Third Period:

Boris Valabik just overfinished a check and threw Sidney Crosby to the ice in what can only be called a tackle...coincidentally, it was during a shift in which 87 was on the ice with Eric Goddard. Goddard went right after Valabik and was clearly asking him to go, but Big V wasn't having it. Goddard kept whacking away at him, but it was all for not.

As a side note, the line of Satan, Sykora and Malkin...playing together by default is not looking half bad this evening. Maybe it should be given a few games to see if it meshes.

* * * * *

Sidney Crosby seems to have gotten a burst of energy from the Valabik situation. He just went end to end and worked a give and go that almost resulted in a goal. He just tipped the return pass wide of the goal.

* * * * *

Crosby is clearly unhappy with Joe Crabb as well. He just laid a nice cross check into his back on the way back to the bench. He has been awfully ornery as of late...

* * * * *

Todd White just tackled Jordan Staal behind the net during a power play...he was whistled for holding and the Penguins are working on a two man advantage. A goal here could wrap this one up...

* * * * *

As the two man advantage was wrapping up, Ryan Whitney was called for slashing. The teams are playing a bit of four on four hockey.

I will be heading down to the rooms shortly to get post game reaction from the team and coach Michel Therrien. Stay tuned for tons more!

* * * * *

Ilya Kovalchuk just whipped a wrist shot past Marc Andre Fleury from the middle point. The puck may have been tipped by Colby Armstrong on its way into the net. There were 8 seconds remaining on the Atlanta power play.

3-1 Pens...

* * * * *

Unfortunately, the Penguins are not making this easy on themselves, as Kris Letang was just whistled for hooking. There is plenty of time left in this game for an Atlanta comeback...

Second Period:

It still blows my mind every time I hear the intro to Progenies of the Great Apocalypse by Dimmu Borgir here at the Igloo!

* * * * *

According to various reports...Ruslan Fedotenko will not be back tonight. That is a big reason why Miro Satan is being used on the second line once again.

* * * * *

The Penguins have produced a couple of nice rushes into the Atlanta zone, but have yet to beat Lehtonen. Though a lot of shots have been blocked in the period, the Penguins are shooting! That is reason for optimism.

* * * * *

Dustin Jeffrey, Jordan Staal and Matt Cooke just worked the puck in the Atlanta zone for close to a minute. They were cycling and playing the puck control style that was so successful for this team last season. They didn't get many shots on net, though Jeffrey got the best chance when he walked out from behind and the net and threw the puck on Lehtonen. He is really looking like a nice young player for this team.

* * * * *

Evgeni Malkin just set Petr Sykora up for his second goal of the night. Malkin won the face off to the left of Lehtonen, pushing it ahead to himself and dishing the puck across the goal mouth to Sykora, who flipped it over Lehtonen on the backhand.

2-0 Penguins...

* * * * *

Miro Satan just drew a penalty as he was pulled down going to the net. Petr Sykora had dished a pass to him but he barely got his blade on it as he was knocked to the ice. The Penguins 1 for the 34 power play is taking the ice for the third time on the evening. We will see if they can exploit the 30th ranked Thrashers PK a second time...

* * * * *

Check the horizon for the Four Horsemen...a second power play goal has been scored. Evgeni Malkin lashed a one timer at the net and Sidney Crosby got his twig on it and behind Lehtonen it went. Nice power play goal generated by shooting the puck!

3-0 Penguins...

* * * * *

The Penguins put together another nice period of hockey. They are shooting the puck with frequency, getting traffic in front of the net and getting some nice defensive play. Marc Andre Fleury hasn't had to make many second saves and has handled all 14 shots he has faced thus far.

Realizing that Atlanta's penalty kill is not the best, in fact it was ranked 30th coming into the night, it is still worth noting that the Penguins revamped PP has produced two goals. The points are getting the puck to the net and doing a nice job of holding the biscuit in the zone. Ryan Whitney has picked up two assists from the back end on the pp tonight.

Evgeni Malkin is in the middle of a much needed three point effort. He had not been able to produce many points as of late...as evidenced by the fact that he had only two over his last seven games. It will be nice if this sets him off on a scoring jag like he had going in November and early December.

More as it happens...

First Period:

Ruslan Fedotenko and Colby Armstrong, a couple of heavy weights, just got into a Bobby Flay like throwdown...however, they were not haggling who prepares the best beef stew. They took some time to get going, with each player throwing off their helmets. Fedotenko threw one quick shot that caught Armstrong off guard and felled him, but it seemed to have come at a cost.

Fedotenko looks to have hurt his hand on Armstrongs noggin. He was pumping and clutching his fist trying to get some feeling in it but promptly left the penalty box for the locker room. Would be a shame to lose one of the only offensively serviceable wingers like that....

* * * * *

Sidney Crosby just got his stick into Boris Valabik's face as he was coming around the net. Valabik went to make a defensive play on 87 and he just didn't have good control over the stick...it caught him in the mouth. 4:00 min for Crosby...so much for the Lady Byng after these last two games!

* * * * *

Ryan Whitney just created the luckiest two on one break that I have ever seen. He carrying the puck out from behind the Penguins net shorthanded and got ahead of the first two Thrashers. Once he was behind the slot area, he sort of pushed the puck between the defenseman's legs and he was off with Evgeni Malkin along for the ride. It looked like he was pretty much out of steam as he hit the ATL blue line and didn't have much of a passing lane. He tried to dump the puck to Malkin in front of the net and it deflected up over Kari Lehtonen and off of the post.

* * * * *

The Penguins got the kill on the extended Atlanta power play and promptly created a nice opportunity the other way. Sidney Crosby led the rush into the zone and after a couple passes Jordan Staal almost put the puck in behind Lehtonen...unfortunately it didn't go, but the Pens will get a power play out of the situation.

* * * * *

The Penguins power play has now gone to 0 for 33...unbelievable!

* * * * *

I know that it is the time of year when you guys get interested in knowing which scouts are in the building...Ottawa is the only one in the house.

* * * * *

Kari Lehtonen has been very sharp throughout the period and has made some impressive stops. The Penguins are outshooting the Thrash 9-4 and the scoreless tie is a tribute to his performance.

Miro Satan is back on a line with Malkin and Sykora. At least during this past shift.

* * * * *

Tyler Kennedy just missed a wide open net. He seemed to hesitate a second once he took a pass from Pascal Dupuis and just managed to go wide. Lethonen was going down and a bit out of position, but alas...that is the way things have been for the Pens.

* * * * *

The Penguins just needed to get to lucky 34 in the power play count...they have finally cashed in with the extra man and it was the junk kind of goal that you sometimes need to break out of a slump. A Malkin shot was tipped in behind Lehtonen by Petr Sykora.

They had several prettier opportunities that did not work out, but the tip finally gets them going. We will see if this jump starts the rest of the offense.


* * * * *

The Penguins finally played a decent period of hockey. It has been a while, but they managed to stay away from turnovers and transition problems that have haunted them over their 5 game losing streak.

Plus...brace yourself... the power play delivered a goal! When many a fancy play failed the Penguins, an garbage type tip in front got them on the board. You would think that these boys would learn a valuable lesson...there has never been a goal scored that didn't at least start with a shot by somebody!

The Penguins hold the edge in shots 14-5 and have actually looked like the better team thus far. Something that wouldn't have been in question under normal circumstances.

They have been shooting the puck. Crosby and Malkin look hungry, something that has been very absent as of late and each of the first 5 saves were made by a Penguins goaltender....which wasn't the case during the last couple of games.

One big difference thus far...the team has shown emotion. They have had an almost I don't care attitude as of late and it is nice to see that potentially gone by the way side.

As I said above, it looks as if Lehtonen is the Thrashers best player tonight. He was tested quite a bit throughout the period and his team is only trailing by one goal...can't complain about that if you are the Thrashers.

More as it happens...

* * * * *

Pre-Game:


It’s Like They Haven’t Won Since Last Year…Pens Prepare For Thrashers...

…well, I guess that is because they haven’t!

The Penguins are quickly earning a reputation as slump busters around the league. In fact, over the last week they have helped the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers get off the schneid in convincing fashion, surrendering 10 goals in two games and scoring only one of their own.

Tonight they get their use their uncanny ability to lose winnable games against the Atlanta Thrashers, winners of only 3 of their last 10. They will also get a crack at helping Nashville pull out of their own losing streak Thursday evening if the Preds are unable to pick up a victory tonight against Colorado. All in all it certainly feels like the Penguins may never win again!

I am not really as down on the team as the above makes it sound like; it is just hard to fathom how far they have fallen in one month. Keep in mind that coming out of November, the Penguin were in second place in the conference and riding a 9-2-1 streak. December was not a kind month to them and the losing really seemed to take a toll on the players, coaches and locker room stability. Talk of infighting on and off of the ice, personal agenda, lack of leadership and change started to make the rounds in the middle of the month and has been running wild ever since.

On paper, Atlanta is just the kind of opponent you want to have rolling into town when you have lost 5 in a row on home ice, as well as 7 of 10 overall (1 in a shootout). However that is what many of us were thinking heading into Saturday’s game with the Florida Panthers. The Penguins are just struggling in multiple facets of their game right now, none more so than the power play.

The team is currently mired in a 0 for 32 streak with the extra man, including a goose egg last night on eight opportunities. It is absolutely mind blowing when you consider the personnel that is available to man the power play unit, but it is reality right now.

Of even greater concern is the lack of production the team is getting from its two-headed monster. Both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were seemingly scoring in spite of the team throughout the early parts of the season. That is no longer the case. Crosby has no points in his last three games and only three over his last seven. Malkin hasn’t been any better in picking up only two points over his last seven and none in his last two.

When you mix that lack of production in with the struggling penalty kill and sub par goaltending, you have a recipe for disaster. A disaster that has the Penguins currently situated in 9th place in the conference and out of the playoff picture. In actuality they are only four points away from 11th place at this point and have got to find a way to start stringing wins together, as the rest of the conference power houses have been winning on an almost nightly basis.

In searching for a silver lining heading into tonight’s match up, it is worth noting that the Penguins have posted a 24-8-2 record against the Atlanta Thrashers, including a 12-4-0 mark at Mellon Arena. The Penguins have also gone 5-1-1 over their last seven games against Atlanta and have won three in a row in the series.

Here’s hoping that the stars have aligned for the Penguins and they are able to pull out of their funk this evening. If the losses continue to mount, bigger changes will most certainly be on the horizon.

Game Notes:

Evgeni Malkin’s 251 points (95G-156A) in his first 200 NHL games is the ninth highest total in NHL history. The only active players included on that list are teammate Sidney Crosby (261) and Teemu Selanne (251). Wayne Gretzky holds the NHL record with 360 points in his first 200 NHL games.

Malkin leads all Penguins with five points (2G-3A) in two games against the Thrashers this season.

Ruslan Fedotenko has points in 10 of his last 14 games, posting 12 points (6G-6A) over the span.

Miroslav Satan, who registered a –1 and 2 PIMs last night in New York during 9:19 of work, has 44 points (24G-20A) in 33 games against Atlanta and Sidney Crosby has notched 18 points (6G-12A) in 12 career games.

Marc-Andre Fleury is 5-3-0 with a 2.53 goals-against average in eight games versus Atlanta.

Dany Sabourin is 1-0-0 with a 1.58 goals-against average in two appearances against the Thrashers.

The Penguins are 1-2 all-time versus Atlanta in shootouts. Last time – 3/2/08 3-2 W (Letang).


Milestone Watch:

Marc-Andre Fleury is one win shy of tying Denis Herron for third all-time in wins (88) and four games shy of tying Les Binkley for fourth all-time in games played among Penguins’ goaltenders.
Evgeni Malkin is five goals shy of reaching 100 for his career.
Miroslav Satan is one goal shy of reaching 350 in his career.
Michel Therrien is four wins shy of winning his 200th NHL game.
Matt Cooke is six goals shy of reaching 100 for his career.
Pascal Dupuis is six assists shy of reaching 100 in his career.
Philippe Boucher is seven goals shy of reaching 100 for his career and four points shy of reaching 300 in his career.
Jordan Staal is nine points shy of reaching 100 for his career and needs four penalty minutes to reach 100 in his career.
Mike Zigomanis is 11 games shy of playing in his 200th NHL game.

Penguins Youtube of the Day:

Remembering a simpler time with the Brooks Orpik Becoming the Bull Shift during the Stanley Cup Finals last year…this shift will live on in Penguins lore for years to come!