As disheartning as it may have been to see the Pens lose their first two games at the CEC, it was that much of a relief that they beat the New Jersey Devils yesterday afternoon. The Pens lost all 8 games against the Devils last season, so it is like getting that perverbial monkey off your back by beating the Devils last night.
The bad news is that Brooks Orpik was a late scratch. He is apparently feeling some effects of his abdominal surgery. The Pens were also without Zybnek Michalek for much of the game. He sustained a shoulder injury after a big hit in the second period. Let’s hope that those guys are OK and don’t miss any time.
Notes:
- Alex Goligoski continues to impress.
- After getting booed by the half-full New Jersey crowd, it was nice to see Paul Martin seal the deal with an empty netter.
- Brent Johnson played very well in relief of MAF. Please, let’s not get too hasty about calling for Johnson to be the starter. Unfortunately, many Pens fans are too quick to blame Fleury for everything.
- The Pens are generating a lot of good chances, but aren’t finishing with as much frequency as we would like. I anticipate that it will come in due time.
