Mario would have scored by now. Isles 4, Pens 2.

Watching the game on the new HD set was amazing. You really get to see every last detail, and my dad's new sound system really brought the game to life. Usually, I refuse to take the comments of any females seriously while watching hockey games, but tonight my mom chipped in with one of the best that I've heard in a while. "You know, Sidney's the best, but he still doesn't remind me of Mario." After letting her know about the obvious differences between the two, I started thinking. Sidney still doesn't have that Mario-ness about him, that moment where he says he's going to take the puck and go all the way to bury it or set up Robbie Brown for a tap in. In some respects, I feel like Evgeni Malkin exhibits it much more often, especially when the Penguins find themselves down in hockey games.

Moving on, the game wasn't terrible tonight, but the Pens power play was again listless and just isn't clicking like it was early in the season. Putting Staal in front of the net and Letang opposite Gonchar is a step in the right direction, but it's going to take some time to really pay off. However, Michael Therien generally refuses to give lines the time they need to click so we'll probably see a different look Sunday.

One thing the Pens don't do nearly enough, and god forbid I ever say that we could use Michel Ouellet, is go to the net and try to get dirty goals. Crusher did it and so did Staal. That's what the Penguins need more often. Gary Roberts goes to the net and so do the aforementioned players, but the Pens rarely do it enough to make opposing teams wary of it.

Sabourin wasn't terrible tonight, but not spectacular either. His save percentage is around .860 since he's been starting in this stretch, and that's no where near good enough to get this team in the playoffs. The rest of the Pens better start scoring goals to offset the ones they're letting go into their own net.

Sunday. Boston. Do it.


Shameless self plug. Those little black dots are a chart of my goals this season playing for Penn State. If I can figure it out, the Penguins should be able to do so.

O Fleury, where art thou? Rangers 4, Pens 0.

Well at least the game wasn't a complete disaster. The Penguins did successfully prove that they are perhaps the most inconsistent team in the NHL. Other than that, pure misery.

I know the title looks like it's putting the blame on Sabu, which is partially unfair because the Pens only had 5 shots through 2 periods. But quite honestly, when you play hockey and you see a goal go in the net without your goaltender having any clue where the puck is (See Gomez, Scott goal 1) it can really suck the life right out of you. Couple that with the Straka goal where Sabu was sliding into the corner. Even if Straka didn't tip it he doesn't have a chance because he wasn't even defending the goal. Add those two real strong plays he made on pucks in his crease and you have a 4 goal deficit in addition to a devastated team.

WOW.

Ray Shero should have found an established NHL goalie to back up Fleury. F Michel Therien and his outlandish statements about Sabu being a number 1 goalie in the past. He's a career minor leaguer and it's really showing. God forbid Ty Conklin have to play on this stretch. The Pens better start bringing it every night or the playoffs will be the farthest thing from their minds come April.

Maybe that flu bug is really affecting more players than the Pens let on. Either way, the effort tonight was pathetic. Crosby missed another clear breakaway and the power play looked horrendous. Whitney had two clear cut chances to one time shots on goal, but he's left handed so he bushed it. Where's Letang? Oh yeah, sitting on the bench wondering how he can be a 20 year old rookie who's playing the most physical and inspired hockey on a team full of young guns and veteran talent. Wake up, MT.

Hockey is a sport that requires chemistry and having a feel for your linemates. That being said, Jay Caufield pointed out that Sidney Crosby is the best player in the league and hasn't had a consistent set of linemates in 3 years. This goes from the GM all the way to the coach. Kennedy gets a shot for about 2 and a half periods then gets taken off the line. And dressing 11 forwards tonight was useless. Adam Hall sucks. Rutuu doesn't get to play and Laraque is largely useless unless he has to fight or hold the puck behind the other team's net for 2 minutes straight.

Put someone in front of the net on the powerplay who's willing to take a hit and pay the price to tap home a rebound. Figure out how the lines are going to set up and establish them and stick to them. Use Malkin and Crosby as much as possible. No one else contributes so why continue to play them the same amount of time as our 2 stars. My take on the lines when everyone is healthy.

Malone-Crosby-Kennedy
Talbot-Malkin-Sykora
Roberts-Staal-Armstrong
Rutuu-Talbot-Hall/Laraque/7th D

Gonchar-Eaton
Whitney-Orpik
Sydor/Scuderi/Letang.

FLEURY
Backup-Crosby
Wheeling goalies:Sabu, Conklin

See you in Beantown. Hopefully the Pens show up as well.

They don't ask how, just how many. Pens 3, Isles 2.

The Pens came out flying tonight. This is the kind of reaction you expected Thursday night vs the Sens. Although the goals didn't come that night, they did tonight. Dipietro overplays the puck sometimes and the speed of Sid and Kennedy made him pay on this occasion. Kennedy should stay on the first line with Sid while Colby grinds it out with Gary and Staal on the third line. Malone's grinding and Kennedy's speed complement 87 perfectly.

The second period collapse wasn't unexpected, but you just have to think that the Pens can't keep doing this all season and continue to get away with it. 2 goal leads are always said to be the "worst kind of lead to have," but the Pens need to find that 3rd goal somehow. Either way, they responded well and Kennedy buried the game winner later in the 2nd. Staal made a huge play and had a monster game in general. He's playing well and even though the goals aren't coming, they will if he keeps getting the chances he did tonight and Thursday.

Connor James got his first shot in a Pens uni and performed well. He didn't play a ton but you can't expect Therien to throw him into the fire on his first night. He did enough to merit another game or two and really showed some glimpses of what he's been doing in WBS.

Gary Roberts had another huge game. He's refusing to take crap from anyone, and he put on another ass kicking display tonight. This is the kind of veteran leadership the Pens looked for when they signed him and Recchi in the offseason. He's making big plays in the offensive zone and you have to think he'll be finding the back of the net very soon. He fought (stomped ass) again and the younger guys are definitely looking at him as a prime example of how to handle yourself on the rink.

Chris Simon is a joke. He should be tossed out of the NHL. There's no room for his actions last season, and when you couple that with what he did to Jarkko tonight, you have to to think that the NHL doesn't need players like him on the ice. Jarkko did exactly what he should have, jobbed around and coerced the Isles goons into taking a penalty late. Luckily, he didn't suffer a serious injury as a result.

All that being said, that Penguins 5 minute power play was pathetic. When Steve Brown calls you to ask which team is on the power play (jobbing of course), you know the Pens are putting on an awful display. Put the first unit on the ice and let them put a goal or two in. MT played not to lose and almost did. Sid and Geno definitely have the killer instinct, but they weren't allowed to display it. Luckily, we won and there were no major repercussions. Put Letang on the point on the first unit and give Sid and Geno a right handed option when they're bringing the puck out of the corner. No need to have Sydor muckin around out there.

Oh well, we still picked up 2 points. Like the titles says, not how, just how many. And it's 2 for the Guins tonight.

Big win to start off the mini road trip. Let's Go Pens. Jagr and the Rangers Tuesday.

Almost, Ricky.

Get Better Soon Boys. Sens 4, Pens 1.

First things first. Welcome to my new blog. It will basically be a completely biased, partisan view of the Penguins after every game this season. There will be special posts for any other major events that occur. No, I would have had nothing to say about Mark Recchi being picked up by the Thrashers because I believe that he's a washed up, slow, old, locker room cancer of a player who will only keep the Thrashers out of the playoffs.

Overlooked in the mess that has been the Pittsburgh Penguins since their 8-2 trashing in Philly on Tuesday night is the fact that Maxime Talbot will be out for the Penguins for 2-4 weeks. What a blow to this team. Mad Max has arguably been the Pens' most consistent performer behind Crosby and Malkin all season. 7 goals, 4 assists and a plus 4 playing mostly on the 4th line all season. Max just got moved up to the second line in Edmonton where he helped turn the game and possibly road trip around with an amazing diving effort to put a Malkin rebound in. Get better soon, Max.

On to the Ottawa game. Great game by both teams. Steiggy and Errey can say all they want about the Pens owning the game, but if you don't win the game, there's no way you owned the entire game. Sure, the Pens took the game to the Sens for most of the 60 minutes but Gonchar and Sykora take lazy, selfish penalties and Spezza taps in two rebounds. GAME.

Speaking of Penguin injuries, does Marc Andre Fleury save that one timer from the half boards that goes fives hole on Sabourin? I mean, Sabu was in position but his stick wasn't on the ice. It's a great shot from a great player, but got damn Dany. Keep your stick on the ice and the momentum might never shift. On the second goal, he never sees the puck until it's in the back of the net. It's a clear look from the point, you have to at least get some piece of equipment on it. PK can't clear the puck late in the third and it's 3-1. The empty netter was just a formality after Staal couldn't beat Gerber from point blank. Other than that, good game from Sabu. He's going to need to steal some games like Gerber did tonight if the Pens plan on playing in the playoffs this season.

Sidney Crosby failed to bury one of at least 9 shots tonight. Mario buries those chances. No questions asked. If fans want to complain about Malone, Recchi, Staal, Roberts, Gonchar, Whitney or whoever else, whenever the leader and captain gets that many chances, he's got to bury some. Jordan Staal has been having monster games as of late, but he needs to find the back of the net. A lot of people argue that he's going to be a checking center and what not, but if that's the case, why did we use a number 2 overall pick on him. Pick it up, Jordan.

Check out the Pensblog.com for a non-partisan, no opinions, straight facts, amazing recap of every Pens game. Without that site, mine doesn't exist. What a blog.

Speaking of the playoffs, check out some of these sheets I threw together. The first one is the current NHL Standings. The second would be the current NHL standings and projected finishes if the OT Loss didn't count for a point. The third is the projected points and finishing spots for teams based on the current point system.