Win, Playoffs, MVP

A big win tonight, despite some last minute heroics by Tampa Bay, finally clinched a playoff birth for the Pens. With a final score of 6-4, some of the players finally got a monkey or two off their backs. It was also a night to add to Evgeni Malkin's resume for MVP this season. There is only two more games left in the season, one home and one away, and we can still clinch 4th in the conference for home ice advantage in the first round.

I will start off with a quick wrap up of the game, and considering I don't like giving you what is already out there and easily accessible, I won't go too far. We were up 4-0 at one point and then in a blink of an eye, we were only up 4-3. It was kinda ridiculous. We didn't let that stop us from clinching our third playoff ticket in a row. We got important goals tonight. What I mean by this is that certain players need to get back on the horse and start scoring before the playoffs start. One of them was Petr Sykora, he scored his 299th it seems like a year ago, but tonight he finally flung in his 300th career goal. Two other goal scorers are players that have, as of late, been scoring goals consistently. They are Ruslan Fedotenko and Matt Cooke. Our power play got rolling by the hands of Sidney Crosby who, finally, scored two of them in the second with helpers from Geno and Chris Kunitz. The final score ended up being 6-4, but it wasn't as close as it seemed.

We are currently relaxing in sixth place in the East and will more than likely end up playing New Jersey in the first round. The is a chance, however, that we can move up to fourth place as long as we win the last two games, home against the Islanders and in Montreal, while Philadelphia and Carolina both loses the remainder of their games. Actually, Philadelphia only has to lose two of their last three for us to overtake them. I look forward to seeing what ends up happening.

One quick note I really wanted you to realize is that we have 12 players in double digits in goals, 6 of those with 20+, and 2 are sitting at 30+. That is unprecedented depth for our team. Last year we had 11 with 10+, 5 with 20+, and one with 30+. So, basically, what I am saying is that we can roll all four lines and have one or two players on each line that has scored 10+ this season. That gives us a big advantage.

Just looking at the scoring standings between Malkin, Crosby, and Alex Ovechkin, it is getting down to the wire. Malkin is sitting at 110, Ovechkin at 108, and Crosby at 101. Unless there is some craziness occurring in the last couple games, this is how it will probably end up, just add a couple for each player. Now, it sounds funny, but the bigger thing..MVP. The very definition of the award is, "player adjudged most valuable to his team". So, you look where the Penguins would be without Malkin, or where the Capitals would be without Ovechkin. I think the Capitals would be lower in the standings, but still in the playoffs. I do not think that the Penguins make the playoffs this year without Malkin. I see a few in the rear view mirror like Pavel Datsyuk or Zach Parise. I say sure, but like the Capitals, both the Red Wings and the Devils would have made the playoffs without their star. I think there is more of an argument for Datsyuk than Ovechkin, to be completely honest. He should be the close second to Malkin. Ovechkin will get the Rocket Richard award for most goals, but he doesn't deserve any more than that. The only thing he brings to his team other than goals is hits. Datsyuk and Malkin play a more pivotal role on their respective teams. They are both centers, which requires a whole extra set of responsibilities as well as their takeaway skills and blocked shots put them heads and shoulders above everyone else. Malkin should get it though, based on his scoring lead as well as the need for him on his respective team.

Dan Bylsma has brought this team out of the depths of the draft lottery and put up right in the middle of the heap for the playoffs. If they would have replaced Michel Therrien when I asked for it in December or early January, we may have clinched the division a week ago and a playoff spot two weeks ago. Every team should be very afraid to battle us in the playoffs, they will be afraid.

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Practice, Games, then Playoffs

I don't know if everyone here gets to read about all the things that go on in practice nowadays, but I am loving it. It seems that Coach Bylsma has a serious fun side to his coaching. They have skills practices as well as tough, positioning practices. The skills practices sometimes turn into competitions, which in turn produces winners and losers. The losers have to get drinks for the team or has to grow a ridiculous mustache, amongst other things. This is the way a player want to practice. This is a good thing for this team.

I am going to dip into my Army past to explain why this is such a good thing. As a soldier just coming up in the ranks, I learned that I was willing to do more for my superiors if I wanted to, rather than if I had to. I know this sounds confusing, but stay with me here. If you want to rule with an iron fist (Michel Therrien) then expect to get exactly what you ask for, nothing more or less. If you rule by example and to the strengths of your people (Dan Bylsma) you get more out of them. They have the desire to make things better for you. They tend to try harder, which in turn, makes you look better. They succeed further than your expectations. What Bylsma is doing now is forming a re pore with the whole team as a unit. He is making them want to excel under his command. He is making them trust him no matter what. They really don't realize this yet. What they had under Therrien was the fear factor. They had to fear him to respect him, but he was never going to get any more out of this group because he made them do what he wanted. Bylsma doesn't have to use fear, he uses trust and desire to drive this team now.

We have a big game tomorrow night against the divisional leading New Jersey Devils. We faced a potential playoff opponent last week in Philadelphia, but failed to come through. We need to make a stand and show we are ready to take out the big guns. This is the final match up between these two teams this year and they lead us by a game. This is also another home game, one of the last this season. We need to prove that we won't be pushed around. The Devils are looking at getting back into the win column. This is something they haven't accomplished in five games. That's right, five. That is not the way you go into the playoffs. They are also fighting for that all important second seed just in case they play the Washington Capitals at some point in the playoffs.

Just looking at the standings and where we currently sit, it is very disturbing. We went 10-1-2 in March, but you know what? If we didn't, we would be out of the race altogether. That might clue you in on what a hole we dug ourselves into this year. We are in sixth place right now, one point behind Carolina for fifth and two points behind Philadelphia for fourth. If you look behind us, the New York Rangers are only one point and Montreal is four points behind. We lose one and Montreal and New York wins one, we drop to seventh and are a loss away from being out of it. This is an incredible race, I must say, and I liked it a lot better when we were pretty much a lock for the playoffs. The way we are playing now makes me confident that we will not only make the playoffs, but give serious challenge to the Flyers for the fourth spot and home ice advantage in the first round. Carolina has won six in a row now and will falter soon, it is inevitable.

With six games remaining against the Devils, at Carolina, at Florida, at Tampa Bay, against Islanders, and at Montreal, we have our work cut out for us. There is only one team right now that is out of it completely, that is the New York Islanders. None of these teams are going to be easy wins, without a doubt, but mark my words, we will be better prepared for the playoffs than anyone. I am excited!

Let's Go Pens!

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Breaking It Down

So, I have been watching NHL statistics, like always, and something caught my eye. I looked at a lot of things this time and came to several conclusions...one is that stats don't really matter come playoff time and another is that if a team changes style and/or coaching, that team inherits the statistics from the previous administration. Of course, you probably figured out that is the Penguins circumstances right now.

I took the teams that are most likely able to make the playoffs or that are already a lock in the Eastern Conference and evaluated them. I am going to compare individual team statistics from the Penguins to the teams they could face sometime in the playoffs to see where we stand. I also have a graphic so you can see all the actual stats at the bottom of this article.

My first look was at the hits, which is usually my favorite statistic, and I was surprised at how we compare to other teams as well as past Penguin teams. There is only one team that tops our 2051 hits thus far this season and they are, surprisingly, the New York Rangers with 2131. The top four "powerhouses" are not even within 600 hits of the Penguins. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. It can be looked at either way. I mean, if we are the aggressor in the playoffs, it will knock the other team off of their game and frustrate them. They will feel they have to match us hit for hit to beat us, which they won't be able to. You can also look at it in the respect that they all have better records than us at this point in time. I think that is weak, though, because there are so many aspects to a game you can scrutinize. If you compare this year's hit count to the Penguins of the last two year's, we are way more aggressive than in the past. For instance, 2006-07 we had a total of 1472, and last year we had 1671. They were both from all 82 games. Take that however you want.

The next stat I looked at is really, in my opinion, an art form. You have to master blocked shots so you can get the timing down and avoid injury. You also stand to help out your goalie a ton if the shots your opponent is taking isn't getting through. A bad point about having a high number of blocked shots is that it means the opponent had control of the puck alot and was open enough to take a crack at scoring. Once again, there is only one team in the top nine that has more than our 1211. Take into consideration something I said earlier, though, we changed coaches and styles, so we are a different team now. The Montreal Canadians are the only team with more blocks than us at 1259. The top three hover around 1000 and Philadelphia is not far behind us with 1186. We are pretty much on the same tract as the 2006-07 and the 2007-08 totals of 1215 and 1268 respectively.

The next two categories go hand in hand, but in my opinion, doesn't factor in as much as it should in respect to overall records. These two categories are giveaways, takeaways and their combined differences as well as goal differential. If common sense tells us that if you have more giveaways than takeaways that you would have more goals allowed than most teams. It also should tell us that if it is the other way around, it would show just the opposite. I will tell you neither is an absolute or even a remote science because of one variable involved in this. The goaltender. We are a +13 in goal differential, but a -137 in giveaway/takeaway differential (GTD). I think this is a better measuring stick to the quality of a goaltender than most other statistics. If we give it up that much and are still a +13 overall, I consider Fleury a success. Boston is a +72 in goal differential and a +8 in GTD. That says that Thomas is good, but not incredible at this point. He is doing what is necessary to win. New Jersey is a +44 in goal differential, but an amazing +204 in GTD. That shows to me that the goalie isn't great, but look who is between the pipes. Ok, so Brodeur wasn't there all season and Clemmenson is now in the minors, so what. The next thought I have is a poor offense, but their offense is on par with everyone else. Washington is a +21 and an incredible -256 in GTD. That shows someone incredible in between the pipes. I know Theodore isn't known for this at this point in time, but maybe we need to look at him a bit closer considering how much his team, specifically Ovechkin with his league leading 100 giveaways, leaves him out to dry so often. Our possible first round opponent, the Philadelphia Flyers are +27 to a GTD of -139. They are almost our equals here with Biron in net. You may be wondering at this point how we measured up against the last two Penguin playoff teams, well, we were a +31 in goal differential both years, but were a -190 in GTD in 2006-07 and a better -68 in 2007-08. So we fall in the middle this year. The only difference is that Fleury's numbers have changed. In 2006-07 he had a save percentage of .906 and a goals against average of 2.83. In 2007-08, a save percentage of .921 and a goals against average of 2.33 was achieved. Remember that this year he only played half of the games. He seems to play significantly better in the second halves. This year, he has a save percentage of .913 and a goal against average of 2.67. So, as we can see, as Fleury goes, so does this team. I think we need to appreciate him a lot more.

Like I said in the beginning of this piece, it really isn't the stats that tell the tale, it is the way a team is playing at the end of the season. Are they making more mistakes than not? Are they having fun? Are they excelling in their "system"? Are they winning? If the answers are yes to all of these, then you deserve to be in the playoffs.

Let's Go Pens!

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Current State of the Unions Address (Pens Style!)

Besides the fact that I missed the last two games for a very good reason...I was drilling with my National Guard unit...I did get to see all the highlights and lowlights from the weekend. I have come to many conclusions here. My first thought is that I love the offense, when we want to have it. It seemed that we were flying so high after that win against the Flyers, our big, in-state rival. We then went into Washington and looked as though we died. Back to back games against these particular two teams is one thing, but for us fans to expect the Pens to win both of them on the road is a significant issue.

I read alot of blogs almost bailing on the Pens after that loss. For instance, read the last sentance in Experiencing the Evolution,"One thing is for sure, if Ray Shero isn't considering the Penguins as deadline sellers after this afternoon's performance, he never will.", Staal Tactics wasn't too encouraging, The Pensblog is as positive as you can be considering all things, and Pensburgh did a good job putting it into perspective. Washington is a very good team, they have a home record of 24-5-1 now. Hell, Philly is 17-8-3. Both those records are brilliant. To go into both towns and win would have been borderline miraculous. Especially considering how we have been playing on the road this year. We are 13-14-4. To pull off two really emotional upsets to days in a row should not be expected from anyone in our position. It was an exhausting couple of games and the schedule wasn't kind. The nice thing is that now we have a couple days to regroup and now we play the New York Islanders Wednesday night.

It is a good team to rebound against. Now, I know the last time we played them, we lost in that shootout. It was, if you remember, the day after Therrian was fired. Bylsma did not have any time to get the team organized to where he wanted them. We should come out with alot of energy. We should also see Kris Letang back on the ice. I would love to see Hal Gill riding the pine simply because of the new style of play. He just doesn't have the speed to keep up. I would also like to see Bill Thomas out there instead of Chris Minard.

I am still keeping up on the possible trades and improvements to this team. It is down to the last week till the deadline. I love this time of year, just to see who thinks they are contenders and who don't think that. I also like to see what teams are willing to do to win the cup. Last year, we gave up alot for a Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis. It was a blockbuster trade, but a bust nonetheless. Dupuis does fit in nicely, but we gave up our first rounder and our latest prospect in Angelo Esposito. At the time, it wasn't too much, but now, it seems that the energy has been zapped from this team because of Hossa. He was like the Terell Owens of the NHL. He hung us out to dry, until there was no way we could keep some of the important pieces, and then left. Onto better thinking. I would like to see what we do at the deadline. I know we have Ryan Whitney and Jordan Staal on the block. Like I have said in previous blogs, I know I would love to see both Staal and Whitney in a Penguins uniform next year, but they bring too much in return right now and we can't overlook that. Staal is essentially a third line center on the team, but he would be a first or second line center on others. This is because we have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin running those lines. I am really looking forward to seeing what Shero does this year.

What we have now is the opportunity to get into the playoffs. We need to win twice as many games as we lose. In other words, go about 14-7 from here on out. I know we are capable of doing this. If Marc-Andre Fleury will play like he is capable of, then I believe we will be fine. All our hopes fall on his performance. It is alot of pressure, I know, but he has been here for five years now and has won alot and lost alot. He knows how to shake it off to be a winner. It is time for that Fleury to show up.

Here is to 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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I Will Sacrifice Pride For A Couple Wins!

Ok. I was one of the guys calling for Michel Therrien to be fired. That was mainly because we were losing every game possible soundly and Therrien and his staff were doing nothing major to turn this around, until last night. He finally showed that there was a hockey sense in his knoggin and he wasn't afraid, even with the offensive superstars, to use it. He told the team they were going to start trapping. I was afraid when I heard this because all I could think of was the boring New Jersey Devils. I didn't want to see that. Luckily, I didn't. I saw the trap, yes, but I also saw a ton of offense that came out of this trap with some effort of our players. The final was 4-2 and the Philadelphia Flyers looked confused and irritated by the end of the game. I will tell you this though, it wasn't that close. The Penguins had them where they wanted them from the beginning to the end. There were a couple waves to get through, but overall, a dominating performance. I believe that this system is perfect for the Penguins because only because we have more offensive talent than the normal team. The Devils play a version of the trap and it is boring because they have good offensive talent, not exponentionally good offensive talent. I also like the line changes. I like Matt Cooke on the first line. It provided that grit that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin needed. The other three lines are going to be switched a small bit due to injuries and that. The Pens currently had Paul Bisonette and Chris Minard were called up due to injuries to Pascal Dupuis and Ruslan Fedotenko. I thought this lineup was great. The pens fought a couple times and set the tone early with Cooke yapping at the Flyers, letting them know it was going to be a long night for them if they mess with his guys. Amongst chants of, "Crosby Sucks!", Sid had two big assists and almost buried it a number of times. When it was all said and done, I didn't know if the fans were booing the Flyers or the Penguins. The Pens looked like the Pens of last year Stanley Cup run. I look forward to seeing them beat up on the Washington Capitals tonight at the Mellon Arena.

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Pat Quinn?....Really?

Ok, let's talk realistically. The Hockey News just wrote an article about this guy. I know it is only RUMINT (Rumor Intelligence), but I like this rumor. I know alot of people are going to bat for Michel Therrien and that, but I still think a change is in order. Therrien only needs to get to game 62 to be the longest tenured coach in Penguins history. I think it is due. I also read that it is already over and he possibly went to the Senators, but who officially knows? Mark Madden on The X briefly dropped a hint on his blog about this as well. I have no idea if this is just his thought, or he actually has credible sources. I read that Madden isn't the only people talking about this ordeal. I happen to agree with Michael Farber from Sports Illustrated.

Sources also say that Shero isn't interested in any "panic moves". I don't know exactly what that means, but if you remember last year, Shero really didn't act like we needed that big trade to get us anywhere. We were winning. We didn't need anything to mess with our chemistry. He then pulled off the Marrian Hossa trade. We lost Colby Armstrong, Erik Christiansen, Angelo Esposito, and a first round pick. I liked the idea, but in retrospect, I think it hurt the team more than it helped. I mean Hossa completely blew off the Penguins. He acted for a long while and let everyone know that he was going to sign, then told us we weren't good enough. I know we got a good player in Pascal Dupuis and we did make it to the finals, but we didn't win, which made it hurt alot worse.

Ok, back to the task at hand. Pat Quinn. He is a winner. We have the perfect team for him. We just need to go out and find his staff, because we all know ours isn't working. I think Quinn would be the right toss-up to get this team moving. He may be the spitten image of Therrien, but I thin Michel already lost the respect for the team. I think that this would be the right amount of change for this team at this time. You can't hand Quinn a better situation either. If he turns this team around, he is a genius. If he doesn't, it is like well, he tried. As for the Penguins, I think that the mental part of the change would be the best part. They trust and know his experience and I believe this would catapult them to where they need to be and beyond.

I think this is a great discussion and would love for it to go further.

Let's Go Pens!

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Therrien Must Go!

Michel Therrien was the coach for the guys when they needed someone to get more out of them as they came up from the minor leagues. He did just that. I don't think he is the coach to maintain us at the next level. He was lucky the team got together to get to the finals last year, I don't believe it was due to great coaching. I believe that we have unbelievable talent that Michel has lost touch with. I don't see him regaining that this season. It is his time to go and new, experienced blood to be brought in. Someone from outside the system and with a good plan in mind. I tried standing up for our coach as long as I could, but this is too much now. I think there are alot of fans in the same boat as me in this logic. You start to wonder why he was almost the longest coach in Penguins history. A hockey coach is not designed to be so long lived. I would like to see us go out and sign a great coach. Too bad Scotty Bowman is too old and already involved with the Blackhawks. We need a guy like him. Let me know if you agree. Maybe we should get a petition going of something...

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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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The Pens of Now

I just wanted to talk about the Pens in the past couple games before they take on the first place Rangers tonight. I usually hate how Michel Therrian switched lines up, but I think for now, these combinations are working, and working well. I still think we have the two line threat, I still think we have the shutdown line, and I still think teams are afraid of our offensive firepower. Ever since that terrible third period against the Capitals and a series of tough practices that followed, we have been a different team. I believe our mainstay is Marc-Andre Fleury. He sprained his ankle just as he started a hot streak last year and upon return, he looked incredibly sharp and impressive. Everyone was still questioning his ability, then cam the playoffs where he was incredible. I will admit, I was curious to see if he could continue it this season and he has not only succeeded, but exceeded my expectations. As for Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Anytime they are on the ice, any team we play is scared out of their shorts. Do you blame them? I mean they are, im my opinion, the two best forwards in the league and they are on the same line. The man that feels the luckiest is Pascal Dupuis. What a speedster, that is the main reason he is on there. This is a huge career step for him. I couldn't imagine playing in the NHL, but to be able to play in the NHL alongside two superstars would be a blessing for sure. I feel also that our defense needs alot of support. They are playing out of their minds considering we lost our top two in Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney, and now, Hal Gill with an undisclosed injury. What a management we have that we can still compete without these guys. I think another key to our defense is our forwards. Therrian has instilled that defensive mindedness into our forwards and it is finally paying dividends. We are a pretty good team right now, imagine when we get our players back. I can't wait!
Let's Go Pens!

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Crosby Sets Milestone

Sam Kasan Oct 19, 2008, 12:24 AM EDT

Sidney Crosby registered the NHL’s first ever milestone hat trick. The Penguins captain recorded his 100th goal, 200th assist and 300th point on three successive goals in Pittsburgh’s 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

“It’s not what you play for but they’re a great accomplishment,” Crosby said. “That’s basically it. I’m proud of that but at the same time I’m still looking at getting better. I don’t want to stop there.”

Crosby, who finished the game with one goal and three assists, entered the season needing one goal to reach 100. The milestone hanged over him for five games, so hitting all three marks in one game was a welcomed relief.

“It’s probably good to get it all over with,” Crosby said. “Gino (Evgeni Malkin) got his 200th tonight; sharing with someone feels good.”

That would be the 200th assist of Malkin’s career. He notched four assists against Toronto and has recorded seven points (1G-6A) in the past two games.

“(Saturday night was a) good game,” Malkin said. “It’s hard work; it’s PK (penalty killing); it’s power play; everybody played (well) tonight.”

It is no surprise that Crosby and Malkin had instant success after being reunited on a line. With arguably the two best players in the world on the same line, they’re bound to get some goals.

“It’s definitely fun to play with him,” Crosby said. “It’s a great opportunity. He’s a great hockey player. Every game we’re not going to have huge nights but at least we can create opportunities. When we’re together we know that we have to produce.”

Therrien reunited the duo – along with winger Pascal Dupuis – to send a message to the team. Pittsburgh scored only one five-on-five goal in the four previous games – and that goal came from the fourth line. In an attempt to generate more offensive production, Therrien put Crosby and Malkin together.

So, what did Therrien the two players before the game?

“Mike said, ‘Score, I need (a) win, score,’” Malkin said.

“They certainly had a great game, not a good game; I thought they had a great game,” Therrien said about the first line. “They responded exactly the way I was expecting. They were excited to play together. They responded on the ice the right way.”

Crosby welcomed the offensive outburst. He entered the game with four points in five games, unusual for a player who averages 1.38 career points per game coming into the season. All four points of the 2008-09 campaign were assists, giving Crosby the longest goal-scoring drought to start a season of his career.

That drought ended when Crosby bounced the puck into the goal off of a Toronto player. Malkin sent the puck towards the net and Crosby got around his defenseman. Curtis Joseph ventured out to poke check the puck away. Crosby beat him to the puck and and redirected it behind the net. With Joseph caught wandering, Crosby threw the puck towards the slot and it caromed off of Maple Leafs forward Mikhail Grabovski and into the net.

“Just throwing it out front,” Crosby said of the play. “You throw it to the net and good things happen. I got a great bounce.”

Crosby hit a milestone on each of the Penguins first three goals. Crosby set up the first goal – a backhander by Dupuis – with a nice cross-crease pass for his 200th career assist. Then he threw a bullet pass through the legs of Maple Leafs defenseman Luke Schenn to Miroslav Satan, who redirected it into the net for a power play goal. That assist gave Crosby 300-career points. Crosby followed that with his 100th goal. For an encore, he hit Petr Sykora on a backdoor pass that gave him his fourth point of the night.

“I don’t expect four-point nights but I definitely wanted to score,” Crosby said. “I thought I was doing some good things and the puck just wasn’t going in. Sometimes you need a lucky one like that. It was definitely welcomed.”

This really puts it perspective on how blessed Craig Patrick ended up getting that lucky pick and drafted Sidney Crosby first overall. He is an amazing player and will continue to bring success to our team. Let's Go Pens!

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1980 Olympics Again?

The Detroit Redwings are the Russians and the Pittsburgh Penguins are the United States hockey team from the 1980 Winter Olympics. The Wings are a very good and very old team and the Penguins are a very good and very young team. The commentators and analysts automatically believe that the Redwings will win the Stanley Cup once again and the Penguins may come in a distant second or third. Last time the Penguins faced the Wings, they were defeated quite handily in six games just like the game before the olympics where the United States lost 10-3. Little do the Wings know that it will all come to pass again. The Wings will look unbeatable, and most teams will think they are, until they face the Penguins again. The Wings will think that they have it made and have it in the bag, but the Penguins will not lose to this team twice. The Penguins will hoist the Stanley Cup this year as the United States clutched the gold medal. The cup will be back in Pittsburgh this year!

So, the personnel aren't exactly the same types, but the circumstances are. Now, I didn't pick the Wings to go to the finals again, but that was more or less because I don't want them to be successful. I believe certain teams have won enough Stanley Cups. It is our turn again and we are hungrier than anyone else.

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