Pens 4, Bruins 7

Typing that just makes me want to puke. The Pens completely blew the 3rd period, and I was forced to relive the same type of shit that the Avs failed at last year. Actually, now that I think about it, there are a lot of parallels between the Avs and the Pens this year. Lack of defense, shitty power plays, and lots of offense coming from the defensemen (that last one isn't bad though). Anyway, key points...

1. Good to see Lovejoy back in the lineup...sad to not see Engelland though.
2. The Pens totally had this game. The first two periods, they had good puck possession, kept the puck in the offensive zone, and actually shot the puck for once. Amazing what happens when you put shots on net.
3. Speak of shots, Dupuis and Kennedy both did a fantastic job shooting the puck.
4. The ridiculous amount of turnovers needs to stop. Make sure that when you pass the puck, there isn't a guy directly in the lane.
5. Recchi doesn't look like a 42 year old man, that's for sure.
6. Chara's slapshot scares me. I would love to go to a Pens/Bruins game and sit right behind the net, just to see how fast he shoots the puck firsthand.
7. Congrats Arron Asham on your first fight and goal as a Penguin! Asham is one tough dude. Plus, how awesome was this?



8. Engelland, I mean, the Pens, now lead the league in fighting majors. I'm kind of surprised by that, honestly.
9. Malkin keeps looking better and better, as long as Steiggy doesn't mention a meteor hitting him or something. I think we should wrap Geno in bubble wrap.
10. I blame the loss on Steiggy...Aubrey, you're right, the man truly is cursed. I'm going to sew his lips together.
11. Funny how people are just starting to realize that the Pens' problems run deeper than just Fleury.
12. On the plus side, the Pens registered the most shots in a game so far this season.
13. Rupp has been playing like a beast. He just seems more involved this year.
14. Goligoski looked like he was half-asleep.
15. Steiggy and Errey miss Staal...so do I.

And, in other shitty news, Galiardi and Van der Gulik were both injured in Tuesday's game against the Flames. I'm wrapping the rest of the healthy Avs in some bubble wrap. Good news though, the Avs have extended their affiliation contact with Lake Erie. I plan on going to my first Monsters game at some point this season with one of my co-workers and her sister...more on that once we have everything planned out. We'll be an interesting group though, one Pens/Avs fan, a Bruins fan, and a Habs fan. Could be entertaining, and kind of sounds like the beginning of a bad joke.

Well, now we have to focus...how do we stop Stamkos Friday? Interesting fact I was able to dig up on Stamkos...he only makes $875,000 a year. It'll be interesting to see how much he makes after his contact expires. Well, that's enough for this extremely disorganized post. Go Pens! Go Avs! Just remember, things could always be worse...

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!

Pens 5, Jackets 4

Note the absence of a recap from the Pens/Wings game from the other night. There was no video feed available, and I just don't feel comfortable doing a recap on a radio feed. Ditto with the Avs games. Speak of the Avs, Peter Mueller is out, once again, with another concussion. Not good news at all. When Mueller was healthy last season, he was an essential part of the team. Anyway, I was able to catch periods 2 and 3 tonight on a video feed from the Jackets website. The feed was pretty slow, but at least it was something. I don't have a lot to say about the game, other than that Comrie continues to impress me, and Kunitz looked fantastic as well. Lovejoy finally got his chance to play, paired with Paul Martin, but he wasn't really noticeable, which can be a good thing. Some other thoughts: seeing Billy G in a Flyers uniform makes me want to stab my eyes out with a fork. Another thought: Is anyone else hyped up about the upcoming 24/7 Pens/Caps show on HBO? I'm seriously contemplating getting a temporary subscription just to see it. That's all for now, so I'll leave you with another commercial:



Go Pens!

What a happy day!

So I had a particularly horrid day at work, and hopped on the computer, and what do I see? Ben Lovejoy has signed a 3 year contract, and Matt Cooke has signed a 3 year contract as well! What great news to perk up an otherwise shitty day! I hope this means that Lovejoy will be in the starting lineup next season. Now we have to wait and see if Gonch re-signs. Also, in Avs news, Jocelyn Thibault will not be returning as the goaltending coach next year. Someone get Patrick Roy on the phone...wouldn't that be awesome? Anyway, sorry about the short post, I have celebratory beer to consume.

Defense

So I was thinking about the Pens' shitty defense and what they can do about it. I have a prediction...Gonchar won't be resigned for next year, and Ben Lovejoy will be called up and finally play an entire season for the Pens. I was singing the praises about Lovejoy earlier this year, the first time he was called up. I liked what I saw, and want to see more of what he is capable of doing in the NHL. He led the AHL in plus/minus this year with a 42. 40 freakin 2! A lot of people think that the plus/minus stat is a worthless piece of shit, but for a defenseman, it's pretty damn important. He could also be important offensively, having 31 points in 76 games with the Baby Pens this year. Man do I hope next season will be his breakout year.