Pens Fight For Playoff Birth

Hey All,

Today the Pittsburgh Penguins took on the Philadelphia Flyers in Philly, and boy was this a game for the ages. These two teams don't like one another, and that's no secret to anyone who's ever watched a hockey game. As we are use to seeing with these two it was a very physical game, and very entertaining from the first drop of the puck. 

It seemed to be going the Pens way from the get go, as they controlled most of the first period. They were stretching the puck, and stretching the defense of the Flyers. The Pens seemed to have the game plan to finally beat the Flyer, as they have lost the last 7 meetings between the two clubs. Not wanting to make it 8-0 in the last 8 meetings, the Pens had high energy and were flying around on the ice. The Pens were able to take the lead 1-0 at the 16:21 mark with the assist from Perron and Cole. It looked good for the Pens at this point, but the Flyers weren't going down without a fight. They were able to answer back with a goal of their own by Voracek at the 19:18 mark. The assist were by Streit and Schenn. It would be a power play goal, as the Pengins took a dumb retaliatory penalty. 

It would be all Philly from here on out. The second period there was only one goal scored by the Flyers. It was a lucky goal as it bounces over the head of Thomas Greiss, and trickled into the goal. This was also on the power play, scored by Schenn with the assist by Voracek and Streit at the 12:20 mark. I think this took the Pens out of their game from here on out. As they seemed deflated. Skating flat, no speed and urgency. 

The 3rd period wasn't any better for Pittsburgh as they gave up 2 more goals and had a ton of penatlies. Goals were scored by Whtie and Del Zotto at the15:05 and 19:50 marks. With assists from Couturier, Raffl, Schenn, and Giroux. This is not to say that the Penguins didn't have their chances to score. The Pens were firing everything at goaltender Mason, he just had their number today. The Pens took over 40 shots, and were only able to get 1 past the net minder. 

This keeps the Pens in the wild card spot, but by a very slim margin. They have 95 points and only have a 3 point lead for a wild card spot. There's only one week left in the season and the Pens are in a need of a win. They are going to need a win and fast to stay in the hunt, and have a chance for a run at Lord Stanley's Cup. 

As always comments are welcome and be sure to follow me for all your sports needs.

Pens Loss Close One

Hey All,

Last night, Thursday March 27th, the Pittsburgh Penguins took on the Los Angeles Kings, and this game had a lot riding on it. The game was nicknamed the battle for 8. If Pittsburgh won, they would have cliched a spot in the playoffs for the 8th straight year. If the Kings won, they would have won their 8th straight road game. This game didn't disappoint.

Neither team started their starting goaltender, Jeff Zatkoff for the Pens and Martin Jones for the Kings. Both goaltenders have been playing very well as of late. Zatkoff actually has the same save percentage as starting goaltender Marc Andre Fleury at .915, and giving up 2.58 goals per game.

Now I know everyone has been down on Zatkoff as of late, but what you fail to know is he's a rookie. Not only is he a rookie, he is playing just as well as any starting goaltender in the league. Most people would kill for a goaltender with a .915 save percentage. Not only that he is 11-4-2 in his last 17 games, and in that has recorded a shutout. Now all that doesn't sound like a guy "playing bad".

Okay enough of that rant, let's get to how this game went down. Unfortunately, for the Pens anyways, the Los Angeles Kings extended their winning streak to 5 games, and won their 8th straight road game. They were also able to keep the Pens for clinching a Playoff berth. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty scored the game-winner in the third to give the Kings a 3-2 win. Doughty's goal wouldn't have been possible without the assist from Dustin Brown.

Now this game had a lot of controversy, and it didn't end well for the Pens. Forward Brandon Sutter should have had the tying goal, but was called off due to "goaltender interference". All he did was cash the net after a shot, to get the rebound, he did so and was able to push the puck into the net, and then the net came off the pegs. Now by rule if you disallow the goaltender room to make the save and or get in the way of his progress it is goaltender interference. Non of that happened on this play. Sutter crashed the net and got all puck and pushed it into the net, like every player does. What the refs missed was Doughty cross checking Sutter 3 times which caused the "goaltender interference".  Therefore the goal should have been allowed, the game should have been tied, and went into overtime.

Non of the above happened, and the Pens lost the game. They weren't able to clinch a playoff spot last night, but have all the opportunity to do so tonight when they play the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets aren't best team in the league, but they still will give the Pens a run for the Playoff spot. Not that they will take the spot away from the Pens, but they could stop them from not clinching again. I don't think that will happen. Then Pens are playing mad now with the events that went down last night. It showed in the last few minutes of the game after the "goaltender interference" call. They played well last night, and had a lot of speed to there game in the beginning of the game. Near the end of the game they got physical, and I expect that physical play to continue until they have the spot clinched, and well after and into the playoffs. They have something to prove. All good teams go though a phase where they struggle to make playoffs and contend for a Stanley Cup. Everyone is starting to say that about the Pens, and I don't think they like that very much. They are one of the best teams in the league, and they are slumping right now, but will get back to Stanley Cup form starting tonight.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports. 

Pens-Hawks to Be Postponed

Hey All,

As most of you would know, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Chicago Blackhawks are scheduled to play an outdoor game at Solider Field Saturday, but weather may play a factor in if it's played or postponed. There is suppose to be a huge snow storm coming through the East Coast over the weekend. A storm that could bring up to 6-12 inches of snow. Also with the snow, it could bring winds and cold temperatures, but everyone is in high hopes that the game will go off as scheduled.

"It would have to make it unsafe, either too cold in terms of medical concerns or if it was such that the ice wasn't able to be kept appropriately so that it would be safe for the players," Bettman said.

If the game is moved, however, it wouldn't be moved far. Neither team has a game until Tuesday, therefore the game just as well could be played on Sunday or even Monday. Bettman says there's lots of plan B's but would really not want to go to them.

To read more, click the link below.

League could postpone Hawks-Pens http://espn.go.com/chicago/nhl/story/_/id/10533941/commissioner-gary-bettman-says-blackhawks-penguins-outdoor-game-postponed-weather-makes-game-unsafe?ex_cid=null -via SportsCenter http://bit.ly/zzSpRY

Bylsma Extended

Hey All,

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything on here, but I've been working on a video blog as well as this one. You can catch it at mbonaventura83 on YouTube.

Now let's get down to business.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have extended the contract of Dan Bylsma by two years. This will take the coach through the 2016 season, and from there who knows. Now I would be lying if i said I saw this coming, because I have no idea this was going to happen. I thought for sure that the coach would be gone after what happened in the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Bylsma is the second-winningest coach in  franchise history, and to some it's not that much of a surprise that he was extended by 2 years. A lot of people were questioning Ray Shero's decision to keep the coach around after this years fall out in the Playoffs, including myself. When asked about it, he had this to say: "I have a very good coach moving forward that I want to lead this team. I want to reward him with an extension that shows him and shows people that he's my coach and I believe in him."

Shero did have to meet with owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle, and Shero was going to go to bat to keep Bylsma a member of the Penguins. One argument that he would have in his back pocket, would have been that Dan is 201-92-25 since taking over the team in 2009 for  Michael Therrien. Well it turns out that he wouldn't have to fight very hard for Dan to stay on the team as both Lemieux and Burkle were fully on board with keeping that coach around.

If this were my team, I wouldn't have given him his extension just yet. I would have given him one more year to prove himself, then if and only if he did, I would have extended his contract. Now most would say that that's not a good way to run a team, but I think otherwise. If you make him work for his job, I could only imagine what he would do with this team, and the talent that they have on it. They would be even more unstoppable then they were in the regular season this past year. They would have made an even better Stanley Cup run in the following year, and I would have signed him to a very nice long contract.

I know this is out of my hands, and that Bylsma is on the team for the next two years. I'm very interested in see what he will do and the moves that Pittsburgh makes in the offseason, as they are wanted to move some players around. I don't think it's a good idea to move anyone, they should just keep the team as is, and try to make another run for Lord Stanley's Cup.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Pens Take Game One

Hey All,

Tonight was the best day of all for all hockey fans, it's the start of the NHL Playoffs, and boy did it kick off with a bang.

That game that I will be focusing on is the Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. the New York Islanders. This is a one seed (Pittsburgh) and a eight seed (New York) and did it ever seem that way.

The Pens came out of the gate with a fire underneath of them all game long. They got a quick goal from rookie B. Bennett as he sneaks one past the blocker shoulder of goaltender Nabokov to get his first Playoff Goal ever. That came at the  3:30 mark, and there wouldn't be another goal scored until the 12:23 by Super Duper Dupuis. That would be how the first period would end, and boy would the intensity of this game pick up from here.

Kris Letang would get a very quick goal to start the second period at the 1:19 mark, and on just the second shot of the period, Dupuis would get his second goal of the game at the 1:51 mark. This would end Nabokov's night. They would bring in back-up goaltender Poulin to see if he could do any better against the Penguins offense. The fifth and final goal of the game came at the 13:07 mark of the second period by Tanner Glass.

Besides the scoring in this game, the hits were outstanding. Both teams were finishing off their checks, and giving it all they had. The Islanders might have won the battle in the hit department (numbers wise) with 41-36, they didn't win the war. The Penguins had there "tough guys" out there to show they aren't backing down from anyone. Letang, Murry, Marrow, and Engelland were "Lighten up" all night. The game got a little chippy near the end of the game as the Islanders started taking cheap shots to the Penguins Stars. Jussi had a shot to his legs and in the knee and ankle area, which could be very dangerous from a player to take that kind of open ice hit.

This game was the Penguins to loss, and I think the rest of the series is going to be the same way as this one went. With the Penguins being the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference  they would need to play like they have all season long (even though it was a lockout shortened season). If the Pens play like they did in game one, there is no possible way that they can lose this series.

Now don't get me wrong, the Islanders are a pretty good team. They just didn't play like it tonight. If they want to have a chance in this series, they will have to make some major adjustments to have a chance Friday in game two. Though they are a good team, and deserve to be in the Playoffs, I think they are going to get swept in this series. The Pens should walk their way into the next series and possibly into the Finals, if they play the way they played tonight, for the rest of the Playoffs.

Remember I put out video blogs every Thursday on my YouTube Channel (Mbonaventura83) so check it out and let me know what ya think.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports. 

Pens v Panthers

Hey All,

The Pittsburgh Penguins were in action against the Florida Panthers tonight in Florida. The Pens are 8-2 on the road, and have scored first in the last 5 road games. Pittsburgh has some unfinished business against the Panthers, because the Panthers are the reason that Geno is out with a concussion.

This game would be physical from the drop of the puck, more so from the Pens. Pittsburgh was wanting to come out and hit, seeing what the Panthers did to their star when in Pittsburgh. The first period was played at a very fast passé, with both teams flying around attacking the puck. However, the Panthers were able to get on the board first, breaking that 5 road games with scoring the first goal for the Pens. The goal came on the power-play on Tyler Kenndy for roughing. Now I have a problem with this call because neither player knew it was an icing call, and kept the play going. Pittsburgh was just unable to clear the puck from their zone.

That's not to say that the Pens didn't have any chances to score, because they were able to mustard up 8 scoring chances. Now there is one problem that I have right now with the way the Pens have played without Malkin. They just aren't taking any shots. They are getting too cute, trying to pass the puck around, and wait for the "perfect" shot. They need to star throwing pucks at this goaltender, because he gives up a lot of rebounds.

The Pens were able score within the first min of the second period, but would be give up 2 quick penalties and have to kill a 5 on 3. They were able to kill the one penalty, but were not able to kill both, giving up yet another power-play goal. Then there was a scrum in front of goaltender of Thomas Vokoun. This would give the Pens a power-play of their own to try and tie the game back up. They weren't able to do so, as Florida was able to kill the penalty. Shortly after that the Penguins would go a man down yet again, and give up yet another power-play goal, only to go a man down and give up 4 total power-play goals in the first two periods.

That would do it for goaltender Thomas Vokoun, and the flower would get into the net for the rest of the game. Pittsburgh would come up with another goal in the second period at the 10 min mar, from Dustin Jeffreys, after a monster hit from Derrick Engaland, which would give the Pens new life in this game. They would however, have to try and kill another penalty. They would do just that, and would come back and get another goal off of a turn over. Paul Martin would take a rocket shot and beat Theodore top shelf and off the cross bar. The sore would be 4-3 in favor of the Panthers with just under 5 mins to go in the second period. Pittsburgh would get yet another power-play chance to tie this game up, and Sydney Crosby would capitalize on that and tie the game at 4 goals a piece.

This had to be the craziest second period I've ever seen. There were so many power-plays, so many goals, and so much intensity from both teams. Now a lot of times there's not 7 goals scored in an entire game, and there were 7 total goals scored in the second period alone.

This game had everything that hockey fans know and love. The Pens lost this game 6-4, but they have nothing to hang their heads about. They played a good game, they were very physical, and showed drive to coming back after being down 4-1. One major thing that the Pens do need to work on is taking less penalties. They played a man down 7 times in this game, and 4 of the 6 goals came when the Pens were down a man or two.

My take from this game is that the Pens played a sloppy first period, should have taken less penalties, could have taken a lot more shots, and last but not least they need Malkin back. Malkin adds a certain spark to the Pens offense, and they just seem to play with a different type of intensity. The Pens need to change the way they play without Geno, until they can get him back on the ice.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Pens Battle For Road Win

Hey All,

This afternoon there was a battle in Buffalo, as the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabers took to the ice. Both teams looking for a bug win, especially the Pens. The Penguins could take the lead in the east, over the New Jersey Devils, with a win over Buffalo.

These two teams were looking to take advantage of the shortened season with a big time win, and the Pens did just that. The Pens were able to score within the first 90 seconds of the game, putting the momentum on their side. Quickly after that the Sabers would commit a costly penalty, and give the Penguins a man advantage. Crosby took full advantage of the power play scoring on a bad bounce off the back boards. This gave the Pens a quick 2-0 lead within the first two minutes of the game.

The Sabers would answer back though, getting a goal of their own late in the first after the Penguins committed their own penalty. This would be your score at the end of the first, 2-1 in favor of the Penguins.

Buffalo would come out with all the momentum on their side, and the Penguins would come out flat, as they have in the second period this season. Buffalo would get a quick goal in the second, just as the Pens did in the first. This would tie up the game, and keep the momentum on the side of the Sabers, but that would be it for the scoring for both teams. The score would be 2-2 at the end of the second period.

This is where the game would get more physical for both teams. At the start of the third both teams were amped up and ready to play. After a fight broke out both teams pick up the intensity and started hitting. Buffalo would get a goal mid way through the third period, and it looked as if it was going to be it for the Pens. They were able to tie the game back up at 3-3 and things were looking like this game was going to overtime.

Defenseman Paul Martin scored with 2:04 left to go in the game, to lift the Penguins to a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabers. The score from Martin was just his second of the season. His only other goal came On opening day.

A few notes about this game: the Penguins elected to go with 6-foot-4 inch, 215 pound defenseman Robert Bortuzzo to add some size to his roster. He replaced D Simon Despres, and Bortuzzo would be playing in his eight game of the season, after sitting two.

For the Sabres, rookie C Mikhail Grigorenko was a healthy scratch for just the second time this season, and the second time in 4 games. Not to sure why they made the decision to scratch Grigorenko, but they made the decision and he sat.

This game was physical from the drop of the puck, and the fans got a good show. This was a big time win for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who take the lead of the division in the Eastern Conference over the New Jersey Devils.

Crosby's New Contract

Hey All,

I know hockey ended this month, but that doesn't mean there isn't any news going on in the world of the NHL. Some players becoming free agents as of the summer of 2013, and one player in particular I want to talk about is the great Sidney Crosby. He has been with the Pens since joining the league and will look to stay in the burgh.

Crosby becomes an unrestricted free agent in Summer 2013, but one imagines he'll finalize a new contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins before the rules change for player compensation and contract duration under the next CBA.

The question is how large the Penguins and Crosby want to go in keeping the captain in the Steel City.

Elliotte Friedman of CBC Sports revealed some details on the Crosby contract picture during the Hot Stove report on Saturday night.

He's coming into the last year of a five-year, $8.7 million a year contract. When they made that deal, his agent Pat Brisson and the Penguins discussed a longer term but decided not to do it. Now there's an appetite for it. I think we're going to have a pretty good idea by July 1, which is the earliest they can even sign him to a deal, if it's going to get done. It might even be done by then.

His new contact won't cover concussions, but it's Sidney Crosby, wouldn't you do it? I know I would. But it's not up to me, it's up to the Pittsburgh Penguins. I'm sure they will make a deal and it would be a long one to keep Crosby a Penguin. I will keep you up to date as soon as I know anything.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Pens Fall to Philly

Hey All,

Tonight the Pittsburgh Penguins played a critical game 6 in Philadelphia. The Pens didn't look like they were all there in today's game. The Pens would lose this game by the score of 5-1.

From the drop of the puck, the Flyers just seemed to want this game more then the Pens. The game started with a big hit to Crosby and followed by Flyers goal within the first 32 seconds of the game. The game would go down hill from there.

The Pens are officially out of the 2012 playoffs. Eliminated in the first round, which no one really saw coming. Pittsburgh was one of the power house teams that no one saw going out on the first round. The way these playoffs are going, there might not be any power houses left in the playoffs after the first round, which could make it a very interesting playoffs.

I can't wait to see who makes it to the finals and will be keeping you up to date with everything that goes on in the playoffs: who's still in, who's on the brink of losing their series, and who is making a strong run to the finals.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Pens Down 3-0

Hey All,

 As I'm sure most of you know, it's playoff hockey time, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are taking on the Philadelphia Flyers. This afternoon, April 15 2012, was game three of the best of seven series. The Penguins dropped the first two game is pretty bad fashion.

The Flyers have had the Pens number in most of the regular season, and now carrying it over to the playoffs. This game was no different, as sparks flew in this game, along with punches and possible suspensions.

The Flyers won the game tonight 8-4 and things couldn't be looking any worse for Pittsburgh. There has been almost no Defense, the goal-tending is terrible, and the Offense isn't playing their game. Pittsburgh was rolling through the regular season because they are playing their game, and skating the puck in deep, getting it behind the goal-tender, and throwing pucks to the net, and trying to get rebounds. Now that it's the playoffs they are not doing the basics and they are playing like crap to be honest. If they don't get back to what they do best, this is going to be the end as of Wednesday in game four in Philly. It's very simple, if they play like they did today the season will be over.

Now the next thing I am going to talk about with this game is all the penalties. There was a grand total of 145 total penalties in a 60 minute game. The goals might be hard to find on a highlight reel. This one was all about the brawls more suitable for a UFC card. Three players were tossed in the first period. There was a rare fight between superstars when Crosby squared off against Giroux. No one got the better end of that scrap. But by the end, Flyers fans serenaded the Penguins with booming chants of "You can't beat us!"Each team had their top defenseman -- Pittsburgh's Kris Letang and Philadelphia's Kimmo Timonen -- tossed. So was Penguins forward Arron Asham.

But the scene ripped straight out of the pages of Ripley's came when Giroux and Crosby went at it against the backboard.

"In the end, that's really playoff hockey," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. "A couple of the best players in the world dropping the gloves going at it. Would I rather have G keep his gloves on? Sure. But when he's fighting Sidney Crosby, that's playoff hockey. That's this series."Flyers forward Brayden Schenn rammed Paul Martin into the boards, turned around and was crosschecked in the upper body by Asham. Asham jumped a defenseless Schenn and connected with a vicious right to earn the match penalty -- a penalty imposed on a player who deliberately attempts to injure or who deliberately injures an opponent in any manner. Asham could get suspended for the punch.As the game wound down, Crosby yanked the back of Scott Hartnell's jersey and the fireworks went off again. Simmonds, Neal and Pittsburgh's Craig Adams also were socked with penalties.The slugfest on the ice overshadowed the one on the scoreboard.

All in all this can't happen next game on Wednesday otherwise the Penguins Stanley Cup run will be over. They need to calm down, play their game and play better Defense. This series should not be this lopsided these are two very good teams but right now they Flyers are showing they want it more. The Pens better get hungry and get hungry fast otherwise this is going to go by and they won't even notice they lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports

Pens Clinch Home Ice

Hey All,

Today the Pittsburgh Penguins took on the New York Rangers at Console Energy Center. This was a critical game for the pens, as they are fighting for home ice in the first round of the playoffs.

The Pens made this game look easy as they single handedly beat the Rangers by a score of 5-2. The game was played on the game on their terms. They got the puck in deep behind the D and forced them to turn their backs to the Penguins.

There was a bit of a bad call in the 3rd period of the game. Orpike was at center ice when a Ranger player came across and Orpike didn't see him until late. He tried to get out of the way, but was unable to, and the two hit knee to knee. They gave Brookes a 5 minute major penalty, and he was told to go to the locker room, seeing how there was only 4 minutes to go in the game. There shouldn't have been a major penalty. This was not intentional by any means. But not much that can be done about it now.

The Pens have one more game of the regular season this Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers. This game would of had more meaning until today's win. There is no way that the Flyers can catch the Pens in point to get home ice. Can't wait to see if the Pens will rest some of their stars or will they play them so that they don't get rusty. Either way I'll be here to keep you up to date on what happens.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports

Pens v. Flyers

Hey All,

Sorry for the late post this week, but let's not waste any more time and get right to what everyone has been talking about in the NHL. Your Pittsburgh Penguins faced the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, 29th and this game was talked up and it lived up to the hype that it received.Everyone was waiting the return to Pittsburgh for the one and only Jaromir Jagr, but they would of rather him be in the black and gold and not orange and white. Another player who is making a return to the game was that one Max Talbot, who during the off-season was traded to the Flyers. Both these players would get a welcome, Talbot's was a little more welcoming then that of Jagr, every time he touched the puck he was booed. It also didn't help they all of the Pens big hitters were gunning for him every time he was on the ice. Well let's get into what happened in this game and see what the turn out was.

Within the first 30 seconds of the game the Pens were on the board and things were looking good for them. Until late in that period when Philly would answer back with a goal of their own. Things would only go down hill for the Pens from here. The game would end up 1-1 after the first intermission, but the Flyers getting that late goal would only give them the momentum going into period 2. After 6:03 into the second period Jagr would strike to give the Flyers a one goal lead. It didn't make matters any better that he would do his old Penguin celebration after this goal. At 16:11 into this period Matt Read would put another marker on the board for Philly to make the score 3-1, and that is how this period would come to a close. Momentum would still be on the Flyers side who came out and just looked better than the Pens Defensively. Philly just would not let the Pens make any type of passes in the Offensive zone, and the for check of the Flyers was on point in this game. In the 3rd period this game would become interesting and everything that the fans could have asked for. at 13:31 the Pens would answer and come within one of take back over this game. Tyler Kennedy would get the goal off the Assist from Evgeni Malkin, who have been playing great hockey when on the ice together. These two would be on an amazing scoring streak and would keep it going in this game. The Pens would later be deflated after pulling goalie Marc Andre Fleury to get the extra attacker. The Flyers D didn't let up after the Pens would close within one. They still played tough and got into the passing lanes still to take it away and bring it into their Offensive zone. At 19:35 Max Talbot would put the hammer down on this game getting the empty netter to put this game out of reach and give the W to the Flyers. This wouldn't and shouldn't affect the Pens that much as they were on a 4 game winning streak prior to this game. This is just one minor set back, and they got beat by a pretty good team. They should be able to bounce back after this loss and bring in the new year with a winning not again. I can't wait to see what the new year will bring for the Pens and I will be here to keep all of you up to date.

Until next time readers,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Pens Roll Sabers

Hey All,

Last night the Pittsburgh Penguins played the Buffalo Sabers and a bounce back performance, after being crushed by Ottawa Senators 6-4 on Friday the 16th. The Pens are playing with a depleted roster, with almost half of their star players out with injury. With having to call some players up from Wilkes-Barre to fill in the spots that are open due to these players being down. The Pens came out in this game and showed that they, though a young team with the players being called up, that they still are a power house team that can put points on the board. Pittsburgh came out and scored 4 straight goals before the Sabers got one by the goaltending of Fleury, and this was just in the 1st period alone. In the 2nd period it was all Penguins scoring 2 more to bring the score to 6-1 in favor of your Pittsburgh Penguins. The 3rd period that Sabers had a bit of life, but it was too little too late scoring two more goals, and the Pens were able to answer back with 2 of their own making the final score 8-3 for the Penguins.

The brightest star on the ice was was that of Evgeni Malkin who pulled a hat trick with his 3 goals and on top of that he had 2 assists. He was playing like a man on a mission after the embarrassing lose to the Senators just the night before. Malkin played with speed, power and precision to bring some life to a struggling Pens team. I think that without Malkin on the ice for the Pens they would not have won that game. If he goes down anytime soon this will mean bad news for a banged up Pittsburgh team. Let's hope that the Pens can get healthy and bring back the spark that Pittsburgh will need to get back on track for a great season.

Until next time readers,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Two Close Games

Hey All,

So much to talk about and so little time. Yesterday there were two outstanding games in the world of the NHL and the NCAA college football world. Let's start out with the game that came on first, the Pittsburgh Penguins vs the Washington Capitals. This game is always exciting to watch as I'm sure it is to play. The Pens were still down a few players with injury. Letang and Michalek didn't even make the trip due to injury. Everyone thought that this game was not going to go good for the Pens being down their top two Defensmen. But the rest of the Defense stepped up their game to fill in for the missing players. Not only did the Defense step up their game, but the Offense played out of their minds. The Caps didn't even have a shot on goal until 9 minutes into the game, whereas the Pens had 8 and they even put one past the goalkeep of the Capitals. That is how the score would look until the second period where the Caps would get one past Marc Andre Fleury to tie the game at 1-1. Like I said the entire team would pick up their play to fill in for Letang's and Michalek's absence from the game. Simon Despres, a rookie in the NHL, would pick up his first ever point in the NHL. He would pick up this point on the an assist on the goal from Chris Kunitz to make the game 2-1 in favor of your Pittsburgh Penguins just 2:36 into the 3rd period. This would be the final score in last night game, but not without an amazing rush from the Caps who aren't trying to lose the second game in a row under a new head coach. This would be the case for the Caps though who have always seemed to have the Pens number in the regular season. Not last night, the Pens Defense made it happen and Fleury was outstanding between the pipes. This was what the Pens needed after a tough lose to the Rangers two nights before. I can't wait to see what happens when Letang and Michalek come back, and if the Pens can keep that level of play up.

Let's get to the second game shall we. The West Virginia Mountaineers faced the University of South Florida Bulls in a very critical game for both teams. For the Mountaineers a win against USF and a win by Cincinnati on Saturday could very well mean that WVU will win the Big East and and a chance at a BCS Bowl game. The stars will need to aline in order for this to happen. This game last night though would not be easy for WVU as a win by USF would send them to their 7th straight Bowl appearance. It was a Defensive game from the very beginning. There was no scoring in the 1st quarter of the game, but in the 2nd quarter is when the Offense for both teams took off. The Mounties got on the board first with a touchdown coming from the Defense on a pick 6. Then it was USF's turn on Offense to try and get something going, but the Mountaineers D said not today and forced them to punt. This is when the Special Teams for WVU picked up the game and blocked the punt and got the ball on the 10 yard line. The D of the Bulls said now it's our turn to say no, and forced a field goal from the Mounties. They would later get one more to go up 13-0 and then they would give up a TD on a spectacular catch in the end zone. At the half the Mountaineers were up 13-7 at the half. After the half USF would drive again and pick up yet another field goal, but trouble would come back around for the Bulls on the next kickoff. Austin would take the next kickoff back for a touchdown and keep the D on the field. At the end of the 3rd it was 20-13 in favor of the Neers. The game would get crazy as the Bulls would come back and take the lead 27-20 with not a lot of time left on the clock. The Mounties would come back and tie it though with under 3:00 minutes to go. The Mountaineers would stop USF for the last time with 1:13 left to go on the clock, and get the ball back and drive down the field with no timeouts left. With just seconds left on a 4th and 10 WVU's Geno Smith would connect with Bailey well inside the range of the kicker. They would set up and spike the ball with 3 seconds left. They get everything set up and the kick put it through the uprights with no time left on the clock. You couldn't have asked for a better finish and a better way to end the regular season for the Mounties. Now they just need to hope that the Barecats of Cincinnati to pick up the victory against UConn Saturday and put WVU into a BCS Bowl Game.

Until next time readers,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Pens Come Close

Hey All, 

Last night the Pens tried to make an spectacular come back against the New York Rangers.The Pens jumped out to a early 1-0 lead, but that was short lived with the lack of players healthy for the Pens. The Pens Goaltender gave up an impossible to block goal in the second which lead to a whole heap of scoring for the Rangers. The Rangers got 4 goals in the second period alone and the Pens just looked flat and couldn't get any type of Offense going. The fore check wasn't there for the Pens and the Defense was non existent. The Pens however did get a bit of life with 6 seconds left to go in the second period off the stick of Evgeni Malkin after flying down the ice to get a quick long rebound. This gave the Penguins life when Geno made a nice play to make the score at the intermission 4-2 in favor of the Rangers. The momentum was all on the Pens side coming into the 3rd Period. The 3rd period looked like the Pens who came to play in the first period of this game. The fore check was there and the Defense was outstanding, especially the penalty kill who had to kill 4 straight penalties in a row, two of which were 5 on 3. The Penguins got a quick goal to make the score 4-3 still in favor of the Rangers but the goalkeeping of New York picked up the passe to make that the final score of the game. Pittsburgh did not look like the team everyone knows and loves. They were committing stupid unnecessary penalties, and not playing D. Now I know everyone will play it on Kris Letang being out as well as  Zbynek Michalek  with injuries. This has nothing to do with how the Pens play, yes they are the two best Defensmen that they Pens have, but they are not the whole team. This can't be the way it goes for the Pens if they lose a game. They can't just look at who's out for them and say "oh that's the real reason we lost because we're missing a few players." NO! That's not the way it is, you buck up stick your other players in there who were good enough to make the team and good enough to play so they should be able to fill the role. This has been the alkalies heal of the Pens for years. I know I said if they can stay healthy they will continue to win games, well looks like I was right. If they don't stay healthy every game is going to be a struggle, simple as that. I hope they play better tonight against the Caps who with their new coach don't look like the same Washington Capitals everyone knows and loves to hate. I'll keep you up to date after the game tonight and looking forward to the Pens coming back after a tough lose last night.


Until next time readers,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Sid Returns

Hey All,

Yesterday, November 21st, 2011, was the great return of of Sidney Crosby to the Pittsburgh Penguins. This has been long over due, 8 months to be exact.This couldn't have came at a better time for the Pens. With a lot of their big name guys going down, and not playing they way they normally play when Crosby is in the game, the Pens were more than happy to see Sid back on the ice. He couldn't have returned in a bigger way, scoring 4 points in the 5-0 win over the New York Islanders. Crosby scored the first goal of the game, and didn't look back from there. Sid had 2 assists and 2 goals in this game, all of witch came on his back hand. The entire pens line up seemed to just come out and play at a much higher level then they played without him in the starting line up. Everyone, including goaltender Marc Andre Fleury who shut out the Islanders, played like they did when they won the Stanley Cup. Staal, Malkin, Cooke, Neal, everyone on the line up including the new guys on the team looked like they had a new life to them. If the Pens can stay healthy then I think they will make yet another run to the Stanley Cup Finals and win regardless of who they play. If they look and play as hard as they did last night, then there is nothing that can stand in their way and no one in the entire NHL will even come close to matching this team goal for goal. I hope they can stay healthy and stay out of trouble so that once again we can see Sid The Kid lift Lord Stanley's Trophy for the second time since he did in 2009.

Once again readers keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports

Penguins Lose Close One

Hey All,

The Pittsburgh Penguins lose a very close game against the Washington Capitals tonight in overtime (OT) after coming back from a goal down in the 3rd to tie the game. The Pens played a great game tonight against one of their fierce rivals in the Washington Capitals. Then Pens went up by a goal early in the game, with 17:13 left in the 1st period, after that it was all Washington. The Caps came back and got the tying goal and kept up the pressure on the Pens for the rest of the game. Going up by a goal in the 3rd just 40 seconds into the period, off the stick of Alex Ovechkin , the player everyone loves to hate. I'll be the first to admit I can't stand Ovechkin, don't get me wrong he's a great player, I just don't like his attitude when he's on the ice. He's cocky, he thinks he rules the ice, and does what most players should do and think they are the best player out there. He is probably one of the hardest hitters out there today, but he does take a few cheap shots. But enough about him, the player for the Pens who really showed up today was James Neal, a player no one knew would come out so hot. The first goal scored for the Penguins was off of his stick, and tonight was no different. Neal was the only one to score today, both goals tonight came off the stick of Neal. Now Neal is the kind of player that Pittsburgh should try and keep around for a long time. He can get your team 25 goals a year and will play till the very end. Neal scored the tying goal to bring the game into OT. This is something that seems to haunt the Pens this year is overtime. This is the 3 time in four games that the Pens have gone into and one went into a shoot out witch they lost to the Vancouver a team that was in the Stanley Cup Finals. Let's hope that they Pens can get over this down fall and finish the games in regulation. Even though they lost tonight everything should get better as the man everyone's been waiting for will be returning sooner than later. Crosby was in full contact today in a stake around for the first time since his injury last season. This is great news, just a few more practices and he should be ready for game day by Tuesday the 18th. I can't wait for his return and I'm sure non of you can either.

Pens Start Opener With A W

Hey All,

The Pittsburgh Penguins started their season last night against the Vancouver Cancucks and it was a game to remember. The Pens came out looking ready to play and showed that this season is going to be different then the last one. The Pens came out ready to play from the drop of the puck, and showed everyone that speed kills in this league. One of the main reasons, I think, they looked so good was the fact that they had most of the "stars" back from injury/suspensions. Malkin looked like his knee was holding up well and he looked stronger than ever. Flying around the ice letting everyone one in the league know that he was back with a purpose. Also all the young players they acquired looked very good. With every shift the Pens looked strong and together, especially the 4th line. When the 4th line was on the ice the Cancucks looked like they had no answer for the strength of that line. The first goal of the game came off the stick of James Neal with a lucky bounce from an impossible angle. Neal is looking to prove himself to this team, when he was acquired to the team he only put one puck behind the goalkeeper in 20 games last season. In last nights game he matched his total with the Pens scoring the first goal of the season for the Pens. The second goal came off the stick of Matt Cook, who is playing a bit different then fans would remember, after sitting out the rest of the season last year after a shot to the head of another player down the stretch. Cook had 2 of the Pens 3 goals in regulation, one of witch being a shot handed goal, the first goal was a Power Play goal. Although Flury gave up 3 goals in this game I think he looked very strong. His save percentage was .0914, which is right around last seasons average for him. He made some spectacular saves flying around the night, like the Flury we all know and love. I look for the Pens to have a great season after winning the game in a shot out last night against the runner ups in last years Stanly Cup Finals. Once Crosby comes back to the game, which should be very soon, the Pens will be better than ever.

Pens Preseason Opener

Hey all, The Pittsburgh Penguins kicked off their preseason against the Detroit Red Wings last night and were victorious by a score of 3-2. The players looked good on the ice epically the new guys, who are trying to make a spot on this team. One thing that really impressed me was how Evgeni Malkin Looked while he was on the ice. Malkin was recently coming off of getting his ACL/MCL worked on over the off season.He might be #71 in your programs, but last night he was #1 in your hearts, picking up the number one star of the game. In one shift he was able to force 3 turnovers, and on one of those even turn it into a goal. The goal tending of the penguins looked even better than what they did in camps. Mark-Andre Fleury did not look good at all in camps. He was sloppy, out of sync, and just all around awful. Not last night though, even though he only played 2 periods so that the coaches could get a look at their new players to see who will make the team. My personal opinion is the youngster on the defense. Even though he is only 18 years old, I like the way he plays. You nay Sayers think about this, one Sydney Crosby was the Pens first overall pick when he was just 18 years old. Let's just hope this kid, provided he makes the team, will take after good ol' Sid the Kid. I think if they Pens play like they are now in the regular season, they will be the ones representing the east for the Stanley Cup Finals.