With just twenty games remaining on the schedule and sitting in fourth place in the conference, one point out of a tie for second, we have a lot of work to do after the Olympic break. I am going to look at the current situation, the trade deadline, the statistics, and the must bury teams for the rest of the season. more »

Ok I have read enough and watched enough hockey to know that this thought has crossed not only our devoted fans' minds, but hockey fans worldwide. Is there a true answer to this question? more »

Is this it? Was Max Talbot the catalyst once again? Is that the start of history? We will surely find out. I am going to say one word. Momentum. It is vital to winning and losing in high pressure, extreme situation games. After two games back to back, where we never really had too much of it, but still somewhat dominated the games, we finally have it. We know we can outplay them, but until tonight, we couldn't beat them. more »

Here We Go! We are all sitting around now, awaiting the unparalleled sound of the first dropping puck at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The sounds of the game are magical, as in all sports. I know when I played soccer for while in school, way back when, I just loved going to the field. I even loved practice. I would show up at least a half hour early. I love the smell, the sights, and the feel. I imagine that hockey players go through the same things, this time, for these two teams, it is a bit more intense feeling. more »

Now that our Pittsburgh Penguins are in the Stanley Cup Finals, let the analysis begin. Assuming the Penguins are going to face Detroit (that series is currently 3-1 in favor of the Red Wings) there are several advantages that the Pens have this year over last year. Below are a few: more »

Roughly one year ago, we were in the same position. Fresh off of a victory against our rivals the Philadelphia Flyers, we were celebrating the first conference title in 25 years. Now, not so much. Yes, we are celebrating. Yes, we are conference champions. The difference is that this year we are hungry. We want the cup. We want Detroit. This year is different. This year, we win! more »

Before game one, everyone was saying that this series was definitely going to seven. They were also saying that the Pens would lose this one. Before game two, they all said that Carolina wouldn't let us go up two games to none. They said that Carolina had us right where they want us. Before game three, it was going around that we couldn't go up three games to none against this team, they are too tough at home. Now, after racking up 16 goals in the first three games and allowing just 8, they are starting to come around. Another thing to look out for, the Pens are 9-1 in game four's when we lead 3-0. Game four is Tuesday night. more »

After three days of constant rambling about how the Penguins were right where the Canes wanted them after winning game one, we finally saw how much those numbers meant. I will give it to Carolina though, they fought back hard, but it just wasn't enough when the opponent can roll four lines and be a threat with all of them. I am sure they will get a significant boost when they finally get a home game, but consider this, the past five series, when they went home, they weren't down 2-0, they were tied 1-1 and had momentum. We have that advantage this time. It looks like that last days jump to fourth place when the Flyers and the Canes faltered is making a difference in the third round. more »

Carolina is in town tonight for one of the best battles of brotherly love since last year. The difference is that our Staal (Jordan) will probably be up against their Staal (Eric). Their lines will be the matchup to watch as well as probably the motivation for Jordan to excel above and beyond his big brother Eric. We should see the potential of our own Staal blossom into something special. I can't wait. more »

This is it. The biggest game of the playoffs. Now, I could sit here in my Lazy Boy and whine and complain about game six, just as the Capitals do about every loss, but the truth of the matter is that we lost. No matter how many dives I saw by opposing players, weird penalties taken on both sides, or non calls that weren't made, we still lost the game and a chance to close it out. However, now we are at the part of this series that everyone has been praying for. A game seven for the rights to go to the conference finals. It will be a game that will be talked about in Penguins history as one of the best in one of the best series. I want to say I know who will win. I know in my heart who will win, but my heart apparently doesn't score the goals for my favorite team. more »

Tonight is the first of two back to back games that could be the back breakers for either team. However unfair it seems that these two teams must go twice in a 24 hour period, it is what it is. The NHL scheduled it this way, it is the way it must be played. It is going to be interesting to see exactly how each team handles the short transition, especially if it does turn out lopsided. more »

That, my friends, was our Penguins out there. I will say that Simeon Varlomov tried and failed tonight. What I mean by this is that he tried his best to steal this game, but was unable to do it. In Game 4 of the Conference Quarterfinals against the Philadelphia Flyers, Mar-Andre Fleury stole the game by making 45 saves in a 3-1 win. That is exactly what Varlomov was attempting tonight. The Penguins knew this. It seemed that no matter the shot, a save was in order. It was going to take a lot of effort and a bit of luck to get a few past him, we finally did. more »