About that recap post...

I lied. Studying comes before that blog. Anyway, I'm on winter break now, so at least for the next three weeks I should be recapping every game. Bye for now! Go Pens! Go Avs!

Angry recap post later...happy fun post now.

I saw the first installment of 24/7 last night (I ordered HBO for just one month so I could see it), and I wasn't disappointed at all! The show is absolutely amazing! Being able to see the behind the scenes action and watch the players interact with each other is really something special. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the NHL really needs to market its players' personalities more. Lovejoy and Test Tube got a little face time when all of the furniture from their hotel room was moved into the hallway in Buffalo as a prank. One of my favorite moments from the show was when the team was on the plane going to Buffalo and Fleury calls Max a douche. For those who might not know, here's the (probable) reference. They showed some pictures of Ovie when he was younger...yeah, dude has looked like a douche since he was about 8 years old. Another part that amazed me was at the beginning of the show when they show Engelland getting stitches after a fight. Just the little things that you never get to see: the difference in attitudes in the locker rooms, coach going up to Ray Shero's office with a ranking of players based on their performance the last game they played, the Pens Christmas party and all of the guys' kids...I hope they release this on DVD so more people will be able to watch it. If you don't have a chance to see it, Seth from Empty Netters has pretty much the whole transcript.

On a happy Avs note: the Hannan curse is still going strong. Since he has traded to the Caps, they haven't won a game. On another note, the Avs received Tomas Fleischmann in the trade...he had his first career hat trick last night in a 4-3 win against Chicago. At first I wasn't too sure how I felt about the trade, but given Chris Stewart's broken hand, they had to do something.

And another happy note: I FINALLY got my Christmas tree put up.



And that is one of my favorite Christmas commercials of all time! Anyway, angry, hate-filled post will come later when I need a break from studying for my Human Biology final. Bye for now!

Two weeks already!?

Damn, talk about not being on the ball! While I've had time to watch the games, I haven't had much time for quality recaps. Ohio is getting blasted by snow right now, and the wind chill her right now is -4. This week is finals week for me, so expect more recaps and holiday cheer next week. What else can be said about the Pens that hasn't been said already? Sid is a beast, everyone is playing out of their minds...beautiful! Big game tomorrow. It'll be a litmus test to see exactly where the guys stand. I think the hate is a much needed thing to fuel the fire. I have a fantastic stat about the record streak, but I don't want to type it in fear of a jinx, so I'll hold off. Anyway, holiday cheer right here:



If only the Pens could do something like that. How great would it be for Malkin to dress up like an elf?

As for the Avs, I haven't been able to keep up with them very much this year so far, so I don't have anything to say there. Anyway, I hope that wherever you are, you try to stay warm, and don't go out unless you have to. Go Pens! Stay warm and safe!

Pens 3, Rangers 1

The guys did it again! Apparently the Rangers haven't taken any time whining about the loss like a bunch of Caps fans, but we'll get to that in a minute. Key points:

1. Sid extends his point streak!
2. The Pens really made the Rangers defense pay for every mistake that they made.
3. Speak of defense, now that Michalek and Martin have turned into the players that everyone expected when they were both signed in the off-season, the Pens' D is a force to be reckoned with, both offensively and defensively. (That was probably the longest run-on sentence ever)
4. What else can anyone say about Letang? If he isn't a write-in on your all-star ballot, he should be. (And while you're voting for defensemen, vote for Liles while you're at it.)
5. Why the hell hasn't Comrie been traded yet?
6. I hope that Conner stays in the line-up and doesn't go back to WBS. The third line impresses me more and more every day.
7. I just had to laugh at Steiggy and Errey's bad jokes about Avery's picture in the Rangers media guide. Apparently, he's wearing a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses in the picture, prompting the comments, "He's a spectacle" and "He's a shady character". Say what you will about them, but at least they're amusing.
8. I will never stop hating Avery.

That's it for that. As I said earlier, the Rangers are bitching about the officiating. See here....and here.

In Avs news, everyone is still injured, but somehow they still manage to kick ass. Bad news on the injury front though...now Chris Stewart is out 4-6 weeks with an injury to his hand from a fight. Great. As for tomorrow's game against Atlanta, Winnik should be able to play, Foote is doubtful, Anderson will not be playing until Friday, and Galiardi and Van Der Gulik are still out indefinitely but are skating at least. Tomorrow night's game should be interesting, and I plan on watching it, since I might actually have time to for once. On another note, this just makes me sick...or wish I lived in Colorado. (I hope the link works) In case you can't see it, the Avs are having a Cyber Monday deal going. It's a holiday pack of one ticket to each of 5 different games, a puck autographed by either Liles, Stewart, or Duchene, an Avs scarf, and priority playoff seating...all starting at...$89! Lower bowl is $376, but still...that's just obscene. Well kids, that's all I have for now. Go Pens! Go Avs!

Pens 2, Sens 1

Wow, it's been about a week and a half since my last post already? Sorry guys, I've been pretty busy lately. I've had time to watch the games, just not enough time to write recaps though. I hope you all have had a good Thanksgiving with lots of turkey, merriment, and I hope you all took part in the tradition of listening to Alice's Restaurant. Time for key points:

1. What else can be said about Sid and his determination? After the Pens' slump, he has been playing like he's possessed.
2. Where are all the Fleury haters now?
3. This game was definitely more exciting than the last one against Buffalo. As much as I love hockey, I had trouble keeping eyes open for that one. That may have just been lack of sleep though.
4. I still don't see why Bylsma split up Malkin and Asham again. Those two had some amazing chemistry going on.
5. Why do normally shitty goalies have good games against the Pens? Like Leclaire...
6. I still love the Test Tube-Kennedy-Conner line, and I love the fact that they're seeing time on the power play. Kennedy lead the game with 6 shots. I think that we'll start really seeing some production from this line soon.
7. Speaking of the power play, all of a sudden it's good again. I hope it stays that way.
8. I still hate Chris Neil. How great was it that Fleury stuck up for himself the way he did in the 3rd period? I loved it!

And that's it. Another matinee game today, but I have to work, so I'll see it when I get home. Things are getting a little less hectic, so I'll start to have more time to do my recaps again...this last week had been sheer hell. Catch ya kids later!

Pens 2, Rangers 3

Sorry about the lack of weekend recaps...I was scratched due to illness. Key points:

1. So we know Comrie can fight...if we can just get him to start scoring goals.
2. Steiggy and Errey were in rare form. The money quote was Steiggy, "Sometimes I see things that aren't even there!" Honestly, I really don't mind them. At least they're entertaining. I had the misfortune of having to watch FSN Detroit the other night when the Avs played the Wings. If I ever have to watch their broadcast again, the mute will be on the whole time.
3. The Pens played very well for most of the game. They HAD this win. Everyone was playing with confidence, the defense was clicking...and then Michalek, as Seth from Empty Netters said, "forgot how to skate".
4. How big was Lundqvist? If he would have gotten a shutout, he would have deserved it. Stupid move breaking his stick and chucking it down the ice though. The Rangers' defense also played very well.
5. I like Chris Connor more and more every game. He's fast, and he's a good pairing with Test Tube and Kennedy. I can't wait to see more of this line once Kennedy is back in the lineup.
6. I don't even get excited about the power play anymore. At least it's more organized than the Avs' penalty kill, which is probably one of the biggest disasters ever known to mankind.
7. This sums it up:


At least something went right:
Avs 6, Blues 3

I didn't have a chance to watch this game, but it looks like John-Michael Liles is still tearing it up. 2 goals and an assist! Something of note from the highlights:



Duchene's first fight!

Well, let's just focus on kicking the Canucks' asses tomorrow night! Go Pens! Go Avs!

Pens 5, Lightning 1

They finally got back to their game! I just had a feeling that this would be a great game for Fleury...now for the key points:

1. Apparently the fans at Consol had a Fleury chant going before the national anthem. That's class right there. Meloche told him not to rely on the pokecheck...thank you for voicing the opinion of every Pens fan.
2. The defense looked much better, especially Michalek. Now he looks like how I expected him to. You couldn't really blame him much for the last couple of games since he was just coming back off an injury,
3. If I had to hear Steiggy and Errey say "1-3-1" one more time, I would have had to mute my television.
4. The Conner/Test Tube/Kennedy line looked pretty good. Keep Conner and trade Comrie. (I'm sorry to say it, since I had really high hopes for Comrie in the preseason, but he's just been terrible.)
5. The turnover problem wasn't glaring in this game, but it's still something they need to work on. When Martin almost turned the puck over to Stamkos, I nearly had a heart attack.
6. At some point, Steiggy and Errey were talking about how great the lighting is at the arena. From firsthand experience, I can tell you, it's like watching a game played on the sun. I've never seen that bright of lighting in an arena.
7. The Pens finally look like they might have some chemistry going. With so many new additions this year, the lack of chemistry at the beginning of the season comes as no surprise.
8. Max, Dupuis, and Adams all looked fantastic this game.
9. Goligoski seems to be back on his game after looking like shit for the past few outings. I hope he can keep it up.
10. Fleury was just a beast. I had a good feeling about him for this game, and even though it wasn't a shutout, it was close. He made the key saves at key times, and it helped that he had defensive support. Congrats on your 150th career win!
11. There were a lot of bad penalties taken in this game, but the penalty kill came up big. It could have been WAY worse considering how well the Lightning's power play has been this season.
12. The way he was playing all game, you knew Max was going to score.
13. Can Dupuis really be considered a secondary scorer anymore?
14. Congrats Engelland on your 1st NHL goal, which surprised the hell out of everyone watching this game.

What a huge win for the guys last night! Hopefully this will be a confidence booster, especially for Fleury. Now let's just hope that the consistency issue doesn't rear its ugly head.

In Avs news, they won 5-1 against the Jackets last night, and surprisingly no one got injured. Yay!

Bad news: I'm sick as hell.
Good news: I called off work, so now I get to see the game live tonight. Hooray for raking up a ridiculous amount of sick time!

Go Pens! Go Avs!

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 2, Stars 5

Sorry for the hiatus, but I needed to get caught up on school work. The Pens just played sloppy overall in this game, and who would have thought that all of that nastiness would have gone on? And who would have thought that none of the fights involved Godard or Engelland? This game was just full of surprises I tell ya, including that surprise that the Pens lost by such a large margin. Key points:

1. Brent Johnson looked a tad shaky. He made some great saves, don't get me wrong, and the defense didn't do a great job of helping him out either.
2. If I was playing, I'm too A.D.D., and those glowing boards would throw me off...
3. How unlucky is Jordan Staal? You'd think that the Pens were the Devils with luck like that.
4. Michalek and Martin really need to step their games up. Michalek can be forgiven a little given that he's just coming back from an injury, but Martin's play has really declined.
5. Congrats Pascal Dupuis on the birth of your daughter!
6. Once again, the defense has failed us.
7. The offense wasn't that great either for the most part. Given that Dallas' defense typically blows, the Pens should have been able to generate more offense. You need to be in the offensive zone to score goals, you aren't playing against Vesa Toskala.
8. Even with the Stars' shitty penalty kill, the Pens STILL couldn't score on the power play...including a 5 on 3. I think that makes them 0/1,000,000 now, but I lost track.
9. Do the guys listen to the broadcast on the bench? I just think it's creepy how not long after Errey suggests that the Pens need to get more physical, all hell breaks loose.
10. Tyler Kennedy can be a good enforcer when he wants to be. And apparently, so can Sid. Great leadership, sticking up for Letang like that.
11. Steiggy actually made me LOL when he referred to the power play as "the power shortage".
12. Let's give credit where credit is due: Loui Eriksson is damn good.
13. Another nominee for the Douche of the Year award: congratulations Brenden Morrow...you're a dick. Now take your place alongside Wayne Simmonds, Chris Neil, and Luke Schenn, we'll announce the winner at the end of the season. The prize is Engelland's fist in your eye.
14. Not everyone sucked, Adams, Goligoski, Kennedy, and Talbot all did a good job in my opinion.
15. If Asham is going to take so many penalties at the end of the game, one of them should be for fighting.

Wow, I'm a little angry today. Hopefully the Avs can make me feel better by kicking some Canuck ass tonight. Big game guys, GO AVS!

Pens 2, Flyers 3

I had high hopes for this game until the second period rolled around. I try not to be too pessimistic in these recaps, but this loss was definitely a team failure.

1. How dangerous is Giroux? He's the Jordan Staal of Philly's penalty kill. Two shorthanded goals against the Pens so far this season...

2. This game started out with the nastiness we've all come to know and love, but it kind of fizzled out. Not to say it wasn't too physical, there was still a lot of hitting.

3. The Pens are starting to remind me of the Avs from last season. Last year, the Avs were notorious for having the lead early on, and then totally tanking in the 3rd period. It's getting aggravating.

4. Who would have thought that Bobrovsky would have as much talent as he does? He looked perfectly at home in net tonight.

5. The two positive things to this game were Letang and Fleury. Letang continues to impress with his scoring touch, and Fleury came up with some big saves. He didn't really have much help in front of him, so this loss can't really be blamed on Fleury.

6. It's surprising that Geno didn't score a goal. He had a lot of good opportunities. No word yet on his injury.

7. Is it just me, or does it seem like the Pens are still having chemistry issues? With a lot of new players this season, it's to be expected. I'm just wondering how long it will take for the guys to seem comfortable together.

8. I hate to be one of "those" people, but the power play just looked like total ass. Granted, I hate when people yell "SHOOT THE PUCK!" at the games when there obviously isn't a shooting lane at all, but all of these pretty passes won't get you shit...shots on the other hand, will.

So I'm a little bit bitter...but it was nice to see Engelland take on yet another asshole in the form of Jody Shelley. I was just lucky I was able to find an online stream of the game because of the blackout issues I talked about in a prior blog. Just in case any of you need to find the games online, I am forever grateful to Pensblog for their list here. I just need to go somewhere and calm down. I have 2 games to watch tonight: Pens/Canes, and Avs/Jackets. Go Pens! Go Avs!

Pens 0, Blues 1

I was more awake watching this game than the one against the Preds, so I got a little bit better recap out of it. Once again though, I couldn't watch the FSN Pittsburgh broadcast, and had to watch FSN Midwest. Oh well, at least I got to see more Jack in the Box commercials. :-)

1. Welcome back Orpik! Also, we see Johnson in net again. Sorry Fleury, but I think that was a good decision by Bylsma.

2. Pietrangelo is frighteningly good. He was just all over the place. Every time he took the ice, I was scared. Ditto for Oshie.

3. The Blues played a very physical game, and their defense played very well.

4. With the exception of the Adams/Crombeen "fight", the first period was like watching a game of chess. A lot of strategy, but not a lot of action.

5. Second period brought more offense, and a great save on Oshie by Johnson.

6. I honestly thought that either Mike Rupp or Max deserved a goal this game. They both worked their asses off.

7. Does anyone know if Polak is OK? I hope he is...it's always scary to see a player run off down the runway with a trainer like that.

8. FSN Midwest was having some technical difficulties, so a lot of the second period was glitchy. I'm not a fan of the thing they have called the "Dirt Cheep shot of the game." Just going out and looking for any hit, just to be able to call it that is asinine.

9. And for Aubrey, I have the WTF media award: "Johnson's knob came up big twice."


Now for the shitstorm that was:

Avs 4, Kings 6

Ok, so it wasn't really a total shitstorm. The Avs played very well, as did the Kings.

1. Hey kids, it was Bernie's 1st birthday!



I think that the cutest mascot award goes to the Islanders though:



And here I thought they would have the fish stick guy as a mascot...

2. The first goal of the game was scored by Poni...it didn't help that Andy lost his stick and had to use Radar's. Can't really blame Andy on that one.

3. After allowing the initial goal, the Avs went on an offensive tear. Great puck possession for once, and everyone was skating hard to the net.

4. Welcome back David Jones!

5. The Avs still need help when it comes to special teams. They allowed the worst power play in the game to score two goals, and also allowed yet ANOTHER short-handed. Surprisingly, they weren't the undisciplined team in this game, and Duchene managed to stay out of the box for once. At least our guys don't butt-end players in the junk (but more about that later).

6. John-Michael Liles gets his 10 millionth assist, tying the NHL record for consecutive games from the start of the season with an assist. Now all he needs is a goal. 10 assists already...the man is a beast. He also had his second NHL "fight", if you can call it that. He didn't get destroyed, and didn't break his hand...I think that's all we can ask for.

7. Hannan left the game with a head injury...just great.

8. Huge penalty kill on Hejduk's 4 minute penalty. Avs needed that.

9. And about halfway through the 3rd period, Wayne Simmonds pulls the dick move of the year, and butt-ends Galiardi in the balls with his stick. Galiardi is not one to drop easily, and I just knew when I saw him go down that it had to be something bad. Simmonds got a 5 minute major and game misconduct for it. I think this is the first time I have ever seen a butt-ending penalty called. This is what T.J. is good at though, he pisses everyone off enough so that they do something stupid. The man is a friggin tank, and came back later to finish the game. He just takes the punishment and keeps going about his business. That's one of the reasons he's my favorite Avs player, and one of my favorite players in the entire league. So, should Simmonds be suspended? I say no. He got his punishment, and it was a cheap shot, but I think for once, that the penalty fit the crime. It was a dick move though, and I'm relieved to see that Galiardi and his boys are OK.

Pens 4, Preds 3

Again, I am horribly late with this post. I'm on vacation from work this week, so hopefully that will help me stay caught up. Pens recap:

1. I honestly thought that Bylsma was going to continue starting Johnson until he lost. I was surprised to see Fleury in net.

2. Fleury looked shaky, but he hasn't played for a while, so I guess that's to be expected. Allowing a goal 53 seconds into the game was definitely not a good way to start. Kunitz was also to blame for that...he just seemed to wander away from who he was supposed to be covering.

3. I never realized how tall Pekka Rinne is. Apparently Nashville has an obsession with tall goalies, since their backup Lindbach is 6'6".

4. The penalty kill didn't look too bad, and the power play continues to thrive. The power play is just aggravating to watch...they'll seem like they're getting into a groove for a couple of games, and then just fall apart. Hopefully that doesn't happen this time around.

5. Tangradi continues to look good, and what else can be said about Test Tube? Yet another point this game. Dude is amazing!

6. Is it me, or does Sid seem like he's playing a little more aggressively this season? At the end of last season, it looked like he was beginning to, but it's becoming a little more evident this season. It's good to see.

7. Now that the Pens have Engelland, does Godard have a job? I think we'll see Godard traded at some point this year. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Godard, it's just that now we have an enforcer who is a more complete player in my opinion.

8. One thing I noticed about Fleury in this game was that he did seem a little more comfortable playing the puck. The pass he made to Sid was great!

9. How huge did Geno come up in this game? He was just on top of everything.

10. I was stuck listening to the FSN Tennessee broadcast for this game. Say what you will about Steigy and Errey, but they're way better than these guys. One good thing about watching the Tenn broadcast was this:



Jack in the Box has the best commercials. Too bad there aren't any anywhere near where I live. Or any in the state of Ohio at all for that matter.

11. Dupuis saved the day when he made that great play to clear the puck out of the crease on the one play.

Sorry for how sucky that recap was, but I was starting to fall asleep watching it. Now for the Avs:

Avs 2, Sharks 4

I was more excited to watch this game than the Pens. It ended up being a hell of a lot more entertaining.

1. Welcome back Brandon Yip!

2. Lots of back and forth action in this game. Neither team seemed to have the upper hand for too long, and both teams played very well.

3. Anderson is a beast. He looked confident for the most part in net, but then again, when doesn't he?

4. Good thing Sacco decided to dress 7 defensemen. Adam Foote left the game with a concussion. As far as I know, it is unknown when he will return to the lineup.

5. Kyle Cumiskey's skating ability never ceases to amaze me. He's a quick, strong skater. I'd even go so far as to say he skates like Pavel Bure.

6. All in all, the Avs still need a little bit of help when it comes to special teams. Taking so many penalties in the second period didn't help things.

7. The Sharks pretty much went into a defensive shell once they were up 3-1 going into the third period.

8. Congrats John-Michael Liles! He's the first Avs player to score in 7 straight games to start the season. He's also the first Avs defenseman to have a 7 game scoring streak. He played very well in the playoffs last year, and it's good to see that it carried over to this season.

9. The Avs can be irritating to watch sometimes. One minute, someone is making a beautiful, unreal pass, the next minute, a terrible turnover.

10. I call bullshit on the 4th Sharks goal. The puck clearly hit a Sharks player on the bench, and then ricocheted (that's not a fun word to spell) off of the linesman, resulting in a nasty bounce which resulted in a Sharks goal. It was a non-reviewable play. I think everything should be reviewable.

So there it is. Two games to recap again tonight. Have fun kids!

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 3, Isles 2

Yeah, so I'm a little bit behind on watching the recorded games. Well, at least now everyone can shut up about Consol being cursed.

1. It was kinda strange seeing Test Tube on the fourth line.
2. Also interesting to see Adams out and Godard in. Bylsma must know something that we don't.
3. Godard did have a nice fight with Gilles though, so I have to give him some credit.
4. I can't stand watching DiPietro play. First off, if I was an Isles fan, I would probably have a heart attack any time anyone came within 300 feet of him for fear he would get injured again. A fly could land on that man and he'd be out for half the season. Second, he should have been penalized for hitting Kunitz in the nuts with his stick. You can try to get someone out of the front of the crease, but that's just a low blow (literally).
5. Martin and Test Tube continue to impress me.
6. With the exception of the OT goal, the power play continues to suck ass. I think Mike Yeo is still coaching, but he's just hiding under the bench so no one can throw shit at him.
7. Mike Rupp was playing like a man possessed.
8. Tangradi finally got his first NHL goal! Yay!
9. The 2nd period was really when the Pens got a fire lit under their asses. That's more of the play we need to be seeing from them.
10. I'm not generally one to complain about the officiating, because I realize that these guys have a really tough job, but it was incredibly awful this game. Letang should have never gotten a 5 minute major and game misconduct for his hit on Comeau. It was a solid, shoulder-on-shoulder, clean hit. There were also plenty of calls that should have been made against the Isles that were just ignored.
12. By the way, after Letang was given a game misconduct, did anyone else hear the crowd chanting "bullshit", or was I just imagining things? Speaking of the crowd, how huge was their involvement? Nice to see everyone finally waking up.
13. I will openly admit that Bailey had a really nice goal.
14. Goligoski is having a really strong start. Hopefully he can keep it up. He started out well last year, but gradually fizzled out. To be honest, and I'm normally not like this, but I was ready to write him off last year.
15. Comrie really needs to start producing...we all know he has it in him.
16. See what happens when you shoot the puck...you score goals. Imagine that.

Avs 3, Devils 2

So this was just a great night overall!

1. It still feels strange watching a more offensive-minded Devils team.
2. Speaking of offense, even though they won this game, the Avs really need to start getting more shots to the net. (This sounds familiar...almost like I was just writing that about another team not too long ago)
3. The Avs defense needs to step it up a little bit. Craig Anderson is like a brick wall in net, but they need to stop relying on him quite so much. They are allowing too many shots.
4. Honestly, the Devils should have won this game. If not for the amazing play of Anderson and some luck, the Avs probably wouldn't have won. The Devils were clearly the better team.
5. And yet another game misconduct for the night. McLeod scored the Avs first goal, only to be followed shortly after by getting a 5 minute major and game misconduct for boarding. The Avs' analyst hit the nail on the head when he said that he understood why they kicked him out, but his only problem was that the NHL wasn't being consistent. Now it makes you wonder with every check whether the player is going to be sent off for it or not.
6. Killing off the McLeod penalty was a huge relief.
7. The Avs' scoring depth is absolutely amazing! This early in the season they already have goals from 10 different players.
8. Early in the game, the Avs had some real problems with puck possession. One common theme I've noticed in all of their games so far is a brutal number of turnovers, and not the yummy pastry kind. (Sorry, I'm hungry)
9. My man T.J. Galiardi scored his first goal of the season, and later got cracked with a high stick. Typical game for him.

Rant of the day:
I may have mentioned this last season, but I hate when the Pens games are shown on NHL Network. For some reason, Time Warner Cable thinks that I live in the viewing area for FSN Pittsburgh, and the game gets blacked-out. I'm about to call and bitch about that, since I missed the game last night because of it. Heard it was a good one too... Avs/Isles recap later tonight. Have a good one kids, now you can put away the matches.

Pregame stuff

I just got my tickets from express mail, which has made the fact that I will actually be going to the game tonight really sink in. (I got the tickets on ebay from a season ticket holder. Aubrey, you'll be pleased to know that the ticket has a picture of Kris Letang on it :-)) <---my smiley has a double chin...hehe. I'll take a picture of it and post it on here later. This is it...this is the night. It's sobering to think that this might be the last game at the Igloo. I have so many fond memories of the old barn. But let's not think like that. Let's have the last game at the Igloo be a win. If any of you will be at the game tonight, or even if you're just at home sitting in front of the T.V., cheer loud and proud. We don't need no stinkin' "Ole" chant, all we need is pure heart and soul. Scream your lungs out. Do it for your team...do it for the Igloo. Let's go Pens!!!!!

Pens 3, Habs 4

What an awful night! A Pens loss and a Flyers win...ugh. Anyway, time for the key points of the game:

1. The Habs played very well. They were a desperate team, facing elimination on home ice. They had a lot more on the line than the Pens did, and it really showed.

2. The #1 star for the night should have been the goal posts. I don't know what I was sick of hearing more, the "clang" of the puck going off the pipes or that "Ole" chant.

3. I know that I didn't hear the Versus announcer compare Max Lapierre to the great Rocket Richard...

4. The Habs defense looked a little disorganized at first with the absence of Hal Gill, but they seemed to kick it back into gear.

5. Speak of defense, the Pens' defense looked absolutely awful tonight.

6. How big of a force is Hal Gill? No surprise that Sid scores his first goal of the series with Gill scratched. Not taking anything away from Josh Gorges, but he looked a little lost without Gill.

7. Someone please tell Brian Engblom to get a fuckin haircut.

Game 7 Wednesday...it's do or die time. I'll be cheering the Pens on from Section F15...now I just need to switch shifts with someone at work...or call off...

Habs 3, Pens 1

A little late with this one, sorry. I tried to watch the replay of the game on NHL Network at 4 am and I pussed out and had to record it to watch in the morning. Key notes from this game:

1.The Pens didn't lose for lack of trying. Halak was just on top of his game. To be honest, I was a little surprised that Jacques Martin didn't start Price in order to give Halak a rest. That said, the man was unstoppable.

2.Welcome back Max Talbot! He has just gotten consistently better as the playoffs have gone on. Maybe the playoffs are the only time he gets superstar treatment.



3.His name is Pascal Dupuis, not "Pasquel Dupuis". Get it right or pay the price.

4.Brian Gionta is a fast little bastard.

5.Josh Gorges and Hal Gill are a very good defensive team. Sid needs to find a way to get around these guys. He was limited to one shot on goal the whole game.

6.Pierre McGuire still creeps me out.