bylsma


3. On the power play, I really couldn't pinpoint significant differences, all except for execution.


4. On the penalty kill, I saw the defenders attacking the opposition, making nothing clean for the other team. With the exception of the 5 on 3, it worked perfectly and actually created some offense for us.

They seem to be subtle changes according to the players and the coaches, but it looked nothing like the team under Therrian. Not even last year's team had this grit and tenacity. We took it to them hard and fast. The exciting thing is that this was under two days preparation. They will get another practice in tomorrow before the back to back games aginst the Flyers then the Capitals. I think these two games will be a huge statement to the seriousness of our resolve. If we truly want to get into the playoffs and make some noise, we need to win one, if not both these games. They are huge rivalry games and they are both on the rise.

“I told the players before the game, how you play is going to send a message to the fans and to the Canadiens in tonight’s game,” Bylsma said. “Our guys were focused. Our guys were ready to go. I think they had a clear understanding of what was at stake and how we wanted to play. While I said it wasn’t perfect, I think we sent the message nice and clear. This is a team where we think we can go and play aggressive and we were aggressive offensively more like we wanted to be, and it was a great message.”

I hope the other teams at the bottom of the standings that are within striking distance hear us loud and clear. I am really looking forward to the two games this weekend now.

"We were playing aggressive and took advantage of some good chances. It was a pretty high tempo, and that's the way we want to play," said Sidney Crosby, whose quick pass across the slot set up Malkin's 26th goal. "We were reacting out there pretty well, but at the same time we still have a few kinks to work out."

I completely agree...I can also see us getting a whole lot better too.

"It was not really deflating -- yes, they were coming back but ... I don't think guys were worried, guys were still confident and nobody really had their head down going, 'Here we go again,"' Talbot said. "Guys were ready to go again, we played with passion and desperation and got a big two points."

"Yes, they came back but everybody on the bench said, ‘OK, we can still do this,'" Talbot said. "They came back and the game was tied, but we kind of knew we were going to win that game. The way we played all night, and guys were not worried like the way we have been in the last couple of months. If that game would have happened a couple of months ago, guys would have been like, ‘Oh, here we go again.’ But tonight the guys were upbeat and we knew we could win.”

I think this was the key quote for me in this game. It is completely unlike something our team would have said a couple months ago. As soon as I read it, I just smiled.

"It's definitely a more fun way for us to play," Orpik said. "It's going to take time to get used to and we were a little sloppy at times, but I thought the work ethic was the best we've had in a while."

“Matt Cooke got me the puck,” Bylsma said. “I told him he’s 10 favors for the coach away from getting in front of the net on the power play.”

“When you play a 60-minute game, the plan is to invest and to wear down and force them to play a pace that makes it hard to keep up for 60 minutes,” Bylsma said. “That’s why it’s a 60-minute game. So we kept playing the pace and we said after the second period, this is a team that played last night, we have to keep playing at that pace and keep attacking aggressively. We have to track back, don’t give them chances to get in the offensive zone. Our thought going out, if we can continue to play at the pace that we established for most of the first two periods, that we would have a good opportunity to get some chances to win the game.”

One thing I am really looking forward to is March 4th. There is a billion rumors running rampant in the league involving the Pens and everyone that is a winger. Keep your eyes and ears open. I watch pretty closely, so keep an eye on my twitter. That sounds serious..Ha Ha.

I believe that moving Therrian and his system out was the best thing for this team, even though he seems to have convinced the entire hockey world that he was the best thing since sliced bread. Good for him, he might get another head coaching job sooner this way.

I think this weekend is key. How we play this weekend will show the league we are back and ready to start defending our Eastern Conference Championship trophy. It may be late, but not too late. Remember, we are four points out of a playoff spot, but six points out of fifth place in the East. I like our position and our spot. It is the perfect time to get hot and roll into the playoffs.

Let's Go Pens!

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Finally!

Now I am all about giving people second chances, but I believe that it was apparent that it was the team that got up for San Jose the other night, and not the coach. I don't think the coach had anything to do with the team winning that game, or he would had instituted that inspiration against the Maple Leafs last night. That was an embarrassing loss, especially because of where we came from and where we want to be. I wanted Michel Therrian ousted weeks ago. I felt that he wasn't able to get the team to play better, no matter how hard he tried. He couldn't inspire them to want to win, even when they looked down and out. He also seemed to have rifts with several players. I understand that everyone is not always going to get along, but we all saw the things that he was trying and most of us didn't agree. I was willing to give him a second chance a few weeks later when we started a new style and it worked. The Pens have enough talent to win these games. It takes a good coach to make the team. We won so much last year, I believe, solely based on talent alone. Reality set in when you could see that the Pens really didn't want to play for him anymore. They needed a change. I think Therrian was a great minor league coach and knew how to work with that level of talent. He had troubles with his other team that he headed up as well, ironically around this same timeline. It seems he can get the team to a certain level and then can't get them any further. I am quite pleased with this decision and actually think it should have been done a couple months ago.

Enough about Therrian. About the playoffs: “That’s our goal,” Shero said. “It’s been uphill battle. This is a resilient group. I’m looking for Dan to come in with the coaches here to rally the troops. We’re looking to make some progress here and make a push. “

The Pens made their AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Baby Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma the interrim head coach. Balysma retired from the NHL after the 2004-05 season, right before the lockout. He is merely 38 years old and on the fast track for a head coaching position. Balysma may be the ticket to encourage the players the right way instead of the way Therrian did. He played parts of 429 games for Los Angelos Kings and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. He was more of a defensive offenseman. He coached for the Ducks affiliate in Cincinnati as well as assistant coach for the Baby Pens during their Calder Cup Finals. He started coaching as an assistant for the New York Islanders. Some say that he is excellent in developing talent. He has been working well with the Baby Pens talent. They have a combined record of 98-49-5-8 since coming aboard last year. I don't know how permanent this coaching change is, but I can see them holding on to him for the rest of the season, obviously, and depending on how the Pens play the rest of the season. The Pens surprisingly reassigned Andre Sarvard to somewhere withing the organization. They also kept assistant Mike Yeo and goaltending coach Gilles Meloche where they are. Tom Fitzgerald, the Penguins’ director of player development, will join the staff as an assistant coach. I like this change all except for keeping Yeo. We have the league's worst power play and that is Yeo's bread and butter.

The new staff will have today and the morning skate, if they have one, tomorrow to prepare for the New York Islanders. Every game from here on is a must win. I was encouraged when I read what Balysma had to say: “I’m a passionate person and energetic person,” Bylsma said. “I believe you need commitment, passion and a high energy level. That’s how I approach life. We have a great challenge that we should enjoy. We should bring all that energy to the rink (Monday) .” “To have an opportunity to coach a team with this much talent and this much possibility is a great chance for me,” Bylsma said. “I look at the players and the roster and I look at a group that can win games right now. We need to do that starting (Monday) on the Island. Players have to believe that we can do this. That’s the approach that we’ll take.” I am impressed with him already, so hopefully their will be a ripple effect on the rest of the team. “Teams should be forced to deal with our speed and skill and we need to be an aggressive group,” Bylsma said. “We’re going to try to get the guys on their toes and going, bringing passion and work ethic to game. If we focus on playing back to our strength and get away from the situation it’s been for a while here, you’ll see a team that can compete and be a contending team.” Like I said earlier, though, I am confused about them moving Sarvard out and leaving Yeo in. Is it really execution of the plays he draws up or are the plays and thought process that bad this year just because Gonchar has been gone. Who knows. I guess we will find out. I am sure Crosby and Malkin would love to have steady linemates. Orpik, who had a recognized problem with Therrian, should be quite happy. I hope this change is right inline with a quality trade.

I have heard so many rumors, who knows what to expect. As I recall last year, we didn't hear anything about us getting Hossa, so who knows what Shero has up his sleeve this year. I know he is shopping Whitney and Staal. I know alot of you are saying how you want to be rid of Whitney and Staal and their contract. I agree only with Whitney, and only because we have NHL ready offensive defenseman on the Baby Pens squad. I think he absence from the team for the first couple months hurt him. When he came back, there was so much pressure to perform since Gonchar wasn't there, he hasn't been able to play as well. I think his performance in the playoffs last year is a big selling point. Ok, now, onto Staal. I would love to see what a good coach can do with him. He is in need of a little development, we all know that. He is still young enough in age and his career to make subtle changes the way he plays to make him better. I am going to sit here and hope for the best.

I would love to see something happen in this game to give us all hope.

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Pens Win

Well, alot of things happened last night that surrounded the Penguins. Pittsburgh had several more players not play due to injury totalling eight. Here is our injury list:

Sidney Crosby (lower body), Max Talbot (upper body), Rob Scuderi (head), Kris Letang (lower body), Pascal Dupuis (knee), Ruslan Fedotenko (broken right hand), Sergei Gonchar (left shoulder), and Mike Zigomanis (undisclosed). The Pens also lost Brooks Orpik (upper body injury) during the game, although Orpik says it wasn't an injury that should take significant game time.

Pittsburgh called up Janne Pesonen and Bill Thomas for this game to go along with the other Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins players in Chris Minard and Paul Bissonnette. Considering the way Pittsburgh has been playing as of late, the Pens were not expected to win.

With the help of Matt Cooke and Hal Gill, the Pens prevailed 3-1. I kept seeing interviews with Cooke before and after the game and he kept mentioning getting back to the way they played at Philadelphia. This made me think that Washington the other night got the Pens off their game. I believe that the team is convinced that they have to play the trap right now and be patient to win games in the current situation. Pittsburgh has won both games that they were able to completely install this system. I will say it is getting hard for them to get used to, but it works, so they are going to have to force themselves to use it.

Marc-Andre Fleury looked great in net and made several key saves. The only goal he let in was a Power Play goal in the second where he was beat by Ryan Getzlaf top shelf. Fleury didn't have a chance. The Penalty Kill sorta let him down in that situation.

The Pens went 0 for 3 on the PP while the Ducks went 1 for 4. Pittsburgh played well on the PK after that first goal. The Pens had several short handed attempts to include our own Fox Chapel native Bill Thomas. Speaking of Pittsburgh area natives, Anaheim had one of their own in George Parros who hails from Washington.

Overall, it was a great team win, sadly it took everyone in the locker room to get injured, but it could prove to do a little of the same thing we had last year. Make the players play harder just because they now know they have to.

You can look at this game in two ways...We finally won or we have won two out of three!

Let's Go Pens!

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What is going on with the Penguins?

So, I have been watching the last couple months and have been at the point of every emotion my body is capable of. At first I was upset, then excited, then sad, now I am a mix between optimistic and disappointed. I know they usually take it up a notch in January and on into March, but we all know that injuries and timing of those injuries play a huge factor into the whole scheme of things.
So, here are my thoughts. We, yes I feel as though I am a member of this team as a loyal fan, usually start out slow and slowly build up. By usually I mean the last two playoff years. Well, we did things a little backwards this year and started off hot without or main defense. I think we played out of our minds for that matter. No, with even more injuries to our players that are significant role players and not superstars like Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, it is catching up to us. The losses of Tyler Kennedy, Mike Zigomanis, Hal Gill, and Maxime Talbot have been huge. I know, I know, you look at them and you think how can those players bring us down? They prove how important role players are in this league. I will start with Kennedy. He may be listed as 5' 11" and 183 lbs, but he plays like James Harrison of the Steelers. He throws what body he has around on every shift. He gives his body and soul to his team and what for? He has the Crosby passion we would like to see in all players. He creates a spark when he steps on the ice for that ever important third line. He helps Jordan Staal and Matt Cooke create things that otherwise shouldn't be there. Next I will move onto Zigomanis. You might ask what does a fourth liner bring to the table? Mike Zigomanis was only leading the league in faceoff percentage. If you think faceoffs don't matter, follow or record versus our faceoff percentage. It is amazing how much they coincide. I would even venture to say that goes back to the Stanley Cup Finals last year. I feel if we could have won those key faceoffs like we were with Zigomanis, we would have won the cup. Next on the list is big Hal Gill. He is a little more obvious, but I am going to key in on his Penalty Killing ability. Our PK has dropped off significantly since he went down with the injury. He covers up so much of the ice and mastered the defensive positioning. He may be slow, but for the most part he can be. By this I mean his positioning and decision making make this possible. I feel like Gill is one of the most underrated defensemen that we have. Finally I want to talk about Maxime Talbot. He has become the toast of the Penguins aside from Sid and Geno. He has that speed and ability to be so versitile and clutch. I feel that every team needs a player like him on their team. He just loves playing and gives his all everytime he steps on the ice. This attitude reflects over every member of this team. I think if we would have traded him instead of Colby Armstrong in that Marian Hossa deal last year, we would not have made it to the Finals. He is that important.
Overall, I am just saying the success of a team is the whole team, not just certain parts of it. Don't overlook anyone. Marc-Andre Fleury and Petr Sykora are difference makers as well. I think that we have the complete package this year when we are all healthy. All I have to say is thank God that our players that were going to get injured were in the first half of the season and not the last half.
I still stick by my prediction of the Stanley Cup Champions this year.

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