Hockey Night: Pens at Devils

you gotta let 'em know you're out there

The 9 game divsion stretch got off to a rough start. The best way to describe Saturday's game on the island can be expressed in a single word: goddamnsonabitchmotherfuckingpieceofshitdamnitalltohell.

That one hurt. But the best cure is to play another game and the pens can try to right the ship tonight in New Jersey. This isn't the same Devil's team we're used to seeing on the ice or in the standings. The first matchup this season resulted in a 5-4 win for the Devils. In years past, that 9 goal total would have been the cumulative result of at least 2 games. And while it is nice to see them at the bottom of the division, a loss tonight puts the pens there instead. These are still the New Jersey Devils so i would expect the trap to make an appearance tonight especially since they've seemed to rediscover their defensive legs of late, allowing only 4 goals in 3 games. Eight games left on this stretch and it's time to go to work.

this would be a welcome sight tonight

No word yet if Whitney will play.
7:00 FSN
Let's Go Pens.

Steeler Preview Early Edition

this was an all too familiar sight last season.

Words cannot describe how much i hate the Baltimore Ravens. From their joke of a head coach to their homo uniforms, there is not one redeemable quality to this team. That's why last season was so rough. It was a fluke season anyway you look at it. The 9-0 snoozefest in Jacksonville? Oh well. The home loss to the Bengals? Special teams is now officially an issue. Making Mike Vick look like Dan Marino? Ouch. Giftwrapping an Oakland victory on their home field? Son of a bitch. Losing twice to the Ravens by a combined score of 58-7? Are you fucking kidding me??!?!! WTF!!?! kill me now

Needless to say, those losses hurt. But that's all in the past. Now it is time to exact our revenge.

Couple of things going into this game. The game is on monday night which bodes well for us considering we've won 11 in a row at home on Monday night. Aaron Smith is likely to play in this game which is absolutely huge. The last game and a half should be all the evidence you'll ever need to show exactly how crucial he is to our pass rush. And the pass rush will need to actually show up in this game. McNair is as fragile as the dude from Unbreakable right now so we need to at least knock him down a few times

Ray 15:23- ..for when the murders come, ye shall turn a blind eye

I would like to say i'm extremely confident going into this matchup but unfortunately i cannot. Mainly because the Ravens are coming off a bye and everyone is finally playing healthy. Plus, no matter the circumstance, Baltimore always plays us tough. It's getting a little old saying this, but Ben will need to play extremely smart in this game. The last thing we need is Baltimore building up a lead from our turnovers. But they won't. Smart decisions...pound the ball...get the win.


here we go...
More on Monday Morning

Hockey Night: Pens at Islanders

The Pens travel to the Island tonight to take on the Isles in the first of a stretch of 9 straight division games. Tonight's contest features an unusual twist as former Isles coach Al Arbour will be behind the bench to coach his 1500th game. The Isles will also be wearing their white jerseys so as not to confuse the old man. Don't worry though, Ted Nolan will also be behind the bench so we'll still be able to see him bitching to the refs about Crosby.


Nolan thinks this dude took a dive

This will be an interesting game for the Pens. They're coming off an extremely disappointing loss to Colorado and now they have to play an Isles team that is coming off a big 4-0 win over Tampa Bay. It's always interesting to see how they play at the Nassau coliseum, a building they've historically struggled in. No word yet on the starting goalie but I think you start Fluery in this game. I ran into Mr. Obvious yesterday and he had this to say "One thing is for sure: the rest of the offense needs to start scoring some goals. It's nowhere near panic time, but the sooner the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th lines start producing the better off the team will be." Mr. O knows hockey.


LOLCROSBY

Hopefully Whitney can play. We need him on the power play.
Can't wait for the puck to drop in this one... gotta get that rocky mountain oyster taste out of our mouths

7:00 PM FSN
Let's Go Pens!

The other team has an announcement...

...but you'll have to wait til Monday to hear it. Yes, the Battlin' Bucs have settled on a new manager. He will be officially introduced at a press conference Monday (story here). The new skipper will be one of 5 finalists you've never heard of, all of whom are either minor league managers or major league bench coaches. Whoopdee-doo.


bob walk is not impressed.

I know it was impossible to expect the Pirates to hire anyone note-worthy, but come on Mr. Huntington, at least lie to us and toss around big-time names. Make up a story about luring Terry Francona away from the Red Sox. His brother works at Kenny Ross; maybe he could help facilitate this. Call a fake press conference to announce that Jim Leyland has grown tired of Detroit and wants to return his favorite city and bring the Buccos back to glory. You could pay him in Marlboros! Trust me, we can handle the disappointment when we find out it was all a charade.

Hell, why not Ken Macha? He expressed interest in the position and he's a true Pittsburgh guy. He led the Oakland A's, a team similar to the Pirates in market size and payroll, to two playoff appearances between 2003 and 2006 but he wasn't even interviewed. Now, some would be quick to point out that Billy Beane is twice the GM Littlefield ever was and the A's farm system isn't a laughingstock. But we know the real reason was because the Pirates' manager budget was used up by Matt "Chicks Dig the Long Ball" Morris. Gah.

We Will.... continue to suck.

Pens Lose 3-2

Well, that certainly was a fun game wasn't it? If only hockey games could somehow just end after the first period. Everything started off great. Pens were skating well early. Sabu made some big saves on good Avs opportunities... you could tell he was really seeing the puck well. PK was absolutely unreal killing a huge 5 on 3. Crosby nets two goals, the second of which coming on a wicked snapshot after being set up beautifully by Malkin. 2-0 Pens after one and it's good times all around.

Then a funny thing happened on the way to the locker room.


Please help us find our boys...

It's difficult to put in words how immensely horrible the second period of this game was. Just gut-wrenching to watch. Defense broke down, Whitney gets hurt, too much time on the pk, and the turnovers. My God, the turnovers. Maybe the high altitude in Denver causes temporary color blindness because most of our passes were finding the guys in burgundy. Ben Roethlisberger was unavailable for comment to confirm this theory. That joke of a PA announcer made me appreciate John Barbaro even more. 3-2 Avs


Third period was frantic at times but mostly frustrating. The passing troubles continued which is a shame because the pens had their chances. After looking solid early on, the power play looked rather abysmal in this period. We really missed Whitney being out there. Then there was this unusual play:


fine. i'll just pass you around if you won't give me the puck

I don't know exactly what was going on with this play. By this point, I was watching the game in a bar and was a bit distracted by the booze i was pouring down my throat. But it seemed like this dude was laying on the ice for an awfully long time and my first reaction was he trying to freeze the puck. Clearly, the puck is still visible. It was fun to see Staal just jamming away at this guy though. Just a really strange sequence. Not much happened the rest of the game. After a timeout late, the pens had one more chance but couldn't make it happen.

Game Over... Pens Lose... Bring on the Islanders.

Hockey Night: Pens at Avalanche

The Penguins are in Colorado tonight to take on the Avalanche. Thanks to the mind-boggling NHL schedule, we last played this team on Dec. 10, 2005, a 4-3 win at home. On paper, these two teams are almost identical statistically with the slighest of edges going to Colorado. But paper matchups are good for ass wiping and that's about it. For many, myself included, this will be our first look at Malkin B also known as Paul Stastny. He was on fire at the beginning of the season but has cooled a bit since. The Avalanche are one of only two teams that can boast a perfect home record. Guess who the other the one is...



Gagne likes the new "talent"

There's reason to believe the Pens could dominate this game. And i'm basing that on pure speculation and cold, hard crap. The game played on tuesday was a thing of beauty-- the kind of game that can provide momentum to go on a nice little run. It's funny how a great game can restore so much confidence. It will be interesting to see if Therrien keeps Crosby and Malkin on the same line. The way they are clicking now, I can't justify splitting them up. They have scored a combined 17pts. in the last 4 games. Malkin has been playing out of his mind this season and Crosby seems to be on the verge of one his unstoppable, 3 pts/game streaks. As long as the D remains solid, we could/should win this game.

It pains me greatly to even say this, but Jordan Staal needs to step up.

On Notice: Colby Armstrong

Look, i know it's hard to criticize him considering the way he is playing on the penalty kill. I know he's only 19. I know the season is still very, very young and this lack of offensive production will surely end sometime soon. He's getting his shots they're just not finding the back of the net. He is absolutely one of my favorite players on the team so maybe i'm just expecting too much. But he is way too talented to not be scoring more goals. With that, here's my completely baseless, unjustified prediction for the game tonight: tight game that opens up late, Staal breaks out and scores 2, Sabu kicks some ass, pk does it's job, all en route to a 4-2 Pittsburgh victory.



ryan smyth is inconsolable


9:00 PM, FSN.
Let's go Pens.

Take your pick

Well it's Halloween. yippee. Some of the Steelers participated in a haunted house the other night (story here). The event was organized by "Bong Hits" Reed and Greg Warren. These two are inseparable... they're thick as thieves they are. I sat next to them at a Pirate game this summer, spotted them numerous times on the Southside, then they host that party at Wolfie's in Indiana, and now this. I guess they just like to party. Anyway, here's a Halloween riddle for you... Which Jeff Reed is more scary?

VS.

Blue shirt guy voted for picture #1 an astounding 2,627 times in the poll that doesn't exist.

R.I.P. Robert Goulet

Robert Goulet died yesterday at the age of 73 while awaiting a lung transplant. Here's something to honor his memory.

Charles Barkley wants Tom Brady whacked

Being the Steelers fan that I am, it is programmed in my DNA to loathe the classless Brady and Belicheck and all things New England. Fuck them. I've been waiting all season to see someone lay the smackdown on that smug asshole and end his season. Well, now I feel like less of a jealous asshole because Michael Wilbon and Charles Barkley agree with me. Barkley was the guest today on PTI and he basically said "somebody's gonna put a hit out on Tom Brady." Classic stuff. Hopefully, I can find a video of this soon. As for Wilbon, here's an excerpt from his Washington Post column:

"The Redskins' coaches shouldn't have to say a word. The players, sensing what was going on, should have done whatever necessary to drill Brady right in his strike zone. If Brady walked off the field without help, it would have meant the Redskins didn't hit him hard enough. If it brought a penalty or two, so what? The score was meaningless at that moment. Establishing the team's willingness to make the Patriots pay for their boldness is all that should have mattered"

Bravo Wilbon, bravo. It's just a shame the Redskins couldn't get the job done. If the Patriots continue their "Insufferable Douchebags '07" campaign, someone, on some team will start taking cheap shots. For the sake of the NFL, it has to happen. Please, man up NFL defenses because we're all really, really sick of it. It can't happen soon enough.

Sabourin gets the nod

Danny Sabourin will start for Pens tomrrow night in Colorado (trib story here). Definitely the right move if you ask me. Sabu's playing too well right now to sit him. If he can win another game on the road against another quality opponent, his confidence will go through the roof. Look, MAF is our number one. Any success now or in the future starts with him. But right now he's just too inconsistent to be counted on. Quality play from your backup will do one of two things: inspire you to play at the top of your game, or do considerable damage to your confidence. Fluery will be inspired by this. It worked last year and it will work again this year. Two confident goalies = good times...