Pens force game 7

Breathe.....Breathe.....

Oh My Freaking GOD.

What we witnessed tonight was one of the most insane games I've seen in recent memory. The Pens take game 6...barely.
But we'll take it.

This was the easy game. Now comes the hard one for all the marbles. Please please please let the Fleury that showed up tonight play on Friday. This is the ONLY way the Pens will win.

If you would have told me that the Pens were to win this game without Sid and Geno registering any points, I would have laughed at you.


By the way - did Sid even play tonight....?
And why the hell did he play only 18 minutes...?

Maxime Talbot played almost 2 minutes more that Sidney Crosby in game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

What up wit dat?

Sid better show up in Detroit - he doesn't have any points in Detroit so far this series - that trend can not continue.

Staal was a freaking beast out there tonight....WOW. It's games like this that really show why he was a #2 overall pick...

Fleury was spectacular - good to see after a rough game Saturday.

Scuderi = big reason we didn't loose 4-2



Gonchar - I'm thinking he's still injured, because he's quite simply sucked hard for most of this series.

Orpik - I know what was on your mind at the time of this picture - you were thinking of taking 2 minutes for a cross check to Babcocks big coconut.


The best thing about tonights game - other than the Pens winning tonight - is the fact that the Wings and Marian Hossa didn't hoist the Cup on Pittsburgh ice.

Now the Pens have a chance to hoist the Cup on Detroit ice.

I still want to get drunk and piss on an inflatable octopus.

More to come tomorrow

15 down - 1 to go!

GO PENS

Backs against the wall - again

Well - here we are - at home down 3 games to 2.

We have to win tonight to go back to Detroit which is in my opinion the hardest barn to play in. I really hope the Pens aren't thinking about game 7 quite yet. There is a game to win before that, and it isn't a gimme....unfortunately, nothing is easy with this Detroit team.

There is a lot of people that think this thing is over already - it's not.

I've often said that that Sid and Geno are really good players, but they will never be considered great until they win a Cup. They are two games away from that right now.

Thats not to say that if they don't win this series, they will never win a Cup - thats narrow minded. The core of this team is very young - some can't even legally drink in the States...

We have two of the best players in the world on this team. A lot of Pens fans still seem to think we need a Kovalchuk or Gaborik to win the Cup (or at least beat Detroit). This is false - our players just have to learn to take advantage of the situation they are in - thats it.

That comes with experience.



Win or lose, this team will be a Stanley Cup threat for as long as Sid, Geno and Fleury are on this team.

But...

...to win the Cup, we also need these players to have the games of their lives for the next two games.


Stanley Cup winning goalies are a special rare breed - some pretty much win it outright for their teams (Ward, Giguere) - and some are bit players that are a product of the machine in front of them (ahem - lookin' at you Osgood) - but none of that matters once they hoist the Cup.

Marc Andre Fleury is a really good young goalie. He has unfortunately shown a penchant for giving up weird goals at the worst times - too many to mention.
He has otherworldly reflexes and talent, but it looks to me like he hasn't mastered the mental toughness goalies need to take it to the next level consistently. There are flashes, but thats it.

If the Pens are going to win tonight or in game 7, Fleury is going to have to prove that he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Crosby and Malkin.

And speaking of Sid and Geno - they have to prove they have what it takes to beat a team that looks totally unbeatable at times.

This is what defines great legacies in the NHL.

This team is good enough - hopefully they can prove it to themselves, and the hockey world.

GO PENS

Pens get spanked - hard

OUCH
This hurts.

The Pens got whomped on last night 5-0 in Detroit. So much for any momentum Pittsburgh created with the previous two games.

Pittsburgh actually started the game strong, and had a few very good chances to score in the first 5 minutes. If Fedotenko would have scored on this play, it would have been a very different game.


I'm not going to recap this game for 2 reasons:

- a little piece of me died last night due to the ugly loss, and realizing the the Red Wings could win the Cup on Pittsburgh ice for a second consecutive year.
- Pretty much anytime I think of last nights game, I want to fucking puke.

A couple casual observations:

I don't know why, but for some reason, when we play in Detroit, the puck always seems to trickle away from our sticks, so we can't make a decent pass - which leads to a turnover - or we can't get it out of our zone, or a shot doesn't go in against stupid Osgood. On the other hand, the Wings can't seem to do any wrong - the passes are crisp, the shots are hard and accurate, and they seem to get ALL the freaking bounces.

This makes Detroit extremely difficult to play against at the Joe - they create their own good fortune on home ice and all the power to them, and this just the product of a good system.
Kudos, jerks.

BUT

For some reason, the refs allow the Wings to play their "subtle interference" game to perfection. They allow the game to be played like it was 1999, and there is clutching, grabbing, and total interference. What the Wings call shadowing.
It's like the referees tell the Wings before the game "OK - we're going to let you guys get away with shadowing - but we're not going to let the other team know - It's our little secret".
I'm not saying that's what actually happens - it sure seems like it though...
Because of this the Pens players are watching Wings players skate by them, while Pens players are being held and clutched. This frustrates teams, and games like last night happen.
What they are letting Zetterberg get away with is unbelievable.

When you add the two things up, the Wings become totally unbeatable at home....

Can we still win this series?
Don't be silly - of course we can.

This is what is will take.....

A victory at home in game 6. Duh, that's a no-brainier.

Before game seven in Detroit, coach Bylsma should say something in his presser to the extent that he really hopes the refs call the rules circa 2009, and not 1999 like they have been so far in Detroit in this series. He will get fined for this, but because he has bit his lip about this crap so far, his words will have some bearing.

The Pens will have to come out hard - like they did in game 5 in Detroit - and their best players will have to get on the board (we're lookin at you Sid & Geno) to gain momentum. If the Wings score first at home, they taste blood, and due to the reasons I listed above, they are extremely difficult to beat.

Oh yea - Fleury has to have the game of his life - no better time to have it - game 7 of the Stanly Cup. Hopefully our defense actually gives him a chance this time.


Does anyone else feel like getting drunk and pissing on a giant inflatable octopus?

GO PENS

Pittsburgh Penguins 2009: Return of the Penguins

Sorry I missed last game - here is a little Star Wars comparison to the finals this year - its pretty accurate...lol

GO PENS

Pens respond at home 4-2

Thank God for Max Talbot




Mad Max did his best Mario Lemieux impression in the third period - total force. He hit he post, and looked like he was ona mission. He also scored the empty netter which is huge - especially against the Wings.

Honestly, I was a little worried after the second period - Detroit dominated ,and you just knew if they scored there was a very good chance they would win.

But Pittsburgh came out guns a blazing, and they earned a power play with their continuous pressure.


Gonchar finally did something other than give the puck away, and blasted a shot from the line for the winner.

It was nice to see Osgood give up weak goal (Letang) and look up to the heavens after a softie.



It seemed the breaks started going the way of the Pens, after getting away with 6 men on the ice for 20 seconds, and a few hit posts by the Wings.

About freaking time

Other notables:

Geno with 3 points and a huge blocked shot late in the third period when the game was in doubt ...another thing you won't see Ovechkin do.

Kunitz with 11 hits.....11 !

Cooke with 5 epic hits - momentum changers.

Letang with 2 big points - and to think he was almost replaced with Boucher before the game.

If the Pens can win the next game at home, they could actually have the momentum going back to Detroit....That's a pretty big if, but they're doing everything right - so it should be interesting.

13 down - 3 to go

GO PENS

Fleury is the Key

I've been thinking - how the hell do we beat the evil, robotic, methodically boring Red Wings?

I've looked back at other series in the past, and have found a common thread that has been present in all other Detroit playoff defeats in recent memory....

A hot goaltender

Basic answer? yes - but it holds true.....


I've been easy on Marc -Andre Fleury this series, he gave up two fluke goals and one bad goal in game two.

Not nearly good enough.

Then, I thought how many bad and/or fluky goals has Osgood given up so far- none. And he has made the huge saves when called upon.

There's the difference in the series so far - although its only 2 games in.

Cup winning goalies all have a few things in common - Does Fleury measure up?:

- above average goaltending (duh) (check)
- the ability to get hot and stay that way for extended periods of time (check)
- the ability to make the stops when needed (check - for the most part)
- do not give up soft goals (still working on that)

He'd better start acting like a Stanley Cup winning goalie - and fast.

The offense will come for Pittsburgh in this series - there have been too many bad bounces and hit goalposts - things will start to go our way.

Oh yea, and this:
Darren Millard on HockeyCentral claims his NHL sources said the league was unhappy with the officiating , or lack thereof for the first 2 games and the standards will be enforced more strictly tonight.

So Pens fans (myself included) can stop the bitching (as valid as it is), and see if we can run with the big dogs tonight.

And we will win - if Fluery does his job and keeps out the softies.

prediction: 5-3 Pens
Crosby will score - Abdelkader will not

GO PENS

WTF do we have to do??

Ok - this is where i bitch and whine - and if you're offended by strong language - leave.

What the fuck do we have to do to beat this team?

The Red Wings are obviously a great team, and its hard enough to beat them, but when you have to deal with different officiating than the rest of the year, AND the fact that the Red Wings seem to play with a different set of rules, they are pretty much unbeatable.

Thats right - unbeatable.

The Wings are MASTERS of interference and pick plays that unbelievably NEVER get called.

They are the best consistent cheaters I've ever seen - Stay classy Detroit.

Add to the mix 5 shots that have beaten "awesome" goalie Chris Osgood, and this gets ugly - fast.
It just seems the NHL is doing everything they can to fuck this up.

I'm even pissed about Geno being allowed to play game 3 after getting an instigating penalty late in the game - by NHL rules that is a 1 game suspension.

What is the point of having any rules if none of them are enforced....?

The Wings scored two goals immediately after blatant penalties were not called.

The one where Hossa hooked, then slashed and broke Dupuis stick was especially painful for every hockey fan who doesn't cheer for Detroit, and probably for a lot that do - they know they got away with one for sure.

That was the closest I've ever come to throwing a beer bottle at 85mph at my 62' TV.

I see now why Red Wings fans are so fucking smug and cocky - because their team gets way with shit no other team does.

Bylsma has taken the high road thus far, but I think he needs to unleash hell on the officials hardcore - take the fine, but at least you're getting heard. Don't go down without a fight.

We now see the true integrity of this league.

The NHL is trying to gain a following in the States, but if I was a new watcher, I would be turned off by the officiating and lack thereof.

Bettmen better do something about it

A high stick on Stall that was AMAZINGLY not called - it drew blood - should have been a 5 minute penalty - shocking


Don't see the puck anywhere


The Pens are doing everything they need to do to win this series - they could very easily be up 2-0 coming home.
Everybody seems to be bagging on Fleury, but in my opinion he has given up one bad goal in 2 games - I think he is outplaying Osgood who could easily have 7 goals against right now.

They've played two very good road games, but have nothing to show for it except for the media's retarded Crosby-Abdelkader scoring comparisons.

I have watched almost every game Evgeni Malkin has ever played, and I have NEVER seen him come close to loosing it like he did last night - this is how frustrated he and the rest of the team has become.
They used to fittingly call Pat Verbeek the "Little Ball of Hate" - well, last night I saw a big ball of hate going after Zetterburg...


Usually after a few Penguins losses, I, like every other Pens fan, can point out several things that need to be done to improve play - but this time I can only think of one - that's how well I think the Pens are playing right now.

This is a common sight unfortunatly:


I don't recall any Penguins camped out in front of Osgood, and that has to happen - Kunitz - thats why we traded to get you (one of the reasons, anyway)

I'm pretty sure this is the first productive thing Gonchar has done this series - FUCK

Call it what you will - bitching, whining, whatever - it is what it is.

But if the Red wings are going to win the Cup, can't we at least have everybody play by the same rules - you know the ones that are supposed to be enforced FOR BOTH FUCKING TEAMS?

We can still win this series - the bounces will start going our way, and I think we can go back to Detroit tied at 2 - then its anyones series.