I Guess It's Cool To Hate On The Penguins When They Struggle

Welcome to the All-Star break, Penguins fans. Or should I say, Penguins haters?

Your team sits at 23-21-4, 4th place in the 5-team Atlantic Division and 1 point out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The team that played for the Stanley Cup last season has 34 games to change their fate.

What I don't get is the horde of supposed Penguins fans who are constantly shitting on the team to this point. Don't get me wrong, this team has underperformed on a massive scale, but the recent good fortunes on Pittsburgh ice has seemingly created a ton of pretentious douchebag "fans." Since the team assembled their young core and created a positive outlook with a new arena on the way, the sentiment around the fan base seems to be, "win now or get booed." To which I say, "eat me."

It was only 3 years ago that the team put up the second of back-to-back 58 point seasons. 23 wins (which we currently have) was the better of the two years (23 wins, followed the next year by just 22). Sure, the current 9th place standing in the East doesn't accurately reflect the team that won the conference last year, but that doesn't mean the season is over.

I was talking to some blogging friends yesterday about the Steelers, the Super Bowl and how excited we are that our team is in the championship. I made a point that this year, we don't have the same pressures that the team faced just 3 seasons ago in Super Bowl XL. There's no Bettis' last year drama, the quest for the 5th ring noise or Bill Cowher-trying-to-justify-his-career nonsense. There's a decent percentage of the team that played in that Super Bowl, so this current group can actually enjoy being on football's biggest stage. And the fans can, too.

Now look back at last year's Cup run for the Pens and the drama that preceded the season. Crosby had a contract negotiation coming up, the team leaving-town rumors were still fresh in our minds, Geno, Staal and MAF were all looking at near-expiring contracts and the team hadn't won anything of significance in 15 years or so. Now, the team has all four guys I just mentioned locked up, a new arena on the way, and the motivation of losing in the Cup finals.

So why the hate when the team struggles?

I've been a Penguins fan for as long as I can remember, and I've never seen a perfect season. Hell, in the beginning of this decade, the seasons were as far from perfect as you could get. But now, there's hope...there's a legit future. The "fans" that have come on board in the last 2-3 years are starting to outnumber those of us that realize that a deep Cup run won't come every year. Despite our stacked lineup, the possibility of making it back to the finals in successive years was still very slim. Other teams got better, too...not just the Pens.

This year, I've heard fans boo at home losses. I've heard bullshit questions about Sid being past his prime. All because the team hasn't lived up to expectations this year. So what? If you automatically penciled the Pens into the Cup finals this year based on last year's performance, go die in a fire. Most of the largest questions concerning this team have been answered. The core has new contracts, the relocation is a thing of the past and the team has proven that it can do damage in the playoffs. So enjoy the ups AND DOWNS of a normal freaking NHL season. We're 1 point out of a playoff slot with half a season to go and still without annual Norris Trophy finalist Sergei Gonchar.

So to the current haters out there...learn to relax. Success isn't guaranteed in any sport, much less in one as physical and draining as hockey. If you think a team with the top two scorers in the league can't do damage as an 8 seed, you should go jump on someone else's bandwagon. There's 34 games left, and only a slight improvement in performance will see this team in the playoffs. Take pride in the positives, and quit overreacting to the negatives, fellow Penguins "fans."

Sidney Crosby is Good at Soccer, Too

Last season, there were a ton of articles that chronicled how the Pens and other teams got loose before big hockey games. I'd search for those articles, but I'm a lazy piece of shit.

However, I found a picture that I remember seeing last year. It shows Petr Sykora, Jordan Staal, Ryan Malone, Evgeni Malkin and Max Talbot('s little face behind Sykora's mouth) partaking in a little soccer action before a game. And you thought I was shitting you about the hockey/soccer articles.



Now, we see that Sid has soccer skillz as well. Watch him dribble the hell out of a soccer ball.



And why wouldn't Sid be good at soccer? For all you Sid haters out there, he already has the diving part down pat (amirite, amirite?).

Penguins Sign Janne Pesonen

The Penguins have signed F Janne Pesonen (h/t to Faceoff-Factor), who most recently played for Tron.

I'm serious, look at these threads:



I might have an epileptic fit.

Actually, after being drafted by Anaheim in the 9th round of the 2004 entry draft, but has only played in Europe. According to the Post-Gazette:


[Pesonen] had 34 goals and 44 assists in 56 games with Karpat in Finland's Elite League last season, placing him sixth in the league scoring race. His totals were up from 22 goals and 33 assists in the same number of games in 2006-07.


Nice numbers, and flanking a Sid or Geno-centered line could only be positive for the young Fin. According to his HockeyDB page, he's never played more than 56 games. If the Penguins are looking to make a run at the Cup, Pesonen had better train his ass off to avoid the Evgeni-Malkin-end-of-season-lull.

UPDATE**Pesonen signing update here**

The Penguins and Free Agency Updates

How are the Pens doing in the early hours of free agency?

Pascal Dupuis. 3 years, $1.4 mil a season.

Mark Eaton. 2 years, $1 mil a season. Might end Orpik's tenure with the Pens.

Evgeni Malkin. Still not 100% finalized, but seems to be 5 years, $8.7 mil a season.

Reports say Ruutu's been offered a contract, and the Pens are possibly after Jaromir Jagr.

This will be updated in case anything cool happens or more players sign.

UPDATE:

Ty Conklin is now a Red Wing. If you can't [play against 'em in the finals], join 'em? 1 year, $750,000.

UPDATE 2: Tampa Bay signed Adam Hall for 3 years, $600k a year. They're murdering our UFAs.

UPDATE 3: Penguins sign RW Eric Godard for 3 years and an undisclosed amount. He played in no more than 21 games for the Flames in each of the last two seasons, so I'm guessing this isn't a massive contract.

Evgeny Grachev Wants To Be Like Evgeni Malkin

Wanna feel old today?

Evgeny Grachev, drafted by the Rangers in the third round last week, made sure everyone knows the player he's trying to emulate.

Evgeni Malkin.

Grachev is 18. Malkin is 21, soon to be 22. I can't think of any 18 year old wanting to be like me when I was 21. Except for the kids who couldn't get served at the bar. But even then, it was a totally different emulation.

This shows just how far our young stars have come in the past 2 seasons or so. We could easily attribute failure to having a young team, or the fact that our players weren't battle-tested. Not anymore. What with Sid destroying last year's NHL awards ceremony and Malkin finishing second in the MVP race this year, its easy for top prospects to admire the kids. Couple that with the recent Finals appearance, and you've got heroes who struggle with growing facial hair.

Sure, Grachev and Malkin are countrymen and have similar builds, but I'd attribute Grachev's respect of Malkin to Geno's on-ice accomplishments.

Who Will Be The Penguins' Alternate Captains?

I've told you before that I call my writing style at PSaMP "stream of consciousness sportsblogging." When I give you the MPotD (or CMPotD), I have no idea what I'm going to write about later that day regarding sports. Ill flip through the blogosphere, check some newspaper websites, Google News, Youtube, emailed tips from readers, whatever it takes to find something that sparks my interest. I can count on one hand (maybe two) the amount of times in the 15 or so months of PSaMP's existence that I've actually prepared a post prior to the day it gets published.

Writing like this can really stress me out at times, but I've been able to give my two cents on topics that I wouldn't have thought of had already prepared something. Case in point, this morning, I got my daily Pensblog read, which linked to Pens Nation (which is now making its way to the Wild Ass Links in my sidebar). On Pens Nation, their sidebar has a ton of information that you usually don't find on blogs: team captains, HOFers, free agents, trophy winners, etc. It was in looking at the team's current captain/alternate captains list that I came to a realization, could we potentially lose 75% of our alternates?

Sergei Gonchar is locked up. There is no way he loses the A next season. The other 3 might not even be in Pens unis next year. Ryan Malone seems to be on his way out. Pensblog asks if the $2.5 mil Sydor is owed next season could be better used elsewhere. Would Sydor be traded or let go? Gary Roberts made $2.5 mil this year, and could potentially retire or seek a one year contract for a similar amount elsewhere. As much as he's loved in Pittsburgh, these are the truths in hockey that fans have to understand.

That makes Gonchar the only sure alternate. Who gets the other 3 spots if Roberts, Sydor and Malone don't return and the team figures on keeping 4 revolving alternates?

Geno Gino. Apparently, its spelled with an I rather than an E. I'll still use Geno as a tag on posts mentioning Malkin to keep consistency, though. If the Pens don't trade the kid (I'm sick of hearing that nonsense, bullshit rumor), he'd have to be next in line to don the A. With Sid out this past season, Gino was the unspoken captain of the team, elevating his play to heights unseen. The weight of the A should ensure his continued upward progression by adding team responsibility.

Hossa. If he is indeed in line for a contract from Ray Shero, I'd imagine Hossa getting an A to go with the money. He could be a captain on several lowly clubs, a notion that might've scared potential suitors prior to this year's playoffs. He showed that he can perform with the spotlight on, and should proudly wear the A.

Sykora, Staal or Fleury. The last alternate is a tough one. I've ruled out any big name free agent (hinging on a potential Hossa contract), seeing how the tight money issue should nullify any chance of acquiring a free agent worthy of wearing the alternate's A. Long term contracts for both Staal and Fleury are still a thought for the future, as would be the addition of an A to their jerseys. Staal is still young, and could be an option down the road if Shero can find money for a contract for Staal. Fleury has played well, but his name might be a stretch. If its Sykora, that would make a Canadian captain and 4 European alternates (provided Gino and Hossa join Gonch).

Also, adding Gino would officially signal the new era of Pens stars. Prior to Malone getting the A this season, Mark Recchi joined Sydor, Gonch and Roberts. It was all about veteran leadership and experience. What with making the playoffs the past two seasons and suffering incredible heartbreak both times, I think the young stars have gained the experience to begin a new era of Pittsburgh dominance on ice. Giving Gino an A to compliment Sid's C would effectively tell the rest of the league that there's no more excuses revolving around youth inexperience, and our young stars are leading the way.

So, any thoughts on who might back up Sid in 08-09? I know I picked three forwards in Gino, Hossa and Sykora, but would a blueliner accompany Gonch?

Or will Shero find a way to keep as many of the current alternates as possible?

Fear The Playoff BTM: Part 3

How do I even begin to describe my current emotions following last night's win?

Praise Sid? Thank God that the presence of Sydor might have changed our luck? Worship Brooks Orpik? Point out to Chris Osgood that goalies with the lead don't flop?

Nah. I'll chalk it up to the Playoff BTM. Home ice might have had something to do with the win, or maybe the whiteout. I think the BTM stepped it up huge, scoring early so Detroit was unable to keep up their puck-control nonsense. It seems the BTM does well when challenged, or when the team's back is against the proverbial wall.

Sid could have easily had a hat trick (or more), if not for the pipes playing about as well as Chris Osgood last night. No matter the case, a win means the BTM has a longer shelf life, and more importantly, means that the Pens are still alive.

Sure, I'd like to see a few other players step it up, like Geno (who played better last night), Hossa (he scores on Saturday. Write that down) or Jordan Staal (sure, he's been playing possessed, but he's missed on several finishes). The BTM can only do so much by itself.

Which is why its nice to have a flower in your corner.



What a win. I've been waiting for that feeling since 1992.

Go Pens!

Eat It

The game winner.

If that game didn't take years off your life then you are a cyborg.

Time For Revenge

(picture blatantly stolen from, then credited to, The Pensblog)

I'm not that pissed about yesterday's loss to Philly. How can I be, when we wrapped up a season that saw the Penguins secure the 2 seed in the East? Getting the 1 seed would have been a paper championship, and the team needn't focus on those with the grueling playoffs starting in a handful of days.

The real reason I didn't mind the loss is because our first-round opponent is set. And they're a familiar foe. The Ottawa Senators.

You may remember the Senators destroying Pittsburgh in the opening round of last-season's playoffs. Pittsburgh was on the wrong side of the 4-5 series, playing more games in Canada than in the States. The Pens won only one game, then hit the links early. If you hadn't prayed for this matchup in the first round of this year's playoffs, then you are not a Penguins fan. We need to serve up some revenge. Senators beware.

I don't mean to sound over-confident, just excited. The Sens will likely be without Daniel Alfredsson, which coincides nicely with the return of Senator-killer Gary Roberts. Also, I enjoy knowing that Ottawa played sub-.500 hockey since Christmas. Happy holidays, Penguins fans!

My head is nearly exploding with the possibility of destroying Ottawa in the first round. Now, they still have Spezza and Heatley, so I'm not writing them off before we even play a game. However, not having Captain Alfredsson makes MAF's job that much easier.

The puck drops in two days. All the accomplishments of this past season are gone. Evgeni Malkin is 100-some points lighter, and MAFer is looking for his first win of the season. Sid the Kid has two healthy ankles. There's blood in the water, and the Penguins have the scent.

Go Pens.

Watch Your Back, A.O.

GENO IS BETTER THAN A.O.

I'll open that thought up to discussion, but in my mind, the best player in the 2004 draft was taken SECOND overall.

Now, I'm not doubting A.O.'s brilliance. Look at those NHL stats, and you'll see that his goal total to this point in the season is surreal. Kovalchuk can light the lamp, but I don't see him catching Ovechkin.

The same cannot be said for the overall points race. Out of nowhere, Geno has skyrocketed to within one point of A.O.'s league-leading total of 78. It looks like the reigning Rookie of the Year is going to notch his first 100-point season, and possibly take home the Art Ross (if not more) Troph(ies).

So how do you judge talent? Is A.O better because he scores more goals? Or is Geno's stat line better because its more well rounded?

You can have the flashy goals whenever you want, I'll take the guy who scores AND sets up his teammates with an increased regularity.

Geno is better than A.O. The Penguins are better than the Capitals because of it. And Sid's on the road back. Dirty.

End of story.

Great Weekend

Yes, that's the Grand Canyon. Explanation coming.

If you're a Penguins fan (and I hope you are if you visit PSaMP), this past weekend really made you step back and say "Sweet," or "Kickass" a bunch of times. Considering how Philly started the season and the way the Pens stumbled outta the gate, the current standings in the Atlantic Division should blow your mind.

Currently, the Penguins are 3 points ahead of the nearest competitor, New Jersey, in the Atlantic. Before the weekend started, we were tied with Philly for the lead. Two wins in two days (one of 'em against Philly), couldn't have come at a better time. And it couldn't have happened to a better more-hated team.

What makes this even better is the emergence of Geno. How can a Rookie of the Year emerge the following year? Well, if the consensus best player in the league goes down with a high ankle sprain and all you do is score 8 goals and 13 assists in the 10 games without said player...then you've arrived. Its even better when the team goes 6-2-2 during that 10 game stretch.

So yeah, with all the positioning going on in the Atlantic lately, a 3 point lead is like the Grand Canyon (see, I got to it). Now, with Sid and MAF returning in the forseeable future, its time to lengthen the gap.

I'll Be Ready. Never You Fear

God, I hope this is true. If it is, this is the type of scoop that sportsbloggers dream about.

I was hanging around The Pensblog yesterday when I happened to spy Sidney Crosby's agent's name...Pat Brisson. Now, as a sportsblogger, I'm obligated to over-research the simplest of items with the hope of finding a ridiculous story, picture, video, etc. After spotting Brisson's name, I went to work.

Turns out...there's no Wikipedia page for the super-agent, who also represents Evgeni Malkin. That would've been the perfect place to find a solid starting point. Out of the clear, I entered his name into IMDB, hoping that he made some stupid Skinemax flick or something. No Skinemax...but there was a tasty little nugget.

And before we jump to conclusions that it might be another Pat Brisson, let me explain. There is another Pat Brisson, who is a children's book author. That Pat is a chick. Plus, the next paragraph validates why the IMDB profile would most likely be former hockey player-Pat and not female-author-Pat.

There were two entries with Brisson's name attached. Sid's agent actually had a tie to the Penguins franchise before representing Sid and Geno. Patty appeared as Player #2 in Sudden Death, the badass Jean-Claude Van Damme film that took place in the Civic Arena.

That wasn't the nugget. It was good, but not the best.

The other entry tells us that Pat appeared as Operator in a mid-90s episode of Baywatch. Classic. I don't know about you, but I know a buncha people who gained insightful knowledge for their future careers by playing a spot character on Baywatch. I mean come on...that's a logical progression...mid-level hockey player, Sudden Death, Baywatch, super hockey agent.

And yeah, it would've been way too easy to put Brisson's head on Hasselhoff's body. However, I like to keep you on your toes.

What are we gonna learn next? Ben Roethlisberger's agent, Leigh Steinberg, on Springer? Syke...the best he did was 90210 (an episode named Breast Side Up).

Pens Ink Crosby!

Rejoice, Pens fans! Sid's not going anywhere!

Crosby inked a 5 year/$45 mil deal to stay with the Pens.

With collective bargaining, Crosby was able to demand up to $10.06 mil a year, but settled for a cool $9 mil a year. It'll give Shero a little wiggle room to help re-sign guys like Geno, Staal and MAF over the next 2 to 3 years.

This has turned out to be a legendary offseason for Shero. First, he re-signs Whitney to a 6 year deal, has a former top prospect fall into his lap at the 20th selection, signs Cup-winning veterans like Sydor and Sykora, brings back young contributors in Christensen and Talbot, then inks the regining MVP to a contract extension. At a bargain, mind you.

Well done, Ray Ray. You too, Sid. I'm gonna go be happy for a while. See you in a bit...

Sidney Crosby is Cooler than You

Yeah, the above picture is one of the reasons why. But also because he is a team player.

The guy knows that Ray Shero wants to start talking contract extension. Sidney Crosby wants to start talking contract extension as well. Sid's selling point is that he's the best player in the league. As the best player in the league, he's bound to ask for the most money in the league, right? Right?

Negotiations are going to be tough, mainly because Sid is so talented. If the Pens don't get a contract in place, Every other team would be willing to pony up for the best player in the league. But the Pens want to keep the ridiculous core of young talent together, which could be damn near impossible.

But Sid knows this. In the collective bargaining agreement, Sid could ask for the max contract available, which would be 20 percent of the salary cap ceiling of $50.3 mil. That would come to $10.06 mil over four years. But if Sid does that, then you can kiss Geno, Jordan, MAF and/or Angelo goodbye. Ryan Whitney just got $24 mil over 6 years. Signing him was a priority. Sid is a bigger one. If Shero doesn't play his cards right, the Pens can have a huge problem on their hands.

Sid's made it completely clear that he'd be willing to take less money to give Shero wiggle room in signing the other young stars over the next few seasons. MJ had his Pippen/Rodman/Paxson/Grant/Kerr. Gretzky had his Messier/Anderson/Fuhr/Coffey/Moog. Even a Derek Jeter had his Brosius/O'Neill/Posada/Williams. Sid can't do it alone, despite his stake as best player in the game.

But Shero can't come with a number that's too low. I know that Sid has an unstated loyalty to Pittsburgh and his housemate Mario Lemieux, but don't try to tell me the best player in the league wouldn't try to get more money elsewhere if he felt purposefully slighted by Pittsburgh. We'd be dumb to believe that. Shero has to make a lot of people happy, including us bloggers, so that the team has a legitimate shot at bringing a Cup back to the Steel City in the near future.

However, it is nice to know that Sid is aware of the complications of having so many young (potential) stars on the team. If he wants to win a Cup, his best chance of doing so is with this group in Pittsburgh. Teams rarely assemble the type of young talent that the Pens currently have. Yes, it took some really awful years to get the top-notch talent, but that's in the past. The future is where the Pens need to look. Sid's already looking there. Hopefully both sides come up with a feasible figure to ensure a happy working future for the MVP and the organization.

Therrien Denied Coach of Year Honors

Michel Therrien did not get the Jack Adams Award, which is presented to the NHL Coach of the Year. That honor was bestowed on a man with a difficult name to pronounce, Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault.

While the Canucks did have a great year, Therrien deserved the Adams. Did you see the team before Therrien arrived last year?

Therrien was able to accept an award, as he spoke on behalf of Calder winner, Evgeni Malkin. Malkin did not attend the awards, because he was confused (I know I already used that joke, but its the truth. Malkin always looks confused).

PSaMP is happy that Lindy Ruff didn't get the Adams again. The dude's name is Lindy. And he looks like the cousin of bitter beer face. Simply put.

Malkin Wins Calder!

Evgeni Malkin, superstud rookie from your Pittsburgh Penguins, won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's ultra-cool, sweet-ass, gnarly, spectacular rookie of the year!

Malkin beat fellow teammate Jordan Staal, as well as Colorado forward Paul Stastny. Malkin celebrated by continually looking dumbfounded and confused. Malkin received 120 of 143 votes. Stastny came in 2nd and Staal was 3rd.

Pittsburgh and Sidney Crosby were denied the Calder last year, with the award going to phenom Alexander Ovechkin. Malkin made sure to finally bring the award back to Pittsburgh. And by Pittsburgh, I mean Russia.

Penguins Sign Winger Wallace

The Penguins signed a deal with a winger, but not a high profile, 40 goal guy. Instead, the team agreed to terms on an entry-level contract with Tim Wallace, who played collegiate hockey at Notre Dame.

Wallace might be recognized by the hardcore Pens fan, having participated in rookie camp before being cut by Pittsburgh during regular training camp last season. He spent 32 games in Wilkes-Barre, scoring 14 points, as well as 19 games with the Wheeling team of the East Coast Hockey League, scoring 17 points.

After acquiring defenseman Jonathan D'Aversa earlier in the week, the Pens seem intent on continuing the youth movement that was ushered in by Crosby/Malkin/Stall/Fleury. Ray Shero is adamant about not signing a big-name winger for a one-year fix. If the Pens are going to win, they're going to win with the young guys on the team.

The Pens still could use a veteran winger, and PSaMP is hoping a deal will happen with Gary Roberts. Re-signing Mark Recchi would also be a bonus. However, Wallace may be a good fit as a backup to Roberts or Recchs, seeing as how both will enter next season (if they re-sign) as the silvertops of the group. Gary turned 41 a few days ago, while Recchs will hit the big 4-0 in February. Having a young guy like Wallace in Wilkes-Barre again will only provide an insurance plan for the old, decrepit vets (I'm kidding).

100th Post! Awesome.

And the 100th post is about...the Pens. Come on, with game 4 tonight and the Pens looking at a 2-1 series deficit, what else could consume my attention? Also, since I'm graduating from college in a couple weeks, I need to get my mind off of the tragedy at Virgina Tech yesterday. Seriously, all prayers and thoughts go to the entire Hokie nation.

With that being said, its time to look at what the Pens need to do differently in game 4 (uh...everything?), in order to have a fighting chance against Daniel "I'm going to outshoot the Pens in this series" Alfredsson and Company.

The shooting is a big problem. Although Geno has 4 assists in only 3 career playoff games, he has been nearly nonexistant. 8 needless penalty minutes in the series will do that to a player. If he doesn't snap out of this shooting slump, there might be problems in Penguins-land. Sidney Crosby needs to pull the trigger more as well. Actually, all of the Pens need to start firing the biscuit. How many times has just putting the puck on net helped the team? Isn't this one of the reasons that we picked up Gary Roberts? Haven't both of his goals in the series come while cleaning up in front of the net? And what about redirects ? Even unintentional redirects will find the back of the net. Ryan Whitney's goal in game 2 hit a Ottawa leg before going in.

But back to Sid. I know he's already got a goal in each game and he's a great passer, but he is passing up way too many scoring opportunities by trying to feed his teammates with better shots. I can't count how many times during this series, as well as the final 2 weeks of the season, in which Sid was streaking down the right wing with a teammate to his left, and he opted to pass to the teammate rather than shoot (for which he still had a good angle). Many of these passes were intercepted or blocked by the opposition, so the Pens got no shot rather than a clean look. Its a best of 7 series, and any smart team would put a lot of time into learning the tendencies of a superstar like Sid. Eventually, they are going to figure out that Crosby looks to pass first when he's coming down the right wing with a teammate to his left, and blocking these passes become an easier task. If Crosby puts the puck on net rather than passing to the guy to his left, he can set up a perfect rebound just as easily as he can fire a perfect pass. All I'm saying is mix it up, Sid. What's the harm in putting the puck on net? There's 3 outcomes.

1. Save
2. Goal
3. Rebound

Plus, more shots equals a greater chance of numbers 2 and 3 happening. The Pens have been outshot 99-66, so its not hard to see the biggest reason we're down 2-1. Actually, the Pens are fortunate to have 1 game. A few different bounces in game 2, and we're down 3-zip. Good article here regarding the "must-win" status of tonight's game, by Penguins playoff-beard wearer, Larry Brown.

I think Laraque needs to play game 4. He seemed kinda frustrated with not being in the lineup for games 2 and 3. I read an article yesterday, but can't seem to find it again, where Laraque basically said, "I'm not going to talk about it now," in response to his benching for games 2 and 3. If I was Laraque, I'd be upset, too. The Senators have been much more physical than the Pens, and its come down to Sid, Max Talbot, Gary Roberts and Colby Armstrong to provide the physical plays to boost the team. Now each guy can hold their own, but no player on this list is Georges Laraque. And now with a huge bullseye on Colby Armstrong (that was a legitimate hit, though), Big Georges needs to be in uniform for game 4.

The game starts at 7. My predicted score for game 3 was right, but the Pens scored the 2 rather than the 4. Tonight, I think the Pens will (must) win, by a score of 3-2. I know, I'm boring. I always pick the Pens to win. However, tonight can be (needs to be) the Penguins night, because a 3-1 hole might be impossible to climb out of. Plus, LBS will have to shave his playoff beard, which is just starting to come in nicely.

Pens Win, Even Series Up At 1

What a game! After scoring on their first shot of the game, the Penguins lost the lead on 2 separate occasions, and won it on a thrilling goal by Sid the Kid. The 4-3 win knots the series up at 1-1, with game 3 starting today at 6 P.M., a mere 24 hours after game 2 concluded. Gary "Senators-Killer" Roberts exerted his influence on the game, much like Ottawa did in game 1. With a goal and an assist, Roberts kept up his stellar success in Ottawa. Crosby's goal midway through the 3rd period put the Pens up for good, and the passing was much crisper than game 1. Recchi took a great pass from Malkin (I don't think Recchi took one pass cleanly in game 1), and fed Crosby a midair pass, which the Kid redirected off of the shaft of his stick and past Emery.

Yeah, my predicted score of 3-1 Pens was wrong, but the ultimate outcome was right. Fleury seemed sharper than he was in game 1, and the team was able to get the crowd out of the flow early on with a power play goal by Ryan Whitney (After a -2 rating in game 1, he needed a big game). I was trying to take a picture of the tv while the Pens were on the PP, and Whitney scored right as I took the picture. Perfect timing!

This is a short analysis of the game, because its always easier to overanalyze a bad loss rather than comment on a well-played game. Also, with game 3 starting in a mere 4 hours (less, actually), I'm preparing myself for the first playoff game at the Igloo since 2001, when the Pens lost to the Devils in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The win was a huge confidence booster. After the debacle that was game 1, there was a cloud of despair over Pittsburgh regarding the rest of Sid and Company's playoff-opening round. The win, coupled with a charged up Igloo crowd only 24 hours later, can lead to good things. If the Pens can ride this momentum swing in Pittsburgh, then there is no way the Pens go to sleep tonight down 2-1 in the series. I'm not big on predictions, because anything can happen in a game to change the outcome (see Daniel Alfredsson's breaking stick leading to Crosby's go-ahead goal). However, I gave a half-assed prediction before the game yesterday, so I'll pick the Pens to win 4-2 today (in honor of Jack Robinson Day in the MLB. Honestly, its going to be weird to hear "playing infield for the Dodgers, wearing number 42, its...Jeff Kent!).

The crowd's involvement was huge in games 1 and 2, so if the Pens score early, I'll be looking for the Igloo crowd to play a significant role as well. Here we go Pens, and despite the shoddy weather (its currently cold and raining...again), "It's a great day for hockey! (Hope you're proud, Badger Bob!)

Some Losses Leave A Bad Taste In Your Mouth

this was one of those losses. leading 2-nill in the 9th inning, "previously 4 for 4" salomon torres decided to emit shades of jose mesa (or mike williams...ew). torres let 2 runs score in the ninth, blowing his first save of the year. the buccos hung around until the 12th, but paulino couldnt hold on to a jason bay throw on a sacrifice fly, and the cards prevailed 3-2. bautista homered, and the pirates squandered a quality outing by gorzo. having never faced pujols before, gorzo got sir albert out 3 times to end innings (read that last line again)! why is this important? uh...take a look at alberts numbers against the pirates entering this season (thanks to albert pujols club). its losses like this that have me wondering if the buccos can take that next step, and actually compete in the central this year. if not, us loyal fans can settle down and take in another long, hard-to-watch season.

enough with the past, and on to the future. the pens are about 7 1/2 hours away from their first playoff game since 2001. i sometimes feel a little weird, because im way too pumped for the second season to start. with the success the pens had this season, as well as the whole arena/kansas city/las vegas ordeal and the maturation of staal, geno, maf and sid, the playoffs are basically the icing on the cake. i do agree with ray shero, though, that the pens cannot be satisfied by simply being in the playoffs, and must be prepared for a long run (get that playoff beard going larrybrownsports! i want pictures...just kiddin). ottawa has been somewhat shaky (im being nice by saying somewhat) in the playoffs in the past few years, and bryan murray isnt necessarily the most playoff-savvy coach (dude has never made it out of the 2nd round, in the pros and in the minors). that doesnt really mean anything this year, but its good to know.

scott burnside of espn.com wrote a story about sid that was both compelling and rich (thanks, ron burgandy). it actually made the front of espn.com (what?...hockey news on espn? you gotta be kidding). this comes only days after scotty picked the sens to win the series in 5 games. way to straddle that fence, scott! (side note: another reason to get angry at espn: the first time i clicked on espn.com today, the site crashed each site i had open, and i had to completely rewrite this entry. looks like espn has changed tactics from bashing sites on espn radio to crashing browser windows.)

thats all for now. mpotd will be coming up soon. i know you cant wait. neither can i.