Could Kovalev be a Good Fit for the Penguins?

*Feb 24th, 2011:  The Penguins have just picked up Alexei Kovalev for a 7th round draft pick.  The big question now is whether Craig Adams will give up his number so we can bring back the AK27.

There is a lot of talk right now about the Pens having interest in obtaining the services of Alexei Kovalev.  Many sources report this as a possibility.  Most people, who comment on the possibility, seem to think that it would not necessarily be a good thing.  They say he is past his prime and his numbers are not good.  This is true.  I would like to take the other side of the argument and propose it would be a good thing to do.

I must admit right of the bat that I am a huge fan off Alexei Kovalev.  I was very excited when the Pens acquired his services during the 98-99 season.  In my opinion, he was one of most exciting guys to watch play.  He has a remarkable ability to stickhandle and an equally impressive shot.  During his time in Pittsburgh, he put up some very good numbers.  He had 149 goals and 347 points in 345 games during his time in Pittsburgh. ...

Billy Guerin Retires as a Pittsburgh Penguin

It was nice to see Billy Guerin retire as a Pittsburgh Penguin.  He was only here a short time, but there was a special bond between Billy and the fans.  It is not often that a player can leave such an impression on city in such a short time. Billy is one of those special players that can and did.

I was fortunate enough to meet Billy.  My company did some work in the home he and his family stayed in during his time with the Pens.  I was actually working at his house the day he and the other players were given their Stanley Cup rings.  When he came home, I didn’t waste much time asking him to see the ring.  He was kind enough to oblige me.  So, literally, moments after receiving that beautiful piece of jewelry, I got a first hand look at that baby.  It was quite a thrill.

In my dealings with Billy, he was a super good guy.  I am glad to have had the chance to meet him and I know this city feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to have him as a member of the home team.

Thanks Billy!

Penguins Outlast Canadiens: Only Allow One Bad Bounce Goal

It seems that if the Pens keep doing what they are doing offensively, which is doing everything thing they can to get two goals against the red hot Halak, and limit the number of bad bounces that end up in their own net, they can come out on top.

To their credit, the Canadiens played a better game today.  They actually outshot the Penguins 33-25. The Pens have won both games that they were outshot in.  Montreal had more sustained pressure at times during the course of the tonight’s game.  The Pens still controlled the play for most of the game.  Pittsburgh has definitely got the edge in puck possession.

Notes:

• The Pens picked up the level of hitting again in this game.  They seem to play better when things get scrappy.
• Fleury was very good in this game.  He has shown a tendency to bounce back from a loss with a strong performance in the playoffs.
• Seems like taking Ponikarovsky and Fedotenko out of the lineup was a good call.
• It was nice to see a couple of goals from defensemen.
• It was nice to see Guerin getting in front of Halak.
• I would still like to see the Penguins get more accurate with their shots.  They are missing the net with too much frequency.  I am sure that it is product of gripping the stick too tightly as it has been hard to get anything past Halak.
• Malkin took his game up a notch.  He looked like a man on a mission.

The Pens will have to fight through another energetic start from the Canadiens in game 6.

Gameday Poop: Pittsburgh vs Montreal Game 5 – Old Time Hockey

It’s time for the Penguins to stop tap dancing around and start playing hockey. Hit Somebody, get to the front of the net, clear the front of your net, hit somebody again. Start playing hard nosed, down and dirty, gritty hockey like you know how or take up golf. 

The Penguins as a team have dished out more hits than any other team this playoff season, an average of 36 hits a game. Last year the Penguins averaged 30 hits a game and last game the Penguins only had 20 hits registered. Detroit and Pittsburgh have been the top two teams in average hits per game in the playoffs the last two years, there is a reason both made it to the finals twice in a row. Let’s get back to old time hockey, put some foil on the knuckles if you have to.

I’m not going to sugar coat this any more. Ponikarovsky is a wuss. He down right is a horrible excuse for a hockey player. He was brought in as a big guy who could cause some traffic in front and he is afraid, chicken if you will, a weak link doesn’t fit in and is hurting the Penguins and Malkin’s production. Bylsma needs to give him one more chance today and say either get to the front of the net and cause traffic, stop playing like a 10 year old girl, take some hits for the team or bench him the way he did Satan and Sykora for being soft last year. There is a perfectly good Eric Tangradi in the wings that will pound people, get to the net and take a beating if needed, not like the pansy ass ballerina who’s wearing a Ponikarovsky jersey. Sorry, it had to be said.

Here is the lineup the Penguins practiced this morning. 

Kunitz-Crosby-Guerin
Talbot-Malkin-Dupuis
Cooke-Staal-Kennedy
Rupp-Letestu-Adams

The big glaring thing I notice right away is the lack of Ukrainian players in the roster.  Will Ponikarovsky and Fedotenko be benched for tonights game?  This is the lineup the Penguins need tonight to win.

Two men that know how to play hockey and do not own “European carry alls”, Mike Rupp and Billy Guerin practiced and are expected to be back in the lineup this evening. ...

Gameday Poop: Pittsburgh vs Montreal game 4 – Guerin & Staal are back!

All the talk is about Marc-André Fleury’s big shutout as well it should be. How about a big standing ovation for the Penguins defense! They held the Montreal Canadiens to 18 shots on net, the lowest amount of shots on net allowed in the playoffs by the Penguins since they allowed 17 once back in the early 70′s.

It’s that game.  Montreal’s goaltender Halak had been pulled 50% of the games this season against the Penguins before last game.  This is the game that will pull the percentage back down to 50%.  I’m predicting the Pittsburgh Penguins win tonight 5-2, with 4 of the five goals coming first period and Halak being pulled once again.

The Penguins well balanced attack was too much for the Canadiens to handle. Sure the Habs kept up for a period, maybe a period and a half, then their legs started to get heavy. Something I’ve been clueless about is why the Habs dressed eighteen players and one of them, Mathieu Darche, never stepped on the ice. Throw in the fact that Glen Metropolit only played 5 minutes and you’ve got yourself what I would call some weird coaching decisions.

The Canadiens AHL minor league team the Hamilton Bulldogs are in the midst of a playoff playoff battle against Calgary’s minor league team the Abbotsford Heat. Are the Canadiens not pulling up players because of this or is the best they have Darche who is not worth playing? By the way, the Hamilton Bulldogs are leading their series 2-1.

I also keep hearing about how the Penguins withstood the all out barrage Montreal put on in the first period, Montreal only put 7 shots on net in the first period, that’s an all out Canadien attack? I hope Greenland never tries to take over their country, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

We’re putting the band back together. Billy Guerin and Jordan Staal are back skating with the team and Jordan Staal has a new skate protector on his right skate. No official announcement has been made and I’m sure when they make it, it will sound like Staal & Guerin are ”a game time decision” but judging how Staal looked yesterday in practice ...

Penguins beat Montreal at their own game.

It took all the way until the completion of Game 2 this time before everyone decided to start panicking as opposed to after Game 1 of the Ottawa series.  I just get the opinion that most folks in this city, judging by the callers on the talk shows and the letter writers, feel that the Penguins not only will win every series in four games but should.  Heck, a few of the callers seem to think there should be some way the Penguins can win in three.  Everyone needs to just calm down and realize two things.

1. The other team is made up of professional hockey players too, some of whom are quite good.

2. The Penguins have an excellent coaching staff that has proven they have the ability to make adjustments to their team’s style on the fly ...

Penguins Fail to End Series At Home Against Senators

Unfortunately, I did not get to watch the whole game as I had to work a particularly long day today.  I missed the first period.  From the point that I started watching until the end of regulation, I thought the Pens dominated.  The overtime period was a little bit different with the Senators showing more determination. Ottawa actually got some good goaltending and just a sh**load of blocked shots. In fact, the Senators had more blocked shots than they took shots on goal.  (46 Blocked shots – 44 Shots on goal)  You have to give Ottawa credit, they played well and showed a great deal of resolve.

...