School and work have been kicking my ass lately, so the blog has taken a complete back seat.  I can promise I’ll be back, probably with a recap from tonight’s game. 

Sid?  Hat trick?

Maybe.  Go Pens.

Let’s delve into this, shall we?

The Good

Fleury looks damn solid in the net.  With Brodeur looking a bit bland and Luongo turning in some turds, Fleury and Ward should be the front runners for Team Canada.  Crosby is working hard for some goals.  The third and fourth lines continues to drive some great chances, be aggressive at the net and generally work their asses off.  I miss Max Talbot. The Pens answered the Canes in the third period and overtime after loosing some steam.  McKee blocks shots like his life depends on it.  GoGo is well on his way to being one of the top defensement on the team.

The Bad

Powerplay continues to leave a little to be desired.  I like how Kennedy works for it, but sometimes I want him to calm it down a little and take better shots, rather than just shooting.  Malkin cannot work with a goalie one on one.  He needs an obstical course to make a shoot out goal.

The Really Good News

Sorry. 

Three Stars

Mike Rupp – He proves you can never underestimate a Clevelander.  We shock you when you least expect it

Marc Andre Fleury – This game would have probably been a loss if it wasn’t for him.  Solid, creative and everything a francise goalie should be.

Chris Kunitz – In the face of a bit criticism, he scores a bit one for the Pens.  Like Guerin said, he does lots of things that are more important than scoring

Great road trip for the Pens.  Starting the season off like this is a blessing and a curse.  I am getting way to use to winning.

For The Ladies

Picture him in a Pens uniform.  Cleveland rocks.

Pens brought their own brand of torture to Ottowa.  Guess who haunts the Sens nightmares?

This guy.  Never mention the Pens depth to me ever again.

So, we’re up by 4.  And its a beautiful thing.

Oh, Tomorrow

For every fanatic of a team, there is always that one team outside of your own that you have a secret thing for.  For me, that team is Carolina. They are plucky.  You cannot underestimate them.  They make Marty Brodeur go insane.  They have cheerleaders that dramatically shed tears when they lose.  Cam Ward is… well, he is Cam Ward. 

I have serious Cam Ward issues. 

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I want to destroy them tomorrow.  I want a perfect road trip.  I want Tyler Kennedy to get a hat trick.  But I’m going to feel bad about it.  Just a little.

Considering their record, there is no indication of what team we’re going to get tomorrow.  The Canes could let in 7 goals or score five. 

Whatever.  Let’s Go Pens

Did you know there are hockey teams other than the Pens?

What is up with the Bruins?

What’s up with the Leafs?

The Red Wings? Epic Fail Where is the long touted depth everyone is bragging about? I laughed for ten minutes tonight.

But, none of these people matter.   All bumps in the road.

You know what does matter?

For The Ladies

Repeat tomorrow? Let’s see what 71 can do.

The Good News

If Malkin wore a different uniform, wig and mask, I would still know it was him just for how he skates.  He makes other teams look like they are children.  Staal and Malkin on a line together? Sexy magic. Kunitz is not my favorite player, but he is constantly moving and hitting and I appreciate how hard he tries.  Guerin’s goal looked like something he does in his sleep.  Fleury was on fire all night with clutch save after clutch save.  Lots of blocked shots by the defense.  Penalty killing looked good, except for on the 5 on 3.  Crosby’s face off percentage was outrageous at 88%.  Pronger?  Didn’t make too much of a difference tonight.

The Bad News

Power play looked better, but not great.  The Pens looked better than last night which lead to the win, but still looked a bit sloppy.  The amount of penalties taken cannot, cannot, cannot continue.  The Pens looked undisciplined and in a game where Fleury is not his best, that would be a big problem.

The Really Bad News

If last night’s game was a preparation for tonight’s game, then there’s a small problem.  I don’t think we can hold out of the big games.  Every point counts.  I prefer to think of last night’s game as a fluke.  I hope it’s not the other way around.

The Really Good News

Fast paced, solid game.  Good hockey.  My jersey is totally not cursed!

Sorry about the lameness, but I am tired as fuck.  Flyers games wear my shit out.

You know what does not wear my shit out?

For The Ladies

These two.  Let’s get them together more.  Hotness.

Let’s just get into this, shall we?

The Good News

Brent Johnson was a hell of a backstop tonight.  Basically kept the Pens out of a completely embarrassing score.  That save was out of the park.  Staal had a good night on the faceoffs and his line (minus one point, which I’ll bring up later) was intense, hard hitting and the only line that really looked awake tonight.  Goligoski continues to perform beyond my expectations.  Jay Mckee seemed to block a shot with basically his crotch, which was kinda cool.

The Bad News

Power Play. Penalty killing.  Taking Penalties.  Anything else I can discuss with the word penalty in it?  The Pens looked sloppy, slow and bored.  The amount of takeaways and giveaways must be astounding, but I refuse to look at it.  Shots on goal? Gross.  Crosby lost his composure quite a few times.  Malkin was non existant.  Gonchar looked shaky on the point.  Bylsma continues to shift the second line around while the only time it perks up is when Kennedy is on it.  Cooke fucked shit up like three times.  Are we playing a trap system now? And what was with all the long passing?  Did they seriously just get blown out by the Coyotes?

The Really Bad News

There are games when you lose and you know that the other team was just better.  While I think Phoenix played really, really well tonight,I don’t think this was the case.   They simply capitalized on the Pens mistakes to win rather than outplaying them.  The guys could not keep the puck at all and it showed.  If they were just saving it up for Philly tomorrow or if they just underestimated the Coyotes, then thats a huge problem.  Points are points.  Also, I hope I didn’t jinx the new jersey.

The Really Good News

I doubt anyone was happy with their performance tonight.  A well rested Fleury in net is a good thing. 

And it’s the third game of the season.  No bridge jumping yet.

Three Stars

This was a tough, but here they are.

Brent Johnson- You’re kind of a bad ass, aren’t you?  Feeling confident about our goalie situation.

Jordan Staal – I think its going to be your break out season. 

Mr. Kennedy – Speed, tenacity and grit.  End of story.

Philly tomorrow, people.  Let’s get ready.

Go Pens!

For The Ladies

Something was missing tonight….

Yup.  That was it.  When are you coming back? We miss you so.

Good enough?

Follow the twitter and see you after the game.

Go Pens.

Almost.  I like winning more.

Tavares made his NHL debut and the kid came away with a goal and an assist.  Not too shabby.  He looked good, if a bit tired towards the end.  He’s going to be a major force for this time after some time, and they need it.

The Good News

Sidney Crosby has the magic touch and gets rewarded with his 400th point.  Mark Eaton was more than impressive with seven blocked shots and a very pretty goal.  For a while there, it felt like the team was made of defenseman that just wanted to shoot the puck.  The third period was a shooting gallery that practically killed Roloson and culminated in my LOL moment of the season so far  in which Cooke knocked his helmet off and Roloson had to take a little breather at the bench. GoGo continues to make me extremely fond of him.  Malkin, Fedotenko and Kennedy meshed in the small time they had together and made some impressive plays.  Feds once again has solidified himself as one of those clutch kinda guys.  Fleury had another crazy save on a breakaway and looked very strong for playing back to back. 

The Bad News

They really had to work for this win.  Malkin was pretty quiet all night.  Rupp didn’t do too much to knock my socks off. McKee’s fight was a little silly considering how clean the hit was on Feds, but it was nice to see him jump in to defend his teammate.  The power play blew chunks and I feel like this is going to be my year of yelling “shoot the puck!”.  Other than the third period, they were a little too timid offensively.  It didn’t feel like there were enough scoring chances.  Lastly, Dupuis needs to be off the second line, like, now.  Kennedy more than proved his worth with Malkin and Dupius more than proved his worth with the grit at the end of the game to run the clock down.  Dupius’s occasional “let me shoot this puck from like 8 million miles away from the net” score chance is not enough for Malkin and he doesn’t take passes that well at all.  He’s got his worth, but not where they are sticking him.

My Three Stars

Sidney Crosby -  Why are you so damn sexy all the time? What a shoot out goal.  It seemed effortless

Alex Goligoski – I may need to learn how to spell his last name.  Solid performance, all over the ice and blends effortlessly into the team.  He looks like he’s been playing at this level for years

Matt Cooke – This is odd, I know, considering he really didn’t do too much last night.  But he is constantly all over the ice, takes and gives HUGE hits and will be at the net every time he can.  I don’t think the guy gets enough credit for all he does.  Plus, that helmet thing cracked my shit up.

Wrap it up

All in all, a tough road win, but a win nonetheless.  Get some rest, Pens.

See you Wednesday for the hopeful continuation of The Pens Kick People When They Are Down when the boys take on Phoenix at home.

Here’s the thing.  I take really shitty pictures.  And to top it off, I have a really shitty camera.  I will be posting what is not completely retarded in a separate page, so not to offend the eyes of any unknowing reader.  I’ve also been sick as shit for the last two days, so all I’ve been able to do is watch hockey and make feeble attempts at Twittering snarky remarks about the appearance of the Islanders. So, the majority of what I planned on writing is all but gone in a haze of cold medicine and fever dreams.

The Minute by Minute updates can be found in the Twitter feed.  But I will be addressing some of the more awesome moments of the trip.

Pregame

Pat and I arrived somewhat early, so we had some time to walk up to the Igloo before dinner.  The lawn was already getting full and it was a little before five.  We had some overpriced burgers at the hotel bar (served to us by a shocking Cam Ward look alike) and then headed up to the arena.  There are so many Pens jerseys around the city it looks like its a mandatory dress code.

First of all, I always forget that its going to be cold.  The Igloo smells like beer, hotdogs and heaven.  We’re there at 6:30 and its already packed.  In line to get beer, I explain to Pat that its shitty Colton Orr doesnt play for the Rangers anymore, because I wanted to see Godard beat his face in.  I told him that I bet Brashear gets into with someone.  Hey! I was right! After a half-hearted attempt at buying a Talbot jersey, we head to our seats.

And we’re under the overhang.  I bitch for ten seconds and have a beer, then feel better when the Pens come out to warm up.  The seats are good enough to make out facial expressions.  It’s awesome.  I take inappropriate stretching photos of Kunitz, Crosby and Malkin.  Watching NHL players stretch is a religious experience.  Malkin can get his leaders all the way over his head.  It’s close to seeing God.

At the end of warm ups, the team makes MAF work for it by shooting pucks at him point blank.  He stops the majority of them and is rewarded by some huge cheers from the crowd.  We get a fist pump from Fleury and the boys are off the ice.

The Banner Raise

If you’ve seen the videos, you know how cool the presentation was.  When the sheets drop to reveal the cup, it is the shiniest thing I’ve ever seen.  When the team is announced, Max Talbot gets probably the biggest cheer of the night.  You could see Fleury waiting to come out from our seats and he gets a chant even before he skates out.  It’s emotional watching the team as they watch the banner go up.  However, during the entire thing, I am antsy.  I want the game to start.  Its a weird feeling, but its all I kept thinking.

The banner is up and everyone skates away.  I catch Jordan Staal touching the cup one last time as he skates by.  It’s kind of adorable. 

The Game

it’s Pat’s first live game, so it’s even more exciting.  Pens have an overall good game.  I found myself yelling “shoot it” more than I would have liked, but it wouldn’t been a game if I hadn’t.  I was continually impressed by Goligoski all night.  From where we were sitting, we had no idea that Malkin tipped in the first goal, but I had fun yelling GONCH as loud as I could.  The Godard fight was great – it looked like he fared better in person than it did on the replay.  The play were the puck goes up onto the top of the net?  Crazy.  When Fleury made the stop on Dubinsky, we couldn’t see exactly what happened.  Then they replayed it, our section went apeshit. Malkin skates through defenders like they don’t exist.  I am completely not sold on the idea that Dupuis is the best fit for that line.  You don’t appreciate the little things that Crosby does until you see him live: the smart plays, the way he sends the puck into the net, the skating skills; he came over to MAF after the second Rangers goal and gave him a tap on the pads.  It was sweet. I made the craziest noise when Cooke got robbed in the second.  It was manly.  Have I mentioned how much I love Matt Cooke?  I dont know if anyone else saw it, but J Staal gave M Staal a little push at one point – I have no idea if it was friendly or what, but it was kinda odd.  I spent most of the night waiting for Gaborik to get injured.  We sat next to complete assholes who spent most of the night bitching because Malkin wasn’t hitting people enough, even though if he had during most of the bitching, it would have been a penalty. 

The final minutes felt like playoff minutes, I just wanted that win so damn bad I spent the most of the last period on the edge of my seat (which had little do with all the beer I spilled).   After the high fiving and last cheers, I took a picture of Sid and a pic of the banner,which we couldnt see at all from our seats.  The fireworks at the end was a nice touch and the city was completely buzzing.

After the Game

If you’ve been in the South Side after a win, you know what its like.  No blogging needed.  I ate a gyro at three in the morning.

The Next Day

Leaving Pittsburgh the next day was kind of a sad moment, because I don’t know if I’ll be back for another game this season.  We said good bye to the Igloo and headed back in my new Malkin jersey (the kid sized ones are weird and feel fake, but they are so damn cheap).  I am hungover, but rewarded with the discovery that I do in fact get FSN Pittsburgh. There is a replica banner hanging in my bedroom.

So, that’s the Home Opener.  Crappy pictures will follow.  There will be a Islanders recap tomorrow. 

It’s begun.  Go Pens.

For the Ladies

“borrowed” this from EN. Couldn’t help myself.  Malkin’s legs are a thousand feet long.  Sarge is adorable.  Sid has a new stick.  I am so glad they’re back.

Somewhere out there, Ovechkin is hitting people illegally and Hal Gill is introducing Montreal to his ability to skate at “full speed”.

At this time tomorrow night, I will be screaming my head off at the Igloo. Or, more accurately, I will be sneezing and coughing.

You see, I am sick. Not sick enough to miss the game, but sick none of the less.

But it will not stop me from enjoying the best game of the season. Not that the Rangers are spectacular or this is going to be a playoff worthy game, but it is the only game of the year you get to head into without worrying about standings, injuries or playoff points. It’s the only free game of the year that doesn’t mean too much and doesnt carry any baggage. It’s the first of many and the last time we get to treasure the Pens hoisting the Cup.

Also, there is beer, hot dogs and tiny Stanley Cup banners. Awesome.

Pensblog is asking ten questions. It will be the best thing you’ve read in months.

EN lets us know how Dan Cleary really feels. You are a loser, Dan Cleary. Seriously.

We lost Paul Bissonnette this week.  He’ll head out to the sunny West for Phoenix where he’ll get more play time (I assume) than he would with the Pens.  Looks like Rupp and Goddard will have to break skulls on their own.  I am little sad.  I was looking forward to the Flyers facing our fourth line of doom. 

We picked up a dude from the Capitals.  The cold medication is robbing my brain of his name. 

 Bill Guerin. Naked. You know you want to see it too. Don’t lie.

Hey, did you know there are hockey teams other than the Pens?

There is a video on the NHL website of Cam Ward sitting around, looking hot and getting paid.  Not Luongo money, but the Hurricanes don’t seem to be as idiotic as the Canucks. 

Mats Sundin retired. 

Line ups for Tomorrow

Read somewhere that Dupuis is heading for the second line.  Ugh.  Just when I got use to Kennedy. We’ll see how that works out.  I’ve never been Dupuis’s biggest fan, but he’s solid when he needs to be.

I would love to write more tonight, but the cold meds are taking over my ability to make sentences.  It’s going to be a long one tomorrow.

Check the Twitter feed all day for updates. 

For now, let’s get ready for what will be the first of many heart attack moments of the season.

Let’s see that bauble, Sid.

For The Ladies

Looking good.  I am so not talking about the man ring.

Needless to say, until Friday, the only thing I am thinking about is Friday.

Shit happened with the Pens today.  Here is a taste:

EN lets us know who is playing for the Pens. I am also a little confused by the Martin Skoula deal. Trust in Shero, right?

I can’t say I am over the moon about our forward situation. A lot of guys went down to WBS and onto waivers that I would’ve like to see on the roster. We’ll see who we can pick up as the days wind down, but I’d rather have taken someone who’s at least played in the preseason.

The big screen is back for Friday. I am more excited to see the crowd outside than the crowd inside.

Breathe a sigh of relief, people. Sid will play. I wasn’t so concerned with the repercussions of him not playing during the actual game as I was with not being able to see him play in person. It can be rather spectacular.

Manly rings were handed out today in a private ceremony. Some may enjoy them more than others. See the Twitter feed.

 Pensblog reminds us where we are at in the season. Enjoy these last days while we can.

Detroit?

It was not the best game.  If we’re going to have Guerin go nuts on a Red Wing in defense of Kris Letang, it happened during the right game.  Fleury had an amazing poke check in an otherwise mediocre night.  The fourth line gives the East Division nightmares forever.  Preseason.

 Hey, did you know there are hockey teams other than the Pens?

Other teams had stuff happen to them too, but I wont be caring about that until after the home opener.  I think it was mostly Ovie whining about not winning the cup. Some one retired.  Someone got traded.  Whatever.

Photoblogging

Yeah, I am going to take lots of photos on The Road to the Home Opener. I will be doing a photoblog to go along with the Twitter udpates.  Some photos, I can guarantee, will not be making it to GBTG. 

If anyone has any hockey related road trip mixes, send them my way.

It’s almost time.  I am so ready.

After the jump, a little good For The Ladies JuJu

For the Ladies

Oh, Fleury.  Without Max Talbot, you must be lost.  Maybe this will help.

Go pens.