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Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger •
There is clearly no love lost between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. What started out as a fun rivalry between Crosby, Malkin and Ovechkin has boiled over into a feud equal to that of any that occurred over their multiple playoff battles...and if the cards fall correctly, the two teams could meet in the second season this year.
These two teams came out hitting everything that moved this afternoon and the game really had a playoff feel to it. The Capitals had the better of the early opportunities, but were never able to pull away, even though they held a significant edge in shots.
The Penguins started to get their chances, but were having problems beating Cristobal Huet. They find a way to hang around and in the end found a way to win the game. Which is something that good teams do, even when they aren't playing their best hockey.
They did have some help in beating the Capitals today, and it came in the form of Nicklas Backstrom. The Calder candidate was situated in front of his goaltender and was trying to clear a loose puck, but what he did was fire it into his own goal. If any of Sidney Crosby's wingers could have mastered that feat today, they may not have needed Backstrom's help. But help he did and the "own goal" demoralized the Caps enough to allow Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal to work a 2 on 1 and score the final nail in the coffin in the form of an empty net goal.
Speaking of Evgeni Malkin, what is Alex Ovechkin's beef with him? Could it be that he isn't happy about the scoring race? Maybe that he is part of one of the best one-two punches in the game? I am not sure, but he took a run at Malkin for the second consecutive game. I am all for Ovechkin playing a physical game, but sometimes his style is one that could be placing a bulls-eye on his back. The bull in a china mentality will eventually wear thin and some one will return the favor.
Marc Andre Fleury played a strong game, though he was criticized a couple of times by Pierre Mcguire for rebound control during the broadcast. Regardless of those situations, he made the big saves when called upon and was solid for a third time out of four starts since returning to the line-up.
Overall, this was a hard fought victory for the Pittsburgh Penguins, the type of game that can really bring a team together. Sidney Crosby scored two goals and seemed to get more comfortable as the game wore on. Evgeni Malkin was more noticeable than during the first two games of Crosby's comeback. Jordan Staal was solid and is playing his role superbly...he is more valuable to this team that any one might believe. The defense did what was needed to win, thought they are still a work in progress. Special teams still seem to be the Achilles heal, but the signs of potential are there. Once all of the moving parts come together, this team will be in great position for an extended playoff run.
* * * * *
Will Pierre Mcguire ever let the Hossa deal go? I have heard him interviewed no less than 7 times since the trade occurred and he will not stop ranting about the move. I am not going to get into all of the reasons why it wasn't a bad deal AGAIN, but will say that the Penguins are far from becoming Tampa Bay North. These players are all going to be restricted free agents, minus Hossa and they have the cap space to get creative in what they do this off-season. The Penguins did not sell the farm to make this trade and they will not have to do so to sign the players that they choose to keep.
* * * * *
Ek, I would start my franchise with Crosby...Then I would find an Ovechkin type to play his wing because Crosby would make him better.
* * * * *
For a market that is rumored to have been filling their building of late, there were an awful lot of Penguin jerseys filling the prime seats behind the benches and around the glass in general. How is that possible? How can you not be in that building watching AO and Backstrom on a nightly basis if you live in or around the beltway? Pens fans should not find it so easy to secure tickets in your building...especially prime ones.
* * * * *
We will be going live with the buzzcast tonight at 8:00pm...please join us! Also, I know I just knocked it off of the main page, but please check out my 1997 Penguins draft review...more of those are on the way!
Hope to see you tonight...
These two teams came out hitting everything that moved this afternoon and the game really had a playoff feel to it. The Capitals had the better of the early opportunities, but were never able to pull away, even though they held a significant edge in shots.
The Penguins started to get their chances, but were having problems beating Cristobal Huet. They find a way to hang around and in the end found a way to win the game. Which is something that good teams do, even when they aren't playing their best hockey.
They did have some help in beating the Capitals today, and it came in the form of Nicklas Backstrom. The Calder candidate was situated in front of his goaltender and was trying to clear a loose puck, but what he did was fire it into his own goal. If any of Sidney Crosby's wingers could have mastered that feat today, they may not have needed Backstrom's help. But help he did and the "own goal" demoralized the Caps enough to allow Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal to work a 2 on 1 and score the final nail in the coffin in the form of an empty net goal.
Speaking of Evgeni Malkin, what is Alex Ovechkin's beef with him? Could it be that he isn't happy about the scoring race? Maybe that he is part of one of the best one-two punches in the game? I am not sure, but he took a run at Malkin for the second consecutive game. I am all for Ovechkin playing a physical game, but sometimes his style is one that could be placing a bulls-eye on his back. The bull in a china mentality will eventually wear thin and some one will return the favor.
Marc Andre Fleury played a strong game, though he was criticized a couple of times by Pierre Mcguire for rebound control during the broadcast. Regardless of those situations, he made the big saves when called upon and was solid for a third time out of four starts since returning to the line-up.
Overall, this was a hard fought victory for the Pittsburgh Penguins, the type of game that can really bring a team together. Sidney Crosby scored two goals and seemed to get more comfortable as the game wore on. Evgeni Malkin was more noticeable than during the first two games of Crosby's comeback. Jordan Staal was solid and is playing his role superbly...he is more valuable to this team that any one might believe. The defense did what was needed to win, thought they are still a work in progress. Special teams still seem to be the Achilles heal, but the signs of potential are there. Once all of the moving parts come together, this team will be in great position for an extended playoff run.
* * * * *
Will Pierre Mcguire ever let the Hossa deal go? I have heard him interviewed no less than 7 times since the trade occurred and he will not stop ranting about the move. I am not going to get into all of the reasons why it wasn't a bad deal AGAIN, but will say that the Penguins are far from becoming Tampa Bay North. These players are all going to be restricted free agents, minus Hossa and they have the cap space to get creative in what they do this off-season. The Penguins did not sell the farm to make this trade and they will not have to do so to sign the players that they choose to keep.
* * * * *
Ek, I would start my franchise with Crosby...Then I would find an Ovechkin type to play his wing because Crosby would make him better.
* * * * *
For a market that is rumored to have been filling their building of late, there were an awful lot of Penguin jerseys filling the prime seats behind the benches and around the glass in general. How is that possible? How can you not be in that building watching AO and Backstrom on a nightly basis if you live in or around the beltway? Pens fans should not find it so easy to secure tickets in your building...especially prime ones.
* * * * *
We will be going live with the buzzcast tonight at 8:00pm...please join us! Also, I know I just knocked it off of the main page, but please check out my 1997 Penguins draft review...more of those are on the way!
Hope to see you tonight...
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