Pens lose Scuds, DVD release and signings

Of no real surprise, the Pens have lost Rob Scuderi to the Los Angeles Kings. He has agreed to a four-year deal worth an average of $3.4 million per year. We can't really blame him for going for the money, he is 30 years old and this is his big payday, but we hate to see him go. The LA Kings aren't exactly too exciting either. We wish him the best out in sunny California.

Pretty slow day today for the Pens, although we're sure it wasn't exactly quiet behind the scenes. The Pens are thought to still be trying to sign Ruslan Fedotenko but sources seem to think he won't be staying with the Pens. The Pens are probably also looking for a defenseman now that they have lost both Gill and Scuderi. They are also reportedly still talking to Petr Sykora. Should be interesting to see who is playing with Geno next season.

On Tuesday July 7th the official Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup Champions DVD will be in stores. This is a must own for all Pens fans so you can relive winning the Cup over and over again. The DVD includes a look back to the regular season all the way through to their Cup win. The DVD also includes exclusive player interviews and highlights from the victory parade. The suggested retail price of the DVD is $24.98.

Also on Tuesday, Kris Letang and Tyler Kennedy will be signing copies of the DVD in the Pittsburgh area. You must purchase a copy of the DVD to receive your autograph. Kris Letang will be at Donaldsons Crossroads Giant Eagle and Tyler Kennedy will be at Dick's Sporting Goods at the Mall at Robinson. Details for each:

Kris Letang
Donaldsons Crossroads Giant Eagle
4007 Washington Road
McMurray, PA 15317-2520
Signing will take place from 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Tyler Kennedy
Dick’s Sporting Goods
The Mall at Robinson
5000 Robinson Centre Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15205
Signing will take place from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

If you're able to go to one of these locations (or both!) enjoy!

Pens sign new face, lose Gill and Garon

(Post-Gazette)

Not too much going on for the Pens on the first day of free agency, but they do have a new face. The Pens signed former Devils forward Mike Rupp who once played for the Erie Otters. He signed a two-year deal worth $800,000 next season and $850,000 in 2010-11. He's a physical player who isn't afraid to drop the gloves, as shown in the picture above. He's even taken up boxing lessons in the offseason to improve his skills.

We find this signing a little surprising but the cap hit isn't bad and we trust Ray Shero knows what he's doing.

The Pens lost a couple of faces yesterday as well. Hal Gill signed with the Montreal Canadiens for two years, $4.5 million. Mathieu Garon signed a two-year deal with Columbus averaging $1.2 million.

These aren't surprising losses, although we'll miss Hal Gill, he was a good player and a good guy. Hopefully now the Pens can find a way to keep Scuderi who still says he will give the Pens the last chance at an offer.

See you tomorrow. Go Pens!

One more game

(Getty)

Pens win 2-1 to force a game 7 back in Detroit for the Stanley Cup. One more game. Friday can't come soon enough.

Wow, what a game. We're sure we weren't the only ones with our hearts pounding, sitting on the edge of our seats. This game was obviously huge for both teams, but especially the Pens. Marc-Andre Fleury needed to play a spectacular game and he did. His defense also helped him out by blocking a lot of shots and Rob Scuderi even decided to play goalie with just seconds on the clock with Detroit knocking on the door. And no, he didn't use his hand to cover the puck.

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were held scoreless, which means the Pens needed secondary scoring. And they got it. The third line last night was great, even scoring both of the Pens' goals. Jordan Staal scored first early on in the second period, while Tyler Kennedy scored the game-winner a little over five minutes into the third period. Kennedy also had an assist on the Staal goal for a great night.

One more game. A winner takes all game 7 for the Stanley Cup. Wow. Who would have thought after all the Pens went through? It's time to raise the Cup on their ice this time. If they play anything like they did last night, dominate most of the time, they have a great chance of doing just that.

Game recap

Aftermath: Penguins 2, Red Wings 1

Penguins coverage at the Post-Gazette

- Fleury was the first star of the game and deservedly so. What a game after such a disappointment in game 5. We didn't think that was all his fault at all, but getting five goals scored against you isn't exactly a good time. That save with less than two minutes left in the period on Cleary on a breakaway was huge. Who knows what would have happened had this game been tied.

- The Pens came out with the win and that's all that matters but what frustration when it comes to all the chances! After the first period we were in disbelief that none of those chances went in. They were dominating all the way around but had nothing to show for it at the end of one. Obviously it didn't get them down because sooner rather than later they got that first goal. They're going to need to play just like that in Detroit if they want to win the Stanley Cup on Friday night.

- The third line was spectacular. They were doing everything last night. Tyler Kennedy and Jordan Staal more than deserved what they got. Staal was great both offensively and defensively and TK was working hard. A third line like that is exactly what the Pens need, especially when you're top two aren't able to cash-in.

- Rob Scuderi is absolutely insane. What a beast. He was blocking shots, playing goalie, and just playing an all around awesome defensive game. He was a plus 2 with four blocked shots and a couple of saves in the crease. He cleared at least two pucks from the crease earlier in the game off of rebounds and then his three or four saves in the last seconds of the game were just insane. He was obviously giving 110% out there and that makes us feel good going into game 7.

- We have to say it. The announcers, especially Pierre McGuire, are horrible. It was a Detroit love fest all night, especially Chris Osgood. OMG, he's so amazing! Yeah, okay. But the worst of the night in our opinion was the talk of Rob Scuderi covering the puck with his hand in the final seconds. OMG because we haven't seen that before in this series! WTF?! Give Zetterberg a pass and criticize Scuds up and down for it. And the best part was that he didn't even touch it with his hand! Even after they showed it from above and it was obvious he never touched it, they were still like "oh, I don't know!" Are you blind? Ridiculous. NBC definitely sucks.

- The crowd seemed nice and loud last night all game. Exactly what the Pens needed. The Fleury chant before the game was extra awesome in our opinion. We're sure Fleury felt a little taller hearing that. Nice to see the entire city of Pittsburgh isn't on the Fleury bashing bandwagon.

- We also have to give credit to Brooks Orpik for a nice game with six blocked shots and obviously a ton of hits. Petr Sykora also deserves mention for getting in there and blocking a shot early. He might not have played much or had a huge impact on the game, but it's nice to see he's willing to do whatever he can for the team.

Friday really can't get here soon enough.

Go Pens!

Crosby gets the last laugh, Pens advance

(AP)

Wooooooooooo! All is well for Pens fans as Sidney Crosby gets the last laugh in Philadelphia once again and scores two goals to lead the Pens to a 5-3 victory to clinch the series. What a game. After being down 3-0 we really thought this was going to a game seven for sure. Yeah, there was a lot of time left but the Pens hadn't been playing too well the last couple games. But wow, they played great the rest of the game and scored four unanswered goals to win it, and then Crosby's empty netter to seal the deal.

The first period the Pens had some good chances and were playing well. And then we saw a turnover in front of the net for a good slapshot chance by the Flyers that thankfully didn't go in, but all we were thinking is here we go. And then it happened again, Max Talbot turned the puck over in his own end and it led to goal. We felt the Pens needed to get the first goal to win this game in Philly and we'll be honest, we got pissed and left the room. Although it was for good reason, our cat needed his medicine! We get the medicine and come back in the room to give it to him and the Flyers score again. If anyone was near our house they probably heard screams. The cat probably didn't like it either. End of period.

The second period would be a big one, although you wouldn't know how big at the beginning. The Pens had a power play but wouldn't get a goal, big surprise there. Then the Flyers get a power play and score, 3-0. Ugh. But then the entire game would change in the matter of a minute or two. Max Talbot, black eye and all, fought Carcillo. Talbot may not have won that fight, but good for him to try to get his team going. Carcillo tries to rile up the crowd while Talbot puts a finger to his lips telling them to shut up. Carcillo really didn't need to do this with his team up 3-0 but obviously he couldn't resist. Maybe he should have...

Right after that fight the Pens get on the board. Malkin was playing like a beast and tries to put in a wrap around on Biron but he holds it out. Fedotenko finds the puck and pokes it under Biron's pad. Pens down by two.

The Flyers decide to push Feds around and a scrum ensues around the net. After the penalties it's 4-on-4 hockey. A couple minutes after the first goal, Mark Eaton scores his second of the playoffs and the Pens are only down by one. Tyler Kennedy took a shot and Biron can't glove it, it goes into the air and Eaton hits it with the shaft of his stick into the goal.

The Pens would have some chances on the power play but nothing going on. The Flyers would get a power play but the Pens kill it. With three minutes left in the period, Sidney Crosby would get the fans to shut up by scoring the game-tying goal. Another goal Biron should have gloved. Game tied.

The Pens had some good chances late, but Biron would keep those out. The Flyers fans couldn't even get themselves to chant Crosby sucks after that goal. Who would have thought they would turn down a chance to do that?

A couple minutes into the third period, Malkin and Gonchar would team up. Malkin left a drop pass for Gonchar who would blast a slapshot past Biron. Wow, four unanswered goals and the Pens are leading 4-3.

Now it's time to hold your breath and hope the Pens can stay out of the box and play good defense to preserve the lead. There was a lot of up and down hockey, but in the end, the Pens were too much for the Flyers and Sidney Crosby would score an empty net goal with 27.4 second left in the game to seal the win. What a way to score one too, his first attempt is defended and goes off the side of the net but he collects the puck and turns to the other side to put it in. Whew. What a game.

(AP)

- The Pens really responded after being down by three goals. They played well and didn't make many mistakes. Four unanswered goals to win it?! And an empty netter?! Wow.

- Everything is just as it should be in Philly. They chant Crosby's sucks all game and guess who gets the last laugh? Sidney Crosby. Did they really think it would be any different this time?

- Sid and Geno had monster games, which is exactly what the Pens needed. And then to get goals from Eaton and Gonchar is awesome. The Pens third line had another good game. They may not have gotten on the board but they continue to be great at puck possession.

- We weren't the only ones that thought Rob Scuderi had a great game, were we? He blocked a shot and then was playing with really only one arm but continued to attempt to block shots. He also made a huge play in the third period with his stick to save a potential goal.

- NBC was better without Pierre but we still don't like it so...NBC still sucks.

Game recap

Tickets to the first two home games of round two will go on sale on Monday at 10 a.m.

Bring on round two. GO PENS!!!