Live-Blogging Game 2

15:34 (1st T V timeout of the first period)

Nice start for the Pens. Ryan Whitney gets a power play goal 3 minutes into the first period. Power play goal. His first career playoff goal.

Refs are calling the game very tight. I'm curious to see if this is going to continue throughout the game.

Lots of hitting from both teams. The Sens were the only team hitting in game 1.

First bourbon and Pepsi almost down...

______________________
15:38

Schubert bit the ice...

Talbot leveled him. No call by the refs is the right call

______________________
15:41

First bourbon and Pepsi finished.

______________________
15:47

Just an observation...Ed Olczyk (NBC color commentator for the game) is rooting for the Penguins. He's made several comments about how much better they look and how they are controlling the game. Got another bourbon and Pepsi during the break.

______________________
16:00

Pens need to stop taking penalties...but at least they keep killing them!

______________________
16:04

First intermission. Ottawa power play 0 for 3. Pens power play 1-1. Both teams are aggressive and ready to play (unlike game 1).

______________________
16:14

The second period is about to start. I hope the Penguins are not feeling too comfortable. The first period was definately theirs but Ottawa is going to come out gunning for them. Hope the refs keep the game under control.

______________________
16:25

Sens are bringing the physical game. Nice scrum behind the net. This is getting good!

______________________
16:30

Spezza tied it up at 1. What a great sequence though. Wide open play of a 4 on 4.
Bourbon is gone...switching to vodka

______________________
16:54

Another Senators power play and they scored a few seconds into it. 2-1 Ottawa. Maybe the Pens could get a power play? Sens have had 6. Pens only 1...

______________________
16:57

And Ottawa goes back on the power play. Ruutu took a stupid penalty...

______________________
17:01

Second period has come to a close. The score remains at 2-1 Ottawa. Pittsburgh is playing a much better game than in game 1. They are definately missing some discipline though. Stupid penalties could be the difference in this game. Pittsburgh needs to come out of the locker room a more disciplined team, ready to hit and ready to take over control of this game. If they don't, they will be down two games to zero.

______________________
17:13

Third period is starting. Pens have to stay out of the box and keep being aggressive.

______________________
17:!4

Armstrong and Comrie go at it. Not much of a fight but this could change the momentum.

______________________
17:21

Roberts ties up the game with a power play goal. Tie game 2-2

______________________
17:55

Pens win 4-3. Last 3 goals by Kelly (Ottawa), Staal and Crosby
Series is tied at 1 and heads to the Igloo for the next 2 games. Game 3 it Sunday at 6pm. Go Pens!

"It's a great day for hockey"

- Badger Bob

Let The Playoffs Begin!

The Penguins have landed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2001. They will face the Ottawa Senators at Ottawa beginning on Wednesday 4/11/07. Games are scheduled as follows:

Wed 4/11 at Ottawa 7pm
Sat 4/14 at Ottawa 3pm
Sun 4/15 at Pittsburgh 6pm
Tue 4/17 at Pittsburgh 7pm
Thu 4/19 at Ottawa 7pm (if necessary)
Sun 4/22 at Pittsburgh 1pm (if necessary)
Tue 4/24 at Ottawa 7pm (if necessary)

Ottawa won home ice advantage for the first round even though they were tied with the Pens in points. The first tiebreaker is number of wins and the Senators had more in the regular season.

Sidney Crosby will be awarded the Art Ross trophy for his league leading total of 120 points. Crosby becomes the youngest player in NHL history to achieve this distinction. Since 1988 the trophy has been awarded to 3 different members if the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and now Sidney, a total of 12 times. The rest of the NHL has won the award 7 times. Pittsburgh has been exceedingly lucky to have players of the caliber capable of leading the league in scoring so often. Maybe they should rename it the Penguins Trophy...

Here's a great article about Sid on Yahoo Sports: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=ArvYPOOcGzQxOc6..2OiBLJ7vLYF?slug=jo-crosby041007&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Evgeni Malkin, a leading candidate for rookie of the year, lead the league in rookie scoring. He finished the season second on the team with 85 points. Congrats to Geno...

Jordan Staal, a very pleasant surprise from the beginning of the season, is also a candidate for rookie of the year on his defensive abilities on the penalty kill. Staal also led the league in short-handed goals with 7.

The Pens won the season series with Ottawa by winning 3 out of 4 games. Two of the games were won in a shootout, one by one goal on April 5th and an early season loss at Mellon Arena on November 10th. While this is a good sign of how the playoffs will proceed, much is being made in the media about the huge experience advantage the Senators have in post-season play while the Pens have very little. In my opinion, this has no bearing on the outcome of the series. Veterans Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi, both have their name on the Stanley Cup, will be able to impart their knowledge on the younger players like Crosby, Staal and Malkin. And as head coach Michel Therrien has said for much of the season, "These guys are just out there to have fun. They are too young to realize what they are accomplishing and having too much fun to realize the pressure they are under."

The series should be highly intense with some terrific offense from both sides. Both teams like to play an up-tempo game and are capable of scoring goals practically at will. There has also been some bad blood recently between them so look for some major scrums throughout. Georges Laraque could become a valuable member of the team very quickly if the Sens start taking liberties with the Penguins stars.

All in all it should be a very entertaining, high profile first round series. My prediction: Penguins in 6.

Pens vs. Sens Tonight

The Penguins are in Ottawa to take on the Senators in what could be the most important game of the season. The Sens are 2 points up on the Pens in the Eastern Conference Playoff seedings. A win for Ottawa would wrap up at least a fourth place finish for themselves, thereby relegating the Pens to fifth place, out of home ice advanatage for the upcoming playoffs.

Ryan Whitney returns to the lineup tonight. He sat out the game against Buffalo on Tueday night with a sore groin. He was badly missed on the power play unit. Pittsburgh was not able to convert a power play in 8 attempts.

There was some extra-curricular activites going on the last time these two teams faced each other on March 18th. Sidney Crosby was accused of cursing at Senators head coach Bryan Murray. Much was said in the media about how Sid should not act in that sort of manner since he is an elite NHL player. Sid thinks that the matter is closed. We shall see tonight...

Crosby still leads the NHL in scoring with 117 points. San Jose's Joe Thornton is 8 behind with 109. Looks like Sid will wrap up the scoring title even if he has sub par games for the remaining 2. Advance congrats to Sid for this huge accomplishment!