Monday, October 20, 2008

Pens Tame Bruins 2-1 in Shootout

2@ 1



One of, if not the best games played by the Pens so far this season. They had strong offense, and strong defense to back it up. Sabourin was placed in net, getting his first start of the season. He saved 35 of 36 shots against, as well as saving 4 of 5 shots in the shootout. Satan scored the lone Pens goal in regulation off of a rebound shot by Evgeni Malkin. Phil Kessel scored the only goal for the Bruins in regulation on the power play. Malkin and Sykora scored the 2 out of 5 shootout attempts, beating the Bruins in a score of 2-1. Kessel scored the lone shootout goal for the Bruins.


Scoring Summary:

Penguins Goal(s):
18:51 1st Pd: EV; #81 M. Satan(4): Assists: #71 E. Malkin & #87 S. Crosby

Bruins Goal(s):
13:53 2nd Pd;PP; #81 P. Kessel(5): Assists: #21 A. Ference & #46 D. Krejci


SHOOTOUT:
Round 1: Pit:#58 K. Letang(no goal) Bos: #81 P. Kessel(goal)
Round 2: Pit:#17 P. Sykora(goal) Bos: #37 P. Bergeron(no goal)
Round 3: Pit:#87 S. Crosby(no goal) Bos: #73 M. Ryder(no goal)
Round 4: Pit:#81 M. Satan(no goal) Bos: #46 D. Krejci(no goal)
Round 5: Pit:#71 E. Malkin(goal) Bos: #91 M. Savard(no goal)
Total: Pit: 2-5(W2-1); Bos 1-5(L)


Game Notes: Penguins went 0-2 on the PP. Paul Bissonette was in lineup, Bill Thomas was scratched.

Three Stars:
*** # 87 S. Crosby (assist)
** #81 P. Kessel(goal)
* #30 D. Sabourin(35 saves)

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Pens Top Leafs 4-1 in Milemarker Game

1 @ 4

What was so great about this game? Was it the first goal of the season for Crosby and Sykora? Another PP goal by Satan? Malkin's 200th point? Sid's 100th goal and 300th point? Or was it the first win in regulation this season for the Pens? For me, it was the whole damn thing. What a game. The penalty killing was great. The power play was amazing. And the Pens actually looked like a hockey team. I love this kinda game that the Pens play. Keep it up boys!

Scoring Summary:

Maple Leafs Goals:

14:25 1st Pd;PP; #80 N. Antropov(1); Assists: #55 J. Blake & #15 T. Kaberle

Penguins Goals:

15:16 1st Pd;EV; #9 P.Dupuis(2); Assists: #87 S. Crosby & #71 E. Malkin

7:55 2nd Pd;PP; #81 M. Satan(3); Assists: #87 S. Crosby & #71 E. Malkin

12:15 2nd Pd; EV; #87 S. Crosby(1); Assists: #71 E. Malkin & #58 K. Letang

13:36 2nd Pd; PP; #17 P. Sykora(1); Assists: #87 S. Crosby & #71 E. Malkin

Game Notes: Petr Sykora now looks 100%. Both Malkin and Crosby received points milestones. Crosby also received goal milestone. Next Game Monday @ Boston.

Three Stars

*** #29 Marc-Andre Fleury (26/27 saves)

** #71 Evgeni Malkin (4 assists)

*#87 Sidney Crosby (1 goal; 3 assists)


Thursday, October 16, 2008

Caps Score Four Unanswered to Beat Pens

4 @ 3


A sad, sad game. The Penguins, who had been dry on the power play from game 1 of the season started the game with 3 power play goals. But like the Pens like to do, they got lazy, and the Caps rallied back with 4 to win the game. The sad thing is the game winning goal. Now I'm not gonna sit here and whine, but that goal never should have occurred. Hal Gill was high sticked in the face, stalling him, keeping him behind the play, and allowing a 2 on 1 for the Caps. Now Gill got penalized for roughing Semin after Semin went after Crosby. If you commit the crime, you do the time. That simple. The officiating all throughout the NHL is horrible. They want to reduce head shots and hits from behind, yet you still see them. I hate Ovechkin. And no, not because of how him and Crosby have a rivalry, but how he can charge on every hit and get away with it. Malkin was charged and submarined numerous times by OV. I'm glad we have three games with them still, because OV is gonna get it.

Scoring:

Penguins Goals:

12:58 1st pd.;PP; #13 A. Goligoski(2), Assists: #71 E. Malkin & #87 S. Crosby

19:17 1st pd.;PP; #71 E. Malkin(2), Assists: #87 S. Crosby & #81 M. Satan

1:51 2nd pd.;PP; #81 M. Satan(2), Assists: #17 P. Sykora & #71 E. Malkin

Capitals Goals:

5:45 2nd pd.;EV; #14 T. Fleischmann(1), Assists: #21 B. Laich & #16 E. Fehr

3:38 3rd pd.;EV; #28 A. Semin(4), Assist: #92 M. Nylander

10:00 3rd pd.;EV; #92 M. Nylander(2), Assists: #14 T. Fleischmann & #28 A. Semin

15:43 3rd pd.;EV; #15 B. Gordon(1), Assists: #16 E. Fehr & # 91 S. Fedorov

Game Notes: Matt Cooke was scratched. Paul Bissonette took his place. The Penguins power play kicked in full gear at 3/6 on the night. Laziness cost the Pens the game.

Three Stars:

*** #92 M. Nylander

** #71 E. Malkin

* #28 A. Semin


















Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Pens Crush Flyers in OT Win

2 @3

One word to describe this game, WOW! So Orpik scores a power play goal. Zigomanis scores a goal. The Flyers score two goals just seconds apart. And Dupuis scores in OT. Ohhh, and did i mention, Godard and Cote beat the crap out of each other. Yeah, definitely a true Flyers-Penguins game. Great to see the Pens finally win again, and beat out a division and cross state rival. Looking forward to seeing the next few games.


Scoring:

Penguins Goals:
14:12 2nd Period; PP Goal; #44 B. Orpik(1): Assists: #58 K. Letang & #48 T. Kennedy
14:54 2nd Period; EV Goal; #15 M. Zigomanis(1): Assists: #24 M. Cooke & #28 E. Godard
4:49 OT Period; EV Goal #9 P. Dupuis(1): Assists: #44 B. Orpik & #58 K. Letang


Flyers Goals:
19:16 2nd Period; EV Goal; #17 J. Carter(2): Assists: #9 S. Upshall & #23 O. Vaananen
19:37 2nd Period; EV Goal; #12 S. Gagne(3): Assists: #44 K. Timonen & #5 B. Coburn

Game Notes: Petr Sykora made his season debut tonight. The Penguins turnovers went down and shots went up by a large portion. Hartnell was a pest as usual. Three Stars: 3.)K. Timonen 2.)M. Zigomanis 1.)P. Dupuis. Penguins play the Washington Capitals at home on Thursday.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Fleury Shines Despite Penguins Loss

2 @ 1


Sorry for the late recap of the game, my weekend has been pretty jam packed. Anyways, what started out as a good looking game turned into an upset. Just 6:23 into the game, Mike Rupp and Eric Godard went at it. Both men received a 5 minute major for fighting. At the 11:28 mark, Brian Gionta received a penalty for hooking, resulting in a powerplay goal by the Pen's Miro Satan, which was his first as a Penguin. After tripping Sidney Crosby in the neutral zone, Hal Gill went after the culprut Clarkson. Both men received a 5 minute major for fighting. Late in the third, a shot by Patrick Elias deflected past Fleury after hitting Gill's skate. With less then a minute left in OT, Zach Parise scored a goal off of a Murphey dump past the Pens defense.


Scoring:

Penguins Goals:
1st Period 11:52; Powerplay; #81 M. Satan(1); Assisted:#11 J. Staal & #71 Evgeni Malkin

Devils Goals:
3rd Period 17:31;Even Strength; #26 P. Elias(2); Unassisted
OT Period 4:22; Even Strength; #9 Z. Parise(2); #19 T. Zajac & #5 C. White

Extras: Penguins were outshot 49 to 15. Petr Sykora missed game with sore groin. Darryl Sydor played wing on the 4th line. The Penguins were introduced before the game before a sold out arena. Three Stars: 3.) P. Elias 2.) Z. Parise 1.) M. Fleury. Next Game 10/14 vs Flyers

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Game Of The Week: 10/11 Edition

Ive decided to make a weekly video post during the week, which will include what i think is the game of the week. Feel free to agree, disagree, or even give me your opinions on what is the game of the week.....And the game of the week is: Penguins @ Senators from Sat, Oct 4. Not only did TK score and win in OT, and Scuderi scored a goal, but Malkin got his first shorthanded goal! Great Game!


Sykora Returns To Practice, Expected in Lineup for Tuesday's Game Against Flyers


Petr Sykora practiced for the first time today since Oct. 10. He was out the first two games of the season with a groin injury and has missed practices because of illness. While he had hoped to return to the lineup tonight, but both he thought it was better to not rush.

“I was aiming for today but it didn’t happen,” Sykora said. “I felt the pressure of the game coming. I tried to have a good practice and try to get back as soon as possible and it didn’t happen. You have to take it day by day.”

Head coach Michel Therrien thought it was a better idea for Petr to just take it easy and not worry about tonights game, and rather focus on getting better.

“We will be cautious with Petr,” head coach Michel Therrien said. “He’s going to have to be 100 percent. It’s a long season. We don’t want to take any risks.”

Due to the great deal of injuries, ranging from foot problems with Ryan Whitney, to a dislocated shoulder to Sergei Gonchar, the Penguins cannot take another injury. There powerplay has lacked shots, and missing a sharpshooter like Petr Sykora will hurt the PP. Fortunately, he will be back soon, and likely will be placed on the PP to hopefully end the lack of PP shots/goals.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Penguins Acquire Mike Zigomanis from Coyotes



The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired forward Mike Zigomanis from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for future considerations, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Ray Shero.
Zigomanis, 27, split the 2007-08 season between the Phoenix Coyotes and the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League (AHL). The right-handed shooter appeared in 33 games for the Coyotes, recording three points (two goals, one assist) and six penalty minutes. Zigomanis played 27 games for the Rampage, tallying 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) along with 14 penalty minutes. He posted five assists and 10 penalty minutes in seven playoff games with San Antonio.

The 6-1, 195-pound penalty-killing forward played 73 NHL games for Phoenix in 2006-07, scoring 23 points (14 goals, nine assists). He ranked seventh in the NHL with a face-off percentage of 56.2%. He has registered 33 points (19 goals, 14 assists) and 58 penalty minutes in 167 career NHL games with the Carolina Hurricanes and Phoenix.

The North York, Ontario native was originally selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round (64th overall) of the 1999 Entry Draft. Zigomanis re-entered the draft in 2001 and was selected by Carolina in the second round (46th overall). (Courtesy of pittsburghpenguins.com)

Monday, October 6, 2008

Heatly; Sens Put One Past Penguins

3 @ 1



The Pittsburgh Penguins fell to the Senators 3-1 in the closing game of the NHL Premiere in Stockholm, Sweden on Sunday. The Penguins defense looked good at times, while at other moments it seemed almost mediocre. The Pens finally cashed in on the power play, but was an unimpressive 1 for 8. The Penguins need big help on the PP. Personally, i think it is a joke that both Letang and Goligoski are on the point on the first power play line. Both struggled to keep the puck in the zone, and it was almost embarrassing. I know we are short on offensive defensemen, but come on. Lets hope the Penguins can cash in on the PP on Saturday when they open the season home opener at Mellon Arena.

Scoring:

Senators Goals:
13:07,2nd Period;Power Play: D. Heatley(2).Assisted:J. Spezza,D. Alfredsson.
12:17,3rd Period;Power Play: D. Heatler(3).Assisted:D. Alfredsson, F. Kuba.
15:50,3rd Period;Even Strength: A. Vermette(1).Assisted:J Winchester,C. Kelly.

Penguins Goals:
19:58,3rd Period;Power Play: A. Goligoski(1). Assisted:S. Crosby,E. Malkin.

Game Notes: Heatley scored two goals, both on the power play, and the second being the GWG. Penguins were wearing their black jerseys, as they represented the home team, getting the last change. Petr Sykora missed the game for the second straight with a sore groin. Pittsburgh native Bill Thomas was in lineup, as Jeff Taffe was a healthy scratch. Alex Goligoski was also put into lineup, as Darryl Sydor was a healthy scratch as well.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Pens Cap Sens In NHL Premiere Game One



Two goals by Tyler Kennedy, a goal on the rush by Rob Scuderi, and a shorthanded breakaway goal by Evgeni Malkin led the Penguins to a 4-3 victory in overtime over the Ottawa Senators at the Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.

Goals:
Pittsburgh Penguins Goals:
0:40,1st Period,Even Strength: T. Kennedy(1)-Assisted:J. Staal
3:18,2nd Period,Short-handed: E. Malkin(1)-Unassisted
3:56,3rd Period,Even Strength: R. Scuderi(1)-Assisted:S. Crosby; M. Satan
4:35,Overtime,Even Strength: T. Kennedy(2)-Unassisted

Ottawa Senators Goals:
9:13,1st Period,Even Strength: S. Donovan(1)-Assisted: D. McAmmond; F. Kuba
12:15,2nd Period,Power Play: D. Heatley(1)-Assisted: J. Spezza, F. Kuba
17:55,2nd Period,Short Handed: J. Spezza(1)- Assisted: A. Volchenkov

Game Note: Petr Sykora did not play due to a sore groin. Penguins were in their away white jerseys, giving the Senators the final change. Tyler Kennedy appeared more confident that his play at the conclusion of last season. Penguins did not struggle defensively, but their powerplay came up 0-7. The three stars of today's game were 3)Evgeni Malkin 2)Jason Spezza and 1) Tyler Kennedy.

Pesonen Out Of Roster


While the Penguins were required to make a roster cut, the final of the kind, to shorten their roster to 24 men, Pesonen was not on that list. It was announced yesterday that Janne Pesonen was assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL). He had a goal and an assist in the preseason with the Penguins. I was read that he would either be a 3rd or 4th line winger or he would have to be assigned to Wilkes-Barre. I agree with the decision because Pesonen being placed on the lower lines may hold back his potential. Maybe a little game play in the minors will help him gain his confidence, and who knows, maybe we will see him sometime soon in a Pens jersey again.