Game 7

Can you handle a game 7? We're going to try.

Sorry we haven't been around. We were out of town. We'll be back later today. We'll have some pictures for those of you who, for whatever reason, are like us and don't spend your days in Pittsburgh. Or those of you who had to leave and miss it. Or those of you who have never even been to Pittsburgh but feel tied to it because of a sports team. We tried our best to showcase some of the best of the 'Burgh and of course that includes the Pens. (We just missed Sidney Crosby! Details later)

Game preview

Yinz Luv 'Da Guins:

Go Pens!

Pens win Game 4, Tie series at 2

Wooooooo! We hope we get to start two more posts like that because we have a series. The Pens once again played strong and beat the Caps 5-3 to tie the series at 2-2. Things didn't look good less than a minute into the series when Fleury let in a pretty soft goal and just like that the Caps were up 1-0. The Pens wouldn't stay down for long though and on a power play, Gonchar shot a slapper from the blue line to tie it up at 1. From there on out the Pens played pretty damn well, including holding Alexander Ovechkin to only two shots. When has that ever happened? The Pens would end up getting five goals from five different players including Bill Guerin and Max Talbot.

Short recap from us and probably like that for the next game or two. Gotta get some sleep for a busy couple of days.

Game recap

Aftermath: Penguins 5, Capitals 3

- Have the Pens figured out Varlamov? His coach thought four of his five goals were questionably soft. This is the first game in the post-season he's allowed more than three goals. With a game tonight less than 24 hours after last night's, we're hoping they have or that fatigue will be an issue. Time to steal a game on Washington ice.

- Alexander Ovechkin's knee to knee hit on Sergei Gonchar was obviously a topic of discussion. Ovie isn't exactly an angel on the ice and has been known to take runs at people. Was this one of those times? He's friends with Gonchar so you could argue it was an accident based on that but to us that's not enough to say Ovie wouldn't do it. It sure looked like he stuck his leg out to us and at the very least it should have been a knee on knee penalty. Instead he gets a tripping penalty. What a joke. The league will review it and decide if any action should be taken. He better at least get fined for that. We highly doubt they'll suspend him only for the fact that he's AO, which is sad.

- Gonchar's loss will be felt but the Pens can still win without him. Someone has to step up. The Pens have the momentum going into Washington and they need to keep it that way. Hopefully the injury isn't as bad as it seems.

- The Pens getting goals from five different players is extremely promising. They were having trouble getting scoring from anyone not named Crosby. The whole team needs to contribute in order for them to be successful. We now need Kunitz to get a goal.

- What is it with Max Talbot and big goals? He sure knows when to score them. He's not who you think of to get you a big goal but he sure can come through for you. He had a couple of chances before he scored the Pens' fifth goal to put the game away and he said Geno shook his head at him. We think Geno forgave him after that goal.

- The Pens holding Ovie to only two shots is pretty amazing. That doesn't happen very often.

The Pens need to ride the momentum into Washington for Game 5 and keep getting to net and throw as many shots at Varlamov as possible. Taking the game in Washington could be the end of this series and the chance for the Pens to clinch at home.

Game preview

Go Pens!

 

Pens make series 2-1

(Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)

Wooooooo! What a game. The Pens by far outplayed the Caps but once again, Varlamov kept them in it. How many chances were the Pens going to miss out on? So frustrating! It was nice to see them dominating play, but at the end of the day all that matters is the score. Thank goodness Kris Letang scored the goal in OT. We don't know how much more we could take. Our hearts were pounding out of our chests. The Pens just did not deserve to lose that game. Especially when the Caps' first goal was what it was. Eh, we don't even want to talk about it.

But we kinda will anyway. To start the game, less than two minutes in, the puck took a weird bounce off the boards behind Marc-Andre Fleury and came out right to Ovie. 1-0 just like that. What a mood killer. Right away it seemed like it might not be the Pens night once again.

Later in the first the Pens started putting the heat on Varlamov and steadily taking over the game. Crosby had a nice chance at the end of the period but then some idiot got scared and decided to dislodge the net on purpose by pushing it. Uh, hello?! The Pens would get a power play and this is where we started writing CHANCES! AHHH! in our notes and that would continue throughout the night.

The power play transferred into the second period and the Pens had some good chances but they just couldn't get one behind Varlamov. But with 10:31 left in the second period, the Pens would finally get a goal. Talbot created a nice chance and passed the puck to Feds on a 2-on-1. Feds tried to pass the puck to Talbot but a defenseman blocked that with his stick. The puck bounced off his stick and right to Feds who put it behind Varlamov. Talbot and Letang with the assists. The Pens would get a couple more power plays but would fail to score.

The Pens had another power play that carried over into the third but they would fail to capitalize once again. Although they were still putting the pressure on Varlamov. We would once again be writing CHANCES! AHHH! The Pens got a power play with 5:50 left in the third and guess would step up? GENO! He was doing things all night but none better than his power play goal. Crosby and Gonchar got the assists but Bill Guerin deserved one for screening Varlamov on that shot. Pens up 2-1 and all they have to do is play smart and keep the Caps off the board. Not so fast. Versus announcers made us believe the Pens were getting yet another power play, which was awesome because with 2:28 left, that would just about run down the clock. Here's the not so fast part, Backstrom would bounce a puck off of Fleury's pad and into the goal. Tie game. Ah crap.

Overtime is where you start to hold your breath. Sudden death. Next goal wins. The Pens would get a power play early on in the first overtime period because of a delay of game. Once again, they had CHANCES! but nothing was going in. By now we're freaking out. We can't handle all this. Way too nerve wracking. With 8:37 left in the first overtime period, Kris Letang would hit a slapper that would bounce off a Caps defensemen and behind Varlamov. Game. Wooooooo!

Game recap

Aftermath: Penguins 3, Capitals 2 OT

- The Pens out-shot the Caps 42-23. Hard to believe the game was as close as it was with stats like that. Maybe the Pens are starting to get to Varlamov. With that many shots, game after game, they should.

- Kris Letang didn't look good all night. Every time he got the puck he was fumbling with it, fanning on shots, and not handling passes. And then he comes up with the game winner. Amazing. We forgive whatever he did the rest of the game.

- The Pens truly outplayed the Caps. They were dominate all over the ice. This game should have been a blowout, but their goalie kept them in it. Hopefully the Pens can keep getting a lot of shots on him and maybe he'll break.

- Geno had an amazing game. We don't think he's been horrible like some other people, but he obviously was tired of hearing that he sucked because he sure stepped up. Mom and Dad Malkin sure were happy for their son. And Malkin owning Ovie during the game: priceless.

- Speaking of Ovie, this video is a must watch. We're sure there's better video but for now this is what we have. Ovie complaining during his press conference and acting like a big, whiny baby. Pathetic. Have you ever seen Sidney Crosby act like that? No. Get over it Ovie, you were outplayed. Which also brings to light that he was pretty quiet last night. Rob Scuderi did a good job defending him.

- Brooks Orpik sending Ovie flying?! AWESOME! Ovie goes for the hit and Orpik shows him who's boss. Not much better than that.

- Max Talbot brought some life to Geno's line. We liked it.

- What a nerve-wracking game. But we'll take those the rest of the series if it means the Pens win.

Last night's game was really promising. The Pens dominated even if the score doesn't make it seem like it. If the Pens can keep getting a lot of shots on Varlamov, a couple are bound to go in. If the Pens only put a couple of those chances behind him, this game would have been over. The momentum has shifted and the Pens need to keep it on their side.

Penguins Notebook

Post-Gazette coverage

Go Pens!

And Remember:

We have some Versus hockey stuff to give away! We'll randomly select a few winners to receive a Versus hockey merchandise pack. If you're interested in entering please send us an e-mail at faceoffsandfirstdowns @ gmail.com with GIVEAWAY as the subject. Please include your full name and address where it can be sent. We'll pick the winners Wednesday at NOON so please send your e-mail before then. Thanks!

EDIT: We will take entries until THURSDAY at NOON. Also, if you don't want to send your full address to enter, send us an e-mail and if you are chosen we will contact you to get your address.

Also our 350th post!

Game 3

The Pens are back home for Game 3 in what we consider a must-win. There is no excuse for not stepping up at home in front of a crazy, whiteout crowd against a growing rival. The Pens cannot go down three games to none and it's time to play desperate. Despite their sub par play, they could have won either of the first two games. It's time to wake up, go to the net, and get as many shots as possible on Varlamov. It worked for Crosby, it can work for others. We like the Pens chances if they can do this. Although the defense needs to play better and not allow Ovechkin to be wide open time after time because he will burn you time and time again.

Time to get desperate. Time to step-up. Let's go.

Game preview

Penguins Confident Heading Into Game 3

Today is Black & Gold day, rally outside Mellon Arena, and a whiteout

Penguins Notebook  Kris Letang is questionable for the game although the injury isn't as bad as initially thought

Capitals Notebook  The Caps aren't happy about Chris Kunitz's cross-check on Varlamov in game 2. Kunitz was not suspended but was fined by the league. We do understand why the Caps would be upset, it was pretty blatant, but this coming from a team with a player suspended for just that is a little hypocritical. Ovie also had plenty to say that you can read in the link above and we have to say the same thing. It's not like it's never been said that Ovie takes cheap shots. He threatened revenge. Maybe he'll be too busy head hunting to score. Bring it Ovie.

There is also talk of Ovie's stick having an illegal curve. That may be true and it wouldn't surprise us, but we're not really going to comment on this one. Unless the Pens are going to ask for it to be checked there's no point in even talking about it. If you don't know, a Captain or Alternate has to ask for the stick to be checked. Can you imagine the backlash on Crosby if he asked for Ovie's stick to be measured? If the stick is in fact illegal that player's team will be assessed a minor penalty and be fined $200 and obviously said player cannot use that stick. If the accusing team is wrong, they will get the minor penalty and be fined $100.

The rest of the Post-Gazette's coverage

The crowd in Mellon Arena tonight better be loud and behind their team 100%. It's time to show Washington how hard it can be to play in Pittsburgh. We also hope Mom and Dad Malkin are there to give Geno a boost. If Geno plays well, the Pens have an awesome chance of making this series 2-1 with the next game still in Pittsburgh. Who knows what happens then.

Go Pens!

P.S. We've been watching hockey all night between Versus and NHL Network. We are now the proud owners of both channels. Ah, it's wonderful. Go Ducks.

Remember:

We have some Versus hockey stuff to give away! We'll randomly select a few winners to receive a Versus hockey merchandise pack. If you're interested in entering please send us an e-mail at faceoffsandfirstdowns @ gmail.com with GIVEAWAY as the subject. Please include your full name and address where it can be sent. We'll pick the winners Wednesday at NOON so please send your e-mail before then. Thanks!

EDIT: We will take entries until THURSDAY at NOON. Also, if you don't want to send your full address to enter, send us an e-mail and if you are chosen we will contact you to get your address.

Caps take 2-0 series lead

(AP)

Feel free to caption that how you wish, the possibilities are endless.

This is isn't exactly what we had in mind for game two of this series. We truly felt the Pens were the better team and would take game two to even up the series heading back to Pittsburgh. Not what happened unfortunately.

The Pens once again were up on the scoreboard first with a goal from none other than Sidney Crosby. And on the power play! Wow! The first goal is huge. You feel good. The captain came through once again. The Pens were flying. Things were looking good. Fleury made some nice saves, the Pens had some nice chances. One goal went in and the Pens were heading into the locker room with a 1-0 lead after the first period.

It wouldn't take long for everyone's favorite shooter to tie up the score. Where did the Ovie go who was playing horribly sloppy in the first? Or the one that wasn't really showing up for the playoffs? We were allowed to hope he wasn't going to show up. With a little less than half the period left to play, guess who, would put the Pens up once again 2-1. Someone named Crosby definitely showed up. But before you could really relax (who are we kidding, you weren't going to relax) the Caps would tie the score at 2 with a goal by Steckle.

About halfway through the third period we were wondering if this was going to head into overtime, where things obviously become a lot more nerve wracking. But then Ovie decided to break that tie with a little over seven minutes left in the game on a Caps power play. Four seconds into a Caps power play. Yeah, that hurts. But wait! Ovie wasn't done burning the Pens just yet, he decided to add another goal with just over four and half minutes left for a hat trick to make the score 4-2. After what seemed like an eternity waiting for all the hats to be picked up, we watched the Pens give a admirable attempt at scoring two goals with about four minutes left. With 30.4 seconds left, Sid would score his third goal for a hat trick in which one hat was thrown to the ice. Thank you Crosby fan, you made our night a little better. The Pens would fail to score another goal to tie the game before time ran out. Caps win 4-3, lead the series 2-0.

Game recap

Aftermath: Capitals 4, Penguins 3

Pens lose to Caps 4-3

Penguins Notebook

Crosby's play still gives Penguins a chance

- Ovie looked crappy early on. He looked lost and fanned on shots, missed passes. What happened? The Pens need to do the same thing and wake up.

- Is Ovie's hair red? On Versus someone mentioned his new dye job and we were confused. Then we saw his interview after the game and it looked red. No, it was red. Like the lady that used to live across the street from us red. Not that that helps you any. Sorry.

- Did Sidney Crosby come to play or what? His teammates need to follow his example because all of those goals he scored were right on the doorstep. What is there not to understand about that? Get bodies to the net! Get pucks to the net! If even one or two of his teammates would do something, the Pens wouldn't be down 2-0.

- Where is Malkin? We saw him get a nice takeaway and hit Ovie once and then he took a stupid penalty that led to a Caps goal. We're not going to be too hard on him because let's face it, if his name wasn't Malkin, people wouldn't be throwing him under the bus. We know, he's the leading scorer in the league and MVP candidate and this is the worst time for him to not show up, but everyone has a bad game or two. We don't see anyone else stepping up.

- Is Varlamov really that good? Or are the Pens doing their best to miss the net? The kid is obviously good or no matter how hard the Pens tried to suck, they'd have buried more pucks into his net. But is he as good as he looks? We're not ready to say yes or no yet.

- People love to throw Fleury under the bus and say he sucks because Varlamov is "outplaying" him. We don't know. Both have made awesome saves, several last night, but the Pens being down 2-0 is not Fleury's fault. Especially last night when you leave Ovie wide open. Seriously, someone cover him. Please. And yes, we'll even praise Ovie here, he probably has the best shot in the league. Cover him!

- Fleury's bouncing the puck off of his stick a couple times before catching it with his glove after a shot was so cool to us. Maybe because we're uncoordinated. 

- Did the better team really win these first two games? We aren't ready to say yes. People are throwing the Pens under the bus, you'll see more about that below, but what are the Caps really doing? No, the Pens did not play their best hockey by any means, especially when you have one person doing all of your scoring, but what can you say about the Caps? Good goaltending and Ovie. Woo hoo. We truly believe both of these first two games would have been the Pens' if someone other than Crosby had stepped up. The Caps last night had Ovie and one person step up to score and that is what made the difference. If the rest of the Pens can't see that we don't know what to say.

- Did anyone like Ovie's Oscar winning performance last night? What a way to buy a call. Terrible. Sidney has the diving reputation but Ovie pulls BS like that? We think you've got the wrong guy. And Doc's quote on that play was awesome, something along the lines of: even though the sign says no salesmen, sometimes the doorbell rings anyway. Nice.

We're like a lot of other people who read comments and whatnot on the internet. The overall feeling we got was 99% negative. Now are we happy that the Pens are down two games to none? No, obviously not. But this is a best of SEVEN series and there's a lot of hockey left to be played. This is no time to give up on the Pens, no one said this series was going to easy. The power play has been bad, yes. Last night's defense on Ovie was bad. Did they play 60 minutes? No, probably not. But did they get blown out? No. Were the Caps all that great? No. Both teams had one player who showed up, the two superstars, Sid and Ovie. Who else would you have thought? If Sid continues to play the way he's been playing, the Pens still have a chance at this series. If he can get someone to join him in his fight, Malkin maybe, we like their chances of winning this series. Yeah, you heard us right. We're not throwing everyone under the bus and freaking out. Being down two games sucks, but it is by no means the end of the series. How many times have we watched the Pens battle back? Does the end of the season, you know the push to even make the playoffs at all, ring a bell? We're going back to Pittsburgh and anything can happen at home. A couple of guys wake-up and step-up and things could be heading in the other direction. The Pens need us more than ever, so let's do this thing.

And remember:

We have some Versus hockey stuff to give away! We'll randomly select a few winners to receive a Versus hockey merchandise pack. If you're interested in entering please send us an e-mail at faceoffsandfirstdowns @ gmail.com with GIVEAWAY as the subject. Please include your full name and address where it can be sent. We'll pick the winners Wednesday at NOON so please send your e-mail before then. Thanks!

Go Pens!

Caps take game 1

The Pens were a bit rusty today, but overall we can't complain TOO much because even saying that, they could have won this game. The most frustrating thing to us was missing open nets. Varlamov's save on Crosby's open net chance was ridiculous but that wasn't the only chance the Pens had. Like we said, a bit rusty, and luck not really on their side.

The other frustration is obviously the power play. How long have we been talking about this? Forever? Maybe longer. We have no idea how to fix it other than please shoot the puck a bit more because getting pucks to the goal helps. Sometimes you feel like they forget that. That is one of the only times we feel the need to yell SHOOT! at the TV. Heck, we could shoot the puck and it could turn into something for heaven's sakes so please, get the puck to the net!

Overall it was pretty entertaining hockey. Both teams had their issues but the Caps were able to capitalize once more than the Pens could. Takeaways were an issue for both teams at some point in the game and the Pens need to remedy theirs and take advantage of the Caps'. The defense for the Pens wasn't exactly stellar either. Those goals were not all Fleury's fault. And someone please get more shots on Varlamov, he's a rookie, let's not make him look like a seasoned veteran or give him any confidence.

Dropping game one is not the end of the world, especially one the road, but coming back to win game two would be huge. Teams generally hope for a split on the road and the Pens can do just that before heading home for games three and four. Maybe they will fix the power play by then...

- How huge was Crosby's goal? And who says he can't score goals? Awesome.

- Ovie seemed fairly calm yesterday. Is he actually hurt?

- Geno wasn't standing out yesterday but he did make some good plays. We expect him to get back into the scoring sooner rather than later though.

- How crazy is it Mark Eaton has three goals in the playoffs? Awesome. Now certain wingers need to step up and do their part.

- Are we alone in hating that whole stupid horn thing in the Caps' arena? *crappy horn* *crappy horn* *crappy horn* Let's go Caps! OMG. We want to personally go there and destroy that thing.

- Are we alone in thinking the crowd kind of sucks? It seems like some cheers and boos are a little off and other than "let's go Caps" and "Fleurrrrrrrryyyyyyyyy" we have no idea what they were saying all day. Maybe we're just crappy listeners but we thought they sucked. Although not to be confused with being loud because yes, they were loud.

- Anyone tired of the Ovechkin, Crosby rivalry talk yet?

Game recap

Aftermath: Capitals 3, Penguins 2

Time to step up and take game two. Go Pens!

Some nice pictures from the game from Off Wing Photo. May be a bit Capitals biased but nice photos nonetheless.

Yinz Luv 'Da Guins - Game 1, Round 2:

And just for the heck of it, this awesome commercial. We miss it.

That Versus info, including info on a Tweet-Up in Pittsburgh, and info on a giveaway later. We spent way too much time talking to the satellite people yesterday/this morning. Time for sleep.

Go Pens!

Pens vs. Caps - Game 1

(UPI.com)

We've thought about what to say about this first game and this series and it's kind of like the Flyers series. Too much to say. You've got rivalries, the best players in the game, wild fans, and much more than we have time to list. At the end of the day though, we think everyone can agree that this is going to be one entertaining series. You're definitely not getting a break from the action with this one, it looks to be just as physical as the last series. You better buckle up because this series is going to take you for one heck of a ride.

Game preview

For the Pens to win this series we, along with everyone else, think their power play needs to improve. That obviously isn't much of a brilliant statement considering how bad it's been for some time now. Drawing penalties is great, if you can capitalize on them. Capitalize against the Capitals. Ha-ha. That sounds like a Bob Errey key to the game. But seriously, the Pens need to step it up on the power play and get as many pucks to the net as possible on the Caps rookie goalie.

The Pens defense obviously needs to be good against players like Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin. You cannot give these guys room to work and being physical can't hurt either. You know the Caps' game plan includes being physical, especially against Malkin and Crosby. It's the Pens job to be physical right back, especially on Ovechkin because we all know he's going to be physical.

The Pens also need to get a lot of shots on goal against the Caps rookie goalie, Varlamov. He hasn't seen the likes of an offense like the Pens. He may see Alexander Ovechkin in practice, but he hasn't seen Crosby or Malkin in a big game. If the Pens can exploit Varlamov, well, you know what happens. And knowing that his back-up is Theodore, it doesn't get much better.

Links to get you to game time:

Why the Penguins Can Win the Cup

Capitals vs. Penguins Series Storylines

Penguins Focused; Try to Ignore Distractions

Crosby Looking to Keep His Focus

Penguins Notebook: Getting tickets tough call now  We find this pretty disgusting. The Caps are so desperate to keep Pens fans out of the Verizon Center that even if you live in the D.C. area, if you have a purchasing history of Pens games, they won't sell you tickets per the request of owner Ted Leonsis. We get that you want your team to be supported and we get that Pens fans used to be in large numbers there, but this is ridiculous. Obviously it must be their right to do this but we find it pretty pathetic.

Round 2 Scouting Report

Capitals Locker Room

Malkin still doesn't like popcorn  Geno is hoping the fans in Washington are better than the popcorn dumping ones in Philly. We wouldn't hold our breath on that one, but if the security and other measures they took after the Rangers incident are still in place, Geno might be in luck. And as for the popcorn, is it really worth the five bucks to dump it on the other team's head? Dumb question, we know.

That's it from us for now, we're going to get some sleep before the game. It is on NBC, although we're hoping for no Pierre because Darren Pang was so much better. After this the games are on Versus and FSN. Speaking of Versus, we have some info coming up on their upcoming coverage. As well as a giveaway. Hint, hint. Stay tuned.

Go Pens!

P.S. We surely hope Caps fans don't let us down and that they make sure to tell Sidney Crosby that he sucks. We can't wait for your clever slogans on your signs and t-shirts. We can't wait for your chants. We like a mad and determined Sidney Crosby. So please Caps fans, don't let us down.