Hi again folks. Old Reg has been invisible for a while now. It turns out my day jobs and other responsibilities have been taking over recently. I did want to take a few minutes to jot down a few thoughts I had at this point.
1. It turns out that maybe Sidney Crosby was right about Marc-Andre Fleury. Crosby told reporters that MAF needed to play 5 games or so to get his rhythm back. It seems like maybe he has gotten said rhythm back. (Or at least let’s hope) Over Fleury’s past 7 games, he has recorded a 6-0-1 record. He has looked pretty good in each of those starts. I, for one, am hoping he can continue to play like that and lead this team to the promised land.
2. Speaking of Crosby, he is good. After scoring a hat trick in the Pens victory over the Calgary Flames, he leads the league in scoring. Not bad after a “slow” start. Did anybody realize that had he made the penalty shot against the Flames, he would have topped Mario Lemeiux’s “unbreakable” record of scoring 5 goals in 5 different ways. Lemieux scored at even strength, on the power play, short-handed, a penalty shot and an empty netter. Had Crosby scored on that penalty shot he would have scored a penalty shot, an even strength goal, a power play goal and on the same shot an empty netter and a shorty. So, he would have accomplished what most have said would never be duplicated, in four goals instead of five. ...
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The way the first period was going, I thought the Pens might score like 10 goals in this game. Unfortunately, I thought Tampa Bay might score 6 or 7. The way Pens moved the puck on their first power play was magical. I could have watched that all night. On the other hand, Fleury seemed to be very shaky. He let in the first shot he faced, much like in Nashville. He then proceeded to let in the second goal on, what I consider to be, a shot he should stop every time. ...
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All it took was for the Islanders to come to town without their three best players. The Pens still look terribly sloppy. Hopefully, it doesn’t take much longer before they begin to gel.
Brent Johnson looked good again. I certainly am not a Fleury basher, but Johnson has the only victories. I like Fleury and I think he is the guy, but mayber he needs some additional motivation to keep him focused.
If the League follows through with a suspension to Letang, that will be a huge travesty. The refs messed up the call, but I hope the league doesn’t try to back them up with a suspension.
It was nice to see Tangradi get his first NHL goal.
Big game against the Flyers tomorrow night.
14 shots on goal….4 goals
….and I am not necessarily blaming Fleury
Why can’t the Pens play with the same intensity that they have with one minute remaining and down by a goal, for any other part of the game?
The difference between a winning team and a losing team is the difference between Clarke MacArthur burying a nice pass from behind the net and Pascal Dupuis or Eric Tangradi not burying a nice pass from Crosby.
If I was Coach Bylsma, I would bench the next player who uses the no-look drop pass or behind the back pass.
Crosby said something today to the effect of we are not a one-timer powerplay. Well considering the PP sucks, maybe you should try one-timers on occasion.
The good news:
Derek Engelland knocked Colton Orr out in their fight.
I thought Letang had a strong game tonight in an increased role.
Crosby got his first goal.
This team is still struggling to find some chemistry. The injuries they are dealing with right now are not helping. It will come…they will be good.
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.
I, much like the thousands of other Pens fans, was super excited about heading down to the CEC for the opening of the regular season. The night had all the elements of a huge experience. There was the first meaningful game at the new building, the anticipation of a great season, the prospect of watching the new players and the fact that they were playing the hated Philadelphia Flyers. This night had it all.
The Pens celebrating their first goal.
I was so excited to see which Penguin would be the one to light the lamp for the very first time in the CEC. This was such a big event, it had to be a Pen that would do it. Much to my Huge disappoitment, Daniel f’in Briere was the first to score. That was a major let down. Unfortunately, the night didn’t get much better as the game proceeded. The Pens went on to lose in a lackluster performance on a night that they should have been as fired up as they could have been.
Now, a few comments on the new facility. Part of my excitement was generated by the prospects of seeing a real game in the new, supposedly, better arena. I have to say, it is a beautiful building, but overall I had some major concerns about the how things went in this new state-of-the art building. ...
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I have to say, this is as excited as I have been to go and watch a pre-season hockey game. The thrill of witnessing live hockey (not practice) in the new digs, just the fact that hockey is back and the added intrigue of new additions to the line-up make for a potentially exciting night. And, let’s not forget, the opponent is the the dreaded Detroit Red Wings.
Krundle and I will be there to see the aciton. I am sure there will be plenty of speculating as to what the lines may end up looking like. Though there are not many roster spots open, it is still interesting to see the progress of our top prospects. Maybe, hopefully, one of these kids really shows some good stuff and is able to make a difference on this team. It will be fun to see.
It all starts tomorrow and I, for one, am very much looking forward to it.
