Pens Gameday; Will history repeat itself ?? Is "Smoke" coming back to the 'Burgh ??

The Pens visit southern Florida tonight for what has historically been a lousy experience in meeting the Florida Panthers.

Just something about facing the Panthers, no matter how good or bad they've been in the past, they've just had the Pens' number.

Jokinen needs to pull a hammy in the pregame skate, not that I wish harm upon him.

But I wouldn't shed a tear if it would happen.

That goes for the Lightning on Saturday night.

As most Pens know by now, Thibault gets the start in goal tonight.

I would expect a better defensive effort tonight, it's been widely reported in the press that Therrien has been hammering home the defensive drills for the past few days.

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Got some hot rumors going around today (no, not simply Eklund, a few other places as well) that the Pens are close to reacquiring former Pen Bryan "Smoke" Smolinski. I have no idea who is being offered as going to Chicago in the deal.

In addition, I'm also reading that the deal to move badass George Laraque to the Pens is heating up as well.

Who knows how close to authentic these deals end up to be (I'd like to see some D-man rumors, although I saw some Brent Sopel rumors a couple of days ago). But I think it's pretty apparent that Ray Shero is not going to stand put through Tuesday's trade deadline.

LET'S GO PENS !!!!

Therrien benches Fleury for Panthers game

As we've all seen this year, Michel Therrien is not a shy man when it comes to making changes.

Well, just to show everyone that he's an equal opportunity unemployer, Therrien benched the slumping Marc-Andre Fleury for Thursday night's game in Florida, and Jocelyn Thibault gets the start.

But really, when you come to think about it, considering how lousy the Pens have played in the state of Florida (that being 1-17 at both Florida and Tampa Bay in recent years), it may not even matter who's in net both tomorrow or Saturday nights.

However, in a "pick your poison" point of view, I guess that I'd want Fleury back in net for the Tampa game anyways.

Whatever the goalie lineup, the Pens are gonna have to get right back up and dust themselves off after the Islanders loss. The schedule gets no easier after the Pens get back from Florida, as they're only home for one game vs. Jersey next Tuesday before going back to back on the road at the Rangers next Thursday and Carolina next Friday.

The Carolina game next Friday will be The Confluence's third road trip of the year, the second to Raleigh. It sure as hell looks like since the Pens will be at MSG the night before, I'll be sure to see Thibault against the Canes again. Hopefully it won't be a similar outcome like the last 6-2 debacle.

Pens Gameday; Trap Game with a capital "T"

Danger, Will Robinson, Danger.

Sorry to say it, but tonight's game at the Igloo vs. the Blackhawks has all the makings of a trap game.

The Pens have been off for four days, and are playing at home, where they've historically not have been as focused.

They're playing a non-conference team with a poor record, but a team who has played better recently, beating teams like Calgary (twice) and Vancouver.

They've got one of the hottest players in the NHL in former Senator Martin Havlat, with 8 points in his last 4 games.

So one thing's for sure, they can't take this team lightly, like they did against the Blackhawks' divisional rivals, the St. Louis Blues.

On the positive, I look for Sid to get off of the schnide tonight in his 7 game goalless streak. It's not like the kid's not shooting, but just hasn't gotten the breaks in hitting the twine lately.

Looks like Fleury will start again in goal. It was speculated that Thibault may start tonight to get him some work. Let me say this, I'd rather have Thibault start tonight than against New Jersey on Friday. Maybe on Sunday against Washington.

Appears that Malone is back on the 1st line with Sid and Recchi. I really think that Therrien and Shero are preparing eventually to trade Malone, and are lofting him again to the 1st line to showcase him. Of course, I could be dead wrong, just a gut feeling.

Gonna need a strong start tonight, let's keep the string going.

LET'S GO PENS !!!!

Pens Gameday; Alex and the boys pay a visit...

For as much as the prospect of Alex Ovechkin and the Caps visiting the Igloo this afternoon should be enticing to the Pens, I'm a little concerned about the Pens overlooking the struggling Caps while looking forward to the rematch in Montreal tomorrow afternoon with the Habs.

I firmly believe the Caps look forward to facing the Pens nowadays much like they would face a divisional rival.

In fact, I would love to eventually see the Caps and Pens back in the same division, like the old Patrick Division days.

But if the Pens overlook the Caps today, and aren't as mentally sharp as they've been the past week, I have no doubt that the Caps will take advantage of that and pounce.

This will not be an easy game.

In much the same way that opposing teams have recently turning up the heat and applying physical pressure to Sid, I would hope that Therrien will call out the dogs and start doing the same to their opponent's stars, starting today with Ovechkin today, and definitely tomorrow with Koivu or anyone else they deem necessary.

Also gonna be interesting to see if Therrien plays MAF in both games today and tomorrow, or if he'll play Thibault for example tomorrow.

I'd also expect now that Chris Thorburn is back from his personal departure from the team that he'll be back in the lineup to apply more muscle.

LET'S GO PENS !!!!

Panthers 5, Pens 2; Time to change mindsets, boys

Pretty pathetic performance down there in balmy south Florida last night.

Thibault was, well, Thibault.

That great experiment with Malone on the first line. Jesus H. Christ, when will they learn ??

Just how many centering passes with no one going to the net did they attempt ??

And I have to say, for as great as he looks with the puck, I'm really starting to have a problem with Malkin's impersonation of Jagr on the forecheck, or more accurately, lack thereof a forecheck. Geno, when he wants to anyway, really knows how to use his body and lay solid, clean checks (yes, I know, a lot of times the elbow is too high). And ESPECIALLY since he's getting the vodka knocked out of him on a nightly basis.

But I shouldn't single out Malkin, with the exception of the 4th line, this team as a whole needs to do a whole lot more hitting. I'm not talking about goon-type hitting, but as I just said, Ray Charles (if he were still with us) could've seen the amount of checks that the Pens opponents lay on them EVERY GAME.

But here's the biggest thing, in my view. And the funniest part is, the Pens don't have to do anything about it ON THE ICE.

I have to give credit to this to Jay Caufield, who regularly does Pens postgame on FSN 'Burgh. I think Jay does a very good job, by the way.

And when you see what he says, you realize that right now, the Penguins and the Steelers face the same problem.

Jay hit the nail right on the head last night when he said that from now on, the Penguins are a huge game on opponent's schedule, because now they're facing "the big boys", of course referring to Crosby and Malkin, among others.

It's the same thing that the Steelers failed at miserably this past season. They failed to realize that even as much as their opponents hated them before, as the Super Bowl Champions that hatred and intensity went up a notch. And when the dust cleared, the Steelers are already planning their golf tournaments.

So boys, as said in tonight's post title, it's time to change your mindsets.

You see, the opponents no longer view the Pens as laughable losers.

Penguins opponents know now that they can't skip into Mellon Arena and expect an easy victory, that is if they get a win at all. And with more frequency, those teams are coming out losers. But what that also means is that teams are now coming into Pittsburgh and thinking it will NOT be an easy game.

And when the Pens go on the road, when the Pens themselves admit to have more jump in their stride, their opponents, with usually close to a sellout crowd for a change, are more focused and intense themselves.

So what the hell does all of that crap mean ??

It's pretty simple actually.

For as humble as all of the Pens have been this year, the youngsters that they are, they collectively all need to get one concept in their head; Your opponents now have given you the respect that you've deserved, even as incredibly young the majority of you are.

That means that NOTHING short of the type of effort that they put out recently vs. Toronto, Carolina, and Buffalo will suffice. It's apparent at the halfway point that the Pens opponents aren't taking the night off anymore, so if the Pens do, they're in deep kimchee.

The Flyers are next on Saturday afternoon. They'd better heed what Jay said (I just piggybacked what he said), or even the Flyers, whom the Pens have beaten 5 times this year, will beat them.

Pens Gameday; Let's hope for a better effort....

Well, let's put it this way, they couldn't play much worse vs. the Canes this year.

Their first game vs. Carolina was an absolute stinker at the Igloo on Oct. 14th, losing 5-1.

And they followed that one up with another doozy on Nov. 11th in Raleigh, also just so happened to be The Confluence's first road trip of the year, losing 6-2.

So all signs point to a much improved effort tonight for the Pens.

Now whether that will result in a win, we'll just have to see about that.

Appears that Sid and Geno will once again be paired together on the first line. It's the smart move, especially now that Ekman will be out for a while.

Gonna have to get a good outing from MAF tonight. Both previous games vs. the Canes, the first one with MAF and the second one with Thibault, were quite bad performances.

LET'S GO PENS !!!!

Thrashers 4, Pens 3 (SO); We'll take the one point..

It certainly didn't look good for most of the game.

Hitting posts left and right.

Goals coming courtesy of Jocelyn Rebound.

Looked like it just wasn't in the cards.

But give them credit, the Pens got a couple of garbage goals in the 3rd period, the last one coming with 15 seconds left it the game by Sid, and got a point out of the 4-3 shootout loss.

Speaking of the shootout, I know I'm sounding like a broken record (showing my age), but the Pens in the shootout is just getting depressing.

Is it just me, or do the opposing players appear to put the puck in the net with so much ease, while the Pens have a helluva time just getting the puck to the goalie.

That vaunted Penguins powerplay was 0 for 7. Something needs to be done, they have too many weapons to be that poor on the power play.

The Pens are off now until the 26th, when they're at New Jersey.

I'll be back home in PA next week, including 5 rows from the ice on the 29th against the Leafs.

Pens gameday; Keep that "MO" going...

Momentum is a funny thing.

When used correctly, a team can ride it for quite a while.

But when a team abuses it, it causes them to crash down to earth quickly.

That brings us to Le Igloo tonight. The euphoria over the Flyers win, with Crosby's heroics, was an incredible night.

But one things for sure, if they walk out on the ice like the Steelers have done this year, i.e. "hey we're the Steelers, you bow down", they're gonna get blown out of the arena.

The Flyers' quickly tying up the game at 2 on Tuesday, after getting dominated early on, should be plenty of a wake up call for the Pens.

When they are relentless on the forecheck, and not back on their heels, this is a tough team to beat.

But when they're lollygagging around, like the 1st half of the Caps game, and during stages of the Flyers game, their liabilities are really highlighted, those being their mediocre defense (and that's putting it nicely).

The Isles have been playing good hockey for quite a while now, they're tied with the Pens with 33 points. A win for the Pens tonight vaults them in 7th, and possibly 6th place in the conference.

Thibault is in goal tonight, this guy needs to get off of the schnide big-time. I'm gonna go out on a limb and predict he gets win #1 tonight.

Dupont got sent back down to WBS today. While it's not entirely unexpected, and they needed to make room for Ekman, these guys sure do have quick trigger fingers when it comes to changing things up. In another surprise, Christensen (yeah, the one scoring the goals) is to be a healthy scratch tonight.

Oh well, we'll see how it plays out.

P.S., someone please deck Satan tonight !!!!

LET'S GO PENS !!!!!

Confluence Report Card; Pens at the quarterpole

At face value, Pens fans don't have too much to complain about as the first quarter of the season is completed, as compared to last year's 0-4-5 start.

But then again, the '05-'06 Pens at this same point were 7-9-6, compared to 10-8-4 this year. So for as pitiful as last year Pens' team was, their record is not too much worse than this year's much improved group.

So let's take a gander at my half-assed attempt at grading the Pens so far this year.

Center - This is probably the easiest one (I know, no shit Tony.) With Crosby, Malkin and Staal, they're set for at least a decade (unless free agency rears it's fugly head). It appears that, before the groin injury, Sid was shooting the puck more frequently, and his temper seems to have calmed down some, resulting in fewer penalty minutes. Malkin, with all fairness, is still getting used to the NHL, so I can't honestly judge him too harshly just yet. I would like to see him lay some more checks, though, especially considering that D-men are starting to target him a lot. Also, you can't ask for more production than Staal has given them. He's an excellent penalty killer, and his long reach makes for outstanding puck possessions. Speaking of surprises, the signing of Dominic Moore looks to be a great one. He may not be lighting the lamp very often, but his maneuverability and penalty kill skills are a valuable asset on this team, an asset that was sorely needed. The two 4th line centers, Talbot and Thorburn, are both contributing doing what they do best, agitate the hell out of the opposition.

GRADE: A-

Wingers - These guys are doing a decent job, but there is much improvement to be done. Recchi has been hot lately, and his constant hussle is setting the example for the younger players to follow. Army needs to get off the schnide, it's that simple. He's played better the last few games, both with his shots on goal (but none have gone in) and his puck possessions. Ouellet has pretty much duplicated his '05 effort, specializing in power play sniping, however he needs to be more consistent. Petrovicky is another Shero signing that looks to be paying off immediately, an excellent checker/agitator with pretty good hands. Malone has only played in a handful of games so far this year due to his broken arm, but in those few games he really wasn't making any worthy contributions to the team as of yet. He may be trade bait once we get closer to the trade deadline. Ekman has done a decent job while he's been flipflopping on Therrien's lines. He's one of the few wingers that actually puts a lot of shots on net so far. Leclair seems to acknowledge what his role is at this point in his career, that being a pest in front of the net and to provide sound veteran leadership. Ruutu performs his agitator role very well, but the Pens need more wingers that can actually put the puck in the net. Finally, Roy has been a scratch in the majority of the Pens' games so far, I'd be surprised if he makes it past the trading deadline also.

GRADE: C+

Defensemen - With reference to the constant harassing of the D-men group on the blogosphere, I'd have to say that overall, this group's performance has made a significant improvement. Yes, the bad outlet passes still happen, the turnovers still happen, and they still screen the goaltenders, but those errors, relatively speaking, are not happening as frequently as they did in past years. Eaton's injury, at first glance, didn't seem that it would cause such as drastic change in their performance, but it's clear as day now. His solid defensive play, and most importantly, his shot blocking have proved invaluable, and now that he's out until probably the January timeframe, his absence is highly noticeable. Gonchar has done a decent job, at least he didn't get off to the horrendous start that he did last year. He needs to cut down on the "2 minutes for hooking" penalties. I believe Scuderi has improved his game quite a lot in the last year. Sorry to say, I don't think the same applies to Melichar. I'm not sure how long he lasts if the Pens ever get off of their ass and get a righty D-man. Orpik of course missed the first chunk of the season because of his wrist injury, and he still looks to be in training camp with some of those breakout passes he's made. In reference to Whitney, I'm not one of those guys who'll say he's having a good year because of his offensive stats. For as good as he's been in the opponent's zone, he's been easily as poor in his own end. Welch has done pretty well since his callup, and sorry to say, is one of the few Penguins D-men who actually throw checks well. Last, and least, how long does Eric Cairns take up a roster spot on this team ?? The Pens have plenty of agitators who can drop the gloves AND do other things as well. He's another one who shouldn't be a Penguins at the trading deadline.

GRADE: C

Goaltending - I think it's fair to say that MAF has won the Pens a handful of games already this year. If he isn't listed among the top goalies in the league now, he's damn close. Yes, he still allows those big rebounds, and it has cost him a few times already, but overall he has played outstanding. Thibault hasn't had the best luck so far this year, although he's had a few occasions where his play behind the net has cost some goals. He's also given his fair share of soft goals.

GRADE: B

Coaching - I can understand the need to attempt to get the lines flowing as smooth as possible, but I don't see that happening based on how quickly Therrien is changing his lineups. In the same respect though, it appears that the Pens are really bought into Therrien's system. It has resulted in an improved defense, and they now have several players that are flexible to multiple areas on the ice.

GRADE: B

Special Teams - The powerplay has been pretty decent this year, up until the time that Sid was injured anyway. However, they're still relying too much on Gonchar's slapshots, and not enough passes inside. The penalty kill has been maybe the biggest improvement on this year's team. Penalty killers such as Moore, Staal, and Talbot make the Pens quite a dangerous PK unit.

GRADE: B-

Sabres 4, Pens 2; It is time to fact facts

The offense can only do so much.

Well, rather, the offense could have done a little more tonight.

But we Penguins fans, for all of the heap praised upon the team the first few weeks of the season, need to temper all of that with the following;

Until the Penguins make changes to their defensive roster, changes that must include a couple of right-handed shooters, they will be NO BETTER than a mediocre team.

A decent defensive team would have held Buffalo to one goal tonight.

Let me correct that, a decent defensive team would not have Josef Melichar boarding a Sabres player while already short-handed.

Let me correct that again, a decent defensive team wouldn't have Josef Melichar on the team.

I won't totally absolve Thibault. The man gives up A LOT of rebounds. So while the defense is certainly as porous as it ever has, Thibault has to be smothering a lot more of those shots.

The power play was absolutely non-existent tonight. It sure as hell seemed that the majority of the time they haven't even been getting the power play set up at all.

The Pens did not play a bad game at all, to include 36 shots n goal.

But as I said, we might as well get used to it, because this defense will be the downfall of this team until management decides to do something about it.

Pens gameday; Break out the measuring sticks, boys

Let's not get carried way with tonight's game between the Pens and Sabres. It's certainly not on the level of OSU-Michigan (by the way, check out The Pojo Dojo for some outstanding commentary on tomorrow's game, especially in light of Bo Schembechler's death today).

It even isn't that important a game in terms of the 82 game regular season schedule, meaning, it's a non-divisional game.

But make no mistake, this game will be an early indication on whether the Pens will be contenders or pretenders in this year's run to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

In my view, one of the biggest indicators that the Pens are growing as a team is if they come into games versus the best teams in NHL and compete aggressively.

If the Pens come out hesitant, play on their heels, and play reactive rather than play proactive, like they did vs. Detroit and Ottawa, mark my words, they will be blown off the ice.

But, if the Pens come out aggressive, and use that great speed, they'll be in this game from the very start.

Assuming of course, we have decent goaltending tonight. It will NOT be MAF tonight, Thibault gets the start tonight, and MAF will be between the pipes vs. the Rangers on Saturday night.

That's an interesting decision, but an understandable one. Therrien wants to go with his #1 goalie vs. the Divisional opponent, I can see that. It's just a difficult situation that you have to go with your backup goalie vs. the NHL' best team.

I will also be curious to see if their is any noticeable difference in Malkin's play, now that the court litigation is for the most part resolved.

Remember, 8PM EST faceoff in Buffalo.

LET'S GO PENS !!!

Canes 6, Pens 2; When it rains, it pours

Well, we enjoyed ourselves once again during our Raleigh road trip, but watching this current version of the Penguins should make no one wonder why my hair will quickly be turning from salt-and-pepper to Bob Barker-ish.

First of all, I'd like to thank the Hockey Gods for forcing me to drive 200 miles through a torrential downpour to get back to Virginia Beach this morning. I'm positive that it's just a continuance from last night's hellish performance.

Prior to the game, of course we had to get there prior to the pregame skate. The usual throng of Pens fans, as compared to previous Pens/Canes games in Raleigh, was not as huge. I'd say a couple of thousand fans. I think it'd be a pretty good bet that a bunch of others have probably jumped on Canes bandwagon after the Cup championship last year. Like a woman I met on the concourse, who'd grew up in Pittsburgh but lives in Raleigh now, she tells me "I'm a Canes fan now".

What kind of shit is that ?

The Pens took the ice for the pregame, and Roy and Cairns were feigning dropping the gloves, and giving each other hard shots to the boards. I guess I'm not describing it very well, but it was funny as hell.

Cairns spent most of the pregame jawing with Mike Commodore, skating up and down the center ice stripe. Turned out that both Cairns and Roy were scratched.

As the Pens were doing their pregame, and we were right on the rail next to the Pens locker room, Michel Therrien stood right next to us, watching his team.

Here's what I never seem to understand about NHL teams. Why don't they make more of an effort to interact just a little bit with the fans ?? I don't mean signing autographs before the games, I mean how about some high fives with the fans as they enter and leave the locker room ?? Would that be so much trouble, boys ?? I'm not talking about me, I'm past that stage, I'm referring to the kids. Don't you guys realize that you're trying to win the fans back ??

Anyway, onto the game.

The Orpik/Cole matchup was absolutely nothing to it, not a damn bit. They bumped one time, and that was about it. In fact, Orpik, in my view, was timid the majority of the night. He laid one decent check along the boards, but other than that, he was lustily booed every time he touched the puck, and it really appeared to me that he didn't want to give the refs or the Canes any reason to target him.

We had outstanding seats, five rows from the ice, three rows directly behind the Canes penalty box. However, the problem with having seats THAT close to the ice is that while you see the speed of the game up close (read: Crosby/Malkin), it's kinda hard to see as much as you do on the TV feed.

The first period was filled with more of the same for the Pens, leaving Canes forwards wide open in front of the net, plenty of penalties, and the like, resulting in a 2-0 Pens deficit. It also featured the fight between Thorburn and Commodore. Now, I understand the layman hockey fan, who sees the opponent fall down and the home guy punch him on the way down, look like he knocked the opponent on his ass. But c'mon Canes fans, is that all you were looking at ?? Thorburn got the majority of clean shots in the tilt, and he is quickly rising up in my book. His combination of scrappiness and decent offensive ability are just what the Pens need.

After the second period saw yet another Canes goal from a wide-open Brindamour, the Pens finally woke up, one goal coming on an excuse-me goal from Leclair, and the other from a nice slap shot from Recchi. I saw Recchi messing around with Ward during the pregame skate, playfully lofting pucks at him, and he gave Ward a nice friendly smirk after his goal to make it 3-2 Canes after two periods.

The third period is where the game's momentum shifted for the last time. At around the 15:30 mark or so, the Pens put one of their few offensive assaults towards Ward, an it really appeared that Nils Ekman tapped the puck over the line to tie up the game. I, to be honest, didn't get a good luck at the puck, but my buddy Pojo Risin was incensed, he basically said Ward was in the net himself and the puck was over the net. Ekman's comments, courtesy of the Trib, were "It was a goal, for sure. I will bet anything on it. The puck was turning up on an edge. The whole puck was over the line, by a lot. There's no doubt about it. I had a pretty good view. I was by that post. I can't explain it." If that weren't enough, check out the Raleigh News-Observer's own photo gallery from the game, specifically shot #16, which shows the puck crossing the red line, and BEFORE LaRose even touches it to hit it back into play. We were about 10 feet from the refs, as they were on the phone with the officials in the booth, and obviously with the NHL offices in Toronto. You could clearly see that the refs were telling Leclair, after they ruled no goal, that they couldn't get a clear shot of the puck going over the red line.

Whatever.

After yet another decision to go against the Pens, that was pretty much the ballgame.

Soft goal against Thibault to make it 4-2.

Couple hundred more penalties against the Pens.

Even when they got a damn power play, then pulled Thibault to get a two-man advantage, they still gave up two short handed goals, one with an empty net, another one on yet another soft goal in the last couple of minutes of the game.

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I really don't like crying over spilled milk, but just what the hell is happening when the Pittsburgh Penguins take the ice nowadays ??

Are you to tell me that the Pens are THAT undisciplined, such as last night in Raleigh when they took 14 frickin' penalties ??

Are you also to tell me that every Pens opponent is THAT disciplined ??

I'm not foolish enough to suggest any type of conspiracy against the young Penguins, but it sure as hell appears that the Penguins get absolutely no benefit of the doubt when it comes to calling penalties AGAINST them, and their opponents, most often older and more experienced, seem to get away with similar actions with no penalty call.

Then you get calls like the no-goal last night. How can so many people see that puck cross the goal line, but four referees can't ??

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Miscellaneous notes:

1. Malkin - He's just as advertised when you see him in person. Big. Strong. Fast.

2. After watching the game today on TIVO, I heard yet again Paul Steigerwald talk about how the Canes are such a good "puck possession team". I'm sorry Paul, but I'm tired of hearing that. Let's call the kettle black, the Pens opponents are such good puck possession teams because the Pens are such a poor defensive team, 'nuff said.

3. Anyone else tired of hearing nightly references by Bob Errey about Peterborough ??

4. Vintage Pens jerseys spotted (other than the more recent Lemieux/Jagr/Straka); 3 Tocchet's, Ulf Samuellson, and a Nedved.

Flyers are up next on Monday night back at the Igloo, just what the doctor ordered ??

Bolts 4, Pens 3 (OT); Hey, be grateful they're getting points

Sorry about the late post for last night' game. After work today, I had to get some materials for my mini-project, one that I absolutely despise, during tomorrow's holiday.

And what you say am I, a U.S. Navy retiree, doing on Veteran's Day ??

That's right, I'll be frickin' painting. Fortunately, it's only one room, so it shouldn't take too long.

I mean, I've got a hockey game to watch at 7:30, so let's not get crazy now.

Anyway, back to the Pens.

As I mentioned in my title, the Pens could be very well have come out of the past two games with goose eggs. The fact that they got two points out of two games that were played quite sluggishly, to put it politely, is something that previous versions of Penguins teams wouldn't come close to achieving.

Without above average performance from Thibault in Anaheim and Fleury back at home, both of those games could easily have been blowouts.

In reference to last night's overtime loss to the Bolts, I don't believe they were as jetlagged as I feared, but I definitely believe that they were not sharp at all. One player that definitely fell into that category was Malkin. I'm not saying the kid had a "bad" game, but it was apparent that he was a little off last night.

And, I'd like to give myself a little pat on the back for recommending to get Ekman back on the 1st line. Although I will say this, Ekman's hat trick is the penultimate example that those who are on Sid's line have the opportunity to get some SICK point totals if they've got any hands at all.

Once addition, the shots on goal was very mediocre, only 20, counting the 3 goals. I know I remember yelling at the screen at Moore to "Shoot the F#$%ing puck !!!"

You know what else I was thinking of last night while I was cursing at the screen ?? Remember Hans Gruber from "Die Hard" ??

Hans and his blond German buddy are on the floor, John McLean is on the other side of the room hiding...



"Shoot the glass" !!!

OK, maybe that was just me thinking of that.

They've got to get the offense flowing again, the schedule doesn't get any easier. Up next Friday night is Ottawa, who of course have lost five in a row. The Hockey Gods seemingly love to send the Penguins teams when they're hungry for a win, don't they ??

After that, it's Saturday night in Raleigh, where I'll be 6 rows from the ice. Be on the lookout for my first edition posting of "Road Trip, Confluence Style".

Ducks 3, Pens 2 (OT); You don't shoot, you don't win

It's a common statement to make in sports.

Doesn't matter whether it's baseball, football, basketball, hockey, or shuffleboard.

If you don't score points, you can't win.

And you don't score if you don't generate offense.

So you can attribute the 17 shots on goal last night in Anaheim to the Ducks' defensive pressure on Crosby/Malkin, or the fact that they were 1) on the PK so many times and 2) on the PP so few times, or simply that the Pens continue to desire for that perfect feed for the one-timer, and are very hesitant to puck the puck on net from the blueline and pounce on the rebounds.

Admirable effort from Thibault last night, although I won't go as far as to describe his performance as "heroic", as was stated online on some of the websites. He got caught early for the first goal, but settled down and played a very respectable game for the remainder. The OT goal by Selanne, from a beautiful feed from Niedermayer, can't be faulted to T-bo, it's tough enough on a 4-on-3 penalty kill.

Which leads me to the penalties. I won't kick and scream like I've been reading this morning, but you can't seriously tell me that the Ducks were playing that game last night with as much discipline as resulting in only three non-scrum penalties.

I'm not sold on Thorburn on the 1st line with Sid/Geno. Matter of fact, I'm not sold on pretty much anyone at this point. I will say this though, Ekman has impressed me much more than he was the first several games of the year, maybe it's time he got his old job back.

So it turns out that the Pens got 5 out of a possible 8 points on this road trip. I would confidently say that if you asked knowledgeable Pens fans, aware of their past failures on West Coast swings, they'd take those 5 points at the drop of a hat.

Staal stays, Letang goes home; Cairns recalled

Not too much suspense by this time, ya know ??

As had been unofficially reported for a few days now, and speculated for over a week now, the Pens made it official today, announcing that Jordan Staal would remain with the Pens for the remainder of the year.

In addition, the club also did the expected in returning Kris Letang back to Juniors. Letang is going to be an excellent D-man for the Pens, as early as next year, but I think it was becoming apparent that he still needs a little seasoning before playing in the NHL full-time.

The Pens also filled the vacancy left after Letang's departure by recalling Eric Cairns, who had been in WBS on a conditioning assignment.

Now that Cairns is back, that leaves the return of Brooks Orpik as an interesting decision that the Pens must make.

Should the Pens;

• Send Noah Welch back to WBS ?
• Send Max Talbot back to WBS ?
• Or the more radical approach, release someone or is a trade a-brewin' ??

I would really hate it if they sent Welch back down, they need to give this guy more than a few games to prove himself at the NHL level, especially while pylons like Cairns are still here.

I don't see them sending Talbot back down either. He's already proved that his presence on the 4th line makes them a much more balanced offense.

So, to me anyway, that leaves either someone getting release (read: Andre Roy) or a trade going down. As I'm sure most of the Pens fans have read recently, there have been rumblings about a trade between the Bruins and Pens, involving some combination of Malone/Christensen/Thibault, and Boyes/Murray/Thomas. I wouldn't doubt it at all, if it came to fruition. I can already see that Shero is an excellent talent evaluator, and I can definitely see him moving Malone. I think it's fair to say that Malone has not lived up to his expectations.

I'm sure we'll find out soon, perhaps by Tuesday, when the Pens fly to L.A.