The last time Comrie put one in!!

Nice Rebound win

Johnson did what good goalies do tonite. He kept the Pens in it early until they got their legs, and the Pens shut out the Canes 3-0 tonight. Johnson came into tonite 2nd in the NHL in GAA (1.16) and 2nd in save percentage(.960), and both will have improved after tonights performance. He has not allowed a regulation goal in the past two games. Sorry, the entire team plays better in front of Johnson right now, and they need to ride that. It is on Fleury now to find his game when he gets the chance next, but let Johnson ride this out.

Very impressive effort tonight by Pascal Dupuis, who had two goals, and several chances at the hat trick. He and Letestu are now tied for second on the team in goals with 4. Yeah, they both have more than Malkin.

It was good to see that Talbot is still alive tonight!

Letestu after a hot start went his 5th straight without a point, but had some chances tonight.

Letang came into tonight leading all NHL defensemen with 11 points.

Engelland is so FUN to watch, and is a great addition to this team. With he and Orpik out there, Let the bodies hit the floor!!

It was good to see Asham get on the board. I still think he is going to make a nice difference on this team this season.

Engellend is truly hard on your teeth

One of the bright spots from the Pens early season is the play of Deryk Engellend. This guy has played very sound defensively and adds an element of nasty from the blue line that the Pens have not had since the days of Bob Boughner. He is now a pretty convincing 2-0 v two of the top heavyweights in the Atantic Division. Next up is Derek Boogaard of the Rangers. I am not betting against Engellend.

Jody Shelley vs. Deryk Engelland

PATHETIC

Tonight Derek Engelland again played solid and dispatched another genuine heavyweight in Jody Shelley.

Again, the special teams SHIT THE BED!!

Is there a law that says MAF has to give up a SOFF goal in EVERY FUCKING game?

Hockey is a funny game........just a week ago I was thinking how good the Pens were looking......Now there in only word to describe the recent play of this team who at 5-5-1 is at best mediocre, and that is PATHETIC. I am utterly unimpressed lately with any of the top echelon of players on this team. Crosby and Fleury are just average at this point. Fleury had a Fleury game. He made some very nice saves, but the second goal was SOFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!! A leaker under his pads. Then in a big situation needing a kill the Pens penalty kill was an EPIC FAIL, surrendering a goal in about 12 seconds.....and the Pens have now lost 2 of 3 against Philadelphia, and look unorganized. Their power play is a JOKE. 0 for their last 20 power play chances with all of that "talent." I am going to shit or piss or go outside and lick my car tires any time they are on the power play, all would be more interesting. And love the way they defend home ice......2-4.

Utterly Unimpressive

As you might imagine not a lot of positive to say when you squander a 3-1 lead and waste a game where you get 2 short handed goals on one power play, and Craig Adams has three points in a single period. And MAF apologists, please stop tripping over yourselves to make excuses for him. When he is in net the Pens basically spot a goal to the other team. Tonight is the second night in a row he gives up a goal on the first shot he faced, and he is an "outstanding" 1-4 in the net. The Pens are 5-4-1, with Fleury in net for all four regulation losses, so like it or not MAF is a major disappointment. Oh yeah, there is one goaltender out of 40 who have played this season with a lower save percentage than Fleury's .861. His 3.41 GAA has him at 37th out of the 40, not exactly stellar. I know we did not play great defensively, and that is the mantra of the apologists, so I guess we are to believe that the defense always plays better for Johnson who is 4-0-1 backstopping the same team. OK.

I have to ride Evgeni Malkin a bit also. Geno is staring to smell a bit like the dead fish he was last year. Tonight, he had no points, and was a -2. We are 10 games in and Malkin, who is mentioned as one of the top 5 players in the world has 30 players in the league with more points than he has and about a dozen with as many points. There are 42 players with more goals than his 3, and literally a few dozen with as many. He is on pace for 24 goals and 64 points, not a bad year for most players, but FAR less than is expected of Geno. If this is the Geno of last year, all year, it will be a frustrating season.

Mike Comrie is not worth a penny more than the league minimum, and frankly he is not worth that either. Cannot wait until Mrs. Duff is off this team. It won't be long I would think, probably as soon as Staal is healthy.

The power play was 0-7, enough said.

Craig Fucking Adams!

Ok, that is more focused effort than the team put in after the first period, so I am done for the night! See ya Friday.

Great Game, but OT Loss

First off, let me say that was another great game. Physcial, fast paced, and tight. The Penguins lose in OT, but for some reason it did not bother me that much. They took a tough point on the road, with 3 of the possbile 4 points on this trip in hand;

With Asham returning to the lineup, someone has to sit, or go, and for my money, Mrs. Duff can pack his bags. He looks slow, at times disinterested and SOFF. Now we know why he was available for the league minimum. I really thought he was a steal, but now, he looks more like a joke;

Brent Johnson looked great in goal tonight, though going back to him after Fleury's game Thursday was a bit puzzling to me;

Another Disco Dan move that was puzzling was the fact that he shied away from playing Malkin and Crosby together much at all, despite their 17 points in 5 games together;

The Blues look tough with Halak in goal, taking 4 of 4 possible points in two nights playing the last two Stanley Cup champs;

It was good to see Orpik in the lineup again, with he and Engelland in the game together the blue line has some real thump to it;

I love that Adams will always have a go, but cannot recall him ever winning;

Looking forward to Asham in the lineup Wedensday night against Tampa, and Staal sounds like he is soon to follow;

Those Blues 3rd jersies are pretty awesome looking sweaters;

Pens win 4th in a row in OT

This was for my money the most entertaining of the Pens games this season. After a typical early goal on the first shot that has become a signature of MAF, the two teams traded goals until Crosby won it in OT for the Pens. It was not a "bad" goal to start the game, but again no law says a big save could not be made. Fleury played a very strong, making several saves to keep the Pens in the game early....the third goal was a bit soft, but the save on JP Dumont's breakaway on the power play was a big save. Similarly, Fleury looked great making a spectacular save on Steve Sullivan in the 2nd period to keep the Pens within one goal at the time. Fleurys save percentage was .875, but this game is an example of how the save percentage is not ALWAYS indicative of how the goaltender played. I have no beef with this game, especially after a long layoff. Let's hope getting a win under his belt will get Fleury going!

It was great to see Crosby and Malkin dominate a game, and essentially win it for the Pens. The two combined for three goals and 2 assists tonight. Suddenly Crosby is looking like Crosby, he has 10 points in his last 8 games including six goals and Geno is playing well also and dominated play at times;
Mark Letestu added a point again tonite, and is averaging about one point per game. He did not look out of place centering the second line. He leads all rookies in goals, assists, and shots;
Comrie added another assist tonight,maybe a goal is coming soon;
Despite being demoted to the 4th line, I liked Tangradi's game tonight. He was able to control the puck along the boards, and played an effective game. His size and grit could make him effective on that line until he is ready to take his place in the top six;
And again, I cannot even describe how excited I am about the Pens blueline. Going in to tonights game the Pens had 3 defenseman in the top 5 in scoring in the NHL. Martin and Goligoski were tied for second with 7 pts coming into to tonights game, and Letang was 4th with points. Letang added 3 points tonite, and Goligoski and Martin added assists as well. Martin was about half a second away from adding another goal at the end of the first. Hutchinson scored tonight, and Deryk Engelland played another solid tough game, adding a fight in defense of Evgeni Malkin. I am a fan.
Crosby suddenly has 11 points in 8 games after a slow start and Geno now has 8 to now average a point per game. Letang is tied with Malkin for second in points, and leads the team with a solid + 9. Goligoski and Martin are tied for 4th on the team and carry a +6 and +5 respectively. Suddenly, the Pens backline is an offensive juggernaut. More exciting is the fact this is occurring with two of their top 4 defensemen on the shelf. In addition, there are 4 more NHL ready defensemen in WBS, one that is ticketed as a top pairing talent, Simon Despres;
With Orpik almost ready to come back, followed quickly by Asham, some tough calls will be need to made. A few weeks down the road, Staal will be ready, as will Zybnek Michalek. If and when they get fully healthy, there will be some more interesting decisions to be made.
My final comment is the fact that the Kunitz and Cooke are both in the top three in hits in the NHL, and you still have guys like Asham, Engelland, Orpik, Rupp, Adams on top of that, this may be the toughest Pens team I can recall in many years.

Rick Rypien vs Minnesota Wild Fan

Harrison fined $75,000

Roger Goodell = Chode......violent sport played by violent men and your league profits greatly from that so how do you make these decisions?

Marc Andre Fleury-Is there a more polarizing Penguins player in recent years?

Marc Andre Fleury has a Stanley Cup ring, and a trip to the finals under his belt and he is only now in his mid twenties. He also earns five million dollars per year, putting him financially into the category of elite goaltender, yet is never among league leaders in GAA or save percentage. He also has a Stanley Cup ring and has won 38 playoff games. As a result, Fleury seems to have some of the most diverse opinions I have ever heard for an athlete with his resume. There now seems to be two categories of Penguins fans and local media. Fleury Haters and Fleury Lovers. The Fleury Haters mantra is something like this:



Fleury is paid among the top 7 or 8 goaltenders, but statistically he is always in the bottom half of the major categories like GAA and Save Percentage;

Yeah, he wins games, but that is because the Pens have such a great offense, and they win in spite of MAF not because of him;

Yeah he won a cup, but that is because Geno carried the team to the cup along with Crosby;

Yeah he won a cup, but that does not make him great. Trent Dilfer won the Super Bowl and he is not more than average;

Yeah he won a cup, but we might have won the first one if he played better;

Fleury gives up soul crushing, momentum sapping goals WAY too often;

Fleury is way too comfortable as the starter and should split time with Jonny;

Trade Fleury for a top six winger and give the job to Johnson because the Hawks won a cup with a mediocre goalie like Niemi, and the Flyers went to the Finals with a group of mediocre goalies.



Fleury apologists:

Fleury has won a cup, and almost another;

Fleury is not about his stats, it is about when he makes big saves;

Fleury is not as bad as his stats, only x of those goals were his fault;

Fleury's stats are mediocre but he WINS games;

Fleury will be there when it counts;

Fleury should not have to sit while a backup who is among league leaders carries the team to victories, because, well he is Fleury;

You are an idiot if you ever think you could trade Fleury or sit him for any length of time;

Speaking of idiots Ron Cook writes today that Dan Bylsma is doing Fleury wrong by sitting him and riding the hot goaltender. Cook further states that Fleury deserves "better."

Well Ron, despite the fact that I agree that Fleury remains the number one goalie, and Fleury at his best gives the Pens the best chance at the Cup come spring time I could not disagree more about Coach Disco's handling of the situation. I like Fleury, he seems like a really good kid, and a great teammate, but frankly his feelings are not the issue right now. The Penguins were looking BAD, and Fleury was a big part of that situation. He was 0-3 in the net with a bloated 3.41 GAA and an anemic .853 save percentage. In contrast, Johnson is 4-0 with a 1.49 GAA and an excellent .950 save percentage. Ron, a professional hockey team is not some feel good support group, it is a business. They are in the business of winning. They are hotter than hell with Johnson in the net. Why would you pull him just because you think Fleury is owed something? He is getting what he is owed, about $5,000,000 per year for seven years. He played poorly all last season, and more poorly during the playoffs last season. His statistics were not much different than the prior seasons run, but he was letting in goals that were SOFFER than a babys ass. When he started in that mode this season, coach Disco had every right to make the move, and the team has flourished ever since. Cook goes on to say that Fleury only let in one bad goal during this stretch. He also defended Fleury's game against Toronto when he gave up 4 goals on 14 shots, stating that they had 8 quality scoring chances. Well, Ron, is it illegal for the franchise goalie to make the BIG save and steal a game? I tire of hearing from the apologists how he was hung out to dry, and they were good chances.....sometimes you have to make those saves, at least some of them......last night, with 11 plus minutes left, Letang turns the puck over at the blueline, creating a breakaway chance on Johnson with the Pens up 5-2. If that puck goes in shorthanded, the Senators would have all the momentum and 11 plus minutes to score two goals to tie this game. Johnson MADE THE SAVE that snuffed out the hopes of the Senators and sealed the win. As he did early in the game, allowing the Pens to jump out to the lead. I have another question for Ron.......what if Bylsma was the sap you want him to be and he plays the stone cold goalie in favor of the red hot goalie Thursday night against Nashville and Fleury shits the bed again and the Pens lose? Now you have created more of a goalie controversy than you have now. It is no guarantee by any stretch that Fleury comes in and plays well. You keep playing Johnson until he cools off or the first back to back games. If Fleury takes advantage of that chance and plays well, win or lose, he gets the keys to the mazerati again. I very much hope that Johnson stays hot and Fleury sits a bit longer due to the fact that the points will pile up for the Pens. I also hope that when Fleury gets his chance again,which will be soon either way, that he plays lights out and takes the job back, as his playoff experience gives the Pens the best chance in the spring. He is one of the four horseman that the current Pens team was built around. In the long run, Johnson playing 20-25 games at least this year would probably benefit Fleury come spring time. Finally, as part of analyzing the two goalies, I ran their career statistics which are pretty similar in the regular season.

MAF played 305 games, winning 148 of them or 48.5%. BJ played 274 games winnning 125 of them or 45%. MAF has a career GAA in the regular season of 2.83, a save percentage of .906 and 16 shutouts. BJ has a carreer GAA in the regular season of 2.62, a save percentage 0f .904 and 13 shutouts. All in all, they have very similar career REGULAR season numbers, and if that were the yardstick one could make the argument that if MAF does not get hot they could be a 1A and 1B tandem. Besides the fact that is not a great situation, the experience and resume of Fleury in the playoffs is far greater than that of Johnson in terms of games played and victories. Fleury has played in 62 playoff games already at the age of 25. He has won 38 of those games or 61%. His GAA is 2.62 and a save percentage of .911. In contrast, Johnson has only played in 13 playoff games, winning 5 of them or 38%. His GAA is 1.84 and his save percentage is .929. Though both of those stats are better, they come in far fewer games, and the big stat of wins is better for MAF in both sheer number of wins and percentage of games won. Add to that the fact that MAF was two wins away from the Cup in 2007-2008 and won the Cup in 2008-2009 and you can definitely see that we need a sharp and focused Fleury come spring time if we want our best shot at the hardware.

3 in a row

Hockey is a funny game....Things look a lot different this week than last. The Pens have now won 3 in a row, and 4 of their past 5, will every win coming with Brent Johnson in the net. He had yet another good outing gettting his league leading 4th win to go along with a .950 save percentage, and 1.5 GAA. No reason he should not play again Thursday in Nashville;

Mark Letestu scored a goal and an assist tonight to remain the scoring leader among NHL rookies, including his 4 goals to tie with captain Sidney Crosby for the team lead;

In addition Alex Goligoski got an assist and remains tied for first in scoring among NHL defensemen, and first in goals for defensemen. In addition he is eating big minutes every night and looking good while doing it;

Letang, despite an ugly gaffe at the blue line midway through the third continues to play strong hockey, hitting, blocking shots and scoring a goal of his own tonite;

Derek Engelland continues to impress me. He played a solid defensive game, fought a tough but braindead Chris Neil and played the body as he always does. In addition, he stepped up for Goose with Matt Carkner, who then deferred. I think this kid adds a great dimension to the team;

Ben Lovejoy was all over the ice and looked very impressive again for the Pens. I think you can really start to see the defensive depth of this team, and their top two defensive defensemen remain out with injuries.

We knew that the Pens top 4 was as good as any, and thought that Goose made it a solid top 5. We were worried about the sixth and seventh defensemen. Well so far, Goligoski is doing his part to make the Pens top 5 as good as any and Engelland and Lovejoy have made the worries about the sixth and seventh D disappear;

Mike Comrie had his best regular season game as a Penguin with two assists and solid play up and down the ice;

You have to appreciate what Gonchar did for the Pens as a player.......he had a bad start and a bad finish, but the Pens do not win the Cup without Gonchar, believe me. He was a main cog in the wheel here for most of his time. That said, his homecoming was rough tonight as he wound up on the ice for all 5 Penguins goals and finished a -3 while notching an assist. Shero made the right move despite the skill of Sarge. He is very SOFF defensively, which eats a bit into the value he brings carrying the puck and quarterbacking a power play. It appears to me as if Letang and Goligoski both have relished the opportunity to step up into Gonchars shoes, not to mention what the addition of Martin can do, along with Michalek. Thanks for the memories Sarge, you were great, but I like the balance and diversity of this year's blueline;

Go Pens!

James Harrison Injury Hits against the Browns (Steelers vs. Browns)

James Harrison Injury Hits against the Browns (Steelers vs. Browns)

More response from Pens Nation to Richards' fine whine

More from last night

Think about! Name plate.....face........FUNNY stuff!

A sight for sore eyes!

Heeeeeeeeres Jonny!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some good photoshops from last nights game in Philadelphia!

kid freaks out over flyers loss

Mike Richards Post-Game With Media - 10.16.10

Crosby sucks......Richards sw****ws!

Great Pblog photoshop

Well, it took awhile but that nasty feeling the comes from the playing the Flyers has returned! The world is right again!! Crosby sucks?? Well Flyers fans, this dude who sucks so bad now has 59 points in 34 games against your team, for an average of 1.74 points per game. If he played the Flyers every game he would shatter Gretzky's offensive records! He played a big part in sending you home in the spring two of the past three years as well. Yeah, he sucks. And oh, that whining thing? Listen to the man named after multiple penises cry on the post game from youtube. Come on, you lost tonite Dickards, it is only October, and you beat us in our opener, but just accept the loss instead of acting like your midol container was empty. You did look a little tired and bloated tonight, so eat a quart of ice cream, have a little cry, watch some Oprah reruns and you will feel better in the morning.

That tough guy thing was pretty funny too......not that Rupp is a little guy or afraid to fight, but if Big Bad Smelly Shelley the C^M belly wanted to really show something, why did he not look for Godard instead of Rupp? Cause he had enough of Godard over in the western conference. And today's win was the 6th in a row at Wells Fargo for the flightless Birds! Okay got that out of my system!

It was good to see the power play click even if it took a 5 on 3 or two. It was also good to see Crosby get multiple goals and an assist against his bitches;

Goligoski who is tied with another defenseman Paul Martin and Sidney Crosby for the team scoring lead with 6 points had another solid game, as did Kris Letang and the rest of the defensive corps;

Chris Kunitz played another very solid game all the way around, and put his second goal of the season behing Bobrovsky;

And oh yeah, Brent Johnson played another very solid game tonight, which may make it tough to go back to Fleury monday night. He is now 3-0 with a .953 save percentage and 1.32 GAA average, both statistics put him 5th in the NHL. If you compare that to Marc Andre Fleury who is currently 0-3, with an .853 save percentage(45th in the NHL), and 3.41 GAA good for 41st in the league it would be tough to justify going away from Jonny Monday night. Add to that Johhson is 3rd in the league in wins, while MAF is winless. I still think the Pens need MAF to have a solid shot at winning the Cup, but I am not so sure sitting the pine for another game or two would be that bad for Fleury or the Pens. Right now Johnson gives the Pens the best chance of collecting two points, so until that is not so obvious Johnson should be between the pipes;

The Pens have not looked that good for long stretches of their first six games. The power play had been horrible, defensive lapses have put shooters unchallenged in front of the Pens net, Crosby has looked like he can't find the net, injuries have stripped the Pens of their best defensive forward, their two best defensive defensemen, and a guy (Asham) who was supposed to be the final ingredient of a hellacious third line for most or all of this time. Despite that, they are 3-3 now and lead the Atlantic Division. Add to that the fact that they lost all 3 games by only one goal, and you can feel a bit better about their meddle. I thought they got a bit lucky to win last night, but to come into Philly, on a back to backer, and win convincingly is a good sign. There is a lot of hockey to be played, and they are by no means a juggernaut at this point, but clawing back to .500 with 3 consecutive division wins feels good to me.

Letang with a Huge Open Ice Hit on Comeau [10-15-10]

An UGLY win, but a win nonetheless

Hey refs, here is something to kiss!

Kunitz where he needs to be in front of the net!

Pretty clear evidence that Letang's hit was SHOULDER on SHOULDER, not a blow to the head. G

Well, it finally happened, the Pens won at the CEC in overtime 3-2. I was very happy to see the win, but honestly left more disgusted with certain aspects of this team than before. Crosby and Malkin did their best to make me feel like I had gone to the opening night of JACKASS for pretty much the entire evening. Crosby has done enough for the Pens that it is hard to criticize him at times, but he made so many sloppy plays tonight it was unreal. The same with Malkin. Sorry, but we are now five games in, and both of them have been so unproductive that it is not funny. They also must be the main reason they cannot get their power play untracked. We can no longer blame Mike Yeo for the power play, he is gone, and they look FAR worse if that can be believed. Yes, they won the game in OT on a power play goal by Goligoski, assisted by 87 and 71, but they were 0-7 including a 5 on 3 prior to that.......and looked even WORSE than 0 for 7 sounds. At the end of the day, the Pens get their first home win, and maybe it will be the start of something, but something on this team does not feel right to me. It is scary when I prefer to see the two stars off the ice for the power play and prefer anybody else on the second unit, because they get the puck to the net and follow up on it!!

I also thought Paul Martin looked bad tonight, and did not look at all like a power play quarterback.

After a great preseason, Mike Comrie looks like a $500,000 forward right now.

On a more positive note Brent Johnson gave a very solid performance, and I hope Bylsma comes back with him tomorrow night. In addition, the silver lining in the injury cloud on the blue line may be that Derek Engelland is showing he can be a legit top 6 defenseman, looking very comfortable playing in his own end, making very solid breakout passes, and throwing his body around in a way that reminds me of another Pens blueliner who sported the number 5.

In addition Alex Goligoski has been excellent, leading the Pens in goals and points. Goose has points in all five games, and has notched 3 goals already. The trick for Goligoski would be to stay consistent, as he had 6 goals in the first 15 games last season, and ended with only 8. He is playing with confidence, and his game winner tonite was a thing of beauty as he followed up a blast from Malkin, got the rebound, and from a bad angle roofed it past DiPietro.

I think Mark Letestu has been the Pens best forward thus far, and that is scary. He was a big factor in tonites game, even playing on the fourth line, and seems to always be productive. Finally, I like Tangradis game, and hope that Bylsma keeps him around. The Big Dog got his first NHL goal tonite, and to me seems to gain confidence every game.

Kris Letang got an early shower on a bull shit call for a blow to the head. The replays clearly showed a very solid shoulder on shoulder hit by Letang, but nonetheless he was assessed a five minute major penalty and a game misconduct. The Islanders took advantage of this horrendous call to score two goals and tie the game.

Tomorrow night, we look for revenge against the Flyers in Philadelphia. Go Pens.

Critical Perspetive on the 1-3 Pens

Much has been written about the Penguins woes at this EARLY juncture in the season. Most of the heat seems to have landed in Marc Andre Fleury's lap. It is really tough to make a hard argument about his play being that good. His GAA is 3.41, and his save % is .853, hardly numbers that will keep you in the league over the LONG run, much less win you a cup. First, it is EARLY, second, the team is decimated by injuries particularly in the area of defense with their best defensive forward Jordan Staal sidelined until November and the top two defensive defensemen Orpik and Michalek out with injuries as well. He also has been hung out to dry by a team that seems to be playing very sloppy at times. That said, you cannot give up 4 goals on 14 shots period! Hey, I am not a big Fleury apologist, and I fully expected better play from him after a subpar season last year and his play the last couple of games has irritated me quite a bit. But, lets remember folks that this team was built to win down the middle with roughly 27M of their cap put into the three centers, Staal, Malkin and Crosby, along with goaltender Fleury. Lets look at these players 4 games into the season. As noted, Staal has not even played, so 1/4 of the foundation that this team was built on has not even dressed. Four games in Crosby and Malkin have 2 points each, with 84 players in the NHL having more points at this point, and plenty more having at least as many. Not exactly the production you would expect from two of the top 5 players in the league. Fleury's poor numbers are posted above, and they speak for themselves. My point is FIRST STILL THAT IT IS WAY EARLY TO JUMP OFF A BRIDGE! The season is 4 games old, and every year there are ups and downs.....maybe this Pens team is going to get its DOWN early in the season. Second, that this team was built to win with the four above referenced players leading the way. When all four are not clicking for one reason or other( or not even playing), the chances of the Pens winning a lot of games is slim. The good news is that Staal is actually skating again, and hopefully will be ready to play in the next month or so. We dont have any historical basis to believe that Crosby will NOT find his game, and be the dominant player he has been throughout his career. He has had slow starts and slump periods in every season he has played, but every year Crosby ultimately delivers the goods, and this year will be no different. I had written in the preseason that I thought both Fleury and Malkin would have rebound years and that this would help propel this team deep into the playoffs again. I still think that this will be true, but I am not as ready to bet the farm on either of the two. Fleury is young, but he is a veteran at this point, and still seems to suffer the mental lapses and short side softies that have plagued him at times for his whole career. I am hopeful that Disco Dan uses the fact that Johnson is a very capable backup to keep Fleury focused, so as to not lose starts to a capable back up. Talks of trading Fleury at this point are insane though. As far as Malkin, I thought that he would be a beast this season, and he still might, but he might not. Some members of the media who cover the Pens commented on Malkins "I don't care" attitude and effort relative to his horrendous record on penalty shots, shoot outs, and breakaways. That attitude was apparent to me last year, and if it is a long term issue this year, it will be a problem. Hey, Geno is talented enough to scrape up 70-80 points per year even half motivated. The probem is that the Pens need 100+ from both Crosby and Malkin, as the cap space they eat limits the complementary scoring power they can add to the team. Lets hope that Geno catches fire and plays like the monster that made our playoff opponents during the cup run look like children at times. I still think we will be very happy Pens fans this spring, but I have to admit that I will be keeping a particular eye on Geno and Flower over the coming weeks. Finally, lets not forget how much of a factor Orpik is with regard to the defense on this team, and that Z Michalek was supposed to be the other shut down defenseman and he is also out of the lineup. Staal and Asham out of the lineup has prevented the Pens from implementing that Staal Malkin second unit, as well as the nasty nasty 3rd line that was to be Cooke, Talbot and Asham. Be patient folks, I still think this team is loaded, and the silver lining in the black cloud of injuries is that we are getting to see some of the younger guys step up and play a solid game for this team. They have had stretches in games in which they were able to bottle up the other team. They have also had significant lapses, and their goaltender has not made that big stop to steal a game YET. Despite all of the negative fodder I provided above, the Pens could have won every one of the games they lost. If the four horsemen play to their potential, the supporting cast and improved defensive corps(when healthy) will have the Pens in the NHL's elite status, and positioned to be a real threat to reclaim that Cup. I expect to be rockin in the back yard into the early summer again despite a rocky start. Go Pens!!

Colton Orr vs. Deryk Engelland

Pens lose at home AGAIN

The Pens makeshift defense gave up only 14 shots tonight.........that is good enough for a win almost every night right? No, not when the Marc Andre Fleury circa 2010-2011 "protects" your net. When you give up 4 goals on 14 shots, you have no chance......and I know the Fleury apologists will correctly say that a couple of those goals were set up by big breakdowns, but I will simplify the argument between the Fleury haters and Fleury lovers........in the three losses, the other team's goaltender played better than Fleury, period. We can argue back and forth about if the goals are all his fault, or if the losses are his fault, but the fact is this team is 1-3 and in all three losses their goaltender was inferior to the other team's. It is very early in the season, but this team is like a MASH unit already......Their best defensive forward, Staal skated for the first time in practice today and probably remains out for several weeks.....their best defenseman Orpik is missing games with a recurring groin injury..........their big free agent signing and shut down defenseman Michalek is likely out for months with a shoulder injury...this guy played in all 82 games the past two years for Phoenix, but will likely miss at least half of this season...he was the most coveted shut down defenseman on the market this season....and Arron Asham who was to make the Pens third line miserable to play against has yet to play at all.......

The Pens lost again due to turnovers, sloppy play in their zone, and poor goaltending.......however there were some positives to take away again;

Ben Lovejoy, Derek Engellend and Andrew Hutchinson all are now forced to step up and show what they have. I have been impressed with what I have seen thus far. Engellend the "banger" in the group not only played a very solid, stay at home physical game tonite, he knocked heavyweight Colton Orr of the Leafs on his ass with a solid right hand! I really like having that edge on the blue line........Ben Lovejoy has played very solid workmanlike hockey, as did Hutchinson tonight.

I know he only has one assist, but I still like what I see from Eric Tangradi and Mark Letestu.....

There were signs of life from Talbot, and Crosby finally got a goal...............I am not at all happy being 1-3, and really good teams face injury and find ways to win, and the Pens thus far have not done so. That said, I like a lot of individual components of what I am watching, and fully expect a chemistry to develop, mistakes to be corrected, and winning to occur.

Game Day-Toronto

Sidney Crosby 2010 Highlight Mix [HD]

CONSOL Energy Center Penguins Season Opener 2010 Pregame Part 1

CONSOL Energy Center Penguins Season Opener 2010 Pregame Part 2

Raitis Ivanans vs Steve MacIntyre Oct 7, 2010

Wisniewski Obscene Gesture Towards Sean Avery

First Win of the Season and first against NJD in a year

Wow, it was nice to get back on the winning track this afternoon in lovely Newark New Jersey. Some thought from the game tonite:

Eric Tangradi gets a little more comfortable it seems with each game. His pressure on Kovalpuke tonite directly led to a goal by Goligoski, and he is always right in front of the net. He has missed some chances to finish, but that will come. One of several things I like about this kid is the fact that he understands his job. He is hitting every thing that moves, and going to the net at every chance. His size is an element that the Pens really need. Can you imagine if the Big Dog gets a bit better with his hands, with his size and toughness, a line centered by Staal with Malkin and Tangradi on the wings? That could make the top line Crosby Kunitz Comrie, and the third line of Talbot, Cooke and Asham. Good balance there;

Goligoski now has 2 goals in three games, uh, 2 more than Crosby at this point. I am glad for Goligoski, his confidence should be there now, and that could make all the difference in the world;

Paul Martin, after a slow start is showing why Shero signed him for 5 years at 5M. He is very smooth skating, can rush the puck with authority, and makes very smart plays to get the Pens out of their zone and on the rush. He will be fun to watch this season;

The defense in general was very impressive. With Orpik out from the start, and Michalek out for half the game, Lovejoy and Engellend had to step up and both did. I was impressed with Engellend who I thought looked a little shaky against Philadelphia. He played physical but smart hockey, and Lovejoy did what he does, which is solid positional hockey. Letang and Martin ate big minutes and led by example. The goals tonite in effect were all from the defense. The first goal by Goose, the second, credited to Letestu was the result of a bullet from Letang, and Martin closed it out with an empty netter;

Letestu has been the Pens best player thus far this season. His goal tonite, though created by the blast from Letang, occurred also because Letestu did the dirty work to get in front of the net in a position to have the ping pong action of the puck go off of his skate and in the net;

Malkin and Crosby have not finished plays thus far this year, with both being shut out completely in 2 of 3 games, and each having one point total, but I dont expect THAT to continue. Still I would feel better to see one or both start to put some pucks in the net. The power play is not clicking at a high percentage yet, but I do think it looks better overall, and will improve as the players get used to each other......Finally, not a fan of the Bylsma line juggling, but the Pens won an important game in the division. Now to break the cherry of the CEC Wednesday night against an improved Leafs team.