Bruins 5, Pens 4 (SO); Another point lost...

Bad loss. Just a bad loss.

Don't even feel like talking about it.

Frickin' incredible that the Pens are so bad at the shootout, just incredible.

But it shouldn't have gotten to that point. Defensive lapses and a couple of soft goals on MAF proved costly.

The Pens raced to a 2-0 lead after the 1st period, but went back on their heels once again and let the Bruins get the next 3 goals.

If not for the heroics of Malkin, this one might have been a loss for the Pens in regulation.

Oh well, I'm done talking about this one, it stinks.

Leafs back in town Saturday night for what is sure another consecutive sellout.

Bruins 4, Pens 3 (SO); Pens give Boston an early Christmas present

Gift wrapped, with a nice big bow on it.

The Pens absolutely shot themselves in the foot, nearly laying a goose egg on nine power plays, but came away with a point that didn't seem likely after about 50 minutes of play.

Geno's goal coming out of the penalty box, coming after another great save by MAF, brought the Pens back to 3-2 with about half of the 3rd period to go. The Pens finally scored on the power play in the final minute of regulation, when MAF was pulled for a 6-to-4 advantage. Recchi's 2nd goal of the game, on a nice backhanded pass from Geno, tied the game at 3. The overtime solved nothing, although both teams had chances to win it, including Malkin from point-blank range.

Someone needs to explain to me how Gonchar gets on the top 3 of the shootout over Ekman and Christensen. And did anyone besides me wonder why both Ouellet and Malkin shot so far from the net during the shootout ??

The absence of Sid on the power play was easily noticeable, the Pens had very few scoring opportunities with the man advantage. Not only that, but the majority of the time they weren't even getting the puck on net, which is unfortunately becoming too common.

I did like Erik Christensen's 2006 debut with the Pens. Just as he's always done, he got off some good shots.

So now it's onto Long Island for a 2PM start against the Islanders on Friday. Hopefully, #87 will be in uniform.

Pens gameday; Crosby out, Christensen up

Injuries.

They're a part of every sport.

In terms of team sports, one of the things that separates good teams from also-rans is how they overcome them.

And that brings us to tonight.

The Pens have decided on the safe play and sit Sid out tonight. There is no doubt that Sid could have played if he absolutely needed to, but I think common sense dictated that Sid give his groin a couple more days of rest. The injury comes at fortunate time, as if any injury comes at a good time. Sit Sid tonight, versus a non-divisional opponent, then have him relatively healthy for Friday and Saturday against divisional foes the Isles and Rangers.

So that puts Geno as the 1st line center. Gonna be interesting how he plays knowing that Crosby is out, whether he plays at even a higher level. They've got Recchi on the 1st line with him, and those two look to have some good chemistry going together.

In addition to Sid, another injury (said to be post-concussion related) has landed Eric Cairns back on the injured reserve, and has resulted in another callup for Erik Christensen. I really hope this kid gets a fair shot this time. The Pens need forwards with good hands, snipers if you will. However, this is yet again another time to mention the roster logjam that will be created once Ryan Malone comes back in a couple more weeks.

Also, Nils Ekman took a puck above the eye in practice today, courtesy of an errant shot off the post by Gonchar. His status is unknown right now for the game.

I think the Pens may surprise some people by how they compensate for the loss of Sid tonight, let's hope so anyway.

LET'S GO PENS !!!!

Pens 5, Flyers 3; Anyone feeling sorry for Philly ?? Don't look this way...

A quick start left the Flyers in the dust Monday night in the Pens' 5-3 win. The Pens' excellent puck movement took advantage of the Flyers' defensive liabilities, and quickly countered each Flyers goal with one of their own.

The main story to come out of the game, of course, was the strained groin suffered by Sid. Although he's considered day-to-day, and it is isn't expected that he'll miss any time, groin injuries are nothing to underestimate. Let's just hope that they're cautious and not putting Sid on the ice unless they're fairly sure that he won't aggravate it.

Therrien looked like a genius Saturday by scratching Leclair. He definitely looked like he had a extra giddyup last night. Steigy and Errey made a good point in that this may the time in his career when a day off every now and then may be a good idea.

And where's that signup sheet for the Ron Petrovicky fan club !!! I love this guy's game. Good hands, and throws some outstanding checks. The Pens really are assembling a great group of 3rd and 4th liners. Quick, tough, and disruptive.

It may very well be that he's just not comfortable with NHL play yet, but I'd sure like to see Malkin throw some checks every now and then. We all know that he can dish some serious hits, we saw that in the Olympics, and the couple of occasions that opposing D-men have tried to lay him out, the only ones that hit the ice were the D-men.

And finally, I'm sorry to say it, but Marshall Harris on FSN 'Burgh is terrible, just terrible. And for those of you that want to throw the race card out, trust me, it's not that. He's just not a very good reporter.

Next up, the Bruins on Wednesday night.