What does he have to do??

I am not going to waste any time on the NHL All-Star game, it is a waste of time. I do want to spend some time defending a guy that gets a bad rap from Penguins fans for some reason. It seems that many Penguins fans seem to think that Alex Goligoski is an expendable piece of the puzzle who should be dealt at the deadline for a scoring winger to upgrade our offensive capabilities. I read that he is a defensive liability, he is too small, he plays soft, he can't run the power play, he costs us goals, etc. etc. Well, Alex Goligoski is small, he doesn't hit much, and from time to time he makes some defensive mistakes that piss me off too. But let's step back for a second and forget for a minute about what Goose is not, and talk about what he is. And what he is to the Penguins is the fifth leading scorer on the team with 26 points, including 9 goals and 4 game winners, along with a plus 21 rating. You cannot be invloved in giving up too many goals and be +21, right? The Penguins are also second in the league in goals against, so they really cannot have too many guys on defense who are terrible. Not too shabby. In addition, Goligoski has played 167 games in the NHL at this point, barely more than 2 seasons, so he will only get better. It is not uncommon for NHL defensemen to take 4 or 5 years to really blossom into their roles. In those 167 games, Goligoski has averaged .508 points per game and registered a +35. He is a cap hit of 1.8M dollars, and logs 20+ minutes of ice time per game as the fifth defenseman on the team. He is 25 years old. Let's compare Goligoski to some other prominent defensemen who play similar roles. Kris Letang, who is on a possible Norris Trophy pace is second on the team in scoring with this year with 41 points, including 7 goals and a plus 22 rating. He has more overall points, but is similar in goals and plus/minus rating this season. And overall in 267 games Letang has averaged .71 points per game, and is an overall +12. But a lot of that extra production has come over the past season or so, as he has played 100 more games, or about a season and a quarter. If you look at Letang's statistics at the end of last season, he had played in 147 games, averaging .40 points per game and a collective -6. Many of the same yinzers wanted to see Tanger traded last season for a decent winger. That trade would look pretty bad right now, when you see what an extra season of maturity has done for Letang, who is a legitimate Norris Trophy candidate. And he is 24. So, Goligoski has better statistics at roughly the same point in his career in terms of man games than Letang did. Letang has had a breakout year offensively, and he is more physical, but if Goligoski would continue to improve along the same curve, he will be a hot commodity. Add to that, his 1.8M cap hit makes him an extremely good value for a young defenseman with that kind of output. Letang is now considered a bargain at 3.5M, so at half that money Goligoski is a real bargain. Now, some of these same people say well, Tomas Kaberle is available, a very good offensive defenseman, and we could get him at the deadline to step in for Goligoski, he is better too. Well, I looked at Kaberle's last couple of seasons as a basis of comparison. Keep two things in mind as you read this. First, Kaberle has been in the league since 1998, so he is in his prime, and second, he comes with a 4.25M price tag, more than twice the hit we take for Goligoski. In fact, in terms of cap hit, you could have Goose, Cooke, and Engelland for Kaberle. But Kaberle is WAY better, right? WRONG!! In his past 188 games, Kaberle has averaged .585 points per game, a bit more than Goose, but has been a minus player to the tune of about -16. What about another BIG name offensive defensman with similar stature, Brian Rafalski of the Wings? Well, his numbers are better, in the past 194 games Rafalski has averaged .68 points per game, and been about a +20 player. But he also has been in the league for a long time, and in his prime, and he comes with a cap hit of 6M per year, or more than THREE times that of Goligoski. The Pens have one more year of Goose at 1.8M, and given his favorable performance comparison to other prominent offensive defenseman, and the upside he has he is a bargain in my book. If you are going to trade Goligoski you need to have two things in return. First, you better net a top six winger who will easily pump in 25 + goals who is signed for 3M or less, has term left on his contract, AND you better find another solid OFFENSIVE defenseman in another deal with a cap friendly hit. Not likely. So, yinzers, the Penguins should not deal Goligoski at the deadline for anything that would seem realistic to happen. If they could land a young gun like Jamie Benn or James Neal those are deals that could lead me to move the Goose. They are cap friendly, young power forwards with a resume, so they are not likely targets. Instead, they can package any combination of mid round draft picks, one of their defensive prospects not named Despres, and/or one or two of their 3rd/4th line players who will be UFA after this season for a rental like Bill Guerin was, or for a young guy like Christopher Higgins, Kris Versteeg, or Ales Hemsky who has upside. I would think that next season it will be time to give Eric Tangradi and Dustin Jeffrey prominent roles on the team, so there is no need to panic for that winger. If you think at some point next season that Simon Despres is ready to step up and log big minutes at the NHL level, then you can trade Goligoski NEXT year IF you get the right value in return. Until then, why not applaud the guy for the valuable contributions he does make instead of killing him for his lack of physical play. You should not underestimate what he quietly contributes to this team now, and you should hope that he takes a similar step up in his next 100 games that Letang did. If he does, you may be talking about signing him to an extension for Letang type money, and moving someone else's salary for a winger. That would be a good dilemma to have.

Wheelin' and Dealin' with Ray Shero - Pittsburgh Magazine - February 2011 - Pittsburgh, PA

Wheelin' and Dealin' with Ray Shero - Pittsburgh Magazine - February 2011 - Pittsburgh, PA

James Harrison's Vitaeris 320 Hyperbaric Chamber

Fleury shines in 1-0 win

The Penguins have played the last three games without both Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin and collected 4 of the possible 6 points, to go into the All Star break in the top 5 for the entire league. The games have been short on style points, but it is tough to argue with the outcome. Marc Andre Fleury has been simply outstanding since his early season troubles. When I watch this team, it is evident that they are a bit short in top shelf offensive talent, but it is not short on guts. Despite some moments of frustration, when you consider that they have only played 2 games this season with the three star centers(the foundation upon which the team was built), yet they remain in sight of the top of the NHL standings, and in range of the red hot Flyers, you have to be impressed. A lot of times, teams that withstand significant adversity during the season hit the playoffs with a sense of purpose that is tough to defeat, so maybe that is the silver lining in the cloud. Tonight the grinders on this team(Rupp,Talbot, Asham, Adams, Dupuis, Cooke) played classic Bylsma hockey cycling down low, and controlling the play in the opponents zone. Asham stood out to me tonight, and more closely resembled the player I thought we were getting when we signed him from Philadelphia. Let's hope that the All-Star break gets Crosby and Malkin healthy, and we can gear up for the stretch run in the division with all hands on deck.

WHEW!!!

Whewwww......the Steelers have now played a full 60 minutes of football.......the only problem is that those 60 minutes came in TWO games! The fact that they were able to win both, against quality opponents playing one half per game is odd, but I will take it. The Steelers came out and blew the big mouthed Jets off the field for much of the first half. Then, they play a SOFT series to close the half, and gave the Jets a pulse. When, oh when will coaching staffs realize that the prevent defense BLOWS!!!!! The Jets were down and just about out, but gettting points to end a disastrous half of football, knowing they could get in the game with an opening drive in the second half boosted their morale, and it ALMOST cost the Steelers. As dominant as they Steelers were in the first half was about as anemic as they were in the second half. However, the Steelers did what they have done all year when it mattered. Despite losing the only elite player on a very suspect offensive line in the first series, the Steelers gutted it out, and made the plays they had to to win. First, the goal line stand was a thing of beauty. It actually sent chills up my spine to see them stiffen there at the goal line, and I truly thought that that was the game. Then, on cue, Legursky and Roethlisberger muff a snap, the Jets get a safety, and now two scores WINS it, not ties it. The Jets then score a touchdown to close to within 5 points, and it was white knuckle time. An offense that was pathetic in the second half had to burn 3 plus minutes to preserve a victory, a tall order given their play for the past 3o minutes. But again, despite a poor night of throwing the ball, Roethlisberger made the plays that were needed to run out the clock, especially with his mobility in the pocket. Again, Antonio Brown made the big catch to send the Steelers to the SHOW. And now the Steelers have a shot at some real heady stuff. This trip to the Super Bowl marks the 8th in franchise history, tying Dallas for most in history. The Steelers who are 6-1 in the Super Bowl, have a chance to put a little distance between themselves and the two teams with the second most Super Bowl wins (5), Dallas and San Francisco by winning their 7th!! Finally, a win here would mean that they can add a run of 3 championships in six years to go with their run of 4 championships in 6 years from the '70's. Roethlisberger, at the age of 28 has a shot at winning his third ring, putting him up there with Tom Brady and Troy Aikman as the only quarterbacks to win three rings, and behind only Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana the only quarterbacks with four wins in the big game. Tomlin can join a very short list of head coaches with multiple championships as well. A lot to play for, eh? One final note.......you cannot say enough about the effort put forth by Rashard Mendenhall, as tough and gritty game as you could ever ask for.

Two points is two points

A big two points for the Penguins tonight. I am not sure whether to be happy that the Penguins took two points from a Carolina team that had a chance to get into the top 8 in the conference with a win, despite having neither Crosby or Malkin in the lineup or to be concerned that they AGAIN gave up two goals late in the third in rapid succession. Frankly, they almost coughed up the third, but the Canes whiffed on an open net shot. For now, let's be happy that the Pens won this game, getting goals from Dustin Jeffrey, Mark Letestu, and a shortie from Pascal Dupuis to take 2 points without either one of their two stars. Also, Staal was a monster again tonight. He is really developing his puck handling skills, playing strong hockey on the wall and in the corners, and consistently being a net front prescence to be reckoned with. Also, Ben Lovejoy seems to be taking the number 6 defenseman role from Deryk Engelland, and as much as I personally prefer the toughness of Engelland, Lovejoy has had a couple of strong games, and led the Pens tonight in blocked shots with 5.

Two more wins to challenge the Super Steelers of the 70s Legacy?

The Steelers have to win two very tough games in the next 3 weeks for this to even be a conversation, but if they do, where do they stand in history relative to the greatest teams? The Steelers of the 70's won 4 Super Bowls in 6 years and boasted a stable lineup, much of which is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton Ohio. IF, and that is a big IF they could win this year's Super Bowl that would be 3 in 6 years. I would argue that in the current era of free agency, that accomplishment would rival and even exceed the accomplishments of the Super Steelers of the '70's due to the volatility of the personnel. To me, this current team should keep that in mind as extra motiviation for what figures to be one, and if lucky two hard fought wars chasing Lombardi's trophy. The only other team that could rival this accomplishment in the current era is the New England Patriots who have appeared in four Super Bowls since 2000, winning Super Bowls 36, 38, 39, and losing Super Bowl 42 to the New York Giants. A trip to, and victory in Super Bowl 45 would give the Steelers the same number of Super Bowl wins as New England in a comparable time frame. That is pretty heady stuff. It would be Big Ben's third win, matching the number of wins by the supposedly immortal Tom Brady. It would also put Mike Tomlin at an early age in elite company as a head coach with multiple Super Bowl wins. For those of you who think that there should be an asterisk next to ANY of the these games due to the fact that Pittsburgh has not had to face New England during these successful runs........well daddy should have put it somewhere else. If New England was not good enough during those years to make the AFC Championship to challenge the Steelers, that is on New England. We beat who we had to beat to get there. For those of you who think that Big Ben and Mike Tomlin will have plenty more chances to make history and wear rings, see Dan Marino, one of the NFL all time great quarterbacks who played in and lost the Super Bowl as a rookie in Miami. The pundits downplayed the loss, assuming he would be back and win a few during his career. Well, Marino never got a sniff again. The next two games could put this Steelers team in a very solid position as one of the elite in NFL history, giving the franchise two such runs, and seven trophies overall. As part of the Super Bowl talk, let's not forget that if you go back 40 years from today's game, this will be the 15th of the 40 AFC Championship games played, that included the Steelers, 11 of those in Pittsburgh! They currently stand 7-7 in those 14 that have played, and 2-2 in the games played in this decade. Today's game will make them above or below .500 in both categories. A VERY VERY big game for this franchise and this city indeed. I am going to catalog this run below, using the dates of the game, not the season.
1972 Pittsburgh/Miami-loss
1975 Pittsburgh/Oakland-win-wins Super Bowl IX
1976 Pittsburgh/Oakland-win-wins Super Bowl X
1977 Pittsburgh/Oakland-loss
1979 Pittsburgh/Houston-win-wins Super Bowl XIII
1980 Pittsburgh/Houston-win-wins Super Bowl XIV
1985 Pittsburgh/Miami-loss
1995 Pittsburgh/San Diego-loss
1996 Pittsburgh/Indianapolis-win-lose Super Bowl XXX
1998 Pittsburgh/Denver-loss
2002 Pittsburgh/New England-loss
2005 Pittsburgh/New England-loss
2006 Pittsburgh/Denver-win-wins Super Bowl XL
2009 Pittsburgh/Baltimore-win-wins Super Bowl XLIII
2011 Pittsburgh/New York Jets-???????????????????

This was a season that I thought would wind up 9-7, and out of the playoffs based on the injuries up front, and Big Ben's suspension. Instead, history awaits, godspeed Steelers!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1180919/index.htm

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1180919/index.htm

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1180939/2/index.htm

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1180939/2/index.htm

Pens lose

No Crosby, no Malkin, no Fleury, no win.

The Pens beat Detroit 4-1

Chalk these two points up to the strong play of Marc Andre Fleury. He was stellar tonight, earning the number one star, deservedly so. Jordan Staal continued his strong play, and stepped up again in Crosby's absence scoring the first goal, and continuing his strong play down low. Chris Connor put home the first penalty shot goal for the Pens in five attempts this season. Chris Kunitz continued his hot play, putting home his 16th goal of the season. Matt Cooke finished things off by getting his ninth of the year into an empty net to secure the win. The Pens have now beaten three very good playoff bound teams in a row without Crosby in the lineup. Next up is a bad NJ Devils team, followed by Carolina and the Islanders. This is a stretch that the Penguins need to take advantage of to pile up some points, and hope that Crosby is ready to roll when they get back from the All-Star break.

Pens and Pins 2011

We again got to attend the annual Pens and Pins event to benefit Make A Wish last night. It is put together by a group of girlfriends and wives of the Penguins players, led by Brooks Orpiks girlfriend, Erin Lilly. Last year, we had the great pleasure of bowling with Matt Cooke, and if you go back to that post from last year, Cookie revealed himself to be a very thoughtful, friendly, family guy who was easy to talk to. This year, we got the opportunity to play the game with Pascal Dupuis and assistant coach Tony Granato. Duper could not have been any nicer, or any more fun to be around if he tried. Nor could coach Granato, who actually remembered who we were from a conversation last year about an incident I had with him in 1988, on the day I got engaged. It was very nice to have him actually know exactly who we were a year later, despite the fact that we mean nothing in the scheme of things in his world. Back to Dupuis......gladly gave much insight into different players, and their thoughts during the season....he, assistant coach Meloche, and Granato did confirm that they dislike the Capitals as much as I do.........but disagreed when I said that they have replaced the Flyers in my book at the top of the charts......Meloche says, "No, I have hated the Flyers for 40 years." Granato and Duper called it close, but still give the nod to the Flyers. Dupuis revealed that the cameras did not show Geno in the corner flipping him off as he entered the CEC and gave his now famous "Fuck you Geno" quote for 24/7. Dupuis also expressed a strong desire to remain a Penguin after this season's contract expired, and specifically mentioned the tremendous support that he and the rest of the team get in Pittsburgh. He has seen similar in Minnesota, but lived the opposite during his stint as an Atlanta Thrasher. He further noted that by and large the approach to the players is polite, positive and for the most part avoided when appropriate with local fans. Dupuis further noted that a big part of the team's success is the fact that all of them are nice guys, who play as a team, and truly like each other. Frankly, that is so evident when you attend one of these events, it almost goes without saying now. He also alluded to the fact that this has not always been the case for every team he has played for. He went out of his way to praise Jordan Staal as a down to earth guy, noting a conversation shortly after Staal signed his 4 year 16M contract during which Staal did not reference anything about houses or cars he could now buy, but how good it felt that he had the means to have a positive impact on his family and his community. Duper, then at my oldert daughter's request called her best friend at home(a huge Duper fan), and moved the girl to tears! Krista got Pascal to acknowledge attendance at the Lady Gaga show(due to his daughter), and his appreciation of her favorite artist Eminem. Alison found out that Pascal's daughter just started taking horse riding lessons, and missed an opportunity to take a shot at being her trainer! Truly a gentleman, and every bit as friendly and funny as 24/7 made him out to be. Thank you Pascal Dupuis for being so nice to the kids! Some other notables from last evening for me:

Despite being a possible Norris Trophy candidate, and having all the woman drool over him like I drool over pizza, Kris Letang is about as friendly, down to earth and polite a kid as one could meet. He bowled next to us, and got a ton of attention, but through it all acted just like a regular Joe. He did roll a ball behind Dupuis' feet as Dupuis backed up from rolling his ball that could have been an issue, but hey;

Kuntiz made all of our nights by knowing who we were and talking to many players, wives and friends about our "awesome Penguins room filled with jerseys, helmets, and sticks," and about our "crazy dog Gabbie";

Eric Godard is just one helluva nice guy, bowling next to us on the other side and taking some ribbing and giving it back all night long;

Arron Asham when asked if he remembered the guy who yelled filth at him every game in the tunnel as a Flyer, responded with "there was a lot of filth yelled at me, can you be more specific?" When told that I favored calling ASSHAMMER he busted out laughing and claimed to remember........I quickly noted my happiness with him being a Penguin, just in case he wanted to kick my ass!

Mike Comrie will no longer be the butt of my jokes.....had a very nice conversation with him about his injury, when it occurred, the disappointment based on how he clicked in the preseason with Malkin, his desire to get another shot next year as a Penguin, and yes my kids asked him what it was like to be married to Hilary Duff..........and he bantered back and forth with them on the subject for a bit......nice kid, done messing with him.......

Again, both Tyler Kennedy and Matt Cooke surprised us all by knowing who we were from the event last year, and asked questions to confirm that they were not just playing it up........very nice kids, and Kennedy remembering my youngest daughter actually brought a tear to her eye.....(she likes him just a little). They could not have been nicer and engaged us all in more than a little conversation about the twelve months since we last saw them. Malkin, Goligoski, Staal, Talbot, Fluery and Brent Johnson all spent time as just down to earth guys speaking to our group and anyone who approached them. Disco Dan, I want to make you, Asham, Godard, Cooke, Engelland, Adams, and Duper a fat ass steak, and shoot the shit with you over some Newcastles if I am ever that fortunate. To finish, I know that pro sport teams all do charity work, but I cannot imagine a group of guys who seem to be so SINCERE in their ENJOYMENT while doing such good for the kids and giving something back to the fans.....Professional athletes today sure have their detractors, and is some cases deservedly so, but in general the NHL and in particular the Pittsburgh Penguins have a lot to be proud of when they look at the players in their league.....Truly amazing guys, and so easy to support..............Thanks for another memorable time for my family and I. Oh, and before I forget, F the Red, come May........it is always DEAD.

WOW

Not much more to say than that.......Come on, admit it.....when the Steelers first fell down by a 21-7 score, you thought it was over............then they drive the ball, and you think okay, points here and we are back in it......then Suisham misses a relatively easy field goal, and you had to be thinking, uh-oh. Then you remembered that the Steelers got the ball to start the half, and a touchdown there puts them right back in it. Then, a drive that started with some promise, ended in a sack, and given the way the Ravens were in Ben's face, you HAD to think it was a GRIM situation. Even as a guy who is MUCH more mentally invested in the Penguins, it was tough to swallow. What ensued, was incredible! The Steelers defense rose to the occasion at this point, holding the Ravens to -4 yards for the quarter! In addition, they helped create three turnovers that allowed the Steelers to storm back to a 24-21 lead before ultimately winning the game 31-24. The pure violence and mayhem of that quarter was thrilling to watch! James Harrison, Lamar Woodley, Ryan Clark, Lawrence Timmons, Ziggy Hood, Brett Keisel, just downright nasty!! Ben Roehtlisberger will never be a guy that I will LIKE as a person, he just won't be, and I am not really buying into the kinder gentler Ben off the field persona he NEEDS to show. That aside, you really have to be blind to not give him his props ON the field. He is largely passed over when the talking heads discuss the great quarterbacks in the game, preferring the second coming(s) Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, then the second tier usually includes names like Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Carson friggin Palmer, Matt Ryan, and even Joe Flacco! But folks, like him or not, Big Ben is now 9-2 in the playoffs! 9-2! The team has won two Super Bowls with him at the helm, and though he was not stellar in SB 40 by any means, he was instrumental in getting them there, and despite all of the praise heaped upon the defense, Roethlesberger led one of the most incredible fourth quarter drives to take SB 43 away from Arizona, and should have been the MVP. The Steelers are also about to appear in their 4th AFC Championship game in the past 7 years with Big Ben at the helm. These numbers eliminate any quarterback of this time from discussions with Roethlesberger other than Tom Brady, period. That said, another loss to New England in the AFC Championship game will put Brady light years ahead, but if the Steelers win, and then go on take their third ring of the Big Ben era, then it will be a whole other argument............Some other notes from yesterday's game:

The young core on this team is impressive as hell. Ziggy Hood looked like a number one pick yesterday, and his name was all over this win. Pouncey is just unreal for a rookie center, and truly could be in the talks for team MVP. Brown, Sanders, and Wallace are just amazing. We all knew what Wallace was after last year, but the emergence of Sanders and Brown made this stretch run to the division title and first round playoff victory possible. LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons are beasts. Mendenhall put one on the ground, and gained few yards yesterday, but when it counted, he was BIG. and what you do in big moments defines you....ask Houshmandzadeh and Boldin......the Steelers defense held this high powered offense to 126 yards on 53 plays!! Are you kidding me?.........resigning Ryan Clark looks kinda big this morning, eh? Mike Tomlin should get serious consideration for coach of the year this season. The offseason turmoil, combined with a decimated offensive line, and missing your first string quarterback for the first four games had most people thinking of another 9-7 year for the black and gold. Instead, they pull off a 12-4 run, and are one win away from a shot at the Stairway to Seven! The only negative I have to say about yesterday is the MENTAL state of the offensive line. Yes, they are a patchwork group, and they hung in against a tough defense despite giving up 6 sacks...........giving up six sacks and showing a total inability to establish the running game is a pretty big indictment even in a win. Ramon Foster stepping away from the Big Ben fumble allowing the Ravens to score their second touchdown was downright embarrassing....though, in fariness only 1 of the 22 professional athletes on field played that play until the whistle as they were taught since termite football. # 68 diving way late into the piles should have cost the Steelers their first touchdown, and put the Ravens in very favorable field position to attempt to tie the game late. The fact the referees missed the first call, and that the defense and TJ who dropped a first down catch should not allow big K off the hook. He could have been the goat of the century and Tomlin should make sure he is aware of how lucky he is........Other than that, the Steelers were downright impresssive in their tenacity, and they made the big plays........that usually puts you in the W column. Now, they are two wins away from 7th Heaven........WOW.

Pens get a gut check win 3-2 over the Bruins

The Penguins win back to back road games against quality opponents, extracting a measure of revenge from both. First, it is sometimes better to be lucky than good......Fleury played a good game tonight, but he had about 3 more pucks get behind him, but not over the line today.......Chris Kunitz scored today for his 15th goal of the season, well on his way to the 20+ mark we have all wanted to see from him. Dupuis also ended a long drought to get his ninth of the season, and even more impressive to me was Staal getting his second game winner in a row, and fifth point in two games to lead the Pens to a 3-2 victory. The Penguins penalty kill was great in killing off a phantom double minor assessed to Dupuis in the second period after Kampfer was hit and cut by Zdeno Chara's stick. The Penguins however, need to be concerned about how often they give up multiple goals in very short periods of time. They should not be BOGO's for chrissakes......

Despite hearing repeatedly that Malkin needs to step up in Crosby's absence, he remains very medicocre, BUT Staal seems to be stepping up into that role. If Staal and his line can remain offensively productive in Crosby's absence, and Malkin remains as largely unproductive as he has been between Kunitz and Dupuis, the Penguins have some interesting options in both the short term and the long term. First, this takes the "lack of world class wingers" excuse away from the Malkin ball soakers. Malkin is playing between the same wings as Crosby and is doing very little, and Staal is playing between Cooke and Kennedy, neither of whom are notable snipers, yet both Crosby and Staal have been infinitely more productive offensively, and both are without question, better at defense and faceoffs. For the short term, in my opinion, this presents Bylsma with an opportunity to really amp up the scoring options. If Staal's line can stay productive, then you can afford to put Malkin on the first line with Crosby and Kunitz, which should be incredibly tough to defend without becoming too dependent on that line. It would also allow him to put Dupuis on the third line with Letestu and Connor.......If Bylsma does not continue to outsmart himself by separating Connor and Letestu, the threesome I noted would be fast and tenacious with plenty of scoring punch for a third line.........Your fourth line can be Adams, Rupp, Asham/Talbot.............I think this would make the Penguins a very balanced and tough to defend against team. In the offseason, unless Malkin really turns it up a few notches, Staal showing that he can produce offensively gives the Pens the option to move 8.7M tied up in Malkin for the chance to pick up two offensive wingers, and add further balance to the team. Assuming Tangradi is ready,( he has 16G in the AHL) next season, adding two top flight wingers would give the Pens 4 top 6 six wingers to surround their top 2 centers, and plenty of 3rd and 4th line character players. Anyway, Staal has also shown a much more physical side to his play, and was compared favorably to Keith Primeau today. At any rate, a very nice win today, and every 2 points they can get with Crosby out will be big come April. One final note to put Crosby's season in perspective......despite missing the past 5 games, he leads the league in points by 7 points, and is still tied for the league lead in goals.

5-2 win for the Pens

Now that was a bit more like it. As bad as the last 3 minutes of the Bruins game felt, I thoroughly enjoyed this game. I am encouraged to see Jordan Staal break out with a 3 point night, and he played a strong game in all 3 zones to boot. He was only 43% on the faceoffs, but all in all, Staal was a major force, especially in establishing the net front prescence the Pens need. Kris Letang, now has 8 goals and 40 points, while playing to a +20 as he continues to establish himself as a premiere young defenseman in this league. He had a 3 point night, as did oft maligned defenseman Alex Goligoski. Goose has 9 goals, 26 points 4 game winning goals, and is also a +20, yet much of the fan base rides this guy. For my money, a guy putting up points like that in what is essentially his second year in terms of NHL games played can stay and continue to develop here! A 3 point night for him as well. Kunitz added his 14th goal of the season, and the Pens power play hit a 4 for 6 night......Yeah, you read that right! The penalty kill overtook Montreals for number one in the league, so you could say special teams were a factor in this game too. In general, the Pens played a simple, aggressive and physcial game and got the results they were looking for. Now, they need to string some of these together, and it better start Saturday against the team that has destroyed them late in the third each of the last two times they played. I was very encouraged by the game the Pens played tonight without Crosby, but then again they dismantled a very good Tampa team 8-1, then promptly shit the bed against both Minnesota and Boston. Time to get on a roll again folks. Finally, someone hopefully will end Subban's NHL career before he does the same with his dirty play. Enough teams have noticed, I would think his day will come.

Rudderless ship sinks again

The Pens meltdown again, and gift wrap two points for the Bruins........a good game for the Pens for about 55 minutes, then they give up 4 goals in 5 minutes......nobody really impressed tonight, except maybe Fleury.....his saves kept the Pens in the game, then helped stake them to a lead. His defense really was nonesistent at the end, and that ultimately cost them the game. I know you expect it, but still I have to say it. The team has shown it can win without 71, because 87 elevates his game, and the games of those around him. The team is now showing that it cannot win without 87, because 71 DOES NOT elevate his game in Crosby's absence. Evelyn has 3 points in his last 8 games, and 17 games this season without points. Not sure what to say here, but they have looked like shit for the most part since their 12 game streak was broken. Do you remember when the Pens REGULARLY rallied in third period to WIN games from behind?? It seems like ages ago. For the past season and a half it has been the opposite. The third period is now meltdown time on a far too frequent basis. It is time for the veteran leadership on this team to have a bit of a gut check, as this game was an embarrassment, like Saturdays was. A different kind of embarrassment, but embarrassing either way. In fact, the Pens are just 5-6-2 since their twelve game win streak was snapped, a trend that will put them back to the middle of the pack quickly if it is not reversed.

Pens play horrible and get shut out 4-0

Not much to say about that game, they played terribly and got shut out as a result. I cannot thibnk of a good thing to say about anyone's game last night, so I will move on to more general rantings. First, the lineup. I really like Dan Bylsma, the team is fighting for top spots in the league and the conference, so it is tough to argue all in all with his coaching. Watching 24/7 made me like him more for his calm but tough demeanor. That said, Dan WTF are you doing to the lineup with Crosby out??!! I know you love Letestu, and I know that you want to let Staal and Malkin get some chemistry out there, but you are now without 3 of the last possible 4 points and your team has scored one goal in 6 periods. Letestu BLOWS on the top line, and ALWAYS will. Staal and Malkin need chemistry, but there are plenty of games once Crosby gets back to try that, there are points out there to take that may affect playoff seeding, and Staal needs CONFIDENCE as much as playing time with Geno. Reuniting him with familiar linemates like Cooke and Kennedy may help get him going and give him some confidence. Finally, Malkin has been mediocre all year, but he has SUCKED at wing. So in the absence of Sid, for the love of all that is not captard red, PUT MALKIN ON THE TOP LINE BETWEEN KUNITZ AND DUPUIS, AND MAKE STAAL 'S OLD LINE LINE 2, AND HAVE LETESTU CENTER THE RECENT THIRD LINE BETWEEN CONNOR AND WHO GIVES A FUCK? The fourth line has many options out of your available forwards. This puts Malkin back at his natural position with wingers who have sandwiched a world class center all year, puts what was once called the best third line in the NHL intact, but having to step up some offense, and a 2011 third line that was extremely effective mostly intact to balance out the lineup........What am I missing? Chemistry with Staal and Geno can wait, taking available points in the absence of Crosby cannot.

Item 2, and some of the readers here will call this whiny, but it is what it is. Only David Steckel knows for sure if he intended to hit Crosby in the head, on the blindside, away from the puck..........but nobody has argued any of those 3 elements......he hit him with an elbow or shoulder to the head, from the blindside, AWAY FROM THE FUCKING PUCK!!!! The incompetence of the officiating crews aside, the idiots from garage league central should have suspended Steckel, intentional hit or not, as this hit was the very definition of the type of play they are supposed to want to eliminate. (Given the acrimony between the two teams , I doubt it was an accident.) It occurred on their second biggest stage, to their most marketable player and they did NOTHING at all about it. Yet Bettman wonders why the best game in the world lags behind the sport of the toothless in US popularity. I may be wrong, but I had less issue with the Hedman hit, though it too occurred high, and after the puck was away, it seemed more like an incidental hit to me. The outcome was more due to height, happenstance, and a prexisting issue due to Steckels hit. What can the Pens or Crosby do about it, they deal with the fact that they play in a league run by idiots, right? Wrong. The Pens and Crosby answer the bell every time Colon Campbell needs them for PR, and are very giving of Crosby's time any time the leauge asks. What do they get in return? League wide whining about too much Crosby/Penguins exposure, and well, less than nothing beyond that. From now on, I would leave the league hung out to dry on anything beyond the minimal requirements of any player or team. Sounds a bit bitchy, but what else can they do? Let's face it......if ANY Penguin or Flyer hits the Caveman or Seminbreath away from the puck in the head from the blindside, it is 5 minutes, game misconduct, and depending on which player did it, 2-5 games suspended.

All of that said, the Penguins need to get their shit together, as they have been very up and down post 12 game winning streak, and they have lots to play for in a very competitive division, conference, and league. Time to put the big boy helmets on and pick up some points in Crosbys absence. Malkin, it is time to show whether you are worth anywhere near what you are paid, and maybe you could carry the team for a few games in Crosby's absence. Thus far, in two games you have failed miserably in that regard. Prove me wrong, please?! Two more big points on the line Monday night against a tough Boston team.

Pens lose to Habs in shootout 2-1

Pens lost tonight to the Habs 2-1 in a shootout. They were without both Crosby and Cooke which altered the 1st and 3rd lines, on the road playing the second of back to back games, so getting a point is really not a bad effort. They were down 5 on 3 in the third period for an extended period of time and did a great job killing it off. They seem to be down 2 men a lot lately. It would be nice to see Malkin carry some of the weight again with Crosby out. He did generate some chances tonight, but needs to bury some goals to take up the slack. If he can't, well, let's just hope that he can. It looks like Captard Steckel's hit has resulted in a mild concussion for Crosby, meaning 3-5 additional games without Crosby. Circle 2/6 in DC, and fix this situation boys. Excellent effort by Johnson tonight by the way.

2011 Winter Classic - David Steckel's Hit On Sidney Crosby

February 6th and 21st....two games to take care of Steckel.........do it boys.

Good rebound for Pens in 8-1 win

This was supposed to be a big time matchup of two teams with 53 points at the top of the Eastern Conference, and a matchup against the top 2 scorers in the league. Both teams were amongst the hottest in the league, so it figured to be a war. Instead, the Penguins took advantage of a Tampa team that had to play an emotional, hard fought OT game last night in DC by jumping on them just 7 seconds in, and not letting up all night. I liked the balance of the Pens tonight, but I think they caught Tampa ripe for a meltdown, and they took advantage of it tonight. With 9 goals scored tonight, would anybody believe that between Crosby and Stamkos, they would not have any of them? Or that they combined for a total of one assist all evening? Strange.
The Penguins are now exactly halfway the season, and find themselves tied with Vancouver and Detroit atop league standings with 55 points, and slightly ahead of Philadelphia, Tampa, and Washington atop the Eastern Conference. Crosby is on pace for 132 points and 64 goals, and Kris Letang is pacing for 72 points, a remarkable number for a defenseman.
Back to tonights, game. There were 11 Penguins with points tonight, led by Alex Goligoski who had a goal and 3 assists for 4 points, Chris Kunitz who had a hat trick, and how has 13 goals, and Kris Letang with 3 assists. Chris Connor added another goal and an assist as well. It will take some time for Staal to get his timing and hands back, but you can already see the difference his prescence makes in terms of the balance in the lineup. The Pens need to now do a better job head to head with the Rangers, Flyers and Caps in the second half. The Stamkos jeering made us seem like Captards tonight folks.....Stamkos is a dynamite player, and seems like a good kid, enjoy the show, no need to jeer a guy like that...........Tomorrow night lets give PK Scissorskates a rough ride.

Fuck the Red....come May it's always Dead

You always hate to lose to these folks, but hey it is January, Staal is back, and the Caps have again revealed why they fail in May. Had the "pleasure" of meeting lots of Caps fans....some were very nice.......not many.....most were the Captards I recall from my trip to Verizon Center, but at least this time I got to bitch slap one. Put it in the rear view mirror and get revved up for the second half of the season.