Slept on it

And still feel pretty aggravated by what the Pens did to start the game last night.......How do you come out flat in a Game 7, at home, with the most raucous crowd I have seen in recent memory doing as asked by you, being LOUD and PROUD?? You are not an inexperienced team, in your first rodeo! You WERE the defending Stanley Cup Champions, and back to back Stanley Cup Finalists..........yes, the boarding call on Crosby to start the game, given the situation was typically NHL cheap......BUT, this is the NHL, those calls happen, and good, not even great teams either kill that penalty, or quickly rebound from the situation and regain control of themselves.......the Pens of each of the past two playoff seasons would have done so and easily! And, do not blame the referees for this game, despite our collective opinions of that first call......The Pens were given six power plays, and went for 0 for 6 AND with the game 3-0, surrendered a short handed goal that started with ANOTHER bad turnover, progressed with the most gutless, effortless play I have ever seen from a Penguin, when Gonchar escorted Moen along the boards and never tried to impede him, and finished predictably with Fleury flailing on the ice, looking for a puck that was already past him...........4-0 deficits are not readily overcome......I will say that the Pens seemed to get a spark when the sieve was pulled and looked like they could make a game of it by closing to 4-2 to end the second period, and they had a 4 on 3 power play to start the third..........I was thinking how a PP goal to start period 3 could be a big part of one of the biggest comebacks in playoff history here.........but true to form, the power play was not even close to generating that third goal.....This is the time when Malkin or Crosby rise to the occasion, right? No, not this year..............Hey, all in all, we as Pens fans have little to complain about since the Crosby era began............we are not preordained to win every big game, with Crosby leading the team, it just felt that way........and make no mistake, Sidney Crosby had a VERY dissppointing series against Montreal, as did many of the Penguins.......I just have a hard time criticizing a guy TOO much who has had so many great moments, and led this team so well. This particular season the weight of having to carry the WHOLE team on his shoulders in key moments due to the lackadaisical play of the other head of the two headed monster, and the sould crushing softness of the goaltender, proved to be too much............This team was built to win down the middle with huge dollars put in Crosby, Malkin, Staal, and Fleury.............and for the most part, that formula has worked like a charm...........not this time............I have an unwavering belief in Crosby and Staal.............Malkin, probably the most talented all around forward in the league, but he is very much like Kovalev in my mind.....I firmly believe that his success last year during the regular and post season contributed to his lackluster effort at times this season.......Fleury, I truly believe to be a great kid, and a good, but not great or consistent goaltender..........he was good enough to win the Cup last year, but the jury is out to me on him as a championship goaltender...........I thought he was very average two years ago, rose to the occasion in the post season last year, and was subpar, and a large reason as I predicted for the Pens demise this season........his save percentage was .884, making him 13 out of 15th listed goaltenders in this post season. This team has great management, a great nucleus of talent, decent depth in the farm system, and loads of post season experience for such a young team........they need to come up with a way to get a couple of wingers in the mold of Petr Sykora when he first came here, FINISHERS to complement the myriad of fast, hard working wingers that populate this team.....they also need at least one good stay at home defenseman, and to make a decision one way or the other about the glut of smallish, puck moving defensemen they have, as to whom they think can be the quarterback of the powerplay going forward.........should be an interesting summer of decisions for Shero.....Ray, please sign Matt Cooke, please!!! Also, please tell Sarge, Ponigirl, and Fedostinko not to even think about it! GO PENS!!!