Missing in Action

It is often a tradition at Mellon Arena for fans to wait outside by the parking lot and wait for the team to arrive. Unfortunately, many are still waiting. The Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning Wednesday night 2-0 in a game where their offense was non-existant and their defense flawed as well. The team looked as if they were uninterested at times, and this lack of motivation and effort combined with a strong game from the playoff-desperate Lightning was only a recipe for disaster for the Pens. Mike Smith faced only 27 shots from the Pens, and many of those were not realistic scoring chances. On the other hand, Fleury saw only 17 shots, but many of them were on breakaways and powerplays, including an extremely impressive wrist shot from young phenom Steven Stamkos late in the first to give the Lightning a 1-0 lead. "NHL Pest" Steve Downie would score the second for Tampa very early in the second, and that would be all the scoring for the rest of the game. The Pens looked the polar opposite from their strong weekend performance, where they were crisp and had a jump in their step. Not only was there a lack of scoring, but this was a rather chippy game that included a scary hit from behind on Ruslan Fedotanko and a long fight between Bill Guerin and Lightning enforcer Zenon Konopka. (yes, his name IS Zenon) It was a frustrating performance for the Pens, who were again without Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar. Dan Bylsma, who was visably irritated throughout the game, called a players only meeting after the game perhaps to address the issues that so frequently plagued the Pens tonight. The important thing for Pittsburgh is that they find a way to put this one behind them and move on to the rest of their schedule. They have only five games remaining, the next being Saturday afternoon at home against the 9th place Atlanta Thrashers.

Pens, Letang Agree On Extension

Pittsburgh has signed defenseman Kris Letang to a four-year contract extension. ESPN is reporting that the deal is worth $3.5 million per year. Letang, who is only 22 years old, was to become a restricted free agent. Now let's get Matt Cooke signed. Go Pens!

Dispelling the Steeler Myth

There has always been a special aura about the Steelers, that they do things the right way. In many cases this may be true. They don't usually overpay guys, but they do give their players every opportunity to succeed. The Rooney's treat their guys great and in many cases that is probably returned in the form of on-field performance and loyalty.

There is also a myth that has run rampant amongst Steelers fans, and the media in particular though. This myth is that the Steelers only work with players of the highest quality and top notch character. I think it's about time this myth gets laid to rest.

Ben Roethlisberger's travails have been well documented by now so they basically go without saying. The guy is immature, and from most accounts just a flat out jackass when it comes to decision making and how he treats people.

Santonio Holmes had big questions about his character and maturity coming out of Ohio St. and these questions, at least in my mind, still need answered. He has been caught with illegal drugs in his possession, and now is accused of assaulting a woman at a night club with a glass full of liquor.

Jeff Reed is another one who seems to like his alcohol a bit too much. In addition to being the first tough guy I know of to take on and beat up a paper towel dispenser at Sheetz, he has been charged with resisting arrest, public drunkenness, disorderly conduct and assault. Maybe he should have a few shots before taking the field so he can find the beer muscles to get in front of the guy with the ball during returns.

Then there is James Harrison who was accused of slapping around his girlfriend.

These are all core, key guys. The Steelers front office is about winning first, not great PR. Sure they like the image but the bigger image is the 6 Lombardi's on display. They only have a zero tolerance for guys like Cedric Wilson and Gary Russell. When it comes down to brass tacks the Steelers are about winning, and that's probably how it should be.

Can we please just stop saying how high class our team is, because they aren't.

Welcome to the Sidney Crosby Show

Seven games left in the season, division title on the line, and in a fight against a desperate Toronto team laying everything on the line: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Sidney Crosby Show. He had two pivotal goals and one in the shootout to lead the Pens to a 5-4 shootout victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs Sunday afternoon at Mellon Arena. This, combined with a New Jersey loss to the Flyers, gives the Penguins a two point lead in the Atlantic Division with only 6 games remaining. (Devils have 7) It was a game of "cat and mouse" the entire game with each team exchanging goals all the way until the shootout. Tyler Kennedy put the Pens on the board first with an important goal midway through the first to tie the game up after Colton Orr of the Leafs scored earlier in the game. Kennedy's goal came after Mike Rupp managed to box out two Leafs defenders in the corner boards and pass the puck out to an open Kennedy for the score. The pattern would continue when Phil Kessel managed to put a long wrist shot past Fleury to give Toronto a 2-1 lead and the majority of the momentum. It was up to the captain to turn things around, and he wasted little time doing so. His first goal of the game came after Brooks Orpik wristed a long shot on J S Giguere and Crosby was there to dig out the rebound and poke it home for the score. Just over 3 minutes later, Crosby would score yet again after taking a pass from Orpik in the offensive zone and beating Giguere just over his blocker to put the Pens up 3-2. Unfortunately for the Pens, however, there was still some work to be done. The Leafs managed to tie it and take the lead on a pair of goals from Carl Gunnarsson and Tyler Bozak in the second and third periods respectively. It appeared for a long time that this would be the way things would end until the Pens changed all that with 2:48 to go in the third. Jordan Leopold slapped a shot towards Giguere ,but instead of a routine save being made, Matt Cooke jumped in front of it and made an extraordinary deflection between his legs to tie the game up and eventually send it into overtime. It looked like the Pens would pull it off at the end of overtime as they got a 4 on 3 powerplay in the final minutes, but a few acrobatic saves from Giguere kept it tied and sent the game into a shootout. Crosby cemented his status as first star of the game by beating Giguere high side to give the Pens the shootout lead. Pascal Dupuis also scored in the shootout and Fleury stopped both attempts thrown his way by Kessel and Nikolai Kulemin. Despite allowing 4 goals, it was a strong performance by Fleury, who made 25 saves and picked up his 35th win of the season. Crosby also had a good stats night getting his 47th goal of the season putting him ahead of Alexander Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos for the league lead. Crosby's performance was extremely important considering the absence of co-star Evgeni Malkin, who missed his 4th straight game and 6th out of the last 7. Sergei Gonchar also was absent due to illness, missing his 3rd straight. Another individual performance worth noting was that of Brooks Orpik, who recorded 3 assists and was a +1 for the game. This win capped off an important weekend for the Pens, who got 4 out a possible 4 points, clinched the playoffs, and seized the division lead from the Devils. The Pens will hope to keep their momentum going on Wednesday, when young superstar Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning come into town.

Kings of Pennsylvania!

Sidney Crosby fueled the Pens with 3 assists to a 4-1 win against the Philadelphia Flyers that was important for a multitude of reasons. First, they defeated their cross-state rivals yet again to take the season series 5-1 and cement themselves as regular season "Kings of PA". Second, it gave them two important points to stay tied with the New Jersey Devils for the division lead. And third, but certainly not least, they clinched a spot in the playoffs with 7 games remaining in the regular season. This was truly a team effort from the Pens, and just about every player played their part in the victory. They did have a slow first period, giving up a fluky "slow motion" goal to Arron Asham little over 1 minute into the game. Philadelphia would then control the next 10 or so minutes, but it would be the last time they controlled the game. The Pens got the momentum started when Chris Kunitz scored on a Jordan Leopold rebound with 58 seconds to go in the first period. Also, Marc-Andre Fleury got an assist on that goal, giving him his first offensive point of the season. Sidney Crosby then got things started 6:03 into the second by leading a breakaway and throwing a wrister on Flyers' goalie Backlund. Backlund made the original save but Pascal Dupuis was there to poke home the rebound for his 18th goal of the season and a 2-1 lead for the Pens. The third period was even more eventful, featuring more of a Pens-Flyers atmosphere with 7 minor penalties, compared to the 4 in the previous 2 periods combined. The Pens also extended their lead when Matt Cooke took a pass from Ruslan Fedotenko in front and gave Pittsburgh a 3-1 lead. Fedotenko was still not done though and scored a powerplay goal of his own on a pass from Sidney Crosby to put the Pens up by 3 with less than 6 minutes remaining. The Pens did all this without star forward Evgeni Malkin, who missed his 5th game out of 6 with a foot injury and powerplay captain Sergei Gonchar who missed his second straight due to illness. It is unknown when either will officially return, although footage of Malkin skating in practice was shown. As mentioned above, the Penguins clinched a place in the Eastern Conference playoffs, joining the Capitals, Devils, and Sabres as the teams that clinched in. Coach Dan Bylsma mentioned in the postgame press conference that the Penguins will continue to work hard in the remaining 7 games, but "you always want to have the x by your name," referring to the way teams that have clinched the playoffs get a small x to the left of their name on the standings sheet. For the Flyers, it was a polar opposite reaction as they fell to eighth spot only 2 points ahead of the ninth place Atlanta Thrashers for the final playoff spot. It also should be noted that, barring a playoff matchup, this was the last game between the Pens and their most hated rivals in Mellon Arena, as they are moving to the Consol Energy Center next season. The Pens next play Sunday afternoon against the Toronto Maple Leafs, in the first matchup between the two teams since the "blockbuster" trade sending Alexei Ponikarovsky to the Pens for WBS prospect Luca Caputi and defenseman Martin Skoula.

Heartbreak Again

The Pittsburgh Penguins lost yet another heartbreaking game to the Washington Capitals Wednesday night at the Verizon Center. This time, however, it was the Pens making the dramatic comeback in regulation. Despite their valiant effort, they still could not overcome the star studded Caps shootout lineup and lost by a final score of 4-3. (Reference to the 5-4 loss on March 7th where the Pens gave up a 4-1 lead to lose in overtime) The first period started out rather uneventful with no scoring and a few scattered saves by both goaltenders. This all changed at the start of the second where Mike Knuble managed to shove his way behind Marc-Andre Fleury and poke a loose puck into an empty net. The Pens would answer right back, however, as Max Talbot deflected a Brooks Orpik shot in 72 seconds later. Later in the period, the Pens siezed a powerplay opportunity when Tomas Fleischmann got called for tripping. Bill Guerin took this opportunity, and poked in a quick shot after a great setup from Sidney Crosby to give the Pens a 2-1 lead at intermission. Things were looking up for Pittsburgh, but they would not remain that way. The Penguins got a powerplay 4 minutes into the third, but instead of being productive they gave up a shorthanded breakaway goal to Alexander Semin. The Caps were not done yet, though, as Eric Fehr tipped a Mike Green shot past Fleury less than 2 minutes later. The Penguins were reeling, and had to regain their focus. They did so, and with little over 3 minutes remaining Jordan Staal wristed one past Jose Theodore to send the game into overtime. The overtime period quickly turned into a shootout, as there were a few scattered chances but none that found their way into the net. The Pens jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the shootout with goals from Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby, but the Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin tied it back up to send it into extra rounds. Chris Kunitz shot a puck very hard at Theodore, but he managed to get in front of it and swat it harmlessly to the ground. The same could not be said for Fleury on Mike Knuble, who beat Fleury glove side to win the game. The game was a bit of a struggle for Pittsburgh, who was missing their star center Evgeni Malkin for the 4th time in 5 games with a foot injury and powerplay captain Sergei Gonchar due to illness. There is one important positive that can be taken from this game, however, and it just might outweigh all the negative in the rest of this game. For bringing the game into overtime, the Penguins received one all important point in the standings, which could come down to the difference between the second and fourth seed in the playoffs. The Penguins have one more try to beat the Caps on April 6th, but for now their focus should be geared towards the Philadelphia Flyers, who they face off against Saturday at Mellon Arena. This will be the final regular season between the two cross-state rivals, in a season series that featured several fight filled games, a meaningless replay contraversy, and even a biting incident.

My New Favorite Song This Week

This weeks favorite song is from The Heavy and is called How You Like Me Now? If you think it's sounds familiar you would be correct because you hear it on that KIA commercial every 10 minutes. I know this song isn't really "new" but its new to me so deal with it. Go Music!

Hart Failure

Multiple sources are reporting that Kevin Hart has been optioned to Triple A Indianapolis. This follows much outrage amongst Pirates fans about the fifth starter competition between Kevin Hart and Daniel McCutchen.

Cutch 2.0 earned the job after out pitching him as a Pirate last season (Cutch - 1-2, 4.21 with 19 k and 11 BB in 36.1 innings, Hart - 1-8, 6.92 with 39 K and 26 BB in 53.1 innings). Hart's struggles in Spring Training have been well documented.

I don't think the problem was actually with Hart being handed the job per se. I think it was seen as a lack of a real competition, something the Pirates claimed would happen. Neil Huntington has been clear that there would be no scholarship players and this "competition" really went against the spirit of what the Pirates are trying to accomplish.

Sure Hart's upside is higher and his stuff is better. But if he can't repeat his delivery, and if the Pirates are only planning to use their fifth starter just one time between now and April 24th, it just makes sense for him to learn how to repeat his delivery in Triple A instead of getting smacked around and discouraged in the Majors.

The real question is why did they try to give Hart the job so much? Was it only his stuff? Was Huntington trying to justify a trade that is looking pretty bad at this point in time? They really never held a fair competition between the two and now it looks like we will never get to see a real competition because Cutch 2.0 still doesn't have a Grapefruit League start.

Henrik or Bust

The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 at Joe Louis Arena Monday night led by a 3 point night from Henrik Zetterberg. Zetterberg had two goals and an assist, making him a part of every Detroit point scored in the game. Detroit's first goal was scored by Valtteri Filppula with less than 1 minute remaining in the first, and the Pens could not overcome that momentum surge for the rest of the game. Zetterberg would get his first of two midway through the second beating Fleury on a backhand. The Pens appeared to be coming back, however, as Pascal Dupuis shot a puck on net which featured much movement by Chris Kunitz to screen the goalie. (The goal was initially credited to Kunitz, but it was later changed to Dupuis) Regardless who scored it, it put the Pens within one at the second intermission. The Red Wings would come out strong to start the third, as Zetterberg again beat Fleury this time on a long wrist shot. Detroit then settled down and was content to play defense against the Pens to preserve their win. The Pens had trouble generating any sort of attack throughout the game, as many of their 27 shots were off balance or from bad shooting areas. Detroit's Jimmy Howard also made several good saves to deny the Pens. Despite the loss, it was still a strong performance from Marc-Andre Fleury, who made 30 saves after receiving very little support from the rest of his defense. The Pens will look to rebound Wednesday at the Verizon Center against Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.

Buzzer Beaten

On a weekend full of "March Madness" buzzer beaters, the Carolina Hurricanes pulled off a buzzer beater of their own with a goal by Jamie McBain with less than 1 second remaining in overtime. For McBain, it was twice as good because it was also his first career NHL goal. This was only a fitting ending for a rather flat performance from the Pens, who looked sluggish throughout the game despite recording 25 shots on goalies Manny Legace (who left the game due to injury) and Justin Peters. The first period was exceptionally bad for Pittsburgh, as they gave up a goal to Zach Boychuk to give the Canes a 1-0 lead at intermission. The second looked like it would be the same way, until the Pens got a late powerplay goal by Jordan Staal off of a beautiful feed from Alexei Ponikarovsky. The Pens managed to kill off a few crucial penalties in the first part of the third peiod, and Evgeni Malkin scored his 24th goal of the season to give the Pens a 2-1 lead with less than 7 minutes remaining. The Canes were far from done, however. Their comeback began when Joni Pitkanen scored with 4 minutes to go to tie the game up at 2-2. Thankfully, the Pens were able to kill a late penalty to send the game into overtime and get one important point in the standings. The points will still be important, but become less of a focus as the Pens begin "rivalry week" next week beginning with the Detroit Red Wings next Monday in Joe Louis Arena.

Yinz Luv 'Da Guins, EP. #6

Answering the Bell (And a Fleury Shutout too)

Pens fans have been waiting for a Marc-Andre Fleury shutout for what seems like an eternity now. They got one Thursday night in their 3-0 win vs Boston but it was almost like a footnote compared to the other storylines surrounding the game. None of those storylines were bigger than Matt Cooke returning to Boston in his first game against the Bruins since his collision with Marc Savard that left Savard with a grade 2 concussion and still out. Fans booed Cooke from the moment he stepped out onto the ice, and he was immediately challenged to a fight by Boston's enforcer Shawn Thornton on his first shift. Cooke "answered the bell" and immediately dropped the gloves with Thornton in a short lived but scrappy fight that had no clear winner. Now that that was out of the way, the Pens could get down to the real task at hand. Tyler Kennedy put the Pens on the board midway through the first with a snap shot that beat Boston's goalie Tuuka Rask for a 1-0 Pens lead. The first 19 and a half minutes of the second period featured nothing really exciting other than a few attempted knee shots by Boston on several Pens players, including Crosby, and a fight between Zdeno Chara and Mike Rupp. The very end, however, was when the Pens arguably put the dagger right through the hearts of Boston. Alexei Ponikarovsky deflected a Kris Letang shot in with 15 seconds to go to put the Pens up 2-0 at intermission. The Pens continued that momentum with a Mike Rupp goal 5 minutes into the third, and suddenly the screaming, booing, crazy fans at TD Garden fell silent. Some began to boo the team, some began to leave early, and one even threatened to fight every person on the Penguins' team bus. This "no show" from the Bruins in their highly hyped "revenge game" should in no way undermine the shutout of Marc-Andre Fleury. Though he made only 17 saves, he was important at keeping the Pens ahead on the scoreboard at crucial times in the game. Tonight also marked the return of Eric Godard, who missed several weeks due to injury. Though Godard was back, Evgeni Malkin missed his second straight game due to injury and it is unknown if he will play in the Pens next game. Penguins next play Saturday afternoon returning home to face the Carolina Hurricanes.

Mean Green

The Devils brought their retro uniforms, the Penguins brought their retro team. The Penguins resembled their old ways of sloppy play and many turnovers in the "Pre Bylsma Era" as they lost 5-2 to the New Jersey Devils Wednesday night. The game was a polar opposite from last Friday's game which involved focused, hard defense from the Penguins but penalty trouble and shooting inaccuracy prevented them from winning. Tonight, the Penguins took only 2 penalties for 4 minutes but could not keep from turning the puck over many times, 3 of which lead to Devil's breakaway goals. The Penguins did get off to a good start with Chris Kunitz wristing in a Billy Guerin rebound, but that is about all that could be said for their efforts. The collapse started when Kris Letang had his pocket picked at the blue line by Dainius Zubrus, who scored on Fleury to tie up the game. The Pens also gave up a late goal with under 2 minutes remaining in the 1st to Paul Martin, this time because of line changing difficulty. The collapse continued when Patrick Elias scored a shorthanded goal about 3 minutes into the second period after stealing the puck in the neutral zone. The Penguins gave up one more goal to Zach Parise in the second, as he wristed one past backup Brent Johnson. The Pens did make a push towards the end, however, as Ruslan Fedotanko scored to make it a two goal game under 6 minutes into the third. They also had a chance at the end to score on a 5 minute major powerplay after Alex Goligoski was boarded by Rod Pelley. They were unable to convert on this chance, and Rob Niedermayer of the Devils would later net an empty netter to seal the game. This loss meant that the Penguins were swept by New Jersey this season, losing all 6 games played between the two teams. This could become a major setback in the division race later on in the year, as the two teams are neck and neck for the division lead and second place in the east. The Penguins next play tomorrow night against the Boston Bruins in the first game since the incident between Matt Cooke and Marc Savard. I would expect Marc-Andre Fleury to start, as he was pulled midway throught the second tonight, possibly to save his energy for tomorrow. Evgeni Malkin's status for Boston is unknown, as he was skating in practice but did not play tonight in New Jersey. So far the Penguins have earned 3 out of a possible 8 points on this road trip, so tomorrow's game should be extremely important in that way as well.

Enter TIGOs Bracket Challenge, Winner gets a Penguins Bobblehead

Here's the deal. Fill out a bracket. If you win I will send you a Dennis Bonvie Wilkes-Barre/Scranton bobblehead. Easy enough.

Head over to Yahoo and fill it out. The password is TIGO. If you need the group ID number, its 120295. Tell your friends. You have until tip off of the first game on Thursday (around noon) to complete your bracket. Good luck.

Grinding One Out

The Pittsburgh Penguins needed tough defense and solid goaltending from Marc-Andre Fleury in order to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on Sunday afternoon and receive two all important points in the standings. Fleury made 21 out of 22 saves, including some acrobatic ones near the end of the game to preserve the 2-1 lead for the Pens. Beating Nittymaki was no easy task either, however, as he stopped 37 of the 39 shots thrown at him. The first to do so was Pascal Dupuis early in the third on a wrist shot set up by a touch pass from Matt Cooke by the net. This was the tying goal at the time, and gave the Pens much momentum. Sergei Gonchar scored the go-ahead powerplay goal on a slapshot from the point set up by Alexi Ponikarovsky and Sidney Crosby. There were several "ugly" setbacks to this win, however, with none being bigger than the questionable status of Evgeni Malkin. Malkin did not return to the ice in the third period, and it is unknown what the problem is and how long it will effect him. Another story was former Flyer Steve Downie's attempt to intentionally injure Sidney Crosby. He intentionally twisted Crosby's leg when they were going for the puck along the side boards. Crosby limped off the ice, but returned to the ice several shifts later with no signs of injury. Tampa Bay's lone goal was scored by Vincent Lecavalier midway through the second period. Dan Bylsma also made some key changes to the starting lineup, including playing Jay Mckee over Alex Goligoski and Tyler Kennedy over Maxime Talbot. It is unknown whether he will continue to rotate scratches, especially with the return of enforcer Eric Godard sometime possibly in the near future. The Penguins next game is the all important rematch with the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night. This is another "4 point game" and the Penguins' last chance to avoid being swept by the Devils in the season series.

Flat Out

The New Jersey Devils defeated the Penguins 3-1 on a night when the Penguins could not catch a break from the goalposts, the schedule-maker, or especially the officials. The Pens accumulated 32 PIMs, had a penalty shot awarded against them, and Craig Adams was ejected from the game. This was on a play where he hit Martin Skoula after the whistle was blown for icing. Adams was whistled for a 5 minute major and was given a misconduct. Further review showed that the play was in fact not icing and the whistle should not have been blown, but it was too late to overturn the penalty, which the Pens did kill anyway. There was also much contraversy surrounding the Devils' 3rd goal in which Ilya Kovalchuk shot the puck on net and Marc-Andre Fleury's glove was interfered with while attempting to make the save. The play was deemed unreviewable, however, and the goal stood. The scoring of the game started out quickly with Patrick Elias scoring less than two minutes into the game, and Sidney Crosby answering 42 seconds later with a wrist shot past Brodeur. The second period was scoreless, with the highlight perhaps being Ilya Kovalchuk being stopped on a penalty shot by Marc-Andre Fleury after being tripped up by Kris Letang on a breakaway. The Devils opened the third quickly with an Andy Greene slapshot followed by Kovalchuk's highly contraversial goal. Matt Cooke also had a rough night, being the target of several questionable hits before finally dropping the gloves with Rob Niedermayer in the beginning of the third. Also, Tyler Kennedy has been healthy scratched for the past two games due to coaches decision. Kennedy brings a gritty physical presence as well as speed to the table, so this was an interesting decision by Bylsma. With or without Kennedy, the Penguins next play Sunday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third game of their five game road trip.

Rusty in Raleigh

After 3 full days of rest, the Penguins played a rather flat game Thursday night in Carolina losing 4-3 in overtime. Brian Pothier scored the overtime winner for the Canes slapping one past goaltender Brent Johnson for the overtime win. The only positive out of this game for the Penguins, however, is that they will receive one very important point in the division standings leading into Friday night's showdown with the second place New Jersey Devils. The Penguins started out hot, getting goals from Jordan Staal and Bill Guerin in the first 6 minutes to take a quick 2-0 lead. The Canes then caught their stride and tied the game up going into the intermission with goals from Ray Whitney and Zach Boychuk, both goals being rather "soft" and possibly due to not being sharp on the Penguins' end. The Canes carried that momentum right into the second with a goal from Eric Staal, but recent "player of interest" Matt Cooke tied it right back up 4 minutes later by jamming away until he beat young goalie Justin Peters. It would be the last time Peters was beaten however, as he was lights out for the remainder of the game. Despite this disappointing performance, the Pens must regroup for the second game of the back to back series against the New Jersey Devils Friday night. This is considered as a "4 point game" as the two points to the winner will not only be important but the points not received by the loser will be significant as well. The Penguins have not yet beaten the Devils this year, so they best bring their "A Game."

Thank God That's Over

Penn State got hammered by Minnesota in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament, 76-55. It was even that close. This was a terrible season and now the suffering is over. Talor Battle had 10 but was basically a non-factor. Good thing I don't have to watch anymore of the Big 10 tournament. Now it's a wait and see what will happen with HC Ed DeChellis. I think the fans have made up their minds.

On to good PSU news. Talor Battle Earns All-Big Ten Honors for the second straight year.

The Blue-White game on April 24 will be televised by ESPN2.

Off the Hook! (Well, Not Really...)

The NHL has decided not to suspend Penguins forward Matt Cooke for his hit on Boston's Marc Savard Sunday afternoon. The hit drew much attention as Cooke's shoulder made contact with Savard's head as he was releasing a shot, and temporarily knocked out Savard. (Savard has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 concussion, and it is unknown when he will return) Many fans (even those of the Penguins) were outraged at the decision not to suspend Cooke, but the truth of the matter is that Cooke did nothing technically wrong. The NHL rulebook has no rule stating that contact between the shoulder and the head is illegal, therefore no penalty should be put in effect. This was a very similar case to the hit Philadelphia's Mike Richards put on Florida's David Booth earlier in the season, and Richards did not receive a suspension either. Expect this change to be put into effect for the 2010-11 season, but as of now it is still legal. Whether it was immoral or not I will leave the reader to decide, but the concrete laws of the NHL say it was not punishable, so no suspension for Cooke. I do, however, expect Cooke to have much difficulty in opposing arenas, especially when the Penguins travel to Boston on March 18th. The Pens next game, however, is Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes and while it is unknown whether Matt Cooke will dress, he is certainly available.

Big Ten Tournament Predictions

The Big Ten basketball tournament starts Thursday. Penn State will face Minnesota in an 11 vs 6 seed game. I filled out a bracket. Take a look at my computer skills below.



One more game and this dreadful season will be over. No NCAA's. They did play Minnesota tough in both games this year so maybe PSU will win one. Doubtful but that's why they play the games.

Drug Allegations Against Jason Kendall

Former Pirates catcher Jason Kendall is divorcing his wife and things are getting ugly. In court today, Chantel Kendall accused him of abusing Adderall, a drug that is prescribed for attention deficit disorder. Adderall can also be used as a PED. The whole story can be read here. This is the TMZ video of the story. Apparently Rod Stewart's son is involved somehow.



That is probably going to hurt more than this-



I remember watching that game. You can see the bone pop out of his sock.

And while I'm posting videos, here is one of my favorite bands The Hold Steady with a live performance of Ask Her For Some Adderall. This blog makes no sense sometimes.

Streakin Again!

What does one do when their 15 game point streak is snapped? The answer is simple, start another one! That is exactly what Evgeni Malkin did Sunday afternoon scoring the game winning goal and leading the Penguins to a 2-1 victory. He took a pass from new linemate Alexei Ponikarovsky and ripped a wrister past goaltender Tim Thomas in the beginning of the third period. This was perhaps the only "legitimate" goal in the entire game as the first goals scored by each team left the opposing goaltenders pleading their case. The Pens' other goal was scored by Pascal Dupuis on a rebound that Thomas was unable to control for the whistle. Boston's Blake Wheeler scored a similar goal jamming the puck from underneath goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury before the whistle blew to put Boston on the board. The game also featured an extremely scary moment when Boston's Marc Savard collided with Matt Cooke, leaving Savard motionless on the ice for several painstaking minutes while the entire crowd at Mellon Arena held its breath. Savard was finally taken off the ice in a stretcher with an ovation from the crowd in Pittsburgh. The exact details on his situation have not been released, only saying that he experienced concussion-like symptoms. My best wishes to him for a speedy recovery as you never like to see injuries like that. The Pens next play the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday, giving them some time to rest from a busy 4 game week.

Star Power

Though the Dallas Stars were in town, it was the Pens' stars that shone brighter Saturday afternoon at Mellon Arena. All star Sidney Crosby had two goals and an assist to lead all players in scoring. Alexei Ponikarovsky also got his first goal as a Penguin, capping off the win with a rebound powerplay goal. Jordan Staal and Chris Kunitz each contributed a goal and an assist as well. The Pens' third goal was scored by Pascal Dupuis also. Perhaps the highlight of the day was the extremely lengthy fight between Craig Adams and Steve Ott of Dallas, leaving both players short of breath and to the delight of the crowd. Marc-Andre Fleury also bounced back well from a lackluster performance on Thursday to get the win. The only "downer" was the ending of Evgeni Malkin's point streak. Dallas goals were scored by Ribeiro, Segal, and Eriksson. The Pens next play Sunday afternoon at 3 pm vs the Boston Bruins.

There's No Tieing In Baseball

I'm sure if Matt Capps was still with the Bucs today's game wouldn't have ended 3-3. Ryan Church homered, Jeff Clement had an RBI and Kevin Hart was horrible. Preseason baseball at its best. Still, I can't wait until opening day. 29 days. The next TV game is Wednesday. Lets Go Bucs!

Johnny on the Spot!

After a shaky start from goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, Brent Johnson made every save thrown at him to help the Penguins to a 5-4 overtime win over the Rangers Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. Jordan Staal had two deflection goals, including the overtime game winner to lead the Pens to victory. Chris Kunitz started the scoring for the Pens with a rebound powerplay goal 6 minutes into the first period. After that came Staal's first goal tipped in off a Matt Cooke wrister to take a 2-1 lead, but Chris Drury of the Rangers answered 5 minutes later with a wrap around from his knees to beat Fleury and tie the game up. In the second the Rangers scored two "soft" goals off Fleury, but they would be their last points of the game as Brent Johnson came in and was perfect. Mike Rupp also scored a huge momentum swinging goal off a center ice pass from Sidney Crosby to cut the defecit to 1 to end the period. Only one goal was scored in the third, but it was a big one as Alex Goligoski deflected a shot from the corner off of the skate of Marc Staal. His brother Jordan then scored the powerplay overtime winner deflecting an Evgeni Malkin slapshot in to give the Pens two points and move them ahead of the idle Devils in their division. To Fleury's defense, however, he had been sitting idle for the entire Olympics and was "rusty." The Rangers goals were scored by Artem Anismov, Drury, Michal Rozival, and Brandon Dubinsky. The Pens next play Saturday against the Dallas Stars.

Yinz Luv 'Da Guins!, Ep. #5

I'm a day late on this but the newest episode of Jim Shearer's Yinz Luv 'Da Guins! is out.

TRADE DEADLINE

Ray Shero and the Pens once again made several key moves at the deadline this year, hopefully picking up exactly what they need to go deep into the playoffs.

Here's a list of Penguins trades:

February 11

Team: St Louis Blues

Who We Got: Defenseman Steve Wagner

Who We Gave: Defensemen Nate Guenin

This was little more than a swap of minor leaguers before the Olympic roster freeze, though it has seemed the Pens have gotten the better end of this deal so far. Wagner has added some depth to a struggling WBS Pens defense, and though he is hurt now, should continue to be a factor when he returns.

March 1

Team: Florida Panthers

Who We Got: Defenseman Jordan Leopold

Who We Gave: 2nd round draft pick

Leopold looked solid in his Pens debut vs Buffalo next to Alex Goligoski, and looks like he can not only contribute defensively, but offensively as well. He brings an element of physicality to the table as well, as he is not afraid to agressively check and go after the puck. I believe it was a very good addition by Ray Shero.

March 2

Team: Toronto Maple Leafs

Who We Got: Winger Alexei Ponikarovsky

Who We Gave: Winger Luca Caputi, Defenseman Martin Skoula

This was the "mini-blockbuster" deal that many people expected out of Ray Shero for nearly a month now. The Pens were obviously in need of a large power forward possibly to compliment Evgeni Malkin, and Ponikarovsky, or "Poni", fits that bill perfectly. Caputi will be greatly missed in Wilkes Barre, but the deal was for the best.

March 3

Team: Toronto Maple Leafs

Who We Got: 6th round pick
Who We Gave: Defenseman Chris Peluso

Not really much significance to this deal, as Peluso has never even been with the Wilkes Barre Scranton Pens, much less Pittsburgh.

Baseball is Back! Pirates Liveblog

The first spring training game of the year. Pirates at Yankees. Is this a preview of the 2010 World Series? Highly unlikely. It's hard to repeat as champs in the big leagues. Please, anyone but the Yanks again. The game is at 1 and can be seen on the MLB Network. If you happen to live in my neck of the woods, the game is also on YES. Join the guys in the liveblog below. I'll be at work. Go Bucs!

Welcome Back

In a game overshadowed by the fallout of the Olympics and the approaching trade deadline, the Pens managed to pound out a 3-2 win over Buffalo Tuesday night. This was an important two points for the Pens on their first game back since February 14th, as it greatly helps their cause in their division against the New Jersey Devils. Brent Johnson turned in a strong performance and made several of his 28 saves at crucial moments to hold the one goal lead. Sergei Gonchar began the scoring near the end of the first with a slapshot powerplay goal past Lalime. Pascal Dupuis continued it into the second on a wrist shot.(above) Ruslan Fedotanko put the game away in the third beating Lalime on a set play midway through the third. Sabres goals were scored by Lyndman and Roy. While the game was entertaining enough, there were several other stories that "overshadowed" the game. The players from both teams who participated in the Olympics were honored before the game, and Sidney Crosby got a mixed reaction from the fans at mellon arena. The other big story was the acquistion of defenseman Jordan Leopold on Monday and winger Alexi Ponikarovsky during the game. (more to come on trades later) Those stories aside, it was still a very good win for the Pens, who next play Thursday against the New York Rangers.

What? Penn State Wins By 19? Who?

Talor Battle once again led Penn State in scoring as the Nittany Lions pounded Northwestern. The bench though was the story in this game. Cammeron Woodyard was 4-4 from the field in the first half and had a career high with nine points. The bench as a team had 25. Penn State shot 57% for the game. This one was over from the get go which is strange to say about the Lions. Up next is Michigan State in East Lansing on Thursday. Game time is at 7 and is on ESPN2.