Pens 5, Sens 2

Finally the Pens look like they're in a groove. Everyone worked together for this win last night, it wasn't just the efforts of one player. Here's the key points:

1. No surprise to see Johnson in net again. He's played with confidence, and you have to go with the guy who's been giving you wins. I wouldn't be surprised to see him start Thursday against the Preds. He just had a fantastic night.
2. Max has been looking more and more like his old self. Last season he just wasn't playing to his full potential. I think the off-season shoulder surgery last year contributed to that.
3. Test Tube. It'll be interesting to see what happens when Staal and Asham come back, but he's guaranteed a spot in the lineup. He just played like his amazing sexy self. (At the risk of sounding like a puckbunny, I saw my first interview with him during the first intermission. Had no clue he was hot.)
4. Where did this power play come from? Hopefully this isn't just some fluke thing.
5. The Pens just totally owned this game. The Sens looked lost and sluggish.
6. Engelland fought his second asshole of the season, Chris Neil. It wasn't really much of a fight, but it still counts. I hate Chris Neil.
7. You gottta love how Lovejoy played. He was all over the place, and had some nice hits. I also love how he's turned into the new Dupuis, shooting the puck from anywhere he happens to be. Get the puck to the net and hope for a rebound.
8. Interesting double-minor for Johnson's accidental high-stick. I wonder who the last goalie was to get a double-minor...probably Hextall...and it probably wasn't an accident. That bastard was crazy.
9. Speaking again of Johnson, I was a little nervous seeing him take that shot right off the mask. Anytime a goalie gets hit like that, I automatically think of this:



10. Apparently Letang thought he was Shea Weber. What a friggin goal!
11. Last I checked, if you had two teeth knocked out, you'd probably bleed. (Anyone who watched the FSN Pittsburgh broadcast knows what I'm talking about)
12. All games on FSN Pittsburgh will now be broadcast exclusively with the AGH Cam. They will take 29 hours to watch. (All kidding aside, it is a cool camera).

So there ya have it. Now we get a nice little break. I have been a total failure when it comes to Avs recaps. Hopefully that won't be the case all season. Let's go Pens!

Habs 1, Pens 2

The Pens looked much better this game. Flower was nothing short of amazing, and it was a strong effort by everyone on the team. Here are your key points to the game:

1. Great move by Disco for scratching Fedotenko and Poni, since they have both been pretty worthless. Having Rupp back in the lineup will provide a big body in front of the net to screen Halak. Welcome back Billy G!

2. Letang's accuracy has gotten a million times better, and he couldn't have picked a better time. He probably feels he needs to justify his new paycheck.

3. Expect to see a lot more of Letestu next season. With the way he has been playing, I don't see how he couldn't have a spot in the starting lineup.

4. I seriously almost had a heart attack at the very end of this game.

5. I forgot to note the other day that part of the reason I had a shitty day at work was because some asshole called me a fat pig. I'm the same size as Gionta (5'7", 175lbs.), just flabbier. :-)


Sharks-Wings

The Sharks have officially advanced to the next round. What amazes me is that Colorado seemed to give them a harder time than the Wings did. I think that is mostly due to the amazing play of Craig Anderson. He was a beast in that series, even if he is a little bit of a creeper.



I'm pumped up for tomorrow since it's the first game I will get to see live in a while. We can do it! Let's go Pens!

Pens 2, Habs 0

After looking like ass for the first half of the game, the Pens managed to step it up and defeat the Habs. Here are my key points to the game:

1. I was surprised to see Guerin out with an injury. I hope he comes back soon...the power play needs him.

2. Congrats to Flower on the shutout. He once again proved his ability to bounce back from a bad game. Amazing how people still question his talent. On paper his stats don't look spectacular, but he makes key saves in key games. Too bad there isn't a stat for that.

3. How quickly Canada has forgotten about the Olympics. Just as was seen in Ottawa, Habs fans booed Sid every time he touched the puck. I guess a gold medal doesn't mean shit.

4. Letestu played a pretty decent game. Someone remind me why Fedotenko still has a spot on the roster.

5. This game started to get a little snarly, but I think it was mostly out of frustration. I don't really expect it to continue.

6. Maybe the Pens read the stats on Halak's amazing record when facing 40 or more shots and decided to hold back for the first half of the game and pepper him with shots the second half. Just a theory.

7. Welcome back to the playoffs Geno!


Sharks 4, Wings 3

To be quite honest, I haven't been paying a whole lot of attention to this series. I don't like either one of these teams (the Sharks because they eliminated the Avs, and the Wings because, well, they're the Wings). I found it amusing that Holmstrom's goal had to be reviewed though. I wonder how many times that's happened in his career.


Other:
Sorry for the lack of Avs news. The Pens will always be my number one focus though. There will be some Avs info eventually, I promise.

LETS GO PENS!