The Interstate Rivalry Part II: Pens vs. Flyers

To put it simply, the Pens and Flyers don't like each other very much. If they were given the option of using guns/knives over sticks they would. This will only be the second meeting of the season between the two rivals but the first of back-to-backs (the second game is this Thursday in Philly).

The Flyers (15-15-1) currently sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conf. and many people are saying a major trade could be made in the next couple weeks if the slump they're in continues. Coach John Stevens was already fired on Dec. 4th and since then Peter Laviolette has had an all but impressive 2-4 record as the leading man. Their have also been problems in the lockerroom with leadership. Pronger and others are making their voices heard about the teams problems while Richards and Carter have kept it quiet.

But coming off a comeback win last night against the Bruins, the Flyers will have some confidence and they'll be seeking some revenge. Not only are they desperate for wins but they'll be facing the Pens, their biggest rival for the past couple seasons. Gagne, Coburn, and key role players Betts and Powe are injured and will not play tonight. The Flyers bottom six is very weak. And their top guns aren't being the leaders or clutch performers they are accustomed to being.

Bylsma played around with the Pens PP yesterday in practice with Cooke, Kunitz, and Guerin getting some playing time in front of the net. Cooke is a gritty guy who's scored a couple deflection goals already this year, interesting choice. Guerin has been the guy screening the goalie as far back as October but that hasn't resulted in much success.

The Pens beat the Flyers 5-4 in an exciting game in the first week of the season. Hartnell supposedly bit Letang's finger at the end of that game. There will be more obnoxious behavior by some likely victims such as Carcillo, Laperriere, Pronger, and so on. If they wanna play rough we got the guys to match them. Talbot was the "game-breaker" during last season's playoff victory against the Flyers, will he play tonight? I think Godard will get the nod.

Fleury vs. Boucher will start.



-IN BITING FINGERS WE TRUST

Let's See How Far We've Come

The season is 33 games old for your Pittsburgh Penguins and as it stands now the Pens are 4th in the Eastern Conf. and 2nd in the uber competitive Atlantic Division. The Rangers and Flyers have been sub-par but the Isles and Devils are exceeding most expectations, especially those Isles. But the Pens are still dominating, even with the number of injuries they've had. Now they're as healthy as ever and with that has come a series of winning streaks.

What's been the formula for success thus far? Goaltending, depth scoring, Crosby, and a never say die attitude. The Pens always play till the last second of every period regardless if they're winning or not. Over the summer Shero was faced with the hard task of replacing Scuderi/Gill, the team's shutdown pairing in last year's playoff run. Gogo was promoted and Mckee was bought out from the Blues. He's currently one of the leading shot blockers in the NHL.

Mike Rupp was the other summer pickup but the team wasn't counting on him to have 9 goals by mid-December. But yes it helps. Rupp was supposed to be the Zigomanis replacement but with a much more physical and offensive edge. Who in their sane mind saw this type of offense coming from him? He's looked like Geno at times on the ice, has a nice wrister, and skates beautifully for a 6'5 guy. If need be, he can muck it up and stick up for his teammates, just pay attention to tomorrow night's game.


Dupuis has also been a pleasant surprise but he always had some offensive flair in him, right? Since his arrival from Atlanta in March of '08 Dupuis has played a lot of minutes on the top lines and when needed he can fill in on the 3rd or 4th line. His speed and defensive play was always superb, but now he can actually handle the puck. Hallelujah. How many times has Dupuis had the puck just role off his stick, or his shot go into the stands, or some other weird play. He's handling the puck more effectively and Bylsma has given him the green light to go go go.

The Pens lack another scoring threat on the top 2 lines. But what if Kunitz starts turning it up? What if Feds finally finds his mojo and begins scoring? Those are legit points but Kunitz hasn't performed all too well in a scoring role as a Pen. His physical play is evident but is that enough to win another cup? Time will tell. Geno's numbers (9 g 22a) aren't exactly Geno-esque but he's been injured this year and WILL find his stride. How scary is that for the rest of the league. Moreover, once the PP gets going there will be less 1 goal game victories, amen.

Secondary players are having career years for the Pens. Cooke with 6 goals, Rupp with 9, and Dupuis with 9. Guys like Adams, Godard, and Talbot have also been contributors. They hit, make smart hockey plays, and don't put the team at risk when they're on the ice. Well ok maybe Godard can but his play has improved tremendously this year as well.


The Pens have a tough little stretch of games coming up: 2 vs. Philly, Buffalo, New Jersey and then Ottawa. The Flyers are hungry for wins and playing the Pens will only get their juices flowin' even more. I see the Pens continuing their current pace of wins and at the trade deadline look for the Holy one, the brains behind the train, and the genius that is Ray Shero to pull off a trade to put the Pens in a position to win another Cup. Names like Mueller, T. Ruutu, and Ponikorovsky will pop up and others will join the bunch as well.


Look for a Flyers preview tomorrow afternoon. And check out my friend Rishi was mentioned in this ESPN article:

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4724298&name=hradek_ej&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fespn%2fblog%2findex%3fentryID%3d4724298%26name%3dhradek_ej


-IN DAN CARCILLO SUSPENSIONS WE TRUST

Geno Supreme-O Strikes Big in OT, Pens edge Cats 3-2

37 seconds into OT all those terrible PPs on display during the game were now an afterthought, thanks to Geno. After Leopold went to the box for a hold on Staal, the 4 on 3 PP was bound to be an automatic goal, right? Not so fast considering the Pens were 1-6 on the PP tonight and 1-14 in the past four games.

Geno's top corner roofing was a thing of beauty. It helped to have Billy G standing in the crease providing a lovely screen, something he was doing all night in front of Vokoun. The Panthers are a hard working team. And they have to be with Booth out of the lineup and with no other real stars on their roster. It seems like Ballard plays the whole game for them and deservedly so. I'd love to have him on my team, can play in any situation. Not sure Crosby would like him though.

The Pens 2nd line came through tonight. Dupuis made a fancy dipsy dangle for his 9th of the year to tie at 1-1 in the 1st. Fedotenko was scoreless in the past 13 games until Geno fed him a nice pass in the 2nd. On the play Rupp took out two Panther D-men so Geno had some time to find Feds who was parked right in front of Vokoun. 2-1 Pens after 2 periods. But the Panthers wouldn't go away.


As the Pens PP just ended in the 3rd period, the Panthers leading scorer Stephen Weiss (14th) scored an empty net goal after Johnson initially stopped McCabe on a breakaway. The Panthers pepppered an impressive 31 shots in this game, 29 of which backup Johnson stopped. He's been everything the Pens could ask for as the number 2 to Fleury. The defensive coverage wasn't good last night and the 1st Panthers goal was evidence of that. Reinprecht and Olecz were caught standing tall around Fleury instead of lying on the ice.

As usual the Pens mustered 40 shots against Vokoun AGAIN tonight, 37 he stopped. Without him in net they'd probably lose every other game 5-2 or 5-1. The Panthers play hard but they can't generate any off. zone time, can't hit, can't fight, and have no "passion" or energy type guys. Not sure what their GM is thinking. They could use a Ruutu, Talbot, Neil, or an Avery. They did have 31 shots which is impressive in itself considering I can't remember a single one (other than the goals).

The Pens outhit the Panthers 34 to 13, Wow. Numbers don't lie folks and I'm pretty sure 20 of those hits were registered on poor ole' Michael Frolik, hehe. Orpik absolutely crushed him in the 3rd on an open ice hit. Then he hit Dvorak pretty hard. Talbot and Adams were banging and crashing Ballard and so on. The physical play is all part of Bylsma's "investment" philosophy and wearing teams down as the game progresses. The Panthers can thank their solid d-men and Vokoun for earning them the point tonight.


Tuesday night we'll be seeing Scotty Hartnell and company make their first trip to the Mellon. 1-4 under Laviolette thus far, sheesh. That's what happens when 95% of your team is North American, they'll never learn.



-IN GENO WE ALWAYS TRUST

You, Me, and Dupuis scores GW, Pens beat Habs 3-2

It's something about being in your hometown, playing in front of a loud and passionate crowd that gets the juices of the French-Canadian players goin'. Pascal Dupuis was no exception tonight. Roughly 5 minutes left in the game and Orpik made a terrific bank pass off the boards right to a streaming Dupuis down the left side of the off. zone. You had to know what was comin' next, right? It was Pascal's signature slapper and instead of getting his shot deflected into the stands it came up high on goalie Price and slipped right past his glove.

The Pens were firing from all cylinders in the 1st period and they were playin' some good 'ole Pens hockey. Get the puck deep, cycle it, and intitiate a furious forecheck. The Pens outshot the Habs 11-7 in the 1st and were clearly the dominant team. Guerin found a wide open Gonch coming down the middle of the ice for the first goal of the game. Great to see Gonch and the other d-men jumping into the play on more than one occassion tonight.

The Habs top line began setting the tone for the Habs in the 2nd period. Plekanec, Kostitsyn, and Cammalleri were creating havoc in the Pens zone on numerous occassions. Plekanec got in the face of Geno that caused a post-whistle scrum and he was making some big hits as well. D'Agastani scored a beautiful 1st goal for the Habs and Hamrlik added the 2nd on the PP. Their PP was moving the puck very well and it's somethin' I'd like to see the Pens do.


The Pens tied it near the end of the 2nd on a deflection by Matty Cooke. The Pens 3rd line which was so key in the Cup run last year is starting to get their mojo back. Gonch wristed the puck on net and both Cooke and TK were causing traffic in front of Price and Cooke got credit for his 6th of the year. Staal was a beast as well in the 2nd and he had a nice breakaway opp. that lead to a PP. Even with the Habs outplaying the Pens in the 2nd, they were still outshot 15-8.

In the 3rd period the Pens got back to their game and the Habs looked a little tired. Three PP opps. came up and the Pens couldn't convert. Come playoff time the PP HAS to be addressed. It's been there MO the past three seasons especially in the playoffs late in games, the PP was clutch. They have to vary their plays and you saw the backdoor play used with Gogo tonight. The PP had some productive chances but you gotta find a way to score.

Bylsma wasn't putting Rupp on the ice much after Rupp took the 2 min boarding penalty in the 2nd. I don't agree with that. Every shift tonight Rupp was creating something and he was on the ice for Dupuis' (8th of year) game winner. The Pens caught a break in the 3rd when Fleury did NOT have the puck covered but the ref blew the whistle before Lapierre poked it into the net. Lucky break but we'll obviously take it.


It wasn't perfect but it wasn't the worst of games either. Fleury made some good saves against a pesky and well coached Montreal team. Price was terrific in goal, stopping 38 of 41 shots. It was his glove side that turned out to be the difference. That same glove which haunted him during the '07 playoffs when the Flyers beat them in the 2nd rd. Geno passed up a nice shot late in the game but he hit the crossbar which was unfortunate. He's still looking for his stride and it's good to see Feds have another "spirited" (Errey) game. Although he ain't scoring, he's still being physical and making other things happen.

See ya on Saturday as the Pens take on Ballard and the Panthers



-IN EARLY WHISTLES WE TRUST

The Return of Marian Hossa and a Stanley Cup Preview!

Remember that guy above? Well he's back as are about 6 other extremely talented and dangerous players. They include Toews, Kane, Sharp, Seabrook, Versteeg, and Keith. Last year if you remember Geno scored the GW goal at Chicago in OT to win the game. It was a very exciting back and forth game which featured Mr. Toews recording a hat trick. That was also Kunitz's first game in a Pens uni and he had a goal, unfortunately or fortunately he's not playin' tonight.

Hossa will be back in Pittsburgh for the first time since his Finals chokestry. How will he play? The boo birds will be out in full force and I can't wait. But he's not the whole team, the weapons mentioned above will be present as well. The Hawks lost 4-1 last night in Nashville so they'll be out for revenge tonight but they'll also be tired.

Crosby will not play tonight because of some groin complications. He said it's been bothering him the past 3 to 4 days. That's unfortunate. But you know who tends to play like an absolute monster when Sid's not in? That Geno guy. Look for him to erupt like a volcano and take the game over. He's been due for a big game the past couple weeks. He'll need guys like Feds and Dupuis to help though.


Mark Letestu was called up from WB/S and he'll be in the lineup tonight. He has 13 pts in 14 AHL games. Chris Bourque who was waived by the Pens yesterday was picked up by the Caps today, LOL. They're the team who originally released him a month ago. Bourque was unimpressive and he was easily outmuscled by opposing players. Good luck Chris maybe you'll find success with Ovie and Co.

On a good note, the Pens will get Cooke back in the lineup today. Cooke is done serving his 2 game suspension and he'll be a gritty addition to tonight's lineup. It's unfortunate that Sid will be out but the Pens can still handle the Hawks. Huet is supposed to start in net and part of the Hawks success has been in goal, he's 13-6-2 with a 2.24 gaa. Very good numbers for a historically inconsistent goalie.

The Pens D will have their hands full but I think they're up for the challenge. This Pens team is a lot more confident than they were when they first faced the Hawks last year. The defense is doing a superb job of taking time and space away. Orpik has been a hitting machine, Skoula has been a blessing, and overall the D is minimizing the number of mistakes they make. Watch out for some of the under the radar Hawks: Byfuglien, Brouwer, and Ladd. All three are big bodies who will be in Fleury's face all night, especially Byfuglien and Ladd.



No Crosby, no mercy. Let's go Pens!


-IN MARIAN HOSSA CHOKING WE TRUST

Billy G Scores the GW as the Pens Stop the Avs in their tracks, 4-1

The Pens finally overcame their home struggles against the Avs in a very hard fought victory. Defense was the name of the game for two notoriously offensive minded teams. The Avs young players impressed me including Stastny, Duchene, O'Reilly, Galiardi, and Quincey. Galiardi should've had 2 goals in this game and it might've changed the final outcome but it was not to be. Thank you ref. for losing sight of the puck and blowing the whistle early.

For the first goal of the game the Avs scored via a redirect goal by Galiardi. Tucker was off to Fleury's left and just passed it off to the youngster who tipped it in, 1-0 Avs off a PP goal. Godard took a sloppy penalty in the off. zone and didn't have a great game tonight. The Pens ended up outshooting the Avs 14-6 in the 1st period but it was not indicative of the actual flow of the game. The Avs seemed to possess the puck more and the shots the Pens were getting were all outside the circle and nowhere near goalie Budaj.

But as the period was coming to a close, the two-headed monster of Geno and Sid took the ice along with newly turned sniper Rupp. Geno banked a pass off the boards up to Rupp who stormed past Foote and then had a 2 on 1 with Sid. It went tick-tack-toe back to Sid for the wide open net. 1-1 with 6 seconds left in the period, talk about timely goals.


The Pens were outshot 9-5 in the 2nd period as the Avs forwards and D-men did an excellent job of taking time and space away from the Pens. There were a lot of deflections, blocked shots (Avs lead league in blocked shots), and misdirected passes caused by this aggressive puck pursuit of the Avs. Adams had a nice middleweight fight with Hendricks of the Avs early in the period. And soon after the Pens had to kill off a couple Avs PPs. Hejduk was dangerous as he always is. Even at 34 he can still skate well and has tremendous hands.

In the 3rd period the wheels began turning for the Avs as they could no longer keep their high tempo offense and aggressive defense approach up any longer. Their two key defenders Foote and Clark took minor penalties and the Pens got a 5 on 3 PP, almost an automatic goal for this team. As the 1st penalty ended Sid passed it off to Guerin on the right side of Budaj and he buried an empty net, 2-1 Pens. As bad as Budaj was last year in a starting goalie role for the Avs, he was terrific in backing up Anderson tonight.

Budaj didn't give up any soft goals and his rebound control was also impressive. The game was evenly played by both teams the bottom tier players were used a lot. Stewart for the Avs was effective and Quincey was everything people have been saying he is, a beast. He's big, mobile, can shoot, hit and makes smart plays. That Ryan Smyth trade has worked out nicely for both the Kings and the Avs.


As good as the Avs D and forwards were the Pens' were just as impressive. Gonch did a wonderful job of shutting down Stastny and Duchene on the first line and Skoula was fantastic in doing the little things in his own zone. We know how he gets the puck on net and he's always been a big guy with not much physical jam to his game, but I think that's starting to come out. He had a couple hits and plays where he muscled the Avs out of the Pens off. zone. He also takes a lot of hits to make good plays, what a 7th d-men Shero found himself, eh? I thought Shero would sign him in early July, now you see why I was so high on this guy.

Geno had a solid game and drew the penalty that would result in the official game winning goal. Feds had 3 good scoring chances where he just missed the net, the man's obviously snakebitten, he'll bury his chances sometime soon, I hope. Staal scored the 3rd Pens goal on an empty net and Sid added his 2nd of the game (3rd pt of night) for a 4-1 Pens win. Geno also had 3 pts.

Give the Avs young guns credit. They played a tough game last night and were a little tired on the 2nd night of back to back games, but they didn't play fatigued hockey. The offense and goaltending (Anderson) is there, it's just gonna take a little while for the kids to develop. Look at the Pens. Amazing that the Avs are one of the best teams in the West in a year where they were picked last and in the middle of a "rebuilding" process. They sure ain't playin like a young and inexperienced team. Keep it up boys!




-IN TJ GALIARDI DISALLOWED GOALS WE TRUST

Ruppin Dirty in MSG leads to a 5-2 Pens win

-On a night when at least a couple fights were expected to go down, 4th line center Mike Rupp ended up being the hero with a hat trick. Crosby added 2 for the Pens and Gaborik scored the Rangers only 2 goals. But Rupp scoring 3, really? He passed his career high for goals in a season (previously 6) and recorded his first hat trick of his career on his son Mason's birthday.

-Where were Avery and Brashear during this game? Avery was visible and he was being very effective on a line with Gabby and Prospal. Creating havoc around Fleury and leading to a couple good scoring chances in the 1st period. But he wasn't "trying to take himself out of the game" (Rupp) like he did on Saturday night. Maybe a Brashear/Godard fight could've got a fairly quiet MSG crowd rouded up, but it was not to be.

-Give the Rangers credit, they fought till the bitter end and to be realistic the game could've gone either way. The Rangers had several odd man breaks where Fleury was there to save us. The Pens on the other hand converted on their odd man breaks and the biggest one came off the stick of Rupp late in the 3rd. Rupp was hit from behind by Girardi and he looked injured, a couple minutes later he's back on the ice and went from one zone to the other and sniped it roof daddy on King Henrik.


-The most important goal of the game was the 1st for the Pens. The Rangers took the lead because of sloppy Pens defense and the inability to play physical on Gaborik. On the next shift, Crosby glides into the off. zone and backhands it top shelf on Lundqvist and the game is tied at 1 and the crowd shuts up. Huge goal.

-Geno wasn't at his best tonight, and I think Feds's below avg. play is hurting Geno. Feds isn't playing well enough for a 2nd line winger. Rupp on the other hand is. He has 8 goals on the season and with Feds's play diminishing, Bylsma will be putting Rupp with Geno in even more spots. Does Kunitz come on the 2nd line when he gets back from injury? We'll see.

-The Pens defense was sloppy the first 2 periods and once they got more physical in the 3rd their play picked up. I think Torts overplayed Gabby, Prospal and Drury and not enough ice time was given to the 3rd and 4th liners. Gabby is a sensational player but he needs more support and the Rangers need secondary scoring. Lundqvist didn't give up any softies tonight and gave the Rags a good chance to win, but Fleury was just a tad bit better.