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To Meet or Not to Meet...2 Huge Points on the Table in Ottawa |
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It is being reported that the Penguins and local government Officials will sit down for a final go round on Thursday. This has got to be the session where all cards are played, and concessions made. As everyone has been saying, it is game 7, sudden death...the prize for Pittsburgh? Keeping the Penguins.
The possible suitors are lining up and making their pitch...the Penguins are the darlings of the ball, and all the eligible bachelors are circling like sharks. The gamble that local government took by not getting a deal done before today could come back to bite them. The deal in Pittsburgh was close to being agreed upon in principle, but that could change as the other cities sweeten offers that may never have been made a few weeks back. Houston is back in the rink, along with Las Vegas, it is no longer a one horse race with Kansas City. Sure the Penguins preference would be to stay, but it is hard to negotiate in good faith with some one you do not trust and the team doesn't have much trust in Rendell and company.
The team has agreed to commit much more per year than anyone thought they would be willing too and they want their answer. If the local and state officials do not find a way to get this done this week the fate of the team may be sealed.
It is being widely reported that during a prior meeting Governor Rendell acting very unprofessionally at the meeting table. He yelled and screamed at the team officials and called them adversaries not allies in this process. They were chaffed and offended. It is going to take some sweet talking to make things right and hopefully before the sun sets on this week we are talking arena deal in Pittsburgh. I think that there is still a good chance the team will stay, but that probability lessens by the day.
Let's hope that Mario Lemieux, Ron Burkle and Ken Sawyer make the perfect play...scoring the biggest goal in Penguins history and winning a favorable arena deal for all involved.
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The Penguins go into their match up against the Ottawa Senators trailing the Sens by 2 points in the Eastern Conference standings. A win puts them in a tie for the 4th spot in the conference and in position to gain a home ice advantage during the first round of the playoffs.
The team hasn't played its best hockey as of late and will need to tighten up defensively. They can ill afford to have Dany Heatley and company running wild in the offensive zone. The Senators have been known to torture the Penguins who have not beaten the Sens in Ottawa since 10/30/02. This could be a preview of a first round match up and should have a playoff feel.
Michel Therrien has tweaked his lines a bit and it is believed that he will reinsert Nils Ekman into the line up. Ekman, who has been out since dislocating his elbow 12/29/06 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, is slated to skate on a line with Eric Christensen and Gary Roberts. It is being rumored that Michel Ouellet will be the odd man out, but we will all have to wait and see on that one. Ouellet is a Therrien guy and he does not like to sit him down.
Marc Andre Fleury is will be looking for his 32 victory of the season and will most likely lock horns with Ray Emery.
The Penguins cannot afford to lose tonight's 2 points, in what can be considered another of the much-talked about "4 point Eastern Conference swings."
More after the game.
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