Pittsburgh Penguins

No Malkin, No Crosby, No More

November 21, 2011

It has been over 300 days. It has been over 60 regular season contests. It has been a long freaking time, but it is finally over. Arguably the best player in the game of hockey made his return to the game tonight. Crosby has waited a long time and with every passing interview one could see the ever growing impatience on his face. While tonight will mean a lot for the fans and for the NHL, this night was really about Crosby. A player that lives and breathes the game is finally allowed to take the ice. Crosby’s return was sure to be great, but this one was downright special.

In the first period of play, Crosby scored on his third shift. ...

Crosby Watch Ends: Islanders in Pittsburgh

November 21, 2011

Chris Hessel

2 Comments

When the puck drops for Monday night’s matchup, the New York Islanders will officially become a part of the biggest milestone in Sidney Crosby’s comeback.

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced on Sunday evening that Crosby will be playing in his first game since suffering a concussion on January 5th, which was the second of that week for him. This comes after months of speculation and rumors ranging from being ready on opening night to contemplating retirement.

The Islanders have really fallen on hard times as of late, and it seems to have come to a head after their embarrassing home effort on Saturday night, where they dropped a 6-0 decision to the Boston Bruins. If t...

Montoya Minutes: Al Needs To Play

November 10, 2011

Rob McGowan

1 Comment

Al Montoya was the surprise starter for the Islanders home opening loss to the Florida Panthers back on October 8th when both Rick DiPietro and Evgeni Nabokov were healthy and capable of starting the game. DiPietro, who had been battling injuries for what had seemed like forever, probably expected to dress for the season opener preparing to embark on another attempt to return to glory. But that wasn't the case.

Head coach Jack Capuano chose to go with El Cubano, a goaltender that the Islanders acquired in a trade with the Phoenix Coyotes after injuries seem to strike every single net-minder in the 2011 season. Montoya seemingly won the starting position between himself and Kevin...

The Return of the Kid

November 6, 2011

Chuck Gaston Jr

4 Comments

In a recent interview with THN, former NHL’er Joe Mullen said that his favorite player to watch in this era is Sidney Crosby. When I read this, I laughed, knowing the former Penguin still has close ties with Pittsburgh, but also laughed at the irony of the comment.

Sid hasn’t played in a long time and for most regular hockey fans, we have found that the NHL moves on without him. Frankly, I am one more “No Crosby, No Problem” headline away from traveling to the NHL’s headquarters in New York and punching their entire staff in the back of the head.

On Friday, 11/11/11, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be at home play...

In The Rear View: The Sharks' First Month in Review

November 5, 2011

Tanner Kovach

0 Comments

It was almost exactly a month ago when the Sharks kicked off their 2011-12 season with an opening night win against the Phoenix Coyotes at the Shark Tank. San Jose dominated that game by a score of 6-3, which doesn't really do it justice, considering just how much better the Sharks actually were. This was the first time fans and coaches alike had a chance to see just what this new, and hopefully improved, Sharks team would look like, and it looked good.

But then there were the dark times. A three game stretch where the Sharks played Anaheim, St. Louis, and Anahe...

One Month Review

October 31, 2011

Chuck Gaston Jr

2 Comments

There are a few things that fans want to see from their hockey team. That is winning and a winning effort.

In Pittsburgh, we have been very fortunate to see both of that lately. I’m not going to discuss the lack of Crosby or Malkin, because by now we know this team can win without them, but they have won this season without a few others.

So far Kris Letang served a two game suspension, Brooks Orpik missed the first eight games after recovering from hernia surgery, and Tyler Kennedy sustained a concussion and has missed quite a few games thus far. These were crucial contributors at the end of last season that have already missed time, but despite t...

Fleury Of Zeros - Pens 3 Islanders 0

October 26, 2011

John Madonia

0 Comments

Marc-Andre Fluery loves playing against the New York Islanders.

Fleury had 33 saves for his 20th career shutout and led the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-0 triumph over the lifeless New York Islanders Tuesday Night.

The teams meet again in Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

Injury Depleted Penguins defeat the Habs

October 20, 2011

habbykins

9 Comments

All the injuries accumulated by Pittsburgh - no Crosby, no Malkin, no Letang, no Kennedy, etc - proved to be no problem last night, as the Penguins defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-1.

The game featured two players who hit milestones in their careers. Arron Asham was playing in his 700th career game, and Hal Gill was playing in his 1000th. When Hal's milestone was announced to the crowd, he received a nice ovation from the Pittsburgh fans, which was nice to see.

The game itself was a lackluster affair for the Habs. They got Cammalleri back from his injury, and after playing an up-tempo game against the Sabres on Tuesday, the feeling was that the Habs would carry that...

The Art of the Penalty Kill

October 12, 2011

Chuck Gaston Jr

0 Comments

What has this league become? Over the past two decades we have seen a drastic drop in offense, goal scorers struggling to get to fifty, and only three players have broken the 120 point mark since the new millennium. Offense have taken a dive, and part of the reason is the adjustments that have been made to the penalty kill.

Currently, six team in the league have managed to kill off everyone of their opponents' powerplays. They are Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Florida, Montreal, Colorado, and Tampa Bay. These teams have had some strong competition so far, so this is not anything to scoff at. Of these, none are more impressive than the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Are You Ready For Some Hockey?

October 12, 2011

Tanner Kovach

1 Comment

...Too bad the sharks aren't playing any today. We still have to wait until Friday to watch another Shark's game. But maybe, just maybe, what seems like a punishment might actually be a blessing in disguise. You see, a myriad of Sharks are out right now with various injuries and would not have been ready to go on an earlier date. Havlat is still recuperating from a shoulder injury. Niemi is recovering from minor surgery that removed a cyst from his knee. And Marleau has missed every practice this week with the flu. Two of these three players, sans Marleau, also missed the opening game of the season. Which is a real testament to how stacked this Sharks team is with depth at all position...