I'm not often one for the self-serving sort of posts, but after four years of day-to-day blogging and a number of readers I've managed to call friends over the years I figured it was only right to at least provide a bit of an update.

Starting this week I will be handing over the reigns of this blog to our good friend Hooks Orpik and one of my newer friends Stephen Catanese. You undoubtedly know Hooks by now so you can continue to expect the same great product you've been accustomed to over the years. As for Stevie Boy, if you had a chance to read the Maple Street Press Penguins Annual or SBN Pittsburgh then you know you're in for the same. If not then you just have to trust me.

Continue reading this post »

This is getting bad. Not "write off the season, we're done" sort of bad, but still pretty bad. Normally in these situations there is an up-and-coming minor leaguer that Ray Shero keeps a "break in case of emergency" label on, but sadly the WBS squad is all tapped out. Eric Tangradi would in all likelihood be that guy, and we've already seen what he's been able to contribute over the past few seasons.

Pittsburgh's 5-1 loss to Ottawa Tuesday night marks the team's fifth straight loss - the longest of the season - and drops them into fourth place in the Atlantic Division.

Admittedly the one good thing to come of this whole situation is the fact that Pittsburgh fans, by nature, are smart enough to pinpoint what the problem is. By that I mean, it's pretty obvious injuries are absolutely destroying this team right now and thankfully a guy like Dan Bylsma is not seen as a reason for the drought. In a way you have to applaud him for still managing to put together a decent squad night in and night out given the depleted staff he has to work with.

With that said, the Penguins' biggest issue is on defense. They're not allowing all that many shots but the shots sure are finding their way through and past Marc-Andre Fleury. Or Brent Johnson. Or, in tonight's case, both.

Kudos to James Neal for putting in a valiant effort. The other day reports suggested he would be out "weeks" with an apparent foot injury, but it didn't stop him from lacing up his skates and giving it a go. Almost lost in all this "woe is me" flow of play as of late is Evgeni Malkin, who has scored two goals over the last two games and remains in the hunt for the league's scoring title with 45 points.

Things don't get much better for the Penguins as they prepare to take on the Capitals Wednesday night. Verizon Center has been a notoriously tough place for the Pens to play and this meeting couldn't come at a worse time. Or, perhaps, it couldn't come at a better time. Beating a team like the Capitals, no matter how much they've struggled this season, could help light a spark under this mangled, disjointed group of players sporting the black and gold.

In years past we've always said .500 hockey is all you can pray for when the injuries start to rack up. At this point, that's sadly all we can hang our hats on if we want to see postseason hockey.

In theory, 42 shots should be more than enough for a team to score a sufficient number of goals to pull out the win. But a lot of things work well in theory until applied to reality where they fall flat. This is, sadly, one of those things.

Pittsburgh launched 42 pucks at Martin Brodeur Saturday night and he managed to stop all but one. Obviously one of the best goaltenders in the history of the league possesses the ability to do this on any given night, but the Penguins' inability to score on said shots may also be a reflection of their own inner workings.

The other day, in the Rangers' recap, I asked for some help on identifying what the biggest issue with the Penguins is right now. Some of you said defense, others said injuries but Outcast made an interesting point as well - just not enough bodies in front of the goaltender.

If goalies like Henrik Lundqvist or Brodeur are going to have a clear look at 35 - 45 shots on goal without anyone in front of the net to screen or deflect, odds are each of them will stop 35 - 45 shots on any given night.

This sort of thing is hard to find though. Back in 2005 - 2008, Ryan Malone was that kind of guy. He wasn't necessarily the biggest guy on the ice, but he knew how to use his body to his advantage in front of goaltenders to pick up some dirty goals or deflect in some rockets from the point. The risk-reward was always high with him on either front, as you may remember when he took sticks and pucks off his face as a result of his play. In a way it comes with the territory.

Bill Guerin was the next guy to come on board in 2009 to do the exact same thing. Much bigger than Malone, Guerin could battle his way in front of the net, get some solid positioning and just use his puck sense to dig for the rebound or tip in the shot.

In theory (we'll keep with the trend), Tyler Kennedy has the makings of a Malone. Jordan Staal more like the build of Guerin. And yet each of them rarely contributes in this sort of way. With the exception of his rare snipes - in between a shoot it into the pads and see what happens shot - Kennedy has scored a number of goals by just hanging around the crease. Staal, while possessing a much larger frame, has some slick hands and deceptive speed, so he is rarely used in that way as well. Plus he was out of the lineup for the Devils game with a knee injury. If anything James Neal would also be a strong candidate for this sort of positioning, but lately he doesn't need to put his face on the line to get us goals. He's doing just fine with what his game plan is.

Against the Devils, a team that often has a stigma of limiting offenses on all fronts, the Penguins managed to put up over 40 shots. Outside of Evgeni Malkin's first period go-ahead goal, the Pens didn't see the lamp light up much on the Devils' end. Even with two power-play chances the Pens were unable to capitalize, but the Devils also possess the league's best penalty kill (91.2 percent).

And don't get me started again on shorthanded goals. Friday night it was Brandon Dubinsky. Saturday night Adam Henrique. That's two consecutive nights where the Pens have allowed shorties. How exactly is that going to help things?

On the bright side, congrats to Marc-Andre Fleury, who appeared in his 400th career game Saturday night. Although he's been allowing a few goals recently over the Penguins' four-game losing streak, let's not overlook the fact that he's been hung out to dry a number of times, remains second in the league for wins among goaltenders and has been one of the biggest pieces on this team.

Pens are back at it Tuesday against the Senators. Puck drops at 7pm.

There's no denying it - the Rangers are one of the hottest teams in the league right now. Not only do they hold a six point lead over Philadelphia for first in the Atlantic Division, but New York's 56 points also places them first in the Eastern Conference.

If this season has proven anything - especially lately - it's that the Penguins struggle against division rivals. Friday was no exception, as the Penguins fell 3-1 to the Rangers.

When it comes to looking at the bright side of a loss like this, I guess all we have to bank on is that it wasn't a shutout. Plus, when you consider Ben Lovejoy registered the only goal, it almost seems like a wasted contribution from a guy who isn't exactly known for lighting the lamp.

Nevertheless, Henrik Lundqvist proved to be the better goaltender tonight, stopping 37 of Pittsburgh's 38 shots to earn his 18th win of the season. Getting some offensive help didn't hurt his chances of picking up that 'W' either.

I don't know which broadcast you may have been privy to, but I know the MSG one showed a flashback to 2010 when Brandon Dubinsky pulled off a solid toe drag while rushing in 2-on-1 with Ryan Callahan on the wing. The short-handed duo connected for a goal last season and Friday's game more or less showed the exact same play only with a slight role reversal. Callahan hooked up Dubinsky for the goal, complete with the toe drag, to give the Rangers the lead in the second period. From thereon in it was just Rangers hockey until the final whistle.

The Penguins played a very well disciplined game which at least kept them out of the box and limited NY's power-play chances. But if they're going to give up a goal shorthanded, I suppose it doesn't really matter much either way.

Given the injuries to this squad, I'm seeing a Penguins team that is capable of staying afloat. Winning it all? Hard to say. Evgeni Malkin will have to crank up his production a bit more and James Neal will need to remain the team's prolific scorer if this team is to get by without Sidney Crosby for what could possibly be - gulp - the remainder of the season. Nothing will stop me from cheering for the team, but a first round bounce in the playoffs again isn't exactly far fetched given the current state of this team.

Which in turn leads to another topic of consideration - now that we've flipped the calendar to 2012, and the trade deadline is fast approaching, will Ray Shero and company once again be active to find players on the open market? Let's not forget who came on board by means of the deadline last season; Neal and Niskanen. While each struggled in his own right last year, they're undoubtedly found the groove from Day 1 of the 2011-12 campaign. So, is there a solution available as we edge closer to that February deadline? Because as it stands now, it would appear as if the team needs help...somewhere.

To his credit, Marc-Andre Fleury ranks second overall in the league with 19 wins, five behind the league-leading Jimmy Howard. But he can stop all but one shot and still lose a game if this team cannot find a way to gel offensively.

Wherein lies the problem? Is it a defensive lapse or an offensive one?

No rest for the weary as the Pens head across the Hudson Saturday night to take on the New Jersey Devils, another division rival that has put the Pens through fits not only this season but many seasons in the past. Puck drops at 7pm.

Welcome one and all to the new year. With any luck this calendar will be a bit more positive for the Penguins as we all know they suffered a number of setbacks in 2011.

After the jump, we put 2011 behind us with the Devils recap and look ahead to 2012.

Continue reading this post »

This game started off looking like the sort of outing where no matter what the Pens did it just wasn't going to amount to a 'W.' With Carolina's Jason Peters in goal, Pittsburgh launched 16 first-period shots on goal to see exactly zero find the back of the net. Admittedly that first period didn't sit well with me for that reason alone, more so because Carolina managed to escape it with a 1-0 lead.

Before night's end the Penguins would not only pelt Peters with a season-high 52 shots, but they'd light the lamp four times to beat Carolina 4-2 and extend their win streak to four straight games.

Hell, even the second period had the makings of a disappointing night. By the end of the first 40 minutes, Peters had faced 37 shots and stopped all but one. The only saving grace was seeing James Neal pot his 21st goal of the year and even it up for Pittsburgh heading into the third. Then, it was either a matter of figuring Peters out or wearing him down - whatever reason you want to find, but finally Pittsburgh managed to pick up some points on the scoreboard to go along with their shot total to finish the night off with the win.

The scoring came quickly too, with Steve Sullivan first burying an Evgeni Malkin one-timer while on the power play, followed shortly after by Tyler Kennedy hooking up Pascal Dupuis on a two-on-one break to pad the lead to 3-1. Six minutes later Jordan Staal, playing in his 400th career game, opened it up to 4-1 before Tuomo Ruutu slipped a Marc-Andre Fleury mishap into the Pens' goal for the final notch of the night.

Pittsburgh will look to ride this streak into Thursday's game when they host Jaromir Jagr and Max Talbot at Consol Energy Center for the first time this season. The atmosphere of that game is going to be incredible. Puck drops at 7pm.

No news is good news; or is it?

Since colliding with Chris Kunitz on Dec. 5 while playing against the Boston Bruins, Penguins fans have been on the edge of their seats hoping, wishing, praying that Sidney Crosby's health would not take a turn for the worse. He looked bruised and shaken in that collision with his teammate, but he had to be tested at some point. The fact that he returned gave hope, but the news that shortly followed has done nothing more but lead to disappointing thoughts.

All we have to work with at this point is the label of "concussion-like symptoms." Given the infamous silence of trainers throughout the league, it's hard to say whether those symptoms have been improving, sustaining or degrading over the past month.The hope is his health is on the up and up, but what are we to say for sure?

Which is why the silence tends to lead toward the pessimistic side, evidence be damned. It took Crosby 11 months to get back onto the ice and even then it was deemed cautious. It took only eight games for him to rack up 12 points. There were talks of his "Lemieux-like return" and perhaps even his chances of chasing down the scoring title.

But now? We're left to wonder. How healthy is Crosby? How soon - this year, next year, late next year - can we expect him back?

I'm confident that if we don't see him back around the one-month mark, when the Pens face the Rangers on January 6, we can expect a statement from the team.

We can all sit here and wax poetic about concussions in hockey and the dangers of returning to see. Some would even go so far as to providing detailed charts and graphs regarding head injuries and maybe even medical journals regarding brain trauma.

But I'm no doctor, and frankly I've heard the word "concussion" more times over the past year than any other word. So I won't pretend to know left from right or up from down when it comes to medical terminology. All I know is the league is missing a tremendous talent, the Penguins are missing their captain and the window of optimism regarding Crosby's career health appears to be shrinking more and more with each passing day.

A strong start for the Pens allowed Pittsburgh to jump out to an early lead but they almost watched it fall to the hands of Chicago before all was said and done.

Thankfully it took the Chicago Blackhawks two whole periods to finally figure out how to get a few goals on the Pens, and by then it was just a matter of counting down the minutes to seconds to the final horn that put the night to an end.


Of course, that's not to take anything away from Marc-Andre Fleury, who posted a phenomenal game to earn his 17th win on the season after stopping 36 of Chicago's 38 shots. When you also consider how well he played in the final 90 seconds when Chicago pulled the goaltender while on the PP to create a 6-on-4 chance, you have to give him the nod and credit him for the 'W.' Maybe the occasional crossbar/post as well too.

It was also a milestone night for Matt Niskanen - minor as it may be - who earned points 99 and 100 on assists to Chris Kunitz and James Neal. Speaking of Neal, he's already at 19 goals and may very well see goal number 20 before Christmas. How's that 2011 trade deadline move looking now?

Evgeni Malkin registered three helpers on the night as well to move him into a four-way tie for first overall in the league's scoring race.Tough break as well when he had his lip split open after a high sticking call, but it obviously did not hinder his production one bit.

Overall just a great game - complete with a questionable hit from Deryk Engelland (we won't mention the beatdown that followed shortly after. Woops...). Back at it Friday at 8:30 against Winnipeg.

Not a bad turnaround from that obscene loss to the Senators on Friday, huh?

Evgeni Malkin popped three and had the hats rain down as the Pens went on to chase Ryan Miller out of net and beat the Sabres 8-3, the highest scoring game of the season for Pittsburgh up to this point.

While Malkin notched his seventh career hat trick, it was also a night of firsts. Jason Williams, called up from Wilkes-Barre Scranton in the wake of all these injuries, picked up his first as a Penguins early in the first when he helped put the Pens up 1-0. Roughly four minutes later, while on the power play, Simon Despres let one go from a nice angle to notch his first career NHL goal. Good to see for a guy who will likely become a mainstay on the blue line sometime over the next few seasons.

It's safe to say that Malkin has officially flipped the switch from "Finding Rhythm" to flat out "Beast Mode." He's currently riding a five-game point streak in which he's scored six goals and added six assists. His 36 points now have him closing in on the league's scoring leader Phil Kessel, who has 39 points.

Funny how things can go so wrong the other night against Ottawa and it feels as if there is so much more to say. Then you get a ridiculous win like this and it's hard to expand past the basis of "It was a good game, they played well and Malkin is a machine." That's not to say we focus only on the negative here, but I feel we'd rather let results speak for themselves.

Great game. Nice win. Pens are back at it Tuesday when they host Chicago.

I can't remember the last time I saw a second period like that. Actually, correction - I can't remember the last time I saw a single period like that, never mind the placement of it. The Penguins and Senators combined for eight goals in the 20 minute span on what amounted to a total of 23 shots. You don't have to be a math whiz to conclude the teams combined for one goal on just about every three shots. Insane.

Unfortunately, the Pens weren't the ones to benefit from the craziness of this game. Although they did manage to score three in the second, Ottawa's five gave the Sens a slight edge heading into the final 20 minutes - a lead they padded just enough to walk away with the win.

It was really hard to gauge any sort of rhythm for this game. After all, after the first period this game was a scoreless tie. What happened to have this finish 6-4?

Power plays for one thing. Three of those eight goals were scored with one of the teams on the man advantage. Pittsburgh finished the night 2-for-4 on the PP, with separate goals coming from Matt Niskanen and Evgeni Malkin.

Unfortunately Brent Johnson's 8-1-1 record against Ottawa had to come to its untimely end after he not only allowed five goals on 19 shots, but also got the hook after the second period. Marc-Andre Fleury came on in his place, stopping four of five.

Perhaps more depressing in light of all these recent injuries to hit the Pens is that you can most likely add another to the top of the pile. Paul Martin, the latest casualty in the injury game, left the third period after an awkward hit with Ottawa's Chris Phillips.

To quote the great Vince Lombardi, "What the hell's going on out here?"

Once again the Pens are forced to tap into some reserves heading into tonight's game against the Ottawa Senators. Both Eric Tangradi and Alex Picard will take the trip to Ottawa as the Pens aim to take one on the road.

Tangradi's played in two games for the Pens this season and has yet to tally a point. Picard, entering his fourth game of the season, picked up an assist on Dec. 10 against the Islanders.

Brent Johnson will get the start between the pipes tonight. Interesting stat courtesy of the Penguins' official site: BJ is 8-1-1 against the Senators in his career. I'd give him the start too.

That same article also mentions that Pittsburgh has won four of the last five meetings against Ottawa dating back to last season. Let's hope they can make it five of the last six after all is said and done tonight.

Puck drops at 7:30.

The Penguins struck first on an Evgeni Malkin goal with five seconds remaining in the first, but from that point on it would be all Red Wings hockey for the remainder of the game.

Pavel Datsyuk tied it up for the Wings on what was just a beautiful backhand goal. One of those things that's hard to admit but even harder to argue against. Although admittedly it didn't seem like all hope was lost for Pittsburgh at this point, as they managed to squeak out of the first 40 minutes of play with a 1-1 draw.

However Johan Franzen's power-play goal in the third handed Detroit the lead, Danny Cleary's goal put it out of reach and Cleary's empty-netter with six seconds remaining simply added insult to injury.

Not an exciting game, but at least one that moved without many interruptions. The two teams combined for six PP opportunities, with Pittsburgh taking the bulk of them with four total tries. Yet the Pens were unable to convert on any chances, while Detroit buried one of its two courtesy of Franzen.

Pittsburgh's penalty kill remains third best in the league, as the Pens have killed off 87.5% of man advantages this season. This will, in my opinion, stand as the make or break point while some of the big guns remain out with injuries. It's bad enough some teams can be a handful, but it's even harder to give those good teams even the slightest advantage outside of that. Ideally the Pens will stick to a similarly well-disciplined style that we saw tonight, albeit one with a little more clout on the PK.

Pens are on the road in Ottawa Friday night.

Who really knew what to expect from Saturday's game against the Islanders? Given all the injuries to the Penguins - Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Zbynek Michalek and Jordan Staal - there was as good a chance as any that we were all on track to witness either a low-scoring affair or perhaps even an Islanders win.But that was hardly the case. Short and sweet recap after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

It was close, but you know what they say...

When you consider how the game began, the Penguins were fortunate to even be in a position where they could remain in striking distance for the better part of the night. Danny Briere's freak goal aside (pretty sure I saw that in NHL 10 two years ago), the Pens were completely manhandled for the first 20 minutes. The Flyers' penalty kill looked like the power play, five-on-five hockey looked like Philadelphia shooting practice and nothing was tilting towards Ilya Bryzgalov's net. By the end of the first the shot total would favor Philly 15-8, but it might as well have been 200-8.

Things turned a bit in the second period - for the worst that is. Wayne Simmonds had exactly three-hundred square feet of space to work with and could've taken 10 minutes to shoot the puck to put the Flyers up 2-0. He was that wide open on the power play. Five minutes later it was Scott Hartnell who made it 3-0, before James Neal picked up his 15th of the year less than a minute later to at least fuel optimism for the final 20.

It's almost as if the Penguins figured out the Flyers too late into the game. After combining for 13 shots over the first two periods, Pittsburgh tallied 14 (and a goal) in the third to finish this one 3-2. Given the rate of offensive fire over the last couple of games, one has to wonder what - if anything - the Pens could've done in this game had they possessed the third period mentality for the first 40 minutes.

A few moral victories to take from on the night, seeing as how that's all we have to bank on. Max Talbot had a clear shot on goal in the first period but his old buddy Marc-Andre Fleury snagged it out of thin air and busted out his patented ear-to-ear grin. As hard as Talbot tried, the points weren't coming tonight. Very surprised to see he ended the game with only two shots since it felt like he took about eight or nine. But I guess that comes with the territory when you're watching one guy so closely.

As for Jaromir Jagr, he displayed zeros across the board and five total shots on goal. At one point in the first period he busted through the center of the ice and in on goal to draw a Steve Sullivan penalty. If you watched Pens hockey in the 90's then you were probably thinking the same thing I was on that: 1) he used to do the exact same thing in Pittsburgh and 2) that wouldn't be a call in the pre-lockout league.

Can't say I watch that many Flyers games, but I definitely watch even less Blue Jackets games. This is why I have to admit I'm really impressed with Jakub Voracek. His pass to Simmonds on the Flyers' PP was on the money. Dude might be one of the more underrated offseason transactions. Playing on a one-year deal, he's definitely building up some nice stock for next summer.

Islanders Saturday at 7pm.

A number of opponents on Pittsburgh's schedule tend to raise an eyebrow or warrant a little extra attention year in and year out. It goes without saying (but we'll say it anyway) that Philadelphia is one of those opponents.

Tonight the Pens and Flyers will clash for the first time this season on the NHL Network at 7pm. For the first time this year Jaromir Jagr and Max Talbot will suit up to take on their former team - no matter how recent their ties to Pittsburgh may be.

Now, one can argue that the real hype of this matchup will take place when those two players return to Pittsburgh for the first time this season on Dec. 29. Perhaps that's true, seeing as how any sort of bitterness that may have carried over from this past offseason likely exists in the confines of the Steel City. But don't let that alter the fact that this is still going to be a huge game for both teams. They always are. As much as Pens fans may collectively hate the city, the team, its fans or the players (or all four), we love these matchups.

What can we expect from Jagr and Talbot?

Continue reading this post »

On a day where we discovered both Zbynek Michalek and Kris Letang have been diagnosed with concussions, the Pens had another series of scares against the Bruins in what amounted to a 3-1 loss Monday night. Both came in the third period.

Chris Kunitz, perhaps forgetting what team he played on for a few minutes, collided with Sidney Crosby in what was noticeably a painful hit for el capitain. We all knew there would come a point before New Year's where Crosby's durability would be tested. Who would've thought it'd come from one of his own teammates?

All kidding aside, Crosby was able to return but I'd be interested to see if he'll get a closer look over the next day or so. Meanwhile Evgeni Malkin's face was opened up above the lip after Boston's Daniel Paille distributed the on-ice equivalent of a head butt. Malkin was bloodied up pretty good on the hit but didn't miss much time.

Two scares to the top two guns once again. Was anyone else biting their nails in this one?

No matter the case, Boston showed exactly why they remain one of the hottest teams in the league as they improved their current run to 14-0-1 trailing back to the start of November.

The lone scoring highlight of the night came courtesy of Matt Cooke in the third period, but by then it would amount to too little, too late. The game was not void of action however, as this certainly had the makings of what could potentially be another solid postseason meeting between the two. So long as Boston cools off a bit by then, it shouldn't be bad for Pittsburgh.

Also good to see Matt Niskanen engage in fisticuffs with Brad Marchand in the second period. He has proven to be a bit of a defensive liability over the past few games and may be looking whatever spark he can find to get back into his groove. I'll take it.

Later in the third Joe Vitale and Gregory Campbell also dropped the mitts but by then there was hardly any spark to be found.

All in all, Boston controlled the tempo of the game, dictated by early scoring that allowed them to fall back and focus on defense. While they didn't necessarily limit Pittsburgh's shots (forty-friggin-six, by the way), there was no beating Tim Thomas or his mustache on the ice at Consol Energy Center.

The Pens will rest up for three days before taking on Philadelphia Thursday night in the first meeting between the two teams this season. It will no doubt be a good one on the NHL Network.

Forty shots and a win? Hell yeah we'll take it. Ironically enough, shots plus the headache that followed remain a significant contributor to this late installment of Saturday's recap, but that's to be expected for weekend recaps here and there.

Dare I say Craig Adams is on a bit of a point streak? His goal and assist in Saturday's win against his former team gives him three points in two games. I've always felt three games is the minimum for a streak, but perhaps we can make some exceptions for Adams. Or maybe we won't have to if he can pick up another point Monday against the Bruins.

A majority of the focus in this game centers on the third period. With both teams entering the final 20 minutes in a 1-1 tie, it would ultimately come down to who would break first. Pittsburgh's attack was solid all game long but Canes backup Brian Boucher was up for the challenge. Goals form Arron Asham and Pascal Dupuis made it a 3-1 affair by the midway point of the third, however a series of Pittsburgh penalties allowed Carolina more than enough opportunities to work their way back into the game.

Between the final ten and a half minutes and the last 20 seconds, the Pens took four penalties, one of which Carolina converted for a goal on a Jamie McBain shot with plenty of time remaining. All in all, it felt as if the Pens were going to ultimately give the game away and blow the lead, but thankfully Brent Johnson had other plans.

With Carolina on a rare 6-on-3 opportunity, Johnson might as well have just swapped out his Penguins logo for a giant target on the front of his jersey. Carolina was relentless on the attack, controlling the puck and looking to get the tying goal. With about 17 seconds left it looked as if they would finally crack the Pens' defense. But a sprawling Johnson out-muscling Hurricanes players for the loose puck thwarted any attempt and secured the 3-2 victory. Let's remember games like this the next time we shrug a bit at Johnson's 2-3-2 record. The team almost cost him another regulation win it what was his 300th career NHL start.

Here's to hoping Jordan Staal checks out all right too after leaving the ice with a bloodied face. So long as there isn't anything broken I'd imagine we'll see him out there again this week. And even if something is broken - well, you can't rule out his return either.

The insanely hot Bruins, who have posted a 13-0-1 record since the start of November, are up Monday.

It's been more than three years since the Penguins registered a regulation win at the Verizon Center but they snapped that streak with a solid 2-1 win tonight.

Even after Chris Kunitz slipped one past (or is it through?) Tomas Vokoun in the third period, I couldn't help but think the Caps would find a way to tie it up. It's not like you can rule anything out after the Penguins' loss to the Rangers the other night. But the defense tightened up (only two Capitals shots in the third period), Marc-Andre Fleury continued to play a strong game and the clock did its part as it ticked down to triple zeros.

It was undoubtedly a strong game all around, but any time Craig Adams can find the net you have to clap it up for him. Stick tap also goes to Richard Park and Arron Asham for the assists (extra thumbs up to Asham for the first period fight).

In comparing to Tuesday's game against the Rangers, there were noticeable improvements in this one. Brooks Orpik was back to his reliant defensive play, the defense didn't allow many wide-open looks in front of Fleury and the team just did a great job of limiting Washington's attempts to break into the Pens' zone. The Versus announcers joked that it was like watching a Devils game, which I guess is somewhat relevant considering the outcome. Even though it wasn't a high-scoring affair, I still feel it was a pretty good game.

Hard to think Washington won't be getting better from this point on. After the Bruce Boudreau fallout there's bound to be some growing pains while adjusting to a new boss man. That would easily apply to any of the 30 NHL teams. I expect to see a different Capitals team in January but hopefully the same dominant Penguins team as November/December.

Back at it Saturday against the Hurricanes at 7pm.

The old saying "you can't win em all" is often used as a form of solace, but that is hardly the case for Tuesday's loss to the Rangers. Maybe you can't win em all, but you also won't win many in outings like that.

All in all, I don't really think the Penguins played a bad game. Is that fair to say? I mean, I'd love to say, "Let's forget about that second period for a second and look at the rest of the game," but that would be a bit unfair. After all, if you eliminate that one period it's a Penguins shutout, which seems somewhat amusing to consider when you see how the game actually ended.

We've seen the Pens do this rally stuff many times - hell, we've seen other teams do it to us too. That's just the way it goes sometimes and tonight, unfortunately, it did not go Pittsburgh's way. The Rangers capitalized at the most opportunistic times. That's how you win, and that's what New York did. Pittsburgh took only two penalties in the second period which, when compared to the whistle-fest in the first period for both teams, seems a bit controlled. However on both of those penalties the Penguins' penalty kill was unable to get the job done, sacrificing two goals and allowing the Rangers to build some momentum. And really, for New York, the second period ended like it started. PP goal to kick it off, two goals in the middle and another tally with the man advantage to close it out.

And yet, Pittsburgh still made a game of it. A Rangers friend of mine actually said, "The Rangers got lucky," but I don't think that was really the case. Like I said, they made the most of the opportunities they created on at least two of those four goals (we're talkin power-play here). But even on the other two - John Mitchell's goal and Brad Richards' goal - the Penguins' defense gave them all the space they wanted in the slot. Untouched, wide open and all the net to work with. Can't afford to do that all the time, and the final score is an indication as to why.

One has to consider the presence of Alex Picard and Robert Bortuzzo. Or is it more the absence of Kris Letang? I'd lean more towards the latter when it came to conceding those two even strength goals, mainly because I don't recall either of those guys being on the ice for those. But I do recall seeing Brooks Orpik get burned on one and Matt Niskanen looking like a pylon on the other.

But hey, you win some, you lose some. Yeah, let's go with that one.

Few things in this world put a smile on my face faster than a pouting goaltender.  It shouldn't come as any surprise that I, along with a larger percentage of Penguins fans (I'm sure), was grinning ear to ear when a discouraged Carey Price slammed him stick against the cage after giving up Kris Letang's game winner in overtime. In a way it was scripted perfectly, especially when you consider the fact he was forced to leave the third period with a broken nose after Max Pacioretty delivered a questionable hit to the head/face. Not only did Letang spring a leak from his beak, but all signs of the collision indicated that we might not see him back for the remainder of the game. Lo and behold, No. 58 rejoined the Pens' bench after regulation and contributed what wound up being the nail in the coffin. This of course coming after receiving a pin in the nose as well.

Letang joked with reporters after the game that his shnoz isn't perfect yet, but he'll worry about that later in his career when he decides to be a model. Also have to give props to Pacioretty as well for offering his apologies to Letang on the ice during the game. You may remember an incident last season when a Canadiens players was sent into the divider  between the benches and the penalty box. That guy, who received a broken vertebrae and concussion, was none other than Pacioretty. Although the league may take a look at the incident, I think it's safe to say it wasn't intentional.

Shoutout and hearty congrats to James Neal as well, who tallied his 10th assist on the season and became the first Pens player to reach double digits in both goals and assists (13g, 10a). Also have to give a big pat on the back (well a verbal one at least) to Jordan Staal, who played a really strong game that almost missed making a mark on the scoresheet before tallying his 12th of the season in the third period to tie it up.

Consider this (and jump in with your input): Take off those black and gold glasses for a second. Look back to overtime when Price appeared to freeze the puck with his glove/pads. Should the refs have blown the whistle?

Either way, I really think Marc-Andre Fleury should've busted out his Carey-Price like pose from last season. Just for the fun of it.

Not the best of outings for the better part of the game but Pittsburgh did fight back and make it an exciting one. To find themselves in a position where they could finish with at least one point was credit enough to the team's ability to fight back, but escaping Montreal with an extra one made it all the better. Doing it in the first game of a four-game road trip is also a plug.

The Pens made Price work, launching 42 shots on goal and really keeping him on his toes. Once again though, it's proof that even all the shots in the world don't always equate to easy victories. But seeing them ranked third overall amongst teams in shots per game (33.9) is still a good thing in my book.

Up next: Rangers at MSG on Tuesday. Puck drops at 7:30.

Did we really expect anything less?

Sidney Crosby didn't just return to the ice, he tilted it in his favor. From the second he set foot on the ice the crowd was behind him and it was apparent from a very early stage that he was not missing a step. Not one bit. His first goal in 2011 was a prime example of how he has not lost his speed, power or accuracy during his time off. A beautiful backhand going top shelf is patented Crosby, and nothing says "I'm back" like a signature goal.

Not only did Sid pick up at least a goal in his debut, but he also helped facilitate two others (Brooks Orpik, Evgeni Malkin) before tallying his second of the year on a weird play that somehow ended with the puck in the back of the Islanders' net. But I don't hear any Penguins fans complaining about that. Just another example of how all the bounces were just going his way.

The highlight of Pittsburgh's night is obvious, but hopefully Marc-Andre Fleury's play is not hidden under the return of No. 87. Fleury recorded his 11th win of the season (11-3-1), a win that also doubles over as his 16th career win against the Islanders. Factor in his shutout and it couldn't have been a better night for the Pens all around.

Tough to see former Pen Mark Eaton go down with an injury. Given his history of knee injuries, the hope is that his initial prognosis of "sprained MCL" remains a sprain and doesn't get worse over the next few days. Also good to see that given Matt Cooke's history of play it can genuinely be construed as an accident and not an intentional knee-on-knee collision.

In a perfect world Crosby pots that third goal, hats rain down on the ice and he skates off into the spotlight as the first star of the game. But four points isn't exactly a tough outing at all, and he was ultimately named the first star regardless.

Say what you will about the Penguins beating the "lowly" Islanders. The point isn't that they beat a struggling team, the point is Crosby alleviated any doubts about his health, his rust or his skills with a brilliant four-point night. He will undoubtedly be evaluated by doctors, but hopefully they don't have to look too far past the score sheet to see that Crosby is doing just fine.

Blues come to town Wednesday at 7pm.

The Panthers scored a late third-period goal Saturday night that helped them beat the Pens 3-2, causing Pittsburgh to come up empty on two straight games in Florida.

Once again offense was not as big an issue for the Pens as it was the other team's defense, more specifically the goaltending. Dwayne Roloson was on fire for the Lightning Thursday night and Jose Theodore was nothing short of great for the Panthers Saturday as well, stopping 39 of Pittsburgh's 41 shots en rout to his seventh win of the season.

Unfortunately the same can not be said of Brent Johnson, who fell to 1-3-2 on the season after allowing three goals on 31 shots.

Maybe you guys can help me out here - because I wanted to make a bold statement in this spot but don't know what that should be: What exactly is the problem here? The natural scapegoat is always the goaltender, but is this more defensive than we think (or are willing to admit)? I can't seem to shake that third Florida goal, the one that ultimately stood as the nail in the coffin, where Stephen Weiss just busted his way into the crease and was given the liberty of poking around after a loose puck. Worst of all, Brooks Orpik was right there with great position to clear the player out of the crease, and instead just - to take a basketball term - posted up on him while Weiss worked his stick around to get enough on the puck. Granted Johnson's fall backward may have assisted the puck across the line, but we're not talking rocket science here: isn't Orpik's job to clear Weiss out of the crease?

That could be just one of the sore spots coming out of this road trip in Florida. It seems like the defense is a bit disjointed at times and the other team is capitalizing on those opportunities. The defensive effort against Tampa Bay was brutal and the stand against the Panthers wasn't anything to write home about either. Still don't know how I feel about that Tomas Fleischmann power-play goal either.

Maybe things will take a turn for the better when the Pens return home Monday night to host the Islanders. We shall see.

Did Thursday's loss to the Lightning feel like last year's best-of-seven series to anyone else? Tampa Bay is slowly but surely putting themselves on that short list of teams that Pittsburgh experiences some issues with. And while it wasn't the prime example of a 1-3-1 stalemate that the Flyers and Lightning experienced a week or two ago, it wasn't exactly the most exciting game either (that could of course be based more on the final outcome than the actual flow of the game).

One of the first, and perhaps the biggest mistakes the Pens made, came in the form of allowing Tampa way too many opportunities with the man advantage. We saw first-hand in postseason that the Lightning has way too many weapons to work with. So why give them an even bigger advantage than they might have in a mismatched 5-on-5? Out of six chances on the power play, the Lightning scored twice, one of which came from everyone's favorite player Steve Downie.

Highlight of the night? I guess you have to go with Tyler Kennedy's goal late in the game. Not only was it a guarantee that Pittsburgh would halt Tampa's attempt for a shutout, but it's also a good sign when a guy who'd been out of the lineup for a bit can come back and pick one up early into his return.

With the exception of Downie's goal, most of Tampa's opportunities came on horrible defensive miscues on Pittsburgh's part. The turnover in their own end led to the first Lecavalier goal, Brett Connolly could've parallel parked an 18-wheeler in the space the D gave him on his rebound goal and Kris Letang simply tripped over the blue line while in the Tampa zone that resulted in the puck squirting loose and Lecavalier dropping in the empty netter.

Not the greatest game of the season, but let's put it behind us. No road trip needed for the next one, as Pittsburgh will remain in Florida for Saturday's game against the Panthers.

Down 3-1 after the first 20 minutes, the Pens managed to record five straight unanswered goals - included a four-goal third period - to power their way past the Avalanche Tuesday night.

Obviously there are a number of highlights from this game, but I think Evgeni (or as Versus would say, Evgeny) Malkin's go-ahead goal was probably the top play of the night. Not only was his workmanship a thing of beauty, but the look on his face after his teammates huddled around to pick him up off the ice possessed a "that's how I do it" sort of smirk.

Other notable highlights:

• Jordan Staal's beautiful give-and-go play to pick up Pittsburgh's first goal of the night. Nothing more disheartening when your team is down to hear a ping off the crossbar, but nothing more motivating than to see that ping off the bar go into the mesh. That's nine goals now for Staal, who after 16 games is only two short of his total over 42 games last season.
  
• What do you know? Brooks Orpik picked up his annual goal a bit early in the season this time around. Dare I say he may be on pace for two...maybe even three? Pretty sure he fired a knuckle puck on goal, but he'll never tell.
• James Neal - bing, bang, boom - goal No. 12 on the season came on the power play, a nice compliment to his two previous assists. Three points in one night proves one thing - Neal was responsible for half the goals against Colorado.
• Then again, the power play sure as hell had a good number of chances on the night, seven to be exact. If they didn't finish the game with at least one PP goal it would've been a painful post-game observation in the face of a stellar win.
• And a big thumbs up to Kris Letang as well, who netted only his second goal of the season but added to his earlier assist to collect his 16th point in 16 games.
  
• Semyon Varlamov will likely be looked at as the reason for Colorado's loss, but I hope this doesn't overshadow the fact that Pittsburgh had the goods to rally back and win this thing. Understandably there is a bit of a goaltending controversy brewing in Colorado - mainly one that preferably doesn't involve Varlamov starting in goal - so it's bad enough the guy probably came into the game with a fragile state of mind. Combine that with his ability to blow a 3-1 lead and he may have to cool off a bit and channel his Capitals roots once again.

Pens return to action Thursday at 7:30 when they hit the road to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Tonight's 5-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes got me thinking: what exactly qualifies as a comeback? Is it the ability to comeback, as in tie, or is it the ability to comeback, tie it and proceed to win? I guess that is what defines a headline such as "Comeback Win" and simply "comeback."

Well, the Pens mustered a huge comeback in the third period after trailing 3-0 through the first 40+ minutes. Two goals from Jordan Staal (including one shorthanded), plus another from Chris Kunitz, allowed Pittsburgh to close the gap within the first 12 minutes of the final period. There's the comeback. Unfortunately, the comeback win never came to fruition, as Carolina proceeded to add two more tallies before all was said and done to pick up two points at home and send the Pens packing.

Compared to last night's win over the Stars, this one was filled with whistles and penalties. The night kicked off with an opening bell as Arron Asham and Bryan Allen each dropped the mitts four minutes in. From there the night consisted of a number of minors, some off-setting, that may have contributed to the rhythm of the game. Or more specifically, Pittsburgh's inability to get into the flow early on.

Then again, it was the second game in two days, and we all know what a flat Penguins team looks like in such situations. I can't really say for sure if the Pens looked flat to start this one, but they sure as hell had to dig deep in the third period to try and pull it off.

All in all, the two teams combined for nine power-play chances on the night, but each came up empty handed. Pittsburgh went 0-for-5, while Carolina posted a blank outing on four chances. Nevertheless, the Penguins peppered the Carolina goal all night, registering 40 shots and making Cam Ward really sweat it out to hold on to whatever lead Carolina was working with at the time.

Tough to pin some of those Carolina goals on Brent Johnson too. It seems like two of the first three came off of broken plays, and the one-timer Skinner-to-Ruutu goal that marked the first goal in the second period really was just a defensive breakdown. Then Eric Staal banged home a loose puck completely untouched in front of the Pittsburgh goal before Chad Larose iced it on a breakaway when Kris Letang was caught pinching in the offensive zone. Down a goal with less than three minutes to go is a good enough reason to want to up the offensive pressure, but faulting in your own end and allowing a breakaway doesn't help much either.

But hey, I'm not here to make excuses. Despite the outcome it was still an exciting game to watch. Pens are back at it Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche.

On a night when everyone thought Jordan Staal would pot a hat trick (OK, mainly me, and even that was somewhat joking optimism), it was instead James Neal who came up big against his former team to give the Pens a 3-1 win against the Dallas Stars.

At times it feels like this sort of thing only happens to Penguins fans. You know the "thing" - trade away a player/give a guy up, watch him sign with another team and then witness his new-found glory as he burns the Pens for a goal. Nice to see the tables turn every once in a while.

A few things really stand out from this game:

• Discipline - The Pens went to the box only three times during the course of the game. Joe Vitale was nabbed for goal interference in the second period, Brooks Orpik with a tripping call shortly after and Chris Kunitz was tagged with a roughing call at the end of the game. However, seeing as how Dallas' Brenden Morrow was also hit with a roughing call at the same time, the off-setting minors resulted in Dallas only have two power-play chance on the night. That's definitely one way to limit the Stars' firepower.
• Power Play - If Pittsburgh played a disciplined game, then Dallas played the complete opposite of that. The Penguins had five power-play chances and capitalized on two of them thanks to Neal. 'The Real Deal' now has 11 goals on the season, five of which have come on the power play.
• Matt Cooke - There's sure as hell some sense of irony in watching Matt Cooke score on a penalty shot. That makes for goal number five for Cooke, who now has nine points and four penalty minutes this year (tip courtesy of SBN Pittsburgh's Stephen Catanese) 
• Evgeni Malkin - Can't say he was a huge factor against Dallas, but he's mustering up some quiet, quality points over the last few games. Count 'em - seven points over five games (3g, 4a).
  

Good to see the Pens could come off that long break and appear as if it did them some good. The rest of the month will be a grind as they return to action tonight against the Hurricanes on the road in Raleigh. Puck drops at 7pm.