Myron

I'd like to take a moment to commemorate the passing of Myron Cope yesterday morning. He was 79.

Myron was a unique personality in a sports world that often breeds conformity. He was a prized journalist and commentator. All the best to him in his journey to the next great broacast booth.

Yoi!

Pens 4, Islanders 2

Ty Conklin was the Number One Star last night, stopping 50 of 52 pucks, as the Pens doubled up the Islanders 4-2. Pittsburgh goals were scored by Malkin, Taffe, Stall and Connor James scored his first NHL goal after joining the team as an emergency recall from WBS Penguins during the second period. James and WBS teammate Nathan Smith drove from Wilkes Barre to Long Island yesterday afternoon after the Hossa trade was completed.

Next Up - tomorrow night at Boston.

Trade Reaction - There is plenty of talk around town after yesterday's blockbuster trade about the pros and cons and how things will turn out. First of all, it is too soon to say. The impact of the trade will not be known for at least the next 10 or 12 games, if even then. Many folks are claiming that all Shero did was pick up a rental player that will only stick with the team until 7/1 when the free agency period begins. I do not think Shero would have made this decision unless he thought there was a good chance he could sign Hossa to a long term deal. And even if he is unable to sign Hossa, he has clearly sent his team a message that his expectations are to win, and to do so now.

He also sent the message that he is not timid about modifying the teams chemistry. Armstrong was a high energy, locker room kind of guy and he will be missed. However, he was not a superstar on the ice nor will he ever be. I personally liked the guy but such is life in the NHL. Christensen was great on shootouts and did an good job in the defensive zone, and on the penalty kill. So is Dupuis. Seems like that part was a straight up trade. So was getting Hossa fair for giving up Armstrong, a low first round pick and an unproven prospect? You bet your ass it was! And it will pay dividends the rest of the season and hopefully a few years into the future.

Injury Update - Sid is continuing to improve his ankle and all speculation points to his return next week. Gary Roberts is also continuing to rehab his injured ankle and looks like he will return to the line-up towards the end of March.

UPDATE - Hossa, Dupuis and Gill are on their way to meet up with the Penguins in Boston for tomorrow nights game. All should be in the line-up barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Trade Deadline Today

Today is the NHL trade deadline and, traditionally, a very active day for player trades. Keep posted for my analysis of any trades made by the Pens.

Noon update: No blockbusters as of yet in the Atlantic but the Lightning sent Brad Richards - F and Johan Holmqvist - G to the Dallas Stars for Mike Smith - G, Jussi Jokinen - F and Jeff Halpern - F.

The Sabres were unable to come to terms with Brian Campbell - F so they sent him to San Jose for Steve Bernier - F and a first round pick.

2pm Update: The Capitals acquired Sergei Federov - F from the Columbus Blue Jackets for prospect Ted Ruth - D. Looks like the Caps are stocking up to win the South. Federov is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. TSN is also reporting that the Caps have acquired Cristobal Huet - G from Montreal for a second round pick in 2009.

3:00 Update: Looks like the Pens are jumping into the fray. They have traded a 2nd round and a 5th round pick to Toronto for veteran defenseman Hal Gill. Rumor has it there is also a trade happening with Atlanta for Marian Hossa which will send Armstrong, Christiansen and Esposito to Atlanta. Will update when this is confirmed.

Update - The Hossa trade has been confirmed by TSN. In addition to Hossa the Pens will get Pascal Dupuis - F.

Analysis - There is quite a bit of concern that dealing Armstrong will have a bad effect on the teams chemistry. Colby ,while being very close to Sid, has a tremendous fan following and the concern could be warrented. Christensen is a go-to guy on the shootout as well. Hossa could very well take his place though so any concern about that is moot. Hossa is an unrestricted free agent after the season so if the Pens are not able to re-sign him to a long term deal then all they will get out of this is a rental forward for the rest of this season and Dupuis and will have given up three quality, young forwards, one of which was a first rounder, and a first round draft pick. Not sure if I like this deal or not but let's see where the chips fall on this one. Shero could be a genius or the goat depending on how deep the Pens manage to go in the playoffs.

Weekend Wrapup

The Pens had a couple of tough losses over the weekend. Saturday's game against the Senators ended with an Ottawa goal at 4:56 of overtime. Pittsburgh lost 4-3 when Daniel Alfredsson lifted a backhander past Pens goalie Ty Conklin. Pens goals were scored by Sykora, Armstrong and Taffe.

Pittsburgh had a comfortable 3-0 lead halfway through the second against an Ottawa team that looked flat and unmotivated. When the Sens finally managed to get one past Conklin there was no looking back as they went on to score four unanswered goals to steal two points.

On Sunday afternoon, after a 25 minute delay due to a Zamboni malfunction that left a pool of hydraulic fluid on the ice, the Sharks got past Pittsburgh in a shootout win. Final score 2-1. The lone Pens goals was scored by Christensen. Shootout goals by Christensen and Letang. San Jose was able to put all three past Conklin.

While Pittsburgh played well in both games, they were unable to hold a three goal lead against Ottawa and were unable to generate anything resembling an offense against San Jose. Pens head coach Michel Therrien praised his team after the Ottawa game for doing everything they could to win. I wholeheartedly disagree! The effort to hold the lead was just not there. Granted Sens goale Ray Emery was outstanding in net while saving 32 of 35, but there would have been no need to score more than the three Pittsburgh scored had they played to win instead of playing not to lose. And against the Sharks, the Pens just looked tired. They played hard but it seemed to be without purpose. That fact is clearly visible on the scoresheet as neither team was able to put up any goals until the third. Pittsburgh's power play that had been converting at around 30% for the past 15 games was held to 1 for 9 (11%)in both games combined.

Pens red hot center, Evgeni Malkin, was held without a point in both games. He was dogged into submission, much like last seasons playoff series, by Ottawa defenseman Anton Volchenkov on Saturday and was not a visible force on the ice against the Sharks.

It is a pretty good assumption that the Penguins will meet the Senators again in the playoffs. For this current team to win that series they will need to believe that they are able to beat an Ottawa team that will be even more hungry to win than the team that was on the ice on Saturday.

Next up - tonight vs. the New York Islanders

Injury Update - while I expected Sydney Crosby to get back on the ice against the Canadiens on Thursday, he remains on IR while still participating in full contact practices. I admire the fact that Pittsburgh is clearly waiting to get him back in the lineup until they are sure his injured ankle is fully healed, but it looks to me as if they need the shot of adrenalin his return will produce.

New of Note - Nathan Smith was sent back to WBS Penguins on Monday. He was scoreless in the 12 games he played for Pittsburgh.

Marc Andre Fleury has returned to the Penguins after playing 5 games for the WBS Penguins and putting up some outstanding numbers in those games. The Pens have decided to keep 3 goalies on the roster for now. Look for Fleury to get a start in one of the back-to-back games coming up this weekend.

ICEBURGH?

Well it wasn't actually a shark attack on Iceburgh. One of the Zamboni's had a mechanical problem before this afternoon's game vs. San Jose and leaked a large amount of hydraulic fluid on the ice. The game was delayed by about 30 minutes while the ice was cleaned up.

Pens 3, Florida 2

The Penguins overcame a 2-0 third period deficit to beat the Florida Panthers last night at the Igloo. Pens goals scored by Armstrong and Malone (2). Once again Pittsburgh came out looking rather flat and then put together an outstanding third period to steal 2 points away from the Panthers. There is a lot to be said of this performance but looking ahead to tomorrow night's match with the Canadiens, they will have a much harder time recovering from a two goal deficit. Montreal is a much better team and will not allow the breakdowns that Florida did.

News of Note - Evgeni Malkin's two assists last night put him in the leader spot for the NHL scoring race. Congrats to Evgeni! Could be interesting seeing Geno and Sid competing for that trophy the rest of the season...








Ty Conklin continues his assault on the NHL Goaltending leaders as well. He is first in SV% at .932 and third in GAA at 2.18









Complete NHL stats can be found here

Injury Update - Sid's been skating very strong and looks like he is ready to play. Look for him to be in the starting line-up tomorrow against Montreal. This will be very big news as the game is in Canada. Marc Andre Fluery continues to impress in his rehab assignment in Wilkes Barre/Scranton and should be brought back up late this week.

I am looking forward to see what the forward lines look like when Sid gets back in the line-up. It's got to be tough, from a coaching standpoint, to break up the Malkin/Malone/Sykora line since they have been absolutely outstanding the past month. Here is what I'd like to see:

Line 1 - Crosby/Staal/Armstrong
Line 2 - Malkin/Malone/Sykora

Armstrong and Crosby play very well together when they are on the same line. Staal has really raised the level of his game in recent days and deserves his shot at the top. I see no reason that Malkin's like should change in any way.

Pens 4, Sabres 1

The Pens put a good trouncing on the Buffalo Sabres last night in Buffalo, 4-1. Buffalo opened the game with a flurry of shots at Pens goalie, Ty Conklin, throughout the first period. Conklin weathered that storm of pucks to preserve a tie after one. The Pens opened the second period by scoring on a Jarkko Ruutu breakaway at 7:28 and never gave up the lead. Sykora got the game winner, Malkin chipped in his 34 of the season in the third and Colby Armstrong tallied an empty netter at the end of the third to put the Sabres away once and for all.

Pittsburgh was flat coming out in the first and allowed Buffalo to gain momentum, which led to 17 shots on goal in the first 20 minutes. After the intermission the teams looked to be on much more even footing. It would have been awesome to hear what was said in that locker room during the intermission but osmehow I doubt I would re-print much of it at all since it would look something like this:

"look you @#^&*%#@, time to get your $#%^ together and #%^&$%#@@ play some @$%%&^%# hockey!" or something like that...

It's going to be a tough week ahead for the Pens as Sunday's game was the first of 5 over the next 8 days. Next up is Florda on Tuesday at home, at Montreal on Thursday, Ottawa at the Igloo on Saturday and another home game on Sunday against San Jose. Looking at the conference standings the Montreal and Ottawa games look to be the important ones to come away with 2 points.

Injury Update - Sid Crosby looks to be back in playing form and I suspect he will be on the ice for the Montreal game. Marc Andre Fleury should be returning from his rehab stint in Wilkes Barre and should also be back on the ice this week.

Pens 2, Hurricanes 4

The Pens lost their second consecutive games last night to Carolina, 4-2. Pens goals by Malkin and Orpick. It was Brooks's first goal since 10/22/05. A stretch of 181 games.

Normally I would point to specifics of the game at this point but alas there is something else that needs to come to light about the contest. The officiating. Colin Campbell - I hope you take a look at this one. Eric Furlatt and Brad Wilson were the officials. They were terrible. Not just for the Pens either. They were terrible for the Hurricanes as well. Jeff Taffe got his face mashed in by a shoulder. A blow to the head such as that is a penalty. No questions asked. And not call last night. Glen Wesley took out Kris Beech with an obvious boarding hit late in the third, Jordan Staal going after the loose puck that resulted from the boarding hit Wesley in an attempt to get control of the puck. Staal called for charging. Malkin was hooked and pulled off of the puck on more than 3 occasions. He was! Look at the tape!

This is one of the reasons why the NHL will always be a second tier sports league. The referees have more control over the outcome of the game than either the players or coaching staffs. Call the game the same each and every game, and each and every period. Sick of it!

Pens 1, Bruins 2

The Pens lost a tough on last night to the Bruins, 2-1. Pittsburgh's lone goal was scored by Malkin. A power play goal at 13:02 of the third.

The Penguins played a solid game throughout but were only able to convert 1 of 8 power play opportunities. The B's were very aggressive on the penalty kill and have successfully shown anyone that wants to study the game tape how to stop the Pens increasingly volatile power play unit. Granted, the power play unit will get a major upgrade when Crosby rejoins the team, but for now the coaching staff will need to come up with a strategy of how to overcome any team that challeneges the puck like Boston did.

Injury Update - Sid continues to make progress and will accompany the team on the trip to Carolina so he can practice with the team. Marc Andre Fleury won his first rehab start with Wilkes Barre last night, beating the Norflok Admirals 3-1. Look for his return to the big team sometime early next week. Gary Roberts is getting back in game shape and should also return soon.

Next Up - @ Carolina tonight at 7.

News of Note - I am an avid HD viewer and have been very disappointed that the last 3 games broadcast on FSN have not been in HD. I've expressed my disappointment to FSN here: click me. Feel free to do the same.
And if you are not a HD lover yet, I urge each and every hockey fan to check it out before the playoffs start. It makes an indescribable difference in viewing NHL games on TV.

Here's a Brief Summary of the Past Ten Games

During the past ten games that the Pens have been without Sid here is what they have accomplished:

6-2-2 Overall record
3-1-1 vs. Atlantic Division opponents
6 - games that the Penguins have scored 4 or more goals (5 wins)
4 - games that the Penguins have given up 4 or more goals (all losses, 1 in OT)
1 - moved from third in the Atlantic to first
2 - moved from fifth in the East to second and are within 3 points of Ottawa for
first
33.33 - power play conversion rate

What Evgeni Malkin has accomplished in the past 10 games:

- NHL # 2 Star of the Week for the week of 2/3 through 2/9
- Moved to third place on the NHL Scoring leaders list and within 3 points of leader Alex Ovechkin
- Registered at least a point in 9 out of the past 10 games
- Put up 21 points (8 goals, 13 assists)

This is a team that is to be reckoned with! They have shown that they can fight through adversity, play with the lead and win the games that matter the most. Players that were expected to step up have done so. Malkin is one, others are Staal, Talbot, Armstrong and Letang. Both Conklin and Sabourin have been outstanding between the pipes. The coaching staff has done a great job of extracting the right amount of effort from each of the players.

What a terrific way to start a playoff run.

Ivanans vs Laraque Feb 9, 2008

Not a great one but here it is anyway...

Pens 4, Kings 2

The Kings put up a nice fight in the third period but the Penguins prevailed in the end. Pens goals were scored by Malone (congrats on the birth of your boy Ryan!), Staal and Malkin chipped in two.

More importantly the win put the Pens in first place in the Atlantic, 2 points in front of the Flyers. Pittsburgh will have a chance to go 4 points up with a 1:00 game this afternoon.

The Pens played a terrific game overall. It was a bit disappointing that the Kings were able to begin mounting a comback in the third but it was too little, too late.

Injury Update - Crosby continues to make progress with his ankle, No timetable has been given for his return but many are surmising it will be next week. Marc Andre Fluery continues to get closer to game shape. He is projected to return to the line-up sometime this week.

News of Note - Malkin's 3 point (2 goals, 1 assist) put him within 4 points of the NHL lead.

Pens Vs. Kings Today at 1

The Penguins are putting on a show of explosived offensive firepower and are leading the Kings 4-0 at the second intermission. More to come later...

Sid's Back on the Ice! Roberts too!

Penguins center and team captain, Sidney Crosby laced up the skates earlier this week. His time on the ice has been limited and he has not particiapted in any type of organized practice, but for him to get back on the ice only 3 weeks after his high ankle sprain is remarkable.

The Pens have gone 3-2-2 since Sid's injury on January 18th and have been very competititive on the ice during that time. The training staff has been very careful about getting Marc Andre Fluery back on the ice - of course, this has been made possible by the outstanding play of Ty Conklin - and will probably do the same with Sid. At least this will probably be the case as long as Pittsburgh remains in the hunt for the division lead.

Gary Roberts has also made his way back on the ice as well. He suffered a fractured late last year. Also a pretty amazing feat for a 42 year old!

Sometimes it's hard to believe he's only 20 years old...

Here is a very well written profile of Sid, from ESPN.com's Scott Burnside.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/feature/featureVideo?page=sidneycrosby

Game Review: Carolina and New Jersey

The Pens have put together a good run of games since Sid the kid when down with a high ankle sprain on January 18th. They have managed to earn 8 points in 7 games, which kept them in the hunt for the Atlantic Division lead. Unfortunately the Flyers, Devils and Rangers have all been able to earn as many points in those games so everyone is still all bunched up at the top.

I've really enjoyed the past few games. Pittsburgh has shown true heart and determination in each game. Players that needed to step up in Crosby's absence have done so. The performance of players, such as Ryan Malone, Erik Christensen, Jarkko Ruutu, Colby Armstrong (after his bout with the fle) and Max Talbot has been outstanding.

More to come later...

Game Preview: Carolina at Pittsburgh

The Hurricanes will visit the Igloo for a matchup with the Pens tonight at 7:30. This is the third time these two have met this season. The previous games were won by the home team each time. There is still some lingering animosity between these two teams since last year when Brooks Orpik took out Hurricane's winger, Erik Cole, with a tremendous hit. Cole subsequently missed several weeks of action recovering from the injury.

Look for an aggresive start form both teams, as each will be trying to exert their dominance early on. The game should be relatively low scoring, and there will be some big hits!

Injury Update: Marc Andre Fleury is close to returning to the ice after an 8 week recovery from a high ankle sprain. Fleury has been practicing with the team and should make his return in the next 3 or 4 games.

News of Note: Kris Beech finally got his papers in order and was able to cross the Canadian/US border to join his new teammates. Beech, in his second stint with the Penguins, has been waiting in Toronto for his work visa to be approved. He was a first round draft pick (7th overall)of the Washington Capitals in 2000 and has recently been bouncing around the NHL trying to find a place to call home. He has played in Nashville, Vancouver and Columbus along with Pittsburgh and Washington. In 193 career games in the NHL he has scored 25 goals and 42 assists. He may forever be best know for his role in the Pens sending Jaromir Jagr to the Capitals. Kris was the so-called centerpiece of the three players the Pens got in return. Beech was a highly touted prospect coming out of juniors that never lived up to his billing. Here's to Kris finding a home, and a scoring touch, in the 'Burgh! Best of luck!

Pens, Hurricanes Swap Forwards

The Pens and Hurricanes swapped forwards in a trade that was completed on Thursday. Pittsburgh sent Center Joe Jensen to Carolina for left wing David Gove. Gove was immediately addigned to WBS Penguins.

Jensen was the Pens eighth round pick in 2003 and has never appeared in an NHL game. The Minnestota native has registered two goals and two assists for the Baby Pens this season.

Gove, 29, a Massachusetts native, has been with Carolina since 2005 when he was signed as a free agent. He has appeared in two NHL games and has registered on assist.