Malkin nominated for Hart

We have a bunch of random Pens stuff today. We'll start off with the obvious. Geno was officially named a finalist for the Hart trophy yesterday. We doubt this is a surprise to anyone and is obviously well deserved. We may be biased, but we feel he deserves to win it. He played outstanding this season all around, including having the most takeaways in the NHL. Ovie is the obvious favorite for, what we feel, is the media's obsession with his antics and Geno's lack of coverage. Unfair to say the least, but Pittsburgh will always feel Geno deserved the award.

Also on Geno, after not growing a playoff beard last year, he decided he is going to this year "to change a little bit my luck." Way to go Geno!

We've read and heard a lot of people complaining about the back-to-back travel games (Friday and Saturday, May 8th and 9th) during this series and our thought was the same as theirs, unfair. No other series has back to back games like Pens, Caps. We had read before the schedule was released that Mellon Arena had events scheduled during that time that could effect scheduling so we decided to check it out. As the schedule normally goes, it's every other day, so if they play Friday the 8th the next game should be Sunday the 10th and then Tuesday the 12th. Checking the Mellon Arena schedule, Yanni is scheduled to be there the 12th which would interfere with that every other day schedule. Our thoughts are that this is probably why they have to play back-to-back games because the game that would normally be on the 12th is at home and it's a no can do thanks to this guy. Obviously not confirmed, but it makes sense. So if you want to blame it on someone, blame Yanni.

The Pens website has a Pens, Caps series preview available.

We talked about Crosby switching hats towards the end of the season this year when he normally only wears one all year because of his many superstitions. The Pens have an article on how and why this came about. It's a nice story you should check out.

If you haven't checked out the article on Geno's parents yet, you need to read it here.

Pens notebook

Veteran Bill Guerin rejuvenated playing with young Penguins  Nice article on Guerin

Always check Empty Netters for good stuff

Saturday seems so far away. Go Pens!

Pens take 2-0 series lead

(Peter Diana/Post-Gazette)

Woooooooooooooo! What a game last night huh? Just when you think the Flyers might have gotten a win, the Pens fight back and win 3-2 in overtime. This was a great game to watch with tons of action with not a lot of stoppages. The Flyers obviously listened to their coach about being more disciplined, well at least until the end of the game, because there were no where near the amount of penalties as in game 1.

The Pens came out flying to start the game and got plenty of good chances in the Flyers' zone. They were swarming and it just felt like it was only a matter of time before they buried one in the back of the net. The game went over seven minutes without a whistle, which was plenty entertaining and all Penguins. Malkin would hit a post and there were hits all over the ice. It seemed like every Pens player on the ice were making big hits, one after the other. Who said the Pens can't be physical? The Pens had a power play but wouldn't cash in. Not long after that, the Flyers got a power play and it wouldn't take long before Scott Hartnell would deflect a shot behind Fleury, Pens down 0-1. Of all people to score. Hartnell would then pull something else on the ice. Sykora had a nice chance and Hartnell couldn't get back to defend so he threw his stick at Sykora to impede his shot. No call. WTF?! How could you not see that? One of several bad non-calls last night. Before the period was over, Marc-Andre Fleury would show why he's so important. He made two huge saves in a span of a few seconds. It's nice to have a good goalie, isn't it?

In the second period the play wasn't quite as fast, but the Pens had some chances early. You know the types, the ones that make you go AHHHHHH! The ones that just don't go in. Frustrating. Fleury would make a few more nice saves and there would be some 4-on-4 hockey before Bill Guerin would put one home to tie the game. Yeah! Dan Bylsma had just put Crosby and Malkin out on the ice together and they would each get an assist on Guerin's goal. Score is tied 1-1 after the second.

Just a few minutes into the third some guy named Powe would get a goal for the Flyers to put them up 2-1. We don't even remember ever hearing this guy's name and then after that goal, we heard it all night. We swear he was on the ice the entire rest of the game. With a little more than eight minutes left in the game, Marc-Andre Fleury would make a toe save that would rival his amazing save in game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals last year. Amazing. What do those people who think Fleury sucks have to say about that one? Nothing? Didn't think so. He gave a little jump after the save and was grinning ear to ear. Nice save Flower. Instead of that sure goal for Carter to put the Flyers up 3-1 and probably give them the win, the game was still in reach.

(Peter Diana/Post-Gazette)

Turns out that save would mean something. At 4:04 left in the game the Pens would get a power play. Now was the time to tie the game, the power play had to be clicking on all cylinders. And then it came. A pretty amazing goal considering what happened. Kris Letang took a slap shot that seemed to hit more than one person on it's way into the net. The last person it hit was Evgeni Malkin who got the goal to tie the game at 2.

(Peter Diana/Post-Gazette)

(Peter Diana/Post-Gazette)

The Pens were flying after that and obviously wanted to end this game in regulation. But it wouldn't happen, the game was destined for overtime. And now, it's play until someone wins, no matter how long or how many overtimes it takes. Hold on. This is when you find yourself holding your breathe and feel your heart skip a beat every time a puck goes near the net. There was quite a bit of that on both ends of the ice. With 4:34 left in the first OT period, the Pens would take a penalty. On that penalty kill the Pens would take the puck down ice shorthanded and Biron would come out to challenge. There's an empty net and AHHHHHHHH! the Pens couldn't put it home. Biron ended up out at the blue line. WTF?! We didn't get to see that unfortunately but all we have to say is WTF?!

With 3:02 left in the OT the Flyers would take a penalty to create a short 4-on-4 before the Flyers would take another penalty at 2:35 to give the Pens 1:29 of 5-on-3 play. Thank you Flyers! With 1:31 left in the OT, Bill Guerin would squeeze a puck in between the post and Biron's blocker for the win. How exactly did he do that? He sized things up and what a perfect shot to make it through. Pens win 3-2!

Game recap

Aftermath: Penguins 3, Flyers 2 OT

- What was up with the Refs tonight? The game definitely was not called as tight as game 1 was and there were a lot of missed penalties we thought. We know, can't blame anything on the Refs and we're not, but it is a little ridiculous.

- The Pens were hitting anything that moved last night, especially early in the game. If the Flyers want to play a physical game, the Pens will play a physical game. And win.

- All we kept thinking later in the game was that Marc-Andre Fleury did not deserve to lose. He was playing great and made a highlight reel's worth of saves, especially the toe save a la game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals last year. He can take this team far.

- Mike Tomlin had some nice seats on the glass last night with his two sons. Tomlin had on a white Sidney Crosby jersey and his sons both had white jerseys as well although we didn't see which player. It's nice to see him supporting the Pens as the Pens supported the Steelers this past season.

- Speaking of supporting, FSN showed Dan Bylsma, Tom Fitzgerald, Kris Letang, Phillippe Boucher, and Ray Shero taking in a Pirates game Thursday on their day off. Again, nice to see the teams supporting each other.

- It feels great having a 2-0 lead on the series, especially with going into Philly on Sunday afternoon. The Flyers wanted a split and they almost got it. The momentum going into Sunday's game 3 is on the Penguins side, right where it needs to be going into a place like Philly. We can't wait to hear the Crosby sucks chants and all the Cindy Crysby and diver signs. We all know what happens when Philly is at it's best (worst). You get the best out of Sidney Crosby. Will they ever learn?

Pens coverage over at the PG.

Go Pens!

P.S. Some members of the team have great beards started like Bill Guerin, Max Talbot, Pascal Dupuis, and even the owner himself Mario Lemieux. We hope to find some pictures soon so we can keep up with the progress. ;)

It's Go Time

You've just been Geno'd

The season flew by and the playoffs start today. We don't know where the time went but it doesn't get any more exciting than this right now. Cross state rivals in what should promise to be a hard-fought, physical match-up. If you're anxious, it's okay, we are too.

That picture, we don't have the original on this computer, is what we think of first when we think back to last year and the Flyers in the playoffs. If Geno can pull that one off again, we'll probably start a small riot in front of the Flyers fans' house down the street. (We know, ewww).

You could probably say a lot about this series but at the end of the day the Pens have home ice, it's going to be physical, it's going to be emotional, and it's going to be exciting. We think if the Pens can jump on the Flyers from the start, they'll be able to keep the momentum we feel they have on their side. The Flyers couldn't even beat a team with not much to play for in the last game of the regular season to gain home ice advantage, they obviously don't have any momentum coming in. Both teams have some nice depth but we think the Pens can be too much for their defense and Marty Biron to handle and jumping on them early only makes things worse for the Flyers. At the end of the day it's just time for the Pens to play their game and they should come out of this series alive. We're just hoping for no injuries and lots of penalties on the Flyers. Oh, and a working Pens' power play.

Series preview

There are a ton of other links on the Pens site for great reading material, there are just too many to link to here. We know there are probably also a million other things we could talk about, but we're just ready to start this series.

The Post-Gazette is also awesome for coverage and reading material, go here to check it out. And the best part of hockey coverage over at PG, Empty Netters.

If you're in the Pittsburgh area, the big screen is up and running so you can watch the game outside Mellon Arena. We really wish we were closer to the 'burgh so we could at least go to watch there with a ton of other Pens fans.

We just searched for tickets to game 2 and some were available in level C. Believe us, it took a lot of restraining not to order those. Unfortunately we could really only make it to a weekend game and Friday night would be a possibility but iffy. Basically the point of that is that the Pens released more tickets today to both games. Doubt they will be available for very long and are probably gone by now, but for future reference, keep looking for tickets because you just might get some. Ticket exchange is also available if you want to pay those prices.

We will also be keeping up with the players' playoff beards. If you go to any of the games and get pictures of players with their playoff beards, or lack thereof, please send them in.

For now, that's it from us. At 4:37 a.m. it's time for sleep. Enjoy the game tonight, we know we will. 

Go Pens!

Pens beat up on Islanders

(Peter Diana/Post-Gazette)

The Pens beat the Islanders 6-1 last night. The game started out pretty slow and with the Islanders getting the first goal about five minutes into the game. The Pens didn't let themselves stay down for too long though. With a little less than six minutes left in the the first, Phillippe Boucher scored the Pens' first goal with assists going to Malkin and Fedotenko. You wouldn't think Boucher was out for so long seeing him in this game.

The second saw two more Pens goals in the first half of the second period. Dupuis had a goal around four minutes into the second to put the Pens up 2-1. About five minutes later, Matt Cooke would make the score 3-1. Kennedy and Staal received the assists on this goal and Staal made a beautiful pass to Cooke for the score. After the goal, Cooke could be seen telling Staal he made a great pass. The Islanders would get a 5-on-3 power play that was killed by the Pens. Garon made some really great saves at the end of the period to keep the score 3-1.

(Getty)

Four minutes into the third period, the Islanders would get yet another 5-on-3 power play that would once again be killed by the Pens. With 8:52 left in the period Bill Guerin would score a goal against his former team to make the score 4-1. Sidney Crosby would get the only assist. Not long after that the Pens would get a power play in which Gonchar would score. malkin and Crosby got the assists to make the game 5-1. With 3:02 left in the game, kennedy would add on another goal to make the game 6-1. Kennedy's goal was awesome and he made a nice move. Game over, Pens win.

After the game the Pens did their annual "shirts off our backs" promotion. For those who may not know what this is, fans are randomly chosen to receive the jersey off the back of one of the Pens, which they then sign. We definitely wish we could have been in on that, it's a great gesture by the team to reward their loyal fans.

Here is Geno, Sid, and Letang:

Last night was also the annual awards ceremony, including the "Good Guy" award and MVP. You can watch all of it here:

Geno's interview with Dan Potash:

His English is great and he looks great after a haircut. On Alexander Ovechkin not getting any points tonight and him having a four point lead on him in points, "it's great news." Said with a smile. We couldn't have said it any better ourselves. How can you not love the guy?

Something else you can get in on would be the Penguins Beard-a-thon where you are encouraged to "grow one for the team." It is intended to raise money for the Mario Lemieux Foundation. You can participate by growing a beard, pledging someone you know, or pledging one of the participating Pens players. We find this to be a great idea for some fun and helping out a charity. If any guys or guys you know are going to participate in this and you want us to call attention to you or them, let us know, we'd love to help and view all the great beards. Go here to check out the website.

Game recap

Aftermath: Penguins 6, Islanders 1

Pens Sell Out 2nd Straight Season

Penguins' Collection Raises More Than $100,000 For Pittsburgh Fallen Heroes Fund

Comeback saved a Penguins season that looked lost

Penguins at the Post-Gazette

The Pens' last game of the regular season will be Saturday against the Canadiens in Montreal. Could be a game that really matters when it comes to the playoff seeding. We can't believe the regular season only has one game left. Where did it go?

Go Pens!

One thing on the Steelers. They have offered Byron Leftwich a two-year deal. He visted with the Tampa Bay Bucs yesterday.

Pens - Islanders

The Pens have clinched a playoff spot and there are only two games left in the regular season. We don't know whether to feel good or bad about that. Hockey is a long season but it never seems to be long enough for us, although we are ready for the excitement that is the playoffs. And yes, that includes playoff beards. We'll be keeping a close watch on all those good, bad, and downright ugly beards. Let's just hope Sidney Crosby has a chance to grow one. It also leads us to our quote of the day by Bill Guerin:

"We do have some guys (on the team) who have a hard time growing a beard. We can always pencil them in."

Penguins Report: Unfinished Business

We were supposed to be talking about the Islanders right? Sorry, the playoffs just sounded so much better. Phillippe Boucher and Mathieu Garon figure to get playing time tonight against the Islanders. That is one nice thing about securing a spot and playing a team like the Islanders, you can get some guys who don't get a lot of playing time in there. It should be interesting to see how Dan Bylsma decides to play the rest of the guys, especially Crosby and Malkin. Geno needs to win the scoring title. He's been the leader all season and now is not the time to let that go. Especially to Ovie. And a team like the Islanders seems like a good team to record a few points against. We're rooting for you Geno!

Game preview

The Pens are holding a collection for the Fallen Heroes Fund which will benefit the families of the Pittsburgh Police Officers who lost their lives in the line of duty Saturday. You can click here to read the article and also find out how you can donate if you aren't going to the game tonight. Our thoughts are with those affected by this tragedy.

Go Pens!