Great shot

Pens are a TEAM

Penguins superstars Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby have been garnering a lot of attention these days, and deservedly so. Malkin leads the NHL in postseason points (28) and assist (16) – this after winning the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s regular-season scoring champion. Not to mention the fact that he has been absolutely unstoppable lately, recording six straight mulit-point games totaling 16 points on seven goals and nine assists, including his first career playoff hat trick. Meanwhile, Crosby has a playoff-best 14 goals and is second in the NHL with 26 points. He has goals in eight of his last 11 games (12 total), including his first career postseason hat trick. What’s more, Crosby has been a consistent threat in the playoffs, tallying a point in 14 of 16 games. But for all the remarkable feats of Crosby and Malkin – and there are many more not mentioned – the Penguins wouldn’t be one win away from a second consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearance without the other players on the roster. Pittsburgh is more than just two players, and their success has been fueled by contributions from throughout the lineup. Just consider a small glimpse of what the rest of the team has chipped in during the first three rounds: Bill Guerin – The veteran is third on the team with 13 points and has scored clutch goals in the postseason. Guerin buried two goals, including the game-winning overtime score, in Game 2 against Philadelphia in the opening round, and added the game-winner in Game 7 at Washington in the semifinals. Chris Kunitz – The gritty forward is quietly third on the Penguins with 11 assists. He scored a big goal in Game 2 against Carolina and has brought energy and passion to the ice, evidenced by his 43 hits. Ruslan Fedotenko – The Ukraine native is a clutch postseason goal scorer. He scored Pittsburgh’s first of five unanswered goals in Game 6 at Philadelphia to turn a 3-0 deficit into a 5-3 game and series victory. Every time Fedotenko has scored, it’s been during a big moment of the game. Maxime Talbot – Talbot has sparked the team’s second line since his elevation during the opening round. He buried a goal on a breakaway to tie Game 2 against Carolina at 3-3 - the Penguins would eventually win 7-4. Talbot’s defensive abilities have allowed Malkin and Fedotenko to assert themselves more offensively. Jordan Staal – The 6-foot-4, 220-pound shutdown center has been matched against the opposing team’s top players. He held Philadelphia’s Jeff Carter to one goals in six games (Carter had 46 in the regular season, second most in the league). Staal has quieted his brother Eric in the Conference finals. Eric had 13 points on nine goals and four assists entering the third round. In the first three games, Jordan has held his older brother to one lonely assist. Matt Cooke – Cooke has excelled in his defensive/agitator role during the playoffs. He’s gotten under the skin of his opponents and has been spectacular on the Penguins’ penalty killing unit. Cooke has also chipped offensively on occasion, such as his career-high three assists in Game 2 against Carolina. Tyler Kennedy – The speedy forward scorched Philadelphia in the opening round, netting the game-winning goals in Games 1 and 4. He’s been strong defensively and has been matched against the opponent’s top lines. Miroslav Satan – Satan has flourished since being reinserted into the lineup – the Penguins are 8-2 when he plays. Despite his limited ice time, Satan chipped in four assists in five games against Washington, and scored the opening goal of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Carolina on a nice breakaway move. Craig Adams – The Harvard graduate's has provided a spark during his limited ice time on the fourth line. Adams has been one of the Penguins’ top penalty killers and even chipped in two goals and four points offensively, including a critical tally in Game 7 at Washington. Sergei Gonchar – The team’s defensive leader has inspired his teammates by playing through the pain of an injury he suffered during a knee-on-knee collision with Washington’s Alex Ovechkin. Gonchar missed two games but fought through the injury to play in the critical Game 7 victory at Washington. He’s been a steadying figure on the Penguins’ blue line. Brooks Orpik – As usual, Orpik has been a force on the ice for the Penguins. He’s racked up 73 hits in the playoffs, second most in the NHL, and 30 blocked shots. He’s provided a physical presence on Pittsburgh’s back end. Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill – The Scuderi-Gill duo has been the team’s top defensive pairing during the playoffs – matching up against the opposing team’s top players and lines. The tandem made Carter invisible, handled Ovechkin well enough for the Penguins to defeat the Capitals and is smothering Eric Staal. Mark Eaton – Eaton may be the biggest surprise of the postseason. The stay-at-home defenseman has blown up the scoresheet with four goals and six points – he compiled four goals and nine points during 68 regular-season games. But he’s also been defensively responsible and his 35 blocked shots ranked second in the league. Kris Letang – The 22-year-old blueliner has provided some offensive punch for the Penguins from the backend. He’s also scored critical goals during Pittsburgh’s Cup quest. With the Penguins’ trailing 2-0 to Washington, Letang scored the Game 3 overtime-winning tally to keep Pittsburgh alive. He also scored a key goal in the Game 7 victory at Washington that chased goalie Simeon Varlamov. Philippe Boucher – The veteran defenseman has been a welcomed addition to the team’s seven-man defensive rotation. He’s provided leadership, a calming presence and scored the game-winning goal in Game 1 against Carolina. Boucher has had a huge impact despite his limited ice time. Marc-Andre Fleury – The Penguins certainly wouldn’t be where they are today without great goaltending from Fleury. The young netminder stole Games 2 and 4 versus Philadelphia with 38- and 45-save performances. He was tremendous in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, stopping 23 shots to help the Penguins survive a late onslaught by Carolina. He is the silent difference maker for Pittsburgh. So while Crosby and Malkin get most of the recognition, those two can’t do everything alone. They need help from their teammates and they’ve gotten that assistance in this postseason. Even the best player in NHL history, Mario Lemiux, didn’t win a Stanley Cup until he had a talented group to skate with him. As for the team, they’ll allow Crosby and Malkin to handle the extra attention while they quietly go about their business of helping the team in its quest for the Stanley Cup. And they are one win shy of taking another big step.

Canes fans actually seem fine, but still........can't let them totally off the hook!

Where does one get this kind of haircut??
Though it is an outdated stereotype, you cannot resist commentary on a Carolina jersey with the name HICKS

Malkenstein Photos!

Geno dishing punishment of a different sort!
Oh Yeah!

The Beast is loose!

The Two Headed Pensmonster

Who is better? They are both great!

Pens win 6-2 and Malkin is dominant again

There are some things you never get tired of......the Penguins again show their mental toughness and offensive firepower as they weather a first period flurry to beat the Canes again. After falling behind 1-0 early on a goal by Cullen, the Pens score a power play goal by Malkin to tie the score. The Pens then end the period with the two headed monster striking with 42 seconds and 7 seconds left in the period. Crosby took a beautiful feed from Guerin, and as he has done all spring, went to the net and buried it! As the period ended, Dr. Malkenstein swooped and buried another goal, and just like that the Pens silenced the RBC crowd with a 3-1 lead. After a second period in which the Pens seemed to take their foot off the gas, neither team scored. The Canes struck quickly in the third scoring to make it 3-2 within the first two minutes, and it appeared as if a storm was brewing!! Again, Malkamania runs wild as Evgeni Malkin leads a rush up ice, and as the entire Canes defense collapsed to keep him in front of them, Malkin drops a pass to Ruslan Fedotenko, who took a laser of a wrist shot, and bingo, it is 4-2 Pens and you could feel the Hurricanes get downgraded to a tropical depression. Craig Adams sealed the deal with an empty netter right off the face off, and Billy Guerin rubbed some salt in the wound with a late backhander that beat Ward to make it 6-2. The Pens still have another game to win to clinch the Series, but only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders have erased 3-0 deficits in the Stanley Cup playoffs, so the Canes have their work cut out for them.

Evgeni Malkin is the NHL Playoff scoring leader with 28 points, and Sid is second with 26. Crosby is the playoffs goal scoring leader with 14, and Geno is second with 12........Truly amazing! Chris Kunitz followed up his great performance in Game 2 with two more assists, tremendous back checking, and his usual physical play............Bill Guerin's assist on Crosby's goal was a thing of beauty and he finished with a goal of his own. The top two lines were unreal tonite, and if Talbot had his A game tonite, Geno has two MORE assists, setting up Mad Max for a point blank chance with an open net, and setting him free for a breakaway with a beautiful 80 foot pass..............tonite, Max did not have his hands, and he missed both chances......or Geno would be sitting with 30 pts!!! I almost forgot to mention that Genos sixth straight multi point playoff game is the first time that has occured since Dale Hawerchuk did it in 1993, and is two shy of the NHL record set by Wayne Gretzky in that same year!

The series is never over until it is over, and the fourth win in a series is always the toughest one to get, but the Pens SEEM to be too much for the Canes. Without Cam Ward in the net, the Pens may have scored in double digits in each of the last two games. In addition, the interview with Joe Corvo, one of the Canes leaders between the second and third periods was the most dejected I have seen a player look while still in a game and series. The post game interviews with Eric Staal and Erik Cole had a similar feel. The three day separation in games is exactly what the Canes need right now, and I hate to see the Pens go idle while hitting on all cylinders, but this team is so focused, I am not expecting it to change their style. If the Pens finish off the Canes, they will be the first team since the '83-'84 Oilers to go the Stanley Cup Finals and lose in one year, then return the next. The Oilers won the Stanley Cup on their second try, ending the Islanders' dynasty and starting their own. The situation would be eerily similar to the potential changing of the guard this time too! Enjoy this while you can Pens fans, it is UNREAL!!