Whining is in the Cheese of the Beholder
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Joe Starkey @JoeStarkey1
Last time I asked Tortorella a question about Penguins, he said, "I don't talk about the other team." That has changed, apparently
(Joe Starkey is a sports writer with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.)
New York Rangers coach, John Tortorella, whined about the Pittsburgh Penguins after Thursday’s game
here.
“I wonder what would happen if we did it to their two whining stars over there.”
“It’s one of the most arrogant organizations in the league. They whine about this stuff all the time and look what happens…they’ll whine about something else over there, won’t they, starting with their two ____ (fill in the blank) stars.”
Tis the season for gamesmanship, at least according to some coaches, like Tortorella and Philly’s Peter Laviolette.
The bottom line is this : The Penguins secured the fourth-place seed in the Eastern Conference on Thursday night with a 5-2 victory over the New York Rangers at CONSOL Energy Center.
Pittsburgh has one game left on its regular-season docket, Saturday at home against the Flyers. James Neal, Steve Sullivan and Matt Niskanen, three players which were scratched Thursday, might miss the regular-season finale, though their injuries are not thought to be serious enough to keep them out of the playoffs.
Richard Park, of all people, got the nod next to Evgeni Malkin and Chris Kunitz on Thursday. The crafty veteran has some skill and showed it off, putting the puck past backup goalie Marty Biron from behind the goal line for his seventh score.
Malkin, reputed to be one of the dirtiest Penguins players according to Philly assistant Craig Berube and one of Pittsburgh’s two whining stars per Tortorella, notched his 49th goal off a beautiful feed from behind the New York net by linemate Chris Kunitz. Malkin needs one goal Saturday to become the seventh player in Penguins history to score 50 goals in a season.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped a personal three-game losing streak, stopping 35 of 37 shots. When the Flower covered the crease and stoned Marian Gaborik from point-blank range early on his confidence seemed to swell. Thursday was a big game for Fleury.
Pascal Dupuis extended his NHL-high point streak to 16 games with an assist. Dupuis now has points in 25 of his last 30 contests.
Joe Vitale won 8 of 12 faceoffs in his first action back after taking a Zdeno Chara wrister off
the side of his face.
Jordan Staal notched a pair of helpers, giving him 48 points (25, 23) in 61 games. ROOT Sports Bob Errey and Paul Steigerwald compared Staal to Keith Primeau during Thursday’s broadcast and the comparison seemed to make sense. Both Primeau and Staal are big guys that were high draft choices with strong character.
Sidney Crosby led the Penguins with five shots but managed only one assist. He took a hard hit from defenseman Daniel Girardi against the glass but showed no worse for wear. Crosby has now played in 13 games since returning, chipping in with five goals and 23 points in 13 games.
The potential for fireworks Saturday against Philadelphia is there after last Sunday’s affair in which Pens assistant, Tony Granato, was fined $2500 and Laviolette was fined $10 grand. More likely, both teams will try to keep their roster healthy for the postseason.
Backup goalie, Brent Johnson, could the nod. There would be second guessing if Malkin gets hurt trying to reach the 50-goal plateau. Coach Bylsma could limit his even-strength minutes and loosen the reigns on the power play, though Malkin already sees extended time on the man advantage.
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RINK LINKS
"Penguins' victory puts home ice in the bag," the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Orpik did not speak with reporters after the game, but Penguins coach Dan Bylsma likened the hit to one Dallas forward Eric Nystrom delivered to Penguins defenseman Kris Letang about a month ago.
"Kris tries to get out of the way and makes the hit somewhat of a problem for the guy giving the hit," he said. "Brooks is on his track and looking to hit the guy at an angle, and he definitely tried to get out of the way and creates that scenario."
Pens secure No.4 seed with win over Rangers, the
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Bylsma was mild-mannered in his response (to Tortorella's outburst).
It was suggested to Bylsma that opposing coaches already are working referees, should a playoff series with the Penguins come.
"I`m not sure how much the referees pay attention to that," Bylsma said.
Bylsma did not take a critical view of Orpik`s hit, instead implying his defenseman couldn`t help but hit Stepan awkwardly because of a move Stepan made at the last second.
Penguins players honored with annual team awards, the
Penguins' Web site reports.
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Treasure life!
JT
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • 
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