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Penguins Come Up Short in Buffalo

The Pittsburgh Penguins gave up 2-goals in the 3rd period and posted none of their own as they lost to the Buffalo Sabres on the road on Friday night 4-3.  John Curry’s first start in goal for the Penguins didn’t go the way he wanted it, despite a couple of spectacular saves late in the game.  He ended up stopping 28-of-32 shots for a 0.875 save percentage.  But don’t pin the blame on Curry.  The Penguins’ defense failed to keep the front of the net cleared, and most of the Sabres’ goals came from the traffic in close.  The Penguins faltering power play resulted in numerous missed opportunities as they went 0-for-7 on the night.   

The Penguins were first to get on the scoreboard at 10:29 of the 1st period as Tyler Kennedy took a cross crease pass from Matt Cooke and popped it into the net.  Rob Scuderi picked up the other assist.  The goal was Kennedy’s 6th on the season and it was Cooke’s 7th assist.  Less than a minute later, however, the Sabres tied it up at 1-1 as Drew Stafford wristed a puck past John Curry.  Maxim Afinogenov and Jaroslav Spacek picked p the assists on the play.  The Penguins went 0-for-3 on the powerplay and 1-for-1 on the kill as they outshot the Sabres 12-11.

In the 2nd period, the Penguins’ defense took a blow when Philippe Boucher left the game after one shift due to an unsepcified injury.  He didn’t return.  The Buffalo Sabres took the lead at 12:21 as they scored on the power play while Brooks Orpik sat for an interference call.   Paul Gaustad picked up his first goal of the season on the tip-in, with assists from Drew Stafford and Mark Mancari to make it 2-1.  Just 34-seconds later, however, Sidney Crosby tied it back up at 2-2 as he collected a rebound off from Evgeni Malkin’s shot and whacked the puck out of mid-air and into the net.  Then at 19:04, Evgeni Malkin created a Buffalo turnover and sent Sidney Crosby streaking in on net.  Crosby faked a slapper and then snapped the puck into the far side of the net, beating Ryan Miller to give the Penguins a 3-2 advantage.  Evgeni Malkin provided the lone assist on both of Crosby’s goals.  The 2nd period was the Penguins best offensive effort of the game as they outshot the Sabres 15-11, but the power play again came up empty on 4 attempts.  The Penguins penalty kill was 1-for-2. 

In the final period, the Penguins offense withered as they only managed to get off 3-shots on net while the Sabres fired 10-shots and connected for 2 goals.  The Sabres tied the game just 3:11 into the third on Drew Stafford’s second goal of the game.  Off the rush, Stafford redirected Thomas Vanek’s pass to beat Curry on the open side.  Then at 16:36, Paul Gaustad redirected a Jason Pominville pass by Curry to put Buffalo ahead for good.  There were no penalties called in the 3rd period.

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• PHOTOS: In-Game Photos
• Game Rosters
• Game Summary
• Boxscore
• Penguins Ice Time Report
• Shots Summary
• Faceoff Comparison

Sidney Crosby picked up 2-goals and led the team in shots with 5.  Kris Letang and Tyler Kennedy each posted 4-shots, while Evgeni Malkin only had 1 shot on the evening.  Evgeni Malkin did pick up 2 more assists to boost his NHL-leading points total to 37.  He is 7-points ahead of #2 Alexander Ovechkin (30) and leads the league with 27 assists, 5 ahead of Boston’s Marc Savard.  In the faceoff circle, Tyler Kennedy was 2/2 (100%), Max Talbot was 4/5 (80%) and Mike Zigomanis was 7/12 (58%).  Ruslan Fedotenko and Mark Eaton were healthy scratches.  WBS call-up Janne Pesonen skated 6:02 and had no shots on goal.  Sidney Crosby led all players in ice time with 24:29, with Evgeni Malkin second at 23:25.  Kris Letang led all defensemen with 23:14. 

The loss was just the Penguins’ 2nd regulation loss in November.  They return to Mellon Arena on Saturday to take on the New Jersey Devils.

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Malkin and Crosby Loom Large in 3rd Period Comeback

In the 1st period, the Islanders got on the scoreboard with a 5-on-4 powerplay goal at 7:45 as Mike Zigomanis sat for a goaltender interference call.  Hal Gill had just left the box 6-seconds prior to the goal after the Penguins managed to kill off 21-seconds of a 5-on-3.  Doug Weight was credited with the goal, but the replay showed that after Dany Sabourin stopped the puck, he inadvertently kicked it into his own net as he tried to close his legs on the puck.  Trent Hunter and Mark Streit picked up the assists on the play.  Then, just over a minute later, Trent Hunter backhanded a goal past Dany Sabourin to make it 2-0.  Hunter beat Kris Letang after taking a chip pass that landed in the feet of Letang, and then surprised Sabourin with a quick backhander.  Assists were given to Andy Hilbert and Joshua Bailey.  At 9:38, Eric Godard picked up a fighting major with Mitch Fritz.  Fritz managed to get Godard tied up in his jersey and neither player was able to do too much damage before being sent to the box;  it wasn’t enough to get the Penguins going.  The Penguins were outshot 12-10 in the first and were 0-for-2 on the man advantage and 1-for-2 on the kill. 

In the 2nd period, the Penguins continued to be outplayed by the Islanders as they were outshot 7-6.  At 9:27 with Evgeni Malkin in the box for a high sticking penalty, the Islanders powerplay connected again as Bill Guerin beat Dany Sabourin to make it 3-0.  Joshua Bailey and Mark Streit picked up the assists.  After the the 3rd goal on 14-shots, Coach Michel Therrien pulled Dany Sabourin and gave rookie John Curry his NHL debut.  Curry stopped all 5-shots against him in the remainder of the period.  As the period wound down, defenseman Brooks Orpik stepped into a slapshot with 19-seconds left that beat the Islanders netminder Joey MacDonald and gave the Penguins something to build on as they entered the 3rd period.  Pascal Dupuis picked up the lone assist on Orpiks 2nd goal of the season.  The Penguins were 1-for-2 on the kill in the period and were afforded no man advantages. 

In the 3rd period, Coach Michel Therrien reunited Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby on the Penguins’ top line.  At 6:18, it paid off as Malkin fed a beautiful cross ice pass through traffic to Crosby who snapped it into the empty side of the net to beat MacDonald and make it 3-2 with plenty of time left in the game.  Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang picked up the assists.  Then at 11:03, Sidney Crosby returned the favor as he drew 3-Islanders to the boards and fed Malkin streaking through the center of the ice.  Malkin walked in unchallenged and beat MacDonald with a quick wrister to tie the game 3-3.  Brooks Orpik picked up the other assist.  Then, just 50-seconds later, Sidney Crosby undressed an Islanders’ defensemen who was looking to set up a play from behind his own net.  Crosby stole the puck at the side of the net and looked as if he was going to shoot on MacDonald.  Instead, he made a perfect blind backhanded pass to the slot.  Malkin, reading the play perfectly, had jumped in from the blueline and made a diving shot that beat MacDonald 5-hole to gain the 1-goal advantage.  Finally, with 18-seconds left and MacDonald pulled for the extra attacker, Evgeni Malkin completed the hat trick with his 10th goal of the season, an empty netter to seal the game 5-3.  Rob Scuderi picked up the lone assist on the play.  The Penguins’ domination in the 3rd period was evident in the 14-6 shot total.  The Penguins were 0-for-1 on the powerplay in the final frame.  John Curry stopped all 6-shots in the 3rd to pick up his first career NHL win. 

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• Game Rosters
• Game Summary
• Boxscore
• Shots Summary
• Faceoff Comparison
• Penguins Player Ice Times

Sidney Crosby led all Penguins with 5-shots on net, and had 3-points (1G, 2A).  Evgeni Malkin had 4-shots and picked up 4-points (3G, 1A) to maintain his lead in the NHL points race with 35-points, 5-points ahead of 2nd place Simon Gagne.  Malkin also leads the league in assists with 25, 5-ahead of 2nd place Sidney Crosby and Boston’s Marc Savard.  Max Talbot was a perfect 2-for-2 on faceoffs before he left the game with an apparent foot injury after taking a hard shot to the skate.  Talbot appeared unable to put any pressure on the skate as he left the ice with the help of the team trainer.  Tyler Kennedy won his single apearance in the faceoff circle, while Sidney Crosby (12/28) won just 43% and Mike Zigomanis (8/19) and Jordan Staal (8/19) each won 42%.  Sidney Crosby led the team with 24:39 of ice time, while Malkin registered 21:29.  Amongst defensemen, Brooks Orpik led with 22:09 of ice time with Philippe Boucher following close behind with 21:43.

The Penguins will get Thanksgiving Day off before playing against Buffalo on the road on Friday evening.  They will then return back to Mellon Arena to face the Devils on Saturday night.

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Gonchar Opts for Surgery, Will Miss 4-6 Months

The Pittsburgh Penguins officially announced this morning that Defenseman Sergei Gonchar has opted to undergo arthroscopic surgery on Thursday to repair his dislocated left shoulder.  The injury was the result of a hit by Tampa Bay forward David Koci during the Penguins’ first pre-season game against the Lightning on September 20.  Gonchar concluded that surgery was necessary after seeking opinions from three separate orthopedic specialists.  The surgery to be performed by UPMC physician Dr. Mark Rodosky will repair cartilage and ligament damage to his left shoulder.  Unfortunately for the Penguins, the recovery time for returning to a contact sport is projected at 4-6 months.

Undoubtedly the team’s leading defenseman, the Penguins will definitely miss Gonchar in the lineup.  The gravity of his loss is underscored by the fact that Defenseman Ryan Whitney is already out of the lineup for the first 3-4 months of the season as a result of recent foot Surgery.  Together, Gonchar and Whitney were the top-2 D-men for the Penguins last season.  Gonchar finished 4th in scoring with 65-points (12G, 53A) and Whitney was 7th with 40-points (12G, 28A).  Gonchar also led Penguins D-men in +/- with a +13, and has been a highly effective quarterback of the Penguins’ power play.  The loss of Gonchar could also have an impact on Evgeni Malkin who has relied on him to help cross the language barrier.   

In Gonchar and Whitney’s absence, the Penguins will have to rely on their defensive depth to step up and fill the gap.  While the Penguins do have good depth when it comes to capable defensemen, they lack the offensive punch that Gonchar and Whitney provided.  The most likely candidate to step up into that offensive role would be Darryl Sydor.  With 1-year remaining on his 2-year contract and little opportunity to be in the top defensive pairing, Sydor was rumored to be asking for a trade going into this season.  Now that Gonchar and Whitney have been sidelined, Sydor will be a critical asset to the Penguins.  At age 36, he is 2-years older than Gonchar and has played offensive D-man role before for the Dallas Stars.   In 7-full seasons with the Dallas Stars, Sydor posted 292-points (60G, 232A) averaging 42-points per season.  His offensive production has dipped in the past few seasons, likely the result of age, position and ice time.  With the Penguins, he has not yet had the opportunities afforded to the top defensive pairing.  This could well be his opportunity to regularly play alongside the team’s elite players and regain his role as a top defenseman in the NHL.   

Aside from Darryl Sydor, the Penguins existing options for scoring defensemen starts to diminish rather quickly.  Mark Eaton, Brooks Orpik and Rob Scuderi are all strong defensively, but will not fill the void when it comes to scoring.  Hal Gill is probably good for 15-20 points, but his size limits his speed and will prevent him from effectively moving up on the rush.  Sophomore Kris Letang had a strong season last year and will likely be called upon to increase his offensive production.  However, it remains to be seen if he can significantly improve on his 17-point (6G, 11A) production from last season.  Rookie Alex Goligoski, the only prospect defenseman that is still with the team, will likely get an opportunity to contribute in the regular season.  After a 38-point (10G, 28A) contribution in Wilkes-Barre last season, he is an exciting prospect.  However, these kinds of numbers do not routinely translate from the AHL to the NHL.

Bottom line, the extended loss of Sergei Gonchar will be a big, noticeable loss for the Penguins.  If the Penguins are unable to find the right amount of offense out of the remaining defensive corps, Ray Shero could find himself looking at possible early season trade options.  While it is too early to speculate much more on that, it is something for Penguins fans to keep in the back of their minds as the season gets underway this weekend.

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Penguins Lose Pre-Season Opener in Shootout

The Pittsburgh Penguins battled back from a 3-1 defecit, but ultimately lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a shootout when #1 draft pick Steven Stamkos scored the deciding goal on Saturday night.  The Lightning, under new head coach and former ESPN color analyst Barry Melrose, sat many of its veterans for the pre-season opener, including Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St Louis.  Also missing from the lineup were former Penguins’ Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Mark Recchi, and Adam Hall.   Pittsburgh played many of its young stars, to include Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Marc-Andre Fleury.  They also played newcomer Miroslav Satan, but sat Ruslan Fedotenko in favor of Janne Pesonen who picked up an assist.

The game started with Jordan Staal netting a quick goal just 51 seconds into the first period.  Staal’s goal was assisted by Evgeni Malkin and rookie defesneman Ben Lovejoy.  It was the only goal of the first period as Marc-Andre Fleury turned aside all 10 of the Lightning shots.  The Penguins put up 9-shots.  Defensemen Sergei Gonchar left the game in the first and didn’t return after being hit by 6′6″ heavyweight David Koci.  Gonchar will be evaluated today, but reportedly suffered a shoulder injury.  In response, Eric Godard took Koci’s number and squared off with him in the games’ first fight of the night at 11:54, sending both to the box for 5-minutes (Georges Laraque take note, wherever you are). 

In the second, Marc-Andre Fleury and the Penguins gave up 3-straight goals to the Lightning as Janne Niskala, Wyatt Smith, and Brandon Bochenski all converted at even strength in a span of just under 5-minutes.  The Penguins finally hit back late in the second as Petr Sykora notched a 5-on-3 power play goal at 15:18 to draw within 1.  Miroslav Satan and Jordan Staal picked up the assists.  Ryan Stone stepped into a fight early in the period, but was outmatched against the heavier Zenon Konopka.  After a slow start to the period, the Penguins finished by outscoring the Lightning 12-9. 

In the 3rd period, it was Petr Sykora striking on the power play again as he notched his 2nd of the night at 10:11 during 5-on-4 play.  Janne Pesonen and Alex Goligoski were credited with the assists on the play.  At 12:51, Kris Beach was given a 5-minute major and a game misconduct penalty for boarding, setting up an extended short-handed situation for the Penguins.  However at 17:07, Sidney Crosby notched the go-ahead goal with an unassisted, short-hander.  Unfortunately, with just over a minute to go, Brandon Bochenski scored his second of the night to tie it back up.  Shots were 9-8 Tampa. 

After a scoreless overtime period, the game went to the shootout.  Jussi Jokinen and  Steven Stamkos both converted on the shootout, while Miroslave Satan and Evgeni Malkin were thwarted to give the Lightning the win. 

 

• NHL Official Game Summary
• NHL Official Game Rosters 
• VIDEO:  Janne Pesonen Interview
• VIDEO:  Sidney Crosby Interview
• VIDEO:  Coach Therrien 

The Penguins match up against the Lightning again on Monday night in Tampa Bay.

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Ryan Whitney Sidelined for 3+ Months

In a surprise development, Pittsburgh Penguins’ defenseman Ryan Whitney underwent surgery on Friday to correct a left foot misalignment that he has secretly been dealing with for some time.  The procedure, an osteotomy, is a surgical operation whereby bone is cut to shorten, lengthen, or change its alignment.  It usually involves taking out a wedge of bone near a joint to correct the alignment and alleviate pain.  The typical recovery time for a procedure like this is 3-5 months, which means (at a minimum) Ryan Whitney won’t play for the Penguins until mid-November.

According to Bob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Whitney “stunned” General Manager Ray Shero and Coach Michel Therrien when he revealed the problem to them during post season meetings and told them that he had pretty much played the whole season on one skate.  Rossi noted that some teammates, including Siney Crosby and Brooks Orpik, were aware that Whitney was struggling with the problem during the season.  Apparently Whitney had been dealing with the pain since the opening round of the 2007 playoffs against Ottawa.  Despite the use of orthotics and other non-surgical alternatives, Whitney was unable to find relief from the problem.  It is unclear whether the team training staff was cognizant of the full impact of Whitney’s condition on his skating ability. 

 

As one of their top defensemen, the Penguins will certainly miss Ryan Whitney at the beginning of the season.  However, the Penguins have developed significant depth at defense and will be starting training camp with 7 quality, proven d-men that include Sergei Gonchar, Mark Eaton, Brooks Orpik, Kris Letang, Hal Gil, Rob Scuderi and Darryl Sydor.  There has been a lot of speculation that Darryl Sydor has requested a trade, and that options were being looked at.  One might expect that the Whitney situation could alter any early movement of Sydor.  Sydor’s fate may rest upon how well top prospect Alex Goligoski performs in training camp.

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Penguins Beat Detroit in Triple-Overtime Thriller!

With less than a minute to go in regulation, it looked like the Stanley Cup would be skated around the rink inside of Joe Louis Arena.  The Detroit Red Wings had posted a come from behind rally and scored 2-goals in the 3rd period to put them 1-goal ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins (3-2).  But with their goaltender pulled, the Penguins’ last gasp attempt at survival paid off as Max Talbot scored the game-tying goal with just 35-seconds left on the clock to force overtime.  Then Marc-Andre Fleury took over, stopping 24-shots through almost 50-minutes of overtime play to give his team the opportunity to win.  And win they did, after Petr Sykora clinched the game-winner, a powerplay goal at 9:57 of the third overtime!  In a game that had almost everything, including injuries to Sergei Gonchar (upper body) and Ryan Malone (slapshot to the face), the Penguins found a way to win.

Image details: Pittsburgh Penguins v Detroit Red Wings – Game Five served by picapp.com
The Penguins came out in the first period and surprised a nervous Red Wings team as they put up an early 2-goal lead.  The first goal game at 8:37 as Marian Hossa slung the puck inside of the far post and beat Chris Osgood.  Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis had the assists on Hossa’s goal, his 11th of the post-season.  Then at 14:41, Adam Hall was credited with an unassisted goal after a botched Red Wings clearing attempt by Niklas Kronwall put the puck into their own net. Since Hall was the last Penguin to touch the puck, he was given the goal.  Shots were 8-7 Detroit and the Penguins were 0-2 on the powerplay and 3-3 on the penalty kill.

In the 2nd period, the Red Wings drew within 1-goal as Darren Helm took a feed from Kirk Maltby and snapped off a shot that beat Marc-Andre Fleury.  With 2:50 left in the period, the Penguins suffered a huge blow when Sergei Gonchar went awkwardly into the end boards at high speed.  Gonchar left game for the rest of the period, but returned briefly in the 3rd before leaving again.  He ultimately returned to the ice in the 3rd OT period, and skated his first shift on the game-winning goal.  The Penguins had another setback with just 1:22 left in the period, as Ryan Malone took a puck to the face off from heavy slapshot by Hal Gill.  The shot hit Malone on his broken nose, and he immediately left the ice bleeding profusely.  He ultimately returned in the 3rd period looking fully playoff tested with a gashed and swollen face, and gauze packed in his nose.  Shots were 12-7 Detroit in the 2nd and both teams were 0-1 on the powerplay.

Onto the 3rd period where Detroit made a full court press to win the Stanley Cup, as they outshot the Penguins 14-4.  At 6:43, the Wings got the tying goal on the powerplay as Tyler Kennedy sat for hooking.  Pavel Datsyuk picked up his 10th goal on a tip-in that beat Marc-Andre Fleury five-hole.  Assists were credited to Henrik Zetterberg and Brian Rafalski.  Then at 9:23 with momentum clearly on their side, the Wings scored the go-ahead goal on a wrister by Brian Rafalski, from Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg.  From that point on, it looked as if the Red Wings would finish it off and win the Stanley Cup.  NBC had rolled video of the Cup being removed from its case and getting polished.  With just 40-seconds left, the desparate Penguins pulled Marc-Andre Fleury from the net and threw all they could at Osgood.  Just 5-seconds later while champagne bottles were being prepped in the Red Wings locker room, Max Talbot stopped the anticipated celebration by banging home a puck behind Osgood to tie it up.

During the first Overtime period, Marc-Andre Fleury put on a clinic by stopping all 13-shots by the Red Wings.  The Penguins offense was largely ineffective notching just 2-shots on goal, despite having a 2-minute powerplay on a questioned goaltender interference call on Henrik Zetterberg.  In the 2nd Overtime, the youth of the Penguins started to pay dividends as they matched the Red Wings skating game and took an 8-7 edge in shots.  Each team was assessed a minor penalty in the 2nd Overtime, but neither team could capitalize.  Then in the 3rd Overtime,  Jiri Hudler took a double-minor high sticking call after cutting the face of Rob Scuderi with the blade of his stick.  The Penguins responded by putting the injured Sergei Gonchar back on the ice, along with Malkin, Whitney, Sykora and Malone.  After being largely absent throughout the entire series, Evgeni Malkin made a beautiful pass to Petr Sykora in the high circle area and he put it in the net to end the game at 9:57.  Sergei Gonchar was also credited with an assist.

Image details: Pittsburgh Penguins v Detroit Red Wings – Game Five served by picapp.com

• VIDEO:  Game HIghlights
• VIDEO:  Coach Therrien Press Conference – 3 Jun
• VIDEO:  Post Game Press Conference
• VIDEO: Post Game Locker Room Report
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

The win could prove to be a momentum swing in this series that should have ended tonight for the Red Wings.  The Penguins found a way to get the tying goal in the waning moments of the game, and then battle through the adveristy of injuries and being outplayed in the 3rd period and first overtime to eventually win it after a prolonged battle on the Red Wings’ ice.  Marc-Andre Fleury proved phenomenal in goal by stopping 55-of-58 shots for a 0.948 save percentage.  Marian Hossa had another spectacular game, picking up 2-points (1G, 1A).  Sidney Crosby padded his league leading post-season points by netting 2-more points (2A).  The Penguins take the series back to Pittsburgh trailing 3-2 with a chance to tie it up on Wednesday night.

The Penguins return home to Pittsburgh for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday night, where they will look to win 1-more on home ice to send the series back to Detroit for a deciding Game 7. 

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Sidney Crosby Returning Thursday Against Islanders

After speculation on Tuesday that he would return to the lineup soon, it was announced today that Captain Sidney Crosby will be back on the ice with the team as they host the New York Islanders on Thursday night at Mellon Arena.  Crosby has missed the last 7-games and 28 of the past 31 due to a high right ankle sprain.  On Tuesday, Crosby noted that his return was just waiting on conditioning and that he felt pretty strong as far as his ankle injury. 

Today, Crosby stated, “My ankle feels great and my conditioning is as good as it can get, really, without playing. It always takes a few games, but I feel good.”  Crosby stated that he feels a lot better than he did when he came back for a brief 3-game stretch on March 4-9.  “I hope to be a little bit quicker than before with being out a month and a half,” he said. “It’s going to be more physical hockey down the stretch, but I expect to come along a little faster. Last time, as far as conditioning and game shape and being hit, I wasn’t where I needed to be. You can’t get that unless you play. It doesn’t matter how much you practice.  Being hit, falling down, backchecking and things like that, that’s just stuff you have to go through.  It got better with each game and I hope it’s that way this time, too.”

Thursday will mark the first time that Sidney Crosby will get to play with his new linemate, Marian Hossa, who came to the Penguins via trade on February 26th.   Hossa, considered one of the best wingers in the league and the most anticipated transaction at the trade deadline, was injured in his first game as a Penguin and missed playing with Crosby during his brief 3-game return.  It is a matchup that has been anticipated for a month, both by the fans and by Crosby and Hossa themselves.  Crosby commented on Hossa, stating “I’ve done my best watching him, done my homework so to speak.  I’ve seen some of his tendencies. We play a similar way – he’s not afraid to go into traffic, get his nose dirty.”  Hossa has stated that he can’t wait to play with the reigning league MVP. 

With just 5-games remaining in the regular season, the Penguins will be looking for some instant chemistry between Crosby and Hossa.  They will also be looking for Crosby to rapidly return to game shape.  It is anticipated that Crosby, Hossa and Pascal Dupuis will share the ice, a combination of speed, intensity, creativity and skill.  While it may take a few games to get the timing down, great things are expected from this talent packed combination.  Add to that the red hot line of Malkin, Sykora and Malone and the superb play of Marc-Andre Fleury and it appears that the Penguins may be poised for a deep run into playoff season.  The win against the Devils on Tuesday night put some separation in the Penguins’ Atlantic Division lead and put them just 1-point behind the Eastern Conference leading Canadiens.  Sit down and buckle up for what promises to be one heck of a ride! 

Crosby & Fleury Help Penguins Take Over Eastern Conference

The Pittsburgh Penguins scored a late 3rd period goal to break a 0-0 tie and then grabbed an empty netter to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 on Tuesday night.  It was a triumphant return to the ice for Captain Sidney Crosby who assisted on the game-winner after missing 21-games to a high ankle sprain.  Marc-Andre Fleury turned aside 35-shots, including a Vinny Lecavalier breakaway, to record his 10th career shutout and put a punctuation mark on his second start (and win) since returning from injury.  The win propels the Penguins into sole posession of the Eastern Conference lead, 1-point ahead of the New Jersey Devils who also won on Tuesday. 

Through the first 2-periods, the Penguins were outshot 24-10 and failed to convert on 2-power play chances.  They managed to kill off their only penalty of the game, a 1st-period interference call to Brooks Orpik.  Marc-Andre Fleury was ready for the task, however, stopping everything that came his way and playing a very strong positional game.  On the other end of the ice, Lightning goaltender Mike Smith stood tall in net as well, stopping breakaways on both Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby and a penalty shot by Petr Sykora.  Jordan Staal left the game in the 2nd period with an apparent bruised rib injury after he fell awkwardly and was then run into by a Tampa Bay player. 

In the 3rd period, the Penguins were late to get back on the ice, trailing the coaching staff by a couple of minutes.  When they did come out, the Penguins played a much stronger offensive game, outshooting the Lightning 13-11 in the period.  The Penguins finally solved Smith at 17:13 as Sidney Crosby made a cross-crease pass to Max Talbot.  The puck deflected off from a Lightning defender’s skate, but Talbot was able to gather it in and slide it past the outstretched leg of Smith for the goal.  Pascal Dupuis picked up the other assist on the play.  With 1:10 left to go in the period, the Lightning pulled their goaltender for the extra man.  Sidney Crosby just missed a backhander empty net goal from the blue line, but with 5-seconds left on the clock, Evgeni Malkin took a pass from Maxime Talbot and skated it all the way into the empty net to end the game 2-0. 

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• PHOTOS:  Game Photos
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Gamer Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

Sidney Crosby skated 23-shifts in the game and had 22:07 of ice time in his first game back.  All in all, he played a very strong game.  One could sense that he was holding back just a bit from his normal 120%, but certainly gave 100%+.  I imagine after a few games, he will likely be unstoppable once again.  Marc-Andre Fleury picked up the game’s #1 star, and Maxime Talbot with a goal and assist picked up the 3rd star. 

The Penguins continue their road trip on Thursday as they travel to Sunrise, Florida, to take on the Florida Panthers. 

Sidney Crosby Returns Tonight!

In an unexpected turn of events, it was announced this afternoon that Sidney Crosby will return to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup tonight as they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in Florida.  It was expected that he would travel to Florida with the team as they start a 3-game road trip that ends in the nation’s capital on Sunday, but his return to the ice had not been projected. 

On Monday, Sidney Crosby practiced with the team and afterwards spoke to the Penguins’ Director of Content and Publications, Joe Sager.  Crosby confirmed that he would make the trip but that his return was still unknown.  However, after going through a solid morning skate in Tampa Bay, Crosby decided to return to the lineup.  In the interview on Monday, Crosby said, “I feel pretty good. I haven’t really had a chance to do much contact. With the way the schedule is, we don’t really practice. We’re pretty much practicing on game days and that’s it.  So, as an injured guy trying to get back, it’s a little difficult to difficult to gauge where you’re at because you’re not really practicing with contact and stuff like that. So, the tough part is knowing when it’s time and also, when it is time, making sure that your skills are there and everything are ready to go. I am not sure where I’m at right now, but time will tell.” 

Crosby missed 21 games and the NHL All-Star Game while he has been out with the high ankle sprain.  Crosby’s return has been much anticipated and will likely be a big boost for the Penguins, who just got goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury back in the lineup.  Fortunately for the Penguins, their play didn’t suffer in his absence.  Forwards Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Malone and Goaltender Ty Conklin all stepped up for the Penguins who went 11-6-4 while Crosby was sidelined. 

Hossa Injured in Debut as Penguins Lose to Bruins 5-1

The Pittsburgh Penguins lost a road game to the surging Boston Bruins on Thursday night 5-1.   Goaltender Ty Conklin gave up 3-goals on just 13-shots before being replaced by Marc-Andre Fleury at 2:21 of the 2nd period.  Fleury, who made several good stops went on to save 16-of-18 shots thrown at him.  New acquisitions Marian Hossa, Pascal Dupuis and Hal Gill all played, but Hossa left the ice in the 2nd period after a knee-on-knee collision with Glen Murray and did not return.  Initial reports indicate that Hossa’s injury will keep him out of the lineup about a week. 

Boston’s Marco Sturm scored the first 2-goals of the game and picked up his 200th NHL goal.  Zdeno Chara, P.J. Axelsson and David Krejci also scored for Boston, which has back-to-back victories over two of the top three teams in the East.  Ty Conklin gave up 3-goals on 13-shots after posting a career high 50-saves against the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.  Marc-Andre Fleury was called in relief, making it the first game he has played for the Penguins since leaving the ice on December 6 with the high ankle sprain.  The lone goal for the Penguins came late in the 3rd period from newcomer Pascal Dupuis.  Jeff Taffe and Tyler Kennedy were credited with the assists.   

Marian Hossa had completed just 13-shifts when the injury occurred.  “It was an accidental hit, knee-on-knee,” said Hossa, who could miss about a week. “This is disappointing. I was trying to get comfortable with my linemates. But injuries happen, and this is the tough luck of the business we’re in.”

• VIDEO:  Game Highlights
• PHOTOS:  In-Game Photos
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Rosters
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Game Summary
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Boxscore
• NHL OFFICIAL:  Play-by-Play

The regulation loss was the first for the Penguins in 7-games.  They completed February with an impressive 8-3-3 record and recorded 19-of-28 possible points (67.9%), much better than expected with Captain Sidney Crosby out of the lineup.  The surge can be largely credited to the play of Evgeni Malkin and Ty Conklin.  Although Malkin only scored points in 1 of his last 4 games, he scored 26-points (9G, 17A) in the 14-games during the month of February to take over the NHL scoring lead.  Ty Conklin went 6-2-3 in February and his 0.930 save percentage leads the league. 

The Penguins travel to Ottawa next for a matinee against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday afternoon, and then back to Pittsburgh for a Sunday matinee against the Atlanta Thrashers. 

   

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