Pens v Sabres (W 2-0)

Both of these teams played excellent hockey in the indoor portion of the Indoor/Outdoor series of meetings for the Sabres and the Penguins. Ryan Malone returned tonight from his absence for a leg infection. The night was paradoxical for Gary Roberts: he began the game on a high when he received an engraved piece of crystal from Ray Shero to honor his achievement of earning his 900^th career point, but his night ended with a low in the second period when he broke his leg.

Ty Conklin started again for the Pens, and Ryan Miller was the net minder for the Sabres. Early in the first, Jochen Hecht had a breakaway chance, but Ryan Whitney back checked him nicely to prevent him from getting a shot on goal. In the Sabres' zone, Georges Laraque protected the puck as skillfully and powerfully as Sidney does. Laraque passed the puck to Roberts, but Miller blocked the shot. Then Evgeni Malkin fired a shot that Miller blocked, and Colby Armstrong tried to get to the rebound but couldn't connect. The Pens kept possession of the puck in the Sabres' zone for what seemed like an eternity but just couldn't get past Miller. We learned that Mark Eaton will be out for the remainder of the season because he has opted to get the surgery for his torn ACL. (← Don't worry - that site has some drawings but no graphic photos of the surgery.) The Kid collided with Paul Gaustad at neutral ice and went airborne but fortunately did not get hurt.

The Captains work against one another.

Then our Saint committed a sin. Sid deflected a Sabres shot down in front of Conklin. As a result, the puck went through Conklin's five hole. It trickled through the blue paint towards the goal line. Darryl Sydor dove from behind Conklin and swept the puck out of danger at the last second to prevent the Sabres from taking the lead. The teams took a quick break for a commercial. Sid was mic'd up for FSN Pittsburgh tonight. During the TV timeout, a very contrite Sidney accepted responsibility as he shouted to Conklin, "Sorry, Conks! Sorry, Conks, I tried to block it." Later, the Sabres turned the puck over to the Pens. It led to a 4-on-0 with Sidney taking the shot, but Miller stood his ground and kept the game scoreless. Soon after, Malone set Jordan Staal up with a nice pass, but again Miller prevented the score. The Pens and the Sabres had been playing good hockey with few stoppages in play. As FSN likely wanted to go to commercial but couldn't, Bob Errey said, "We'll just keep going here, folks. Apparently the referees have lost their whistles!" (Of the 20 minutes, there was one 7-minute and one 5-minute stretch of continuous play.) Army got a great chance, but his shot hit the goal post. The first penalty of the night came when Maxim Afinogenov was tripped up by Malone. Staal got a chance on a shorthanded breakaway, but Miller stopped his shot. Just seconds later, Staal stole the puck and got another shorthanded chance, this time it was a 2-on-1 with Adam Hall. Hall took the shot, but Miller stopped him, too. The Sabres didn't score on their power play. Near the end of the period, Conklin made a mistake when he came out to play the puck as Jason Pominville was bearing down on him. Conklin scrambled back to the net just in time to stop Pominville's shot.

The second period started with a bang. A mere 12 seconds in, Sid spotted a loose puck at the blue line. He muscled past Hecht to gain possession and barreled through the Sabres' zone. Army was trailing just behind him on Miller's left side. Sid perfectly dished the puck to Army, who put the puck into the back of the net. Pens 1, Sabres 0. Just minutes later, Sidney and Malkin worked the puck in front of Miller. Sergei Gonchar took a pass and fired it at Miller, but the puck rang off the crossbar. Later, when the Sabres took the puck the other way, Conklin just barely got his toes down to block Adam Mair from stuffing the puck into the goal. During a break in the play, Errey and Paul Steigerwald related a story that demonstrates how much Sid loves hockey. During Sidney's junior days, he used to steal his skates from his trainers so he could play 3-on-3 games later at night. The quote of the day came from Sid. In a nutshell, he said that he's excited for the opportunity to play in the Winter Classic game. Errey and Steigy then pointed out that Hall and Miller played outside in the Cold War game in Michigan. (Hall isn't the only Penguin with prior outdoor hockey experience. Both Laraque and Conklin played for the Edmonton Oilers during the Heritage Classic game.) We also learned that midway through the third period of the Winter Classic, the teams will change positions so that each team will play a period and a half on each side. This makes me extremely happy because my seats are just behind one of the goals, and I was worried it would be the goal that the Pens would shoot at only once. :)

It's almost here!!!

Malkin tried to get a garbage goal off a rebound from a shot by Kris Letang, but Miller would have none of it. Thomas Vanek got two good chances for the Sabres, but Conklin made the save on the first shot, and the second shot was just wide of the goal. And then it happened. Another Penguin fell to an injury. Joining Marc-Andre Fleury, Mark Eaton, and Maxime Talbot on the injured list now is Gary Roberts. Preliminary reports indicate that he broke his left fibula (← again, this links to a drawing not a graphic photo) after colliding at neutral ice with Tim Connolly. Connolly lost his footing and slid right into Roberts's left leg. Roberts's knee buckled, and he ended up lying facedown, motionless on the ice as FSN went to commercial. When FSN returned, it was revealed that Roberts refused to be taken off the ice on a stretcher in favor of leaving under his own power while being helped by Laraque and Sydor. WHAT A WARRIOR. As someone who has had a long standing medical problem with my right foot since an injury 9 years ago that resulted in chronic pain after a couple of subsequent surgeries, I know firsthand that an injury like this is extraordinarily painful. An injury to the any other part of the body is not comparable to an injury to the leg or foot. Not only do you have the issue of bearing weight on it, but also you must consider the fact that the leg is below the heart. The pain throbs with your heartbeat. It is awful. For him to refuse the stretcher is incredible to me.

Connolly falls and collides with Roberts...

...Roberts's leg buckles and breaks...

...Roberts (c) refuses the stretcher and is helped off by Sydor (r) and Laraque (l).

As the game continued, Malone was assessed a penalty for hooking Derek Roy. During the ensuing Sabres power play, Army flew through for a shorthanded chance, but Miller stopped his shot and froze the puck. Sidney took the brunt of a shot by Vanek when the puck hit his hand. The Sabres did not score on the advantage, and as Malone burst out of the penalty box, the Sabres had possession of the puck. Afinogenov blasted a shot from the point that Conklin absorbed into his chest pads. Sid and Vanek exchange words after Vanek pushed on Sid's head with his stick and Sid whacked at Vanek's feet in return. Staal and Hall had another rush on goal, but Miller stopped them again. Malkin and Sid rushed the goal together. Malkin passed the puck to Sid but his shot was just wide of the goal. With just over 2½ minutes left in the second period, Afinogenov got called for interfering with Army. The Penguins did not score on their power play. As Afinogenov's penalty ended and he emerged from the box, he got the puck when Sidney made a blind pass to the point with no Penguin there to take it. Fortunately, Sydor prevented Afinogenov from getting a shot by poke checking him. The second period ended with the Penguins earning the game's only goal.

Vanek pulls a douchebag move on Sid.

During the intermission, Dan Potash interviewed Sidney. Potash asked him about what the Pens should do now without Roberts. Sid replied that the remaining uninjured forwards will have to make sure they keep their shifts short and step up and play more physically.

Early in the third, Conklin robbed a goal from Pominville. Malone got a breakaway chance but shot wide of the goal. Malkin took a stick to his face after falling down following a hook from Toni Lydman. The stick to the face was an accident, but the hooking was a penalty. The Pens didn't score on the advantage. Then Whitney was penalized for holding Vanek, but on the replay it showed that Vanek held onto Whitney's stick. It didn't matter because the Sabres went on the power play. With 22 seconds left on Whitney's penalty, Rob Scuderi took a high stick in the face courtesy of Roy. Neither team scored on their respective power play chances.

FSN played another pair of sound bites from Sid. The first one had him asking the ref, "Was that me?" while the second one was not actually anything Sidney said, rather it was a clip of the sound of the mic being dragged along the surface of the ice as Sid made a diving poke check. Sid and Tyler Kennedy got a 2-on-1 chance, but Sid's shot was wide of the goal. Then Army was wide open in the Sabres' zone while Sid had the puck in the corner. Sid attempted to pass the puck to Army, but it hit something and hopped up and over the blade of Army's stick. With 4:35 left in the game, Staal got another breakaway chance. He was hooked by Roy in front of the goal, so the whistle was blown. Staal thought he should have been awarded a penalty shot, but instead the Pens got a power play chance. They did not score on the advantage.

Conks was the man!

With 1 minute remaining in the period, Miller was pulled in favor of the extra attacker. Malkin was attempting to clear the puck but accidentally turned the puck over at the blue line. Army saved the day when he stole the puck back and sent it up to Sidney, who was cheating up ice. He and Malkin were sailing down the ice towards the empty net, and Sidney unselfishly passed the puck to Malkin (maybe Sid wanted to help him to be able to make up for his earlier mistake?). Geno coolly walked it to the net. Pens 2, Sabres 0. With 6.2 seconds left in the game, Gonchar is given a delay of game penalty for flipping the puck up and over the glass. It was moot point, though, as the clocked ticked down to a Pens victory. Conklin earned his 3^rd career shutout (1^st with the Pens). The Pens face the Sabres again this coming Tuesday, January 1, 2008, for the WINTER CLASSIC!!!!!!!!! I will be there freezing my ass off and straining to see the action from my seat in section 223. Look for pictures and recap of my experience on January 2. :) :) :) :) :)

Pens v Caps (W 4-3 OT)

AHHHHH. Vacations are wonderful. I hope every one of you had as nice a Christmas as I did. There is less than a week until the Ice Bowl Winter Classic [*laughs giddily*] and I've been busy getting ready. I can't wait, although I'm starting to get nervous now. I just hope the weather cooperates.

Tonight the Pens faced the Capitals. Ty Conklin was the starting goaltender for the Pens, and Brent Johnson was the starting goaltender for the Caps. Early on, we were given the "Sid v Alex" statistics:

Sidney		Alexander
5	Goals	3
10	Assists	6
15	Points	9
8	Wins	1

Sid and Alex

The first period started with Matt Pettinger trying to hit Brooks Orpik, but he misfired so he took the brunt of his own hit against the boards. He went down hard and was slow to get back up. Saint Sid made a beautiful spinning backhand attempt, but Johnson blocked the shot, and no other Penguins were around to help out with the rebound. Then Alex Ovechkin lost his footing on a play and turned the puck over to the Pens. Bob Errey and Paul Steigerwald wondered out loud if Ovie might psych himself out and/or overcompensate when he faces Sid because his stats when he faces the Pens are so out of sync with his overall stats. (You just know that they jinxed it here...) Less than 5 minutes into the period, Mike Green shot the puck at Conklin. Just as Conklin froze the puck after making the save, the camera moves to a shot of BIG Georges Laraque and equally Big Donald Brashear throwing down their gloves and getting ready to go at it. It was not their best fight, by any stretch of the imagination. (We were treated to clips of the last 3 times these two titans tangled.) On the next play, the Pens were just barely denied the first goal of the night by Johnson. Ovie got the rebound and whisked the puck the other way. He snapped off a wrister that hit Conklin so hard that the puck ricocheted off him and sped down over half the length of the ice. WOW.

It wasn't a great fight.

After a commercial break, FSN Pittsburgh showed a clip of Laraque, who had been mic'd up for the day's practice, ripping on Gary Roberts. Following a shot taken by Roberts, Laraque said this: "Oh my God! Potash can shoot harder than that!" That "Potash" Laraque references is FSN reporter Dan Potash, who isn't exactly a tiny man but is definitely no Gary Roberts. I'm guessing that the only man that could get away with saying those words to Roberts would be Laraque. He'd probably be the only person who would be brave enough to try in the first place!

The night's first penalty went to Jarrko Ruutu for holding. The Caps didn't score on their power play. Orpik collided with David Steckel almost at center ice. Both men went flying and fell down but luckily neither one was hurt. Roberts and Brian Pothier had words after Roberts almost killed Pothier with a hit. Pothier was lucky, though - he moved out of the way of the Gary Train™ just in time to avoid the worst of it. Later, Kris Letang attempted to make an East-West pass in the Penguins' zone, but it was intercepted by a Capitals player who was streaking through. Fortunately for Letang, Conklin was paying attention and made the save. Then, a 3-on-1 in favor of the Pens developed, and Jeff Taffe (pronounced "Tayf") took the shot and scored a goal. Pens 1, Caps 0. The lead would not last, though. Conklin came out and made a tape-to-tape pass to Sergei Gonchar. Gonch decided to try to pass it to Rob Scuderi by bouncing it off the boards behind the cage; however, Gonch didn't shoot the puck at the correct angle. Instead of bouncing to Scuds, it popped back off the boards to the corner of the cage where Boyd Gordon was just arriving. Conklin got down low and tight to prevent the wrap around, but Gordon saw an alternative. He made a quick, short pass to Brashear, who was coming down the other side of the ice. Brashear put it in the open net to tie the game at a goal apiece.

Alex and Sid (again)

The Pens almost got it right back after Laraque set Erik Christensen up, but Johnson held strong. Then Sid tried to reclaim the lead when he split the D and took a shot. The rebound went straight back to Sidney. He took another shot. Again, the rebound went straight back to The Kid. He took a third shot as he fell on his butt. Somehow, Johnson managed to block all three attempts. With just over 2 minutes left in the period, Colby Armstrong rushed toward the net with Evgeni Malkin not far behind. Despite being challenged by no less than 2 Caps d-men, Army got control of a rebound and fired off a shot from the side of the cage. As Johnson scrambled to get into position to block Army's shot after blocking the initial shot from a different angle, he fell down on his left knee in a weird way. His efforts were fruitless. Army scored the goal, and Johnson left the game to receive treatment. He was replaced by Olie Kolzig. Pens 2, Caps 1. With just under 17 seconds left in the period, Jordan Staal stripped the puck away from Ovechkin. Ovie must have taken exception to this because he cross checked Staal. Ovie went to the box for the remainder of the period. The Pens would start the second period with 1:43 seconds left in his penalty.

Johnson gets help after getting injured.

The Pens didn't score on their power play at the beginning of the second period. And less than 6 minutes in to the period, Pothier scored a goal with a shot so hard that it bounced out of the net and almost out to neutral ice. It was difficult to see the goal until it was shown again in super slow-mo. Pens 2, Caps 2. Ruutu put a hard hit on Alexander Semin. Semin went down in a dazed heap and had to be helped off the ice by a linesman. He had a cut on his chin and may have bitten his tongue or his cheek, too, because as he made his way back to the bench he spit out some blood. Later Taffe tried for goal number two with a give and go with Adam Hall, but Kolzig didn't allow it. Less than 2 minutes left in the period, we experienced deja vu: Conklin came out and made another nice tape-to-tape pass to Gonchar. Gonch again decided to try to pass the puck by bouncing it off the boards behind the cage; however, once again Gonch didn't shoot the puck at the correct angle. This time the puck popped back off the boards to the corner of the cage where Nicklas Backstrom was just arriving. Again Conklin got into position to prevent Backstrom from scoring, but Backstrom made a quick, short pass to Ovie, who came in so fast it was like he came out of nowhere. Of course Ovie put it in the open net to give the Caps the lead. Pens 2, Caps 3. As the period expired, Malkin was tripped by either Semin or Shaone Morrisonn (the number on the offender's jersey was either a 26 or a 28), but nothing was called. Malkin went crashing full speed into the boards hard and seemed like he was hurt. Mercifully, the period was over so he could get rest and/or treatment.

It won't NOT be a goal no matter how long you stare at that puck, Sid!

At the beginning of the third period, Sid and Alex shared a "moment" together. Ovie hit Sid and pinned him against the boards. In return, Sid popped Ovie in the face. I'm sure it was all done out of love. ;) A couple of minutes later, Army was called for interference. At almost the same time, Ovie hit Letang. As he fell, Letang's foot came up and the blade of his skate went into Ovie's upper thigh. Ovie skated and seemed fine until the play was stopped for Army's penalty. Then he left the ice and was seen limping down the runway to the locker rooms. He didn't return, so obviously he wasn't fine. This article from the Canadian Press details what happened to Alex:

The Capitals also played most of the third period without star Alex Ovechkin, who needed a several stitches to close a cut on his leg. Ovechkin, whose 26th goal had given Washington a 3-2 lead, played only about 1 1/2 minutes in the final period even though his injury was minor.

"It took the doctor so long to get down here (the bench), we couldn't get him back on the ice," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "He got a couple of stitches. It is something that you have to get done."

YIKES. He needed "several stitches" but the "injury was minor?!" Yet another piece of evidence that shows us that hockey players are the toughest S.O.B.s on Earth. Anyhoo, the Capitals did not capitalize on their power play. Our main man had two shorthanded chances during the power play, but both times he was denied a shot on goal. Just seconds after Army returned to the ice after his penalty expired, Sid got a third chance. He again split the D, but just as Johnson had done earlier, Kolzig blocked the shot. Later, Sid was part of a 3-on-2 that developed, but Malkin couldn't get a strong shot on the puck. Sid worked like a man possessed to keep the puck in the Caps' zone, and after Morrisonn put a late hit on Geno, a scrum broke out between the two teams. Morrisonn went to the box for roughing. I've already written so much that I don't have enough space to describe all that happened during this power play. In a nutshell, the Pens were able to keep possession of the puck and keep the play going for 1 minute 53 seconds before Kolzig ROBBED Sid of a goal to stop the play. It was quite a sight. Then, Crusher won the faceoff for the Pens and sent the puck up to the point for Darryl Sydor, who earned his first goal as a Penguin with a one-timer that deflected off Milan Jurcina's glove and into the net. Pens 3, Caps 3. There were just under three minutes left in the third when Sydor tied it up for the Pens. The period ended and overtime began.

About two minutes into the overtime period, Sidney was controlling the puck around the net. He attracted 3 of the 4 Capitals skaters, so he knew he wouldn't be able to get a good shot at the net. Instead, he took those 3 Caps to Kolzig's right while Gonchar was unchallenged off to Kolzig's left. Sid made a nice pass to Gonch, who makes up for the two earlier giveaways by shooting the puck into the wide open net. The Pens win it and take the extra point!

Sid attracts the three Capitals players so he passes the puck to Gonchar...

...and with no problem, Gonchar scores. Here, Sid and Gonch celebrate the game winning goal. It sort of looks like Sid might be stoked about winning. :P

In case you were wondering, this is how the Sid v Alex table looks following tonight's game:

Sidney		Alexander
5	Goals	4
11	Assists	6
16	Points	10
9	Wins	1

The Pens next face the Sabres for an indoor game this Saturday. Then, it's off to the Ralph Wilson Stadium for the Winter Classic!!!!! GO PENS!!! :)

Christmas Comics

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa from The Sidney Crosby Show!!!









































Happy Holidays, everyone!!! :)

Pens v Bruins (W 4-2)

I apologize for being so late and so short on this. The preparations for the Christmas holiday have been consuming my full attention for the past three days. I was unable to watch this game, let alone recap it. I will recap the next game as usual (the Pens meet the Washington Capitals on December 27 at 7:30pm Eastern). Until then, check out this recap by Seth from Empty Netters. Have a good holiday, everyone! :)

Pens v Islanders (L 2-4)

When Miroslav Satan scored a goal 44 seconds into the first period earning his 665^th career point, it kind of felt like it was going to be one of those games. Then for a little while, it seemed like the Pens were going to be able to shake it off and get another 2 points. But a pair of back-to-back Islanders goals squashed those hopes. Here's what went down.

Sid tries to get the puck from Richard Park.

As I said, Satan scored a goal at the opening of the game. The Pens got a chance to get it back when Adam Hall was hauled down by Mike Sillinger, but the Pens just couldn't score on Rick DiPietro during their power play. Dany Sabourin made a nice stick save on Blake Comeau's diving attempt, and then he made a nice glove save on Bill Guerin's one timer. Then the Pens got a chance when Sergei Gonchar rang one off the crossbar. As FSN Pittsburgh returned from a commercial break they showed a clip of Sid talking about getting lots of texts and phone calls from his buddies regarding last night's fight. He said his friends didn't expect to see him throw down like that.

With just over one minute left in the period, Georges Laraque worked against two Islanders players to keep possession of the puck behind the net. He made a wrap around pass to Gary Roberts, who tried to chip it into the net. Roberts kept whacking at the puck, and it popped out to Erik Christensen. He chipped it into the open net to tie the game. The assist on that goal gave Roberts his 900^th career point. He received a standing ovation from the crowd at the Mellon Arena. On the very next play and with only a few seconds left on the clock, Jordan Staal flew up the ice on a breakaway, but DiPietro stopped his shot. Staal did, however, draw a penalty on Freddy Meyer. The period ended with the teams tied at one goal each.

Roberts thanks the crowd for acknowledging his achievement.

During the first intermission, FSN showed a bit more of Sidney talking about his first NHL fight. How did he feel he did? "I did all right. I mean, I'm here talking to you guys, so I'm pretty happy about that." Is he looking for a rematch on Sunday when the Bruins come to the Mellon? "If he is, I won't be."

The second period began with Meyer in the box for 1:09. The Pens did not score on the advantage. Just a few minutes after the Meyer penalty expired, Bruno Gervais took a delay of game penalty after he flipped the puck up over the glass. On the ensuing power play, Sid sped down the ice and was knocked down just as he reached the front of the net. DiPietro came out to play the puck that had wandered off Sid's stick, but he collided with an Islanders defenseman. Christmas came early this year for Staal as this left the puck trickling towards him as he was wide open. He made short work of the gift he was given to put the Pens up by a goal. Pens 2, Isles 1.

Sid tries to get around Tim Jackman.

During a later play, Mark Eaton found himself without a stick in his own zone while the Islanders had possession of the puck. Captain Crosby gave his stick to Eaton so he could defend the net. Sid then directed Colby Armstrong to go to Sid's point position in case a scoring chance would develop. It didn't matter because the Pens finally got an opportunity to make a line change. The Pens then allowed the Islanders to develop a 3-on-2. Andy Hilbert took the shot. The puck hit Sabou on his right side, but he just couldn't fully block it. The puck trickled over the goal line. Pens 2, Islanders 2. On Sid's next shift, he gave the puck away to Mike Comrie. He went 1-on-1 with Eaton, who poke checked Comrie beautifully. Jarrko Ruutu had a great scoring chance when he took a pass from the redline. He beat the Isles' defensemen to the net and attempted to score a wrap around goal, but one of the Islanders' defenseman was able to get a stick on the puck. It popped up and went towards the net, but SOMEHOW DiPietro was able to drop his stick and catch the puck. He ended up falling on his back as he did it, but he prevented a score so I'm sure he would say it was worth it.

The Pens got another chance to regain the lead when Sean Bergenheim threw his elbow into Roberts's face. FSN went to commercial, and when it came back we learned that Bergenheim was given a four minute penalty: the expected 2 for roughing and another 2 for unsportsmanlike conduct. The best chance the Pens got came when Sid faked a shot, passed the puck to Letang, who fired a quick, hard shot on goal. Hilbert did his best defenseman impression as he was the one to block this shot. The Pens did not capitalize on the 4 minute power play. The period ended with both teams at 2 goals each.

Hilbert celebrates Comeau's goal.

The third period began innocently enough. The Saint set Geno up, but Geno was on his stomach and unable to get a strong shot on the puck. Tyler Kennedy took a 4 minute penalty for high-sticking Chris Campoli in the face and cutting him. During the Isles' power play, Staal attempted to clear the puck and in doing so nearly took out Bob Errey, who was doing his commentating from between the benches tonight. Errey cracked a joke about it: "[Staal] hasn't been able to find the net, he's not going to hit me!" BURN!!! Anyhoo, the Pens killed off this penalty to keep the Islanders tied - for the time being. A few minutes later, Comeau scored after both Malkin and Sabou took their eyes off him for just a split second. Pens 2, Islanders 3. Then, a mere 37 seconds later, Trent Hunter scored off a fortuitous bounce. Pens 2, Islanders 4. The Pens got a chance to get back into the game when Guerin took a penalty for hooking Sir Sidney, but the Pens didn't score on their power play. The Pens pulled Sabou out of the net with less than minute to go in the period, but they stupidly took a penalty for having too many men on the ice. The period ended and the Islanders were victorious.

The Pens face the Bruins this Sunday at 3:00pm Eastern. GO PENS!

Pens v Bruins (W 5-4 SO)

For readers of today's earlier post: Did you find the typo? Zdeno Chara's name was spelled "Zedno" Chara. Yikes!

The introduction for tonight's game is simple: The Pens blew a 4 goal lead, and our main man Sidney Crosby had his first NHL fight.

Ty Conklin was the starting goaltender for the Pens tonight. The Pens came out flying in the first period. Fifty five seconds into the period, Colby Armstrong forced a turnover that the Saint then passed to an unchallenged Evgeni Malkin to score the first goal of the night. The momentum continued to pick up for the Pens from there. The first chance for the Bruins came when Glen Murray had a wide open shot on Conklin. The rebound went up and over the goalie, but Kris Letang was there to bat the puck out of the air to prevent a score. Gary Roberts centered a shot for Erik Christensen, but Tim Thomas stopped the shot. Aaron Ward hassled Crusher as the play was whistled down, but Roberts skated over and settled them both down. Sir Sidney, Geno, and Army rushed toward the goal in a 3 on 2, and Army fired a hard shot that rang off the crossbar. Just a few minutes later on their next shift, Army and Sid again rushed the goal. Sid was being challenged by 6'9" Zdeno Chara. Somehow, Sid managed to get the blade of his stick out a few inches out ahead of Chara's stick to redirect a quick pass from Army under Thomas's leg to give the Penguins their second goal of the night.

The Pens celebrate Sid's goal.

Then Roberts set up Crusher from behind the net twice just seconds apart, but both times Thomas was able to prevent him from scoring. Philip Kessel fired a shot but Conklin used his blocker to deny him the goal. Bob Errey and Paul Steigerwald then began talking about how nice a third goal would be for some extra insurance as Sidney passed the puck to the high slot where Malkin geared up and scored on a slap shot. Pens 3, Bruins 0. A mere 30 seconds later, viewers everywhere braced themselves: Big Georges Laraque and Chara dropped their gloves. I thought for sure I would feel the tremors all the way over here in central Pennsylvania, but the fight never really got started. The two behemoths each missed a shot at one another, then Chara used a wrestling move to take Laraque and himself to the ice in a bear hug. Apparently because no punches connected, each man was given a 2 minute penalty for delay of game. Then as the two giants emerged from their respective penalty boxes, they decided to go for round two, though round two looked almost exactly like round one. This time, they received 5 minutes for fighting. With 1:15 left in the period, Malkin got called for slashing. The first and best scoring chance on the power play was a shorthanded chance by Jordan Staal that Thomas was able to block. The period ended with the Pens up 3-0.

The penalty to Malkin continued as the second period began. The Bruins had a series of nice shots on goal, but Conklin had a series of even nicer saves. Then a Bruin (I didn't see who it was when it happened, and FSN Pittsburgh never showed him in the box) took a holding penalty. The Bruins developed a shorthanded 2-on-1 chance, but P.J. Axelsson's shot was way off. Then IT happened: Sidney had his first fight in the NHL. Sid earned the Gordie Howe hat trick after Andrew Ference hit him into the boards and then took a punch at the back of the Saint's head. [Late edit: Upon seeing the fight again this morning, Ference actually punched Sid in the face, not the back of the head. My apologies for the mistake. I guess that's what happens, though, when you recap in real time!] Sidney snapped. Immediately he tossed his gloves and went nuts on Ference's face. When they finally fell to the ice and were separated, it appeared that Ference might be bleeding. They both were given 5 minutes in their sin bins for fighting, and Ference was given 2 extra minutes for roughing. With 11 seconds left on the Penguins power play, Dennis Wideman took a penalty for holding. During the extended power play, Chara took Roberts down but was not called for it. The Pens didn't score on these advantages.

Sidney opens up a can of whoop ass on Ference. Below are clips of the brawl from two different angles.

Then Malkin was called for tripping. As he went to the box, we learned that Ference went to the locker room for medical treatment following his tangle with The Kid and is now sporting a visor on his helmet. [Late edit: This morning, I found a better photo as well as video clips of the fight which revealed that Ference had been wearing a visor prior to the incident.] FSN then showed a closeup of our captain. It revealed that droplets of Ference's blood were on Sid's jersey just above the C. Less than a minute into Malkin's penalty, a penalty was given to Wideman. During the ensuing 4-on-4, Ryan Whitney made a beautiful pass to Christensen, who tipped it in to make it Pens 4, Bruins 0. Then Adam Hall was called for high sticking when Chara lifted Hall's stick into another Bruin's face. The Bruins got 50 seconds of 5-on-3 when Sergei Gonchar was called for tripping. Just seconds after Hall's penalty expired, Glen Metropolit finally got his club on the board with a power play goal. Pens 4, Bruins 1.

Crusher celebrates his goal.

Later, Metropolit was given a penalty. During the Bruins power play, Gonchar got away with a blatant interference on Kessel during a breakaway, but the Bruins would get their revenge as just off the very next faceoff, Axelsson scored a shorthanded goal. The second period ended with the Pens 4, Bruins 2.

The third period saw Sidney wearing a fresh blood-free jersey, and the Bruins turning things up even more. Jarrko Ruutu took a penalty for hooking, but the Bruins didn't score on this power play. Then Malkin got a good chance for a hat trick as Sidney centered a pass for him, but Thomas sprawled out to prevent it from happening. Gonchar got another penalty, this time for holding Chara. Just as the penalty ended, Petteri Nokelainen scored to bring the Bruins within one goal of tying the game. The Pens really dropped the ball in this period. With about six minutes left in the period, Christensen took a penalty for hooking. The Bruins power play cashed in when Wideman was wide open for a shot. You can call it a 4 goal comeback for the Bruins or you can say the Pens blew a 4 goal lead. Either way, the game was now tied. With just minutes left to go, Mark Eaton went down when Vladimir Sobotka made no effort to avoid hitting him while he had his head down low. After writhing in pain for what seemed like an eternity, Eaton left the ice under his own power (he did not return for overtime). The third period ended, and overtime began.

I don't have enough space to detail everything that happened during the 5 minutes of overtime. There was some insane hockey played - up and down and back and forth and so many scoring chances - but neither team was able to get it in the net, so the game went to a shoot out. Here's how that played out:

Christensen - 1 (They don't call him Mr. Shoot Out for nothing, you know!)
Kessel - 0
Letang - 1 (He's a shoot out savant, I swear.)
Marco Sturm - 0

Letang (again) is the man.

The Penguins took the extra point. The Pens come home to host the Islanders tomorrow night at 7:30pm Eastern. GO PENS!!!

Pre-Game Randomness

Tonight the Pens face the Boston Bruins at 7:00pm Eastern. Until then, here are a few things I got from some of my good Friends of The Show to keep you busy. First up, is an article by Eric B. of The Sidney Crosby Spotlight. You'll remember that Sir Sidney won the Lou Marsh award earlier this month. Eric explains what the award is, tells us a little about the man for whom it has been named, and gives us a list of past winners.

Next up I've got something from Loser Chris of Taking One for the Team. He takes an in depth look at how the NHL's biggest names perform during shootouts. Also on the site: this week's fight of the week.

That's not exactly his specialty...

Mike H. sent in this article about the upcoming Winter Classic on January 1. The whole article outlines plans for the game, but the most interesting part is the last paragraph:

Something you might want to watch for: At practice Tuesday morning at Madison Square Garden, Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby was practicing a play where he put his right toe on the puck, skated forward on his left skate and whipped the puck, with his right toe, behind his left leg straight onto teammates' sticks, 10-15 feet away. Crosby said he has never tried the play in a game.

WOW!!! That would be incredible to see. Mike summed it up best in his email:

Your husband plays, right? Ask him what it's like when you accidentally step on a puck while skating... to imagine anyone doing it *on purpose* and getting away with it is pretty mind-blowing!

INDEED! The Kid is constantly reinventing the game of hockey, and I don't think we've even begun to see the best of someone who could do this before he even turned 18 years old:

And finally, here's a little something that my friend Jeff H. sent me. It's an excerpt of a book called [*takes deep breath*] "Andy Roddick Beat Me with a Frying Pan: Taking the Field with Pro Athletes and Olympic Legends to Answer Sports Fans' Burning Questions." WHEW! That's a mouthful! The ridiculous title gives a hint of the humor used in the book. Anyhoo, author Todd Gallagher travels to the NHL offices in Canada and asks the question, "Could a morbidly obese goalie shut out an NHL team?" The answer may (or may not) surprise you. The very fact that I got a few laughs out of it is the only reason I won't make fun of the Wall Street Journal's lack of editing in this article. Can you spot the typo? Here's a hint: it's related to tonight's game. I'll be sure to post the answer in tonight's recap. :)

Outdoor Game Next Season In State College?!

I can barely contain my excitement. I told you in last night's recap that an outdoor game at Penn State's Beaver Stadium between the Flyers and the Penguins was being considered for next season. Well, that's only part of the story: If Flyers GM Paul Holmgren had his way, it would be a yearly tradition. From Shelly Anderson of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Just when the Penguins-Flyers rivalry is hot comes word that Philadelphia is interested in staging an outdoor game between the teams at Penn State's 107,000-seat Beaver Stadium.

Here is an aerial view of Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa. (Click image to enlarge.)

Several Philadelphia news outlets have reported that Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren would like to see the game played next season and perhaps annually.

State College is home to the main campus of the Pennsylvania State University. (Click image to enlarge.)

Penguins spokesman Tom McMillan said yesterday that while the club is aware of the reports, talk of a game at the Nittany Lions' football field is premature because "right now we are focusing on the outdoor game in Buffalo."

As you may or may not know, I live in central Pennsylvania. Beaver Stadium is about 25 miles from my home. I can't even express in words how much I hope this comes to fruition. As always, I will bring you any updates as I find them.

(Cross-posted to The Battle of PA.)

Pens v Rangers (L 0-4)

If you'll recall, Jarrko Ruutu was assaulted by New York Islanders' Chris Simon last Saturday in New York. Jes found a video clip of the incident in which you can clearly see Simon trip then stomp Ruutu, as well as 2 other incidents showcasing Simon's lack of self control through his career. Check out his post over at Hockey Rants. The National Post looks at Simon's behavior and tries to figure out why he acts so stupidly in this article by Mark Spector. Simon has since taken a leave of absence from the Islanders and is due in Canada to speak with the NHL about what consequences he will face. It's only my opinion, but I think he should be banned from the NHL. He's going to seriously injure someone if he's allowed to keep playing. His 25 game suspension taught him nothing, so he needs to go - end of story.

Sid gets the puck in front of Girardi.

The Pens were back in New York tonight, this time facing the Rangers. Just before the start of the game, we learned that the Penguins and the Flyers are considering playing an outdoor game less than 25 miles away from my home at Penn State's Beaver Stadium!!! My husband and I looked at each other and confirmed plans to get tickets without saying a word. :) Ryan Malone was out tonight due to "flu-like symptoms," and both Maxime Talbot and Marc-Andre Fleury are still out with high ankle sprains. The Rangers started the game with a scoring chance less than a minute in, but Dany Sabourin covered it up. The Rangers were relentless, though, as in the next minute, Scott Gomez scored with a little help from a fortuitous bounce. Just a minute or so later, Sidney almost got it right back as he squeezed past the Rangers defensemen for a breakaway chance, but he shot the puck wide of the goal. This latest missed chance on a breakaway by Sid obviously got to him as he was shown minutes later leaving the ice and pounding his stick down in frustration. Brandon Dubinsky almost scored with a redirect on a shot by Marc Staal, but Sabou got the save.

SICK.

Later, Crosby stole the puck at neutral ice and quickly went towards Henrik Lundqvist. He took a hard slapshot that bounced off Lundqvist's chest and right to Sergei Gonchar, who just didn't react quickly enough to do anything about it. The Rangers, of course, took possession and developed a 2-on-1 against Darryl Sydor. It was Sydor's stick that broke up the centering pass and prevented the Rangers from scoring. Then, Evgeni Malkin had an insane play that had him beating all the Rangers players on the ice - all of them! - to get a shot on Lundqvist, but Lundqvist blocked Geno's shot just in time. The first penalty of the night went to Kris Letang for holding. The Rangers didn't score on this power play. Proving that a background in baseball does a goalie good, Sabou made a nice glove save on a shot from Gomez. The Rangers' first penalty went to Paul Mara for interference on Gary Roberts. This power play was awful. The Pens repeatedly dumped the puck in deep allowing the Rangers to gain possession and clear it out all the way to Sabou. Needless to say, they did not score. Jaromir Jagr got a great chance, but the Pens did a fantastic job of preventing him from getting a good shot off. With less than a minute left in the period, Chris Drury gunned a shot that hit Sabou squarely between the eyes. The shot was so hard that play was stopped to make sure that Sabou's mask was okay. The period ended with the Rangers leading by a single goal.

Geno pwns everyone - except Lundqvist.

Early in the second period, Colby Armstrong was up-ended and sent crashing head first into the boards, but since FSN Pittsburgh was favoring the full ice camera view tonight, it was difficult to see exactly what happened. The Rangers weren't assessed any penalties and Army wasn't hurt. But just a bit later, Brooks Orpik was called for interference for a hit on Ryan Callahan. The Rangers did not capitalize on this advantage. Just a few minutes later, Letang took another penalty, this time it was for boarding. The Rangers didn't score on this opportunity, either. Sidney had his own insane play when he plowed into M. Staal to gain possession of the puck, which led to a give and go with Ryan Whitney. Sid geared up and took a shot that somehow Lundqvist blocked. Sid was incredulous as he remained on the ice on one knee at the boards and shook his head in disbelief. As he returned to the bench, it appeared that he dropped the F-bomb. The crowd showed its appreciation by chanting "Henrik!!! Henrik!!!"

Sir Sidney had a frustrating night.

At the mid point of the second period, Martin Straka redirected a shot by Gomez into the back of the net. Just like that it was Pens 0, Rangers 2. A few minutes later, Adam Hall took a penalty for tripping. Gomez banked a shot off Whitney's skate to make it 0-3. Later, Roberts plowed into Lundqvist as he attempted to get to a rebound, but instead he earned a penalty. The Rangers didn't score on their power play. Roberts turned the tables and drew a penalty by agitating Colton Orr, but the Pens couldn't capitalize on the advantage. The second period would end with the Pens having only 5 shots on goal through two periods of play.

The Rangers celebrate one of their four unanswered goals.

The third began with Letang losing control of the puck in front of Sabou. He ended up having to sacrifice his body to prevent yet another Rangers goal. Letang later drew a penalty on Blair Betts, who hauled Letang down by his face with his free hand. The Pens didn't score on their power play. Then Ryan Hollweg had a breakaway chance, but Sabou stopped his shot. Hollweg made the stupid decision to hit Whitney in the back of the head. The cheap shot prompted a scrum between the two teams. Hollweg was assessed a roughing penalty, but the Pens didn't score on this power play (do you see a pattern here?). Hollweg proved that he is a stupid meathead yet again when he charged Whitney seconds after being released from the penalty box. Tyler Kennedy took exception to this hit on his teammate and drilled Hollweg in retribution. Play was stopped, but Hollweg and Kennedy went at it after Hollweg hit Kennedy with the butt end of his stick. After the dust settled, Petr Sykora was in the box for 2 minutes, and Hollweg and Kennedy were both hit with 10 minute misconduct penalties. Since there were just over 9 minutes left in the game, they both were done for the night. Only 45 seconds into Sykora's penalty, Army took a penalty for holding on Jagr. At one point during the 5-on-3, Jordan Staal lost his stick, but Hall was able to get the puck and clear it so J. Staal could get to the bench. Just 1 second after Sykora's penalty ended, Drury scored a garbage goal to increase the Rangers' lead to 4 goals.

Sid skates against Jordan's brother Marc.

Roberts drew a penalty on Jason Strudwick, but - wait for it - the Pens didn't score on this power play, either! Lundqvist made some ridiculous saves to keep the Pens scoreless during this power play prompting another "Henrik!!! Henrik!!!" chant from the crowd. As FSN went to commercial, the Rangers crowd was rocking out to "Sweet Caroline." Ugh. Near the end of the period, Nigel Dawes took a shot at Malkin. Crosby didn't appreciate that move, and he let Dawes know it. The play continued for a few more seconds, and as both the Saint and Dawes went to their respective benches, they continued to exchange words. Sid dropped a few more F-bombs prompting commentator Bob Errey to exclaim, "Can anyone read lips?! Ha ha ha!!!" Despite the fact that the Pens registered twice as many shots on goal in the third as they had in the first and second periods combined (and after 3 more instances of the "Henrik!!! Henrik!!!" chant), the game ended with Lundqvist earning a shutout against the Pens. Incidentally, the Pens had not been shutout since 02-27-07 when they were prevented from scoring by Martin Brodeur.

Lundqvist was the man of the night.

Next up for the Pens: a visit to the Boston Bruins on Thursday at 7:00pm Eastern.

Last Day to Win Tickets to the Ice Bowl

I got my Ice Bowl tickets a while ago. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was extremely fortunate. That whole sales event turned into a furious rush that resulted in 41,000 tickets selling out in less than 30 minutes. (← Check out that seating chart - I'll be in section 223!)

If you are one of the thousands of folks that wanted tickets but didn't get them, I've got something that might help you get to Buffalo on January 1, 2008. I just got wind of a contest from Verizon Wireless that you can enter to win a trip to the NHL Winter Classic - BUT you need to know two things: First and foremost: the contest ends today so you must enter NOW. Secondly, it is only open to residents of Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey.

Here are the details (click the image to enter the contest):

♣ ♣ GOOD LUCK!!! ♣ ♣

Pens v Islanders (W 3-2)

The first period began with Gary Roberts almost scoring as he poked at the puck in front of Islanders' goalie Rick DiPietro. Just two minutes into the period, Tyler Kennedy took a shot that bounced off the cage just to DiPietro's right. DiPietro came way out of the crease to play the puck, but so did Marc-Andre Bergeron. DiPietro and Bergeron collided, and the puck went directly to the Saint. It was a "gimme." An unchallenged Sidney Crosby + wide open net = Penguins up by a goal. Actually, if Sid would have missed that shot, I would have shut this blog down. Just a few moments later, Petr Sykora almost scored, but DiPietro robbed him of the chance. Then Adam Hall almost scored on a redirect, but again DiPietro blocked the shot. Later, Ryan Whitney took a hard shot that rung off the goal post. Kennedy got control of the rebound, passed the puck to Brooks Orpik, who passed the puck to Whitney, who shot the puck between the legs of Brendan Witt and past DiPietro for the goal. Pens 2, Islanders 0. Immediately afterwards, Jordan Staal set up Roberts as they were thisclose to scoring.

Sid and Whitney celebrate a (temporary) 2-goal lead.

The night's first penalty went to Chris Simon for tripping. The Islanders almost cut the lead in half with a shorthanded rush, but Dany Sabourin was ready to stop the shot. The Pens didn't score on the power play. Later, Andy Sutton was given a delayed penalty for hitting Staal from behind. As the Pens controlled the puck during the moments after Sutton was called for the penalty, Sutton and Roberts were pushing back and forth on one another. Then, 32-year-old 6'6" 245lbs Sutton punched 41-year-old 6'2" 215lbs Roberts in the face. (You have to know what's coming...) They both immediately dropped their gloves and went at it. At first it looked like Roberts was going to get his ass handed to him. I don't know if Sutton tripped or if the punch from Roberts took him down, but Roberts ended the fight with Sutton on the ice huddled in the fetal position as Roberts continued to take out his rage on the downed behemoth. Sutton and Roberts were assessed for the fight, and the Pens went on the power play because of Sutton's original infraction. The Pens didn't score on the power play, though. The Islanders got their first power play of the night with less than 2 minutes left in the period when Sykora high sticked Mr. Hillary Duff Mike Comrie in the face. The first period ended with no Islanders score.

Sutton punches Roberts in the face.

The second period began with 15 seconds left on the penalty to Sykora, but the Islanders didn't get a power play goal. The Islanders must have had a good talk in the locker room, though, because they started to play with a little more fire. Rob Scuderi blocked a shot from Simon that resulted in an injury. As Scudsy limped around in front of Sabou, he blocked 2 more shots. He then took a penalty for cross checking before play finally stopped. He was escorted to the box but then was permitted to go to the Pens' locker room for treatment. Richard Park found the back of the net on the power play to cut the Pens' 2 goal lead in half. Only 45 seconds later, a 2-on-1 developed in favor of the Islanders. Miroslav Satan and Josef Vasicek were challenged by Orpik to no avail. Vasicek scored to make it a brand new hockey game. Pens 2, Islanders 2. Sid almost scored immediately after that, but DiPietro was on top of things that time.

The Saint

Then Sidney drew a penalty for the 35^th time this season, this time on Islanders captain Bill Guerin for hooking Sid as he and Ryan Malone rushed the goal. The Pens again did not capitalize on the advantage. Later, Sid got involved in a scrum with Witt. Malone, Orpik, and Whitney all rushed to his aid as Vasicek bolted in to aid Witt. When the dust settled and Witt, Vasicek, and Whitney were all sent to their respective sin bins for roughing, the Pens ended up with the advantage. Staal made a beautiful play around Bruno Gervais to take a shot on DiPietro. The shot was blocked, but the rebound popped right out to Kennedy, who was waiting on the opposite side. He chipped it into the open net to put the Pens back in the lead with a power play goal. Pens 3, Islanders 2. (Notice that Kennedy has had a hand in all 3 goals so far.) Later, with 3 minutes left in the period, Sid was controlling the puck in front of DiPietro as he got hauled down by Radek Martinek. Martinek was given 2:00 for holding, but the Pens didn't increase their lead on this power play. It was about this time that we learned that Scudsy would not return to the game, having been the third Penguin to suffer an ankle injury (Maxime Talbot, Marc-Andre Fleury). The period ended with the Pens ahead by a goal.

Sid controls the puck.

The third period began with Roberts and Guerin colliding. Roberts went down hard but seemed to be no worse for wear. Malone made a nice play when he stole the puck and raced down the ice with Sid at his side. After a give and go with Sid, DiPietro robbed Malone of a goal. The Islanders had two good chances. The first came when Witt took a hard shot that Sabou somehow swallowed up with his glove despite being surrounded by Pens and Islanders. The second came when Guerin took a shot that Sabou blocked with his leg pads. Later, on a one-on-one, Sid fired a shot at DiPietro that appeared to go up and under DiPietro's mask and connect with his throat (OUCH!), but somehow he managed to stop Malone's shot on the rebound. Roberts and Staal almost scored for the Pens, and Vasicek and Bergeron almost scored for the Islanders, but each goalie made the saves.

DiPietro prevents Sid (trailed by Martinek) from scoring.

Then, with just over five minutes left in the period, Simon proved that he learned NOTHING from his 25 game suspension for his vicious attack on New York Rangers' Ryan Hollweg. As FSN Pittsburgh went to commercial, Jarrko Ruutu was shown down on the ice, obviously in pain, holding his leg as he lay just in front of the benches. When they finally came back, we learned that Simon stomped his foot down on the back of Ruutu's leg in a fit of rage. Thankfully, Ruutu was not seriously injured by Simon's latest vicious attack. It will be interesting to see how the NHL handles this incident. Simon obviously has anger and (more seriously) control issues that must be addressed before he ends up severely injuring someone. The incident with the stick across Hollweg's throat could have been catastrophic - some say even fatal - and Simon could have cut Ruutu's leg with the blade of his skate. Hopefully, Gary Bettman fines and suspends this asshat for another 25 games. His prior suspension obviously did not do a bit of good. There is no place in any sport for conduct like that. Simon was escorted back to the locker room and was assessed a five minute major for the infraction.

The Pens didn't score any goals during their power play. In fact, the Islanders came out with the desperation of a team trying to tie the game and force overtime despite the fact that they were down a man. At one point, Mike Sillinger got a shorthanded breakaway. Sabou fell backwards as Sillinger was bearing down on him, but Sillinger missed by shooting the puck way up and over the goal. Then, Sabou gave the puck away as he tried to clear it out of his zone. Instead, it went straight to Comrie, but Sabou was able to stop him from scoring. As the penalty ended, DiPietro went to the bench to give the Islanders a last ditch effort with a man advantage. Play was stopped, and with 19.5 seconds left on the clock, the Islanders called a time out. The Pens got control of the puck off the face off, but were unable to get it to the empty net. The clock ticked down, and the Pens won the game. The Pens go back to the state of New York on Tuesday to face the Rangers at 7:00pm Eastern.

(I'll post a picture of the Ruutu/Simon incident once one becomes available.)