For the second straight home game, the Penguins had a record crowd on hand and for the second straight game, they sent them home disappointed. The Penguins were blown out by the Islanders in front of a record 18,634 fans. Their power play continued to struggle, going 0-3 with only three total shots, while the Islanders cashed in on both power play chances to put the game out of reach. While Marc-Andre Fleury struggled, allowing four goals on 17 shots in two periods, Evgeni Nabokov shined, ... Read More
Lack of secondary scoring an early concern for Penguins
Going into this season, the Penguins were the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. This was the case because of such a high-flying offense that has the two best players in the world headlining the group. You know that you are going to get production out of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin which is almost as certain as knowing you are going to have to do your taxes. But in order for the team as a whole to achieve what they want to do; there are going to have to be more than just those two ... Read More
Pens squeak past Sens; win 2-1 in shootout
The Pittsburgh Penguins already lost two straight games due to poor puck management and team defense. They ensured there would not be a third result in the same fashion. James Neal scored and Evgeni Malkin clinched the victory in a shootout as the Penguins snapped a brief losing streak of two games, defeating the Ottawa Senators 2-1, Sunday night. Marc-Andre Fleury made 32 saves behind a defensive corps that played sharper than they had in a week, despite losing Matt Niskanen in the first ... Read More
Crosby shines early but Jets rebound for 4-2 win
If Penguins fans forgot how their team, comprised of several elite players, lost in six games to the Philadelphia Flyers last April, this game served as a reminder. After going up 2-0 in the first period, the Penguins allowed four straight goals, including three in the second period, as the Winnipeg Jets skated away with a 4-2 victory. The game reflected the same issues the Penguins had in the playoffs last season; blowing leads, turning the puck over in the defensive zone, and abandoning ... Read More
End of the line for Eric Tangradi
Eric Tangradi has had his chances to be a top six forward, but those days appear to have come and gone. After a turnover led directly to Toronto's first goal in last night's loss, head coach Dan Bylsma took Tangradi off of the second line, replacing him with Tyler Kennedy. Tangradi would finish the game with 4:27 of ice time. Today, it was announced that the 23 year old Philadelphia native would be relegated to the fourth line while Kennedy would move up to the second line to play with ... Read More
Leafs ruin Penguins’ home opener
The Pittsburgh Penguins finally got their top two stars to score in this lockout-shortened season. Unfortunately, the Toronto Maple Leafs exited the game with a win. James van Riemsdyk scored two goals and the Leafs spoiled the Penguins' home opener 4-2 in front of 18,641 fans, the largest crowd for a hockey game in Consol Energy Center's three year history. The Penguins came off a successful two game road trip where they dismantled the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers; top ... Read More
There’s no I – or we, us, our – in fan
Now we've all heard this before. And yes, I meant to say we. I'm grouping us into a group. We, in this case, is the fan. The fan which is short for fanatic. That's what we are, right? We're all sport fanatics. But there's something that we aren't. We aren't a part of the team that we cheer for. Call me picky or call me clueless. That's fine. But you are a fan and that's all. "We can't run this play. If we lose this game, it's going to hurt our playoff chances." - Oh really? Tell me ... Read More
A well-balanced goaltending duo
The Pittsburgh Penguins have a firm foundation to build upon with their two fierce and fearless goalies, Marc-Andre Fleury and Tomas Vokoun. Having a compressed season now in tow, the undeniably quick pace leaves little room for error in the net. Luckily, the Pens acquired Vokoun, a 36-year-old goaltender, last year from the Washington Capitals. The intention was to have a solid backup goalie behind embedded No. 29 to perform at the highest level with a steady hand and mental determination ... Read More
Penguins cruise in 6-3 win over Rangers
Playing their second game in as many nights, the Pittsburgh Penguins started their new backup goalie, Tomas Vokoun. The Rangers ended the game with their backup in net. The Penguins scored six goals, including four against defending Vezina winner Henrik Lundqvist, en route to a 6-3 victory, Sunday night. Tyler Kennedy, Matt Niskanen, and Pascal Dupuis each scored, while James Neal registered two goals. Kris Letang added an empty net goal to seal the game. The Penguins chased Lundvist ... Read More
Pens exact revenge on Flyers; open season with 3-1 win
Tyler Kennedy, James Neal, and Chris Kunitz each scored and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 26 shots as the Penguins beat the Flyers 3-1 Saturday in Philadelphia. Anyone expecting a matchup similar to the circus-like six game playoff series from April left very disappointed. Both teams had stretches of strong defensive play and both goaltenders, Marc-Andre Fleury and Ilya Bryzgalov, played well. Fleury, in particular, had an excellent game, bouncing back from a nightmare performance in the ... Read More