Bleacher Report - Articles by Matt Hunter

Olympics Need To Revert Back to Non-Professional Players

Matt Hunter — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:21:24 -0400

Every person who knows anything about sports knows what the 1980 winter Olympics in Lake Placid New York meant to hockey in the United States.

The United States hockey program was minuscule compared to that of foreign countries like the USSR, Canada, Sweden.

The team comprised of young college hockey players looking to make a name for themselves. What happened that Olympics would take that team down in history as one of the biggest underdog stories to ever happen in sports.

The reason why that team and story is so prolific is because the players on the team were just kids who were given the chance to showcase what the best the United States as a country had to offer to the rest of the world in a sport that we were not known as a power house in.

Olympics today are filled with professional athletes in all team sports in both the summer and winter Olympic games.

The Olympics has lost that edge that it once possessed. The youth and up and coming players for countries are not having the chance to be showcased to the world because professional athletes are allowed to participate in Olympic games.

In the early 90's the United States had "The Dream Team." There was no way possible that those teams in the early 90's had a chance against the leviathan that was the United States.

The Olympic board should go back to allowing only amateurs participate in the Olympics. This would give people a chance to witness athletes that we have not heard of.

Who would not want to see another team like the 1980 USA hockey team again go up against another country like Russia who is the best in the world?

Have the chance to watch another group of young men or women go up against adversity, and win a gold medal when they were given no chance at all.

Going back to amateurs only in the Olympics would have the Olympics back to what it is suppose to be.

Who would not want to see another 1980 Lake Placid happen again, and be able to say you were able to witness the impossible happen.

Hold Your Horses: There Is Still One More Game to Play

Matt Hunter — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:57:15 -0400

Before I get into this article, I want to make a quick statement: Ed Olczyk is one of the worst broadcasters I have ever heard during an NHL game. He is so biased that you can taste it when he speaks. Nothing the Penguins did were because they made great plays according to him—it was because Detroit made a mistake. Hey Olczyk, do not get mad and act like an jerk because you could not coach No. 87.

OK, rant over now—time for what this article is about—Game Seven.

It is hard to imagine that before Dan Bylsma and the trade deadline that the Pittsburgh Penguins would be playing on the last possible day of the NHL season.

It was, actually, even hard to believe that they would be playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They turned things around and played a magnificent final few months of the season and earned a spot in the playoffs.

After games one and two went Detroit's way, it was looking as though the ghost of Stanley Cup past was bearing down on Pittsburgh to give the players and fans another dose of a championship loss.

The Pens dug deep and pulled even after two hard fought games at home.

Then came the blow up of Game Five. Pittsburgh was caught with their pants down, and were completely frustrated.

After that game ended, the season looked to be a few days away from being over.

Game Six was a complete 180-degree turn around. Pittsburgh showed their true colors and fought through adversity, and, somehow, they pulled the series to an even three apiece.

Now Friday will be the pinnacle of what a championship series should be. One game to let everything go, and to leave nothing, because after Friday night, both teams' seasons will be over.

The only thing that will be different is that one team will be celebrating the end of the season, and the other will be left wondering what could have been.

Friday night will come down to a single question—what goaltender will perform at a higher level of excellence?

Will the young Marc-Andres Fleury be able to handle the pressure of a Game Seven?

Has the length of the series tired Chris Osgood?

Whoever can stay composed, and can make some big saves early, will be the goalie who gets the win.

The Penguins need to do one thing Friday night, and that is to get Joe Louis Arena out of the game early. The Penguins need to score within the first eight minutes. If they do that, I believe they will be able to take the air right out of the arena and control the flow of the game.

Friday night is going to feel like 60 minutes of overtime, when your heart stops for brief second with every shot because you are just waiting for it to go in.

The stars will shine on both sides Friday, but hopefully they align just right for the Penguins, and the city of Pittsburgh and the franchise will raise its third Stanley Cup.

In the words of Mike Lange, "Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley, give me the brandy!"

Penguins Lose to End-Boards in Game One of Cup Finals

Matt Hunter — Sun, 31 May 2009 08:32:36 -0400

Game number one of the Stanley Cup finals has ended and the end boards...I'm sorry the Detroit Red Wings took game one.

Now I am not one to complain about games or take away from teams when they win. The Red Wings won game one I will give them that. They killed penalties, and shut down the offense of the Penguins.

However, I will not give them the credit they deserve for the win. They scored one goal tonight, that is it. Marc-Andre Fleury was beat by one shot and somehow gave up three goals.

He was, however, beat by the end boards twice tonight off terrible bounces from shots from Red Wings players. Did the Red Wings plan for those shots to happen? Possibly, should they have been goals? More than likely they should not have.

The Penguins played a very well fought game, and if you take away those ridiculous goals that were scored, then game one should be going into overtime instead of the the Red Wings winning in regulation.

Hopefully the boards will not score anymore goals in the rest of this series for both teams. I am not mad that Detroit got the goals, but this is the Stanley Cup, and goals need to beat goaltenders not boards giving bounces and pucks bouncing off goaltenders. That goes for both sides this series.

Hopefully we see some real goals come the following weeks, and are not left to watching ricochets decide who wins.

B/R NHL Playoff Pool Stanely Cup Round

Matt Hunter — Sat, 30 May 2009 21:38:52 -0400

Well, this year's playoffs are nearing an end with the Stanley Cup Playoffs coming to a start tonight. We have three finalists remaining and their picks and goals scored.

Round 3     Matt Hunter      Mike Howell            Steve Prud
Pit vs Car     Pit (6)                 Pit (6)                 Pit (7)
Total Goals 30                     35                    33

As you can see we have all three writers left choosing the Penguins in at least six games. So it looks like this final playoff pool will come down to total goals scored. As you saw from the last round, I guessed the total number of goals scored exactly, so I am going to to have to give myself the edge in this one *sarcasm*.

So let the Stanley Cup round commence, and hopefully in six games and 30 goals later, the Penguins will be hoisting the Stanley Cup, and I will be the first B/R NHL Playoff Pool Champion.

B/R Playoff Pool Round Three Results

Matt Hunter — Wed, 27 May 2009 22:49:11 -0400

Round three came to a conclusion tonight with Detroit eliminating Chicago in five games.

We must eliminate the last player in the playoff pool and take the remaining three to the Stanley Cup round.

Here are the results from round three:

Everybody got one point guessing one series correct a piece. So it came down to the tie-breaker.

Now, not to toot my own horn here, but I guessed the total goals exactly! That's right, I am a hockey guru.

Now comes the person that will not be making it to the last round. The contestant who is the last man out is: Tab Bamford, who guessed 88 total goals, which was the most.

So for you remaining players, I need your series winner and the total goals that will be scored.

After this round we will crown the first annual B/R NHL playoff pool winner.

B/R 2009 NHL Playoff Pool: Conference Finals Round

Matt Hunter — Sat, 16 May 2009 10:33:03 -0400

The conference finals will begin this Sunday with the Detroit Red Wings facing off against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The playoff pool has also dwindled down to four writers, and after this round we will be left with the last three standing to go on into the Stanley Cup round.

Here are the writers that are left, along with their picks and total goals for the two series combined.

Round 3	Matt Hunter	Tab Bamford	Mike Howell	Steve Prud
Pit v Car	Pit (6)	Pit (7)	Pit (6)	Car (7)
Det v Chi	Chi (7)	Chi (6)	Chi (6)	Det (7)
Total Goals	58	88	67	79

Good luck to the remaining contestants, and it seems that total goals is where it is going to come down to from here on out.

B/R NHL Playoff Pool Round 2 Results

Matt Hunter — Sat, 16 May 2009 00:07:40 -0400

The second round of the playoff completed yesterday and yet again for one of our contestants the road to the championship has ended.

Here are the remaining contestants, and the lonely one who is eliminated.

Moving On:

Matt Hunter
Tab Bamford
Mike Howell
Steve Prud

Odd Man Out:

Christian Kar

There are only two series to choose from this third round, and the players may choose from:
Pittsburgh(4) v Carolina (6)
Detroit (2) v Chicago (4)

Remember I need total goals for each series combined in case of a tie breaker. If your picks are not in by the opening face-off of the Detroit v Chicago game you will be disqualified.

B/R NHL Playoff Challenge Round Two

Matt Hunter — Fri, 01 May 2009 10:36:27 -0400

Well the second round has started, and that means that for those who were able to survive round one will now see if they can survive yet another round and move on to conference finals.

For some reason I did not receive the results from five of the other members who made it past round one, and so we are now down to only five. This round and also the conference final round only one player will be eliminated. This will lead to three people competing in the Stanley Cup round.

The format will stay the same though with total number of goals as a tiebreaker.

Here are the final five competitors and their picks.

Round 2	Matt Hunter	Tab Bamford	Christian Kar	Mike Howell	Steve Prud
Bos v Car	Bos (6)	Bos (5)	Bos (6)	Car (6)	Bos (6)
Was v Pit	Pit (6)	Pit (7)	Was (7)	Pit (6)	Pit (7)
Det v Anh	Det (6)	Det (5)	Det (5)	Anh (7)	Anh (7)
Van v Chi	Van (6)	Chi (7)	Van (7)	Chi (6)	Van (5)

B/R 2009 Playoff Pool First-Round Results

Matt Hunter — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:37:18 -0400

All right everyone, the first round of the NHL playoffs are over, and for some of the B/R contestants they too will be hitting the links along with the eight other teams who were knocked out this round as well.

The first round saw one contestant get a possible 11 points out of 16, and then there was another contestant who only got 3 out 16 possible.

There was a tie for the bottom three and so there was a coin toss to determine which one of those three would be safe, and which two would be making an early exit.

Here are the results of our first round:

1.Wally McNab-11pts
2.Tab Bamford-8pts
3.John Gehan-7pts
4.Matt Hunter-6pts
5.Steve Prud-6pts
6.Jim Chandley-5pts
7.Mike Wagenk-5pts
8.Luke Summer-5pts
9.Christian Kar-5pts
10.Mike Howell-4pts (Won tie break)
--------------------------------------------------
11.Mark Jones-4pts (Lost tie break)
12.Chris Difran-4pts (Lost tie break)
13.Brendan Camp-3pts

Now those in the top ten, I need your picks for the next round. Along with this I need the total goals scored TOTAL in all the series combined for the tie breaker. I need your picks in before the first game of round 2. If your picks are not submitted by then via this article or on my bulletin you will be given 0pts and miss the chance to move on.

For you guys who were knocked out, thanks for taking the time to participate in this years playoff pool. Hope you decide to come back again next year and join in.

Philadelphia-Pittsburgh: Pack Your Bags Flyers, The Pens Are Taking This Series

Matt Hunter — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:21:07 -0400

I will give it to the Philadelphia Flyers players in game three. They out played and out skated the Penguins in that game, and deserved to win game three. Not to mention that Marc-Andres Fleury played a terrible game, which in turn helped the Flyers out greatly.

However, tonight's game four is going to be a much different story than the previous. The Penguins got caught with their pants down, and were playing as if they had a four goal lead to start the game off.

This will not happen tonight by any means. Fleury will be prepared to play, and come out like the goalie we fans from across the NHL saw last year.

Dan Bylsma will have his guys ready to play tonight. He is a coach that does not allow for slack play, and will let his team know it. He was yelling at his team in the regular season for not forechecking when leading 5-0. This is the playoffs, and he will have his guys mentally ready for this game.

The Penguins will not come out flat footed either tonight like they did in game three. Byslma will put out a power line like he usually does in the beginning and ends of periods to try to strike quick and early.

The game is also going to be quite physical which the Penguins can play right into. You could clearly see it the other day when Chris Kunitz blew up Kimmo Timonen.

Oh, and you Flyers fans that all cried that a penalty should have been called are completely wrong. He never left his feet at all he actually fell forward making him take awkward steps. The elbow also never touched Timonen he was falling down as the arm was going forward. Don't believe me? Watch the replay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtVWdYjNPts

So you can just stop the crying now, and hold it off til about two minutes into the game when I'm sure a "blown call" or "bad call" is made in the favor of the Pens.

The Penguins will shutdown the Flyers offense, and contain Richards and Carter as well. A quick goal by the Pens will shut the annoying Flyers fans up, and put the game momentum on their side.

Pens will leave Philadelphia tonight and it's awful fans with a 3-1 series lead. It's OK Philly fans you will have the rest of the playoffs to cry and whine about how the refs gave the series to the Penguins, and that you really should be in the next round. We hear it every year, so we are use to it.

Penguins win tonight 4-2.

B/R 2009 Stanley Cup Playoff Pool Picks and Contestants

Matt Hunter — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:53:15 -0400

Well here are the 13 Bleacher Report writers who have decided to take the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoff Challenge.

Here is how it is going to work. After the first round the bottom three people with the lowest total of points will be eliminated. The second round will be the same amount of people.

The conference finals match will eliminate two more people. That will leave us with five contestants left for the Stanley Cup Round.

Tie breakers from the second round and on will be determined by the total amount of goals scored in that round. So if you make it to the second round, and give me your picks just put the number of total goals from all teams below your picks.

Keep checking back each round to see how you did as a contestant, or if you are just interested in seeing how things are going.

Round 1	Matt Hunter	John Gehan	Jim Chandley	Tab Bamford	Michael Wagenk	Mark Jones
Bos v Mon	Bos (5)	Bos (5)	Bos (6)	Bos (4)	Bos (6)	Bos (5)
Was v NYR	Was (6)	Was (5)	Was (6)	Was (6)	Was (5)	Was (6)
NJ v Car	Car (6)	Car (6)	NJ (6)	NJ (5)	Car (5)	NJ(7)
Pit v Phi	Pit (5)	Phi (7)	Phi (7)	Phi (7)	Phi (7)	Phi (7)
SJ v Anh	SJ (5)	SJ (4)	SJ (5)	Anh (6)	SJ (6)	SJ (4)
Det v Col	Det (6)	Det (7)	Det (6)	Det (7)	Det (6)	Det (7)
Van v StL	Van (6)	Van (6)	Van (7)	Van (5)	Stl (7)	Van (5)
Chi v Cal	Cal (6)	Chi (6)	Chi (7)	Chi (5)	Chi (7)	Cal (7)

Wally McNab	Brend Camp	Chris DiFran	Luke Summer	Christian Kar	Mike Howell	Steve Prud
Bos (6)	Bos (5)	Mon (6)	Bos (5)	Bos (5)	Bos (6)	Bos (5)
Was (5)	NYR (7)	Was (5)	Was (7)	Was (4)	NYR (6)	Was (6)
Car (7)	NJ (6)	Car (7)	Car (6)	NJ (6)	NJ (5)	Car (7)
Pit (6)	Phi (6)	Phi (6)	Pit (5)	Phi (6)	Pit (6)	Phi (7)
Anh (6)	SJ (6)	SJ (6)	SJ (7)	SJ (7)	SJ (5)	SJ (7)
Det (5)	Col (7)	Det (6)	Det (6)	Det (5)	Col (6)	Col (6)
Stl (7)	Van (5)	Stl (7)	Van (5)	Van (6)	Stl (7)	Van (6)
Chi (6)	Chi (5)	Cal (6)	Cal (6)	Chi (7)	Chi (7)	Chi (4)

Attention All Hockey Fans: 2009 NHL Playoff Pool

Matt Hunter — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:00:27 -0400

Hey all BleacherReport hockey fans. I was thinking about running an NHL wide playoff pool. Here is how things will work:

We will go round by round, so I only need your round 1 picks for both conferences. Depending on the amount of people that join in I will remove the bottom ranked people after each round with the lowest points. The Stanley Cup round will come down to the Top 5 people and ties.

You will guess the winner of each match-up and get 1 point for each correct pick. Also you will pick the amount of games the series will go. If you get the games correct you will also get another point (total games correctly picked will get point even if series winner is wrong).

So if you feel up to the challenge, and want to have some fun this playoff season. Send me a post on my page with your round 1 picks and total games of the series. I will then keep track and update the series and points leaders as the playoffs roll through.

Thanks and hope to see your posts. Also let one of the teams pages have bragging rights for having a writer win the whole things.

A Sixth Seed Would Be Perfect for the Pittsburgh Penguins

Matt Hunter — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:05:24 -0400

The Pittsburgh Penguins clinched a playoff spot on Tuesday beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-4.

The Penguins are making their third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in hopes to bringing home Lord Stanleys Cup this year.

Before they start thinking about that though, the Penguins still have two regular season games remaining on the schedule. They host the New York Islanders tonight at Mellon Arena, and then finish up the 08-09 season in Montreal.

Currently, the Penguins are seeded in the sixth position with 95 points. This puts them only two points behind both the Philadelphia Flyers and the Carolina Hurricanes.

With a pretty nice two games to finish the season, the Penguins could easily finish with 99 points, and in turn finish in that fourth or fifth seed.

Here lies the problem though to me.

The first round matchup with a four or five seed is going to be harder for the Penguins than it would if they were a six playing the mostly likely third seed New Jersey Devils.

If the Penguins were to get one of those higher seeds they would be playing either the Philadelphia Flyers or the Carolina Hurricanes both of which have been playing good hockey, and Carolina has been quite dominant as of late also going 9-0-1 in their last ten.

However, the New Jersey Devils have been on a little slide as of late, and has not been playing as well as they had currently been earlier in the year. They are currently only 3-6-1 in their last ten games. This could play perfectly into the Penguins hands if they can keep and hold that six spot.

Now I am not saying that they go out and throw games like NBA teams do to get the lottery pick. I think that is completely unsportsmanlike, and should not happen.

What I am saying though is that if the Penguins win tonight, and the Flyers and Hurricanes also win their next game the Penguins should rest their guys against Montreal.

I'm not implying to just call up all of Wilkes-Barre by any means, but give Malkin, Crosby, Fleury, and Orpik the night off. Bring up some young guys from the baby-Pens, and let them get some NHL experience.

I think the Penguins can play against all three of the teams they may face in the first round (Devils, Flyers, Hurricanes), but the playoffs is all about momentum, and getting a team on a skid going into the playoffs is the perfect momentum starter for a long playoff push.

Hopefully, the Penguins play this one smart in these last two games and get a good first round matchup.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Not The Time to Hit a Slow Point

Matt Hunter — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:44:01 -0400

The Penguins have been on a tear to say the least for the past 25 games. Things looked to be turning around for them with the hiring of new interim head coach Dan Bylsma, and the acquisition of forwards Bill Guerin, Chris Kunitz, and Craig Adams.

Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has been lights out as well. He completely turned his game around from earlier in the year, where he was inconsistent and could not put together a good stretch of play.

This weekend though, the Penguins seemed to have hit a slight bump in the road. The Penguins were only able to get one point out of a possible four, and were unable to clinch a playoff spot.

The Penguins played relatively well this weekend, but for some reason they just came out flat, and could not get the offense on the move like they have in previous weeks.

The Penguins are most likely going to still make the playoffs, even if they fall down to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, unless Buffalo wins out and the Penguins lose out, but that is highly unlikely I believe.

Even though the Penguins will most likely be playing come Apr. 15, this is no time to hit a dry spell for the team. The Penguins need to finish the season hard, just not to finish with a higher seed, but to also keep the team confidence up as well.

Like all sports, how a team finishes the season is a good indicator of how they will begin the playoffs. If the Penguins go out in the next three games and only get two points and play lackluster hockey, us Penguin fans are in for a long first-round series (or maybe very short.)

Dan Bylsma needs to keep his team on their toes and ready to play these last three games as if they were Florida or Buffalo struggling to make it into that last playoff position.

If they can turn around from this weekend and play hard, they will take that mentality and type of play right into the playoffs, and use that to their advantage throughout.

Why Sean Avery Is Still the Terrible Player We All Know He Is

Matt Hunter — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 18:19:52 -0400

Sean Avery is the pinnacle of a goon...and a bad hockey player.

Every team has players like this, but Avery takes it way beyond what is needed.

First of all, we all know the new rule where you are not allowed to distract a goalie by waving your stick in their face. The rule has become known as "The Avery Rule." To top it off, he did it against one of the best goalies of all-time in Martin Brodeur.

From that day on, Brodeur has shunned Avery. He will not acknowledge him. What he will do though, is give him a nice shot to the back of the legs, or between the legs, whenever he stands in front of his face.

You do not pull that sort of bush league play in hockey. It is just an unsung rule that you do not act like an ass like that during a game.

Second, is his mouth.

Avery is a player, that if he was not a goon, nobody would know who he was. For the most part, before his little speech, not too many people did.

He decided to take it upon himself to go up to a camera crew and announce that, and I am paraphrasing here, "I don't understand why all these players are getting my sloppy seconds."

He was referring to the current girlfriend of Dion Phaneuf.

This got him a nice lengthy suspension, and pretty much a target on his back for Dion Phaneuf; when he gets the opportunity to play against Avery, possibly next year.

Then came a falling New York Rangers club, who were beginning to spiral out of control, and needed to do something to try to get their season back on track.

So they decided to take Sean Avery off of waivers from Dallas.

Avery has played in roughly 10 games for the Rangers, and people seem to believe that he is this demon turned angel.

Well, he is not. He still runs his mouth on the ice, and then when somebody has enough of his mouth and goes after him, he skates away like a baby.

To prove the point that Sean Avery is still, and will always be, the agitator of a player he is, came from last night's game against the Bruins.

During a commercial break, he skated past Tim Thomas, and hit him in the back of the head with the blade of the stick.

He clearly did it on purpose...CLEARLY did it on purpose.

Then put his arms up and looked back to apologize, but Thomas was having none of that, and went after him.

Here is the video of him doing it, to prove to you Avery-lovers that it was not by accident, or that Thomas took it too far.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md5FtFRM-PQ

Thomas got a decent shot in on him, before a Rangers player came up and hit him. He then turned, and full on hit the player in the face with his blocker.

Last night just proves that Sean Avery is a joke of an NHL player, and if I was a Rangers player, I would go to management and say they do not want to play with a guy like this.

He is a cancer to any team, and no matter what changes he said he has gone through, he is always going to be the same clown he always was.

Go back to Vogue Sean, the NHL does not need you nor ever needed you.

Mario Lemieux To Make Epic Comeback in Playoffs (Humor)

Matt Hunter — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 10:41:52 -0400

Breaking news this morning came from GM Ray Shero. Penguins owner Mario Lemieux will be lacing up the skates for this year's playoffs.

After this announcement, the media room went wild with people yelling and cheering, and some in complete shock. When asked why or how Lemieux is coming back, Shero just simply replied, "He's Mario, he can do what he wants."

Mario has agreed to come back and play for the league minimum. He has agreed it will help to pay off the money the city and organization owe him for saving the team.

Mario later came out in the press conference wearing a Penguin hat and stood with Shero, holding up a Penguins jersey and smiling.

He will not be wearing No. 66 though. He said he will be wearing No. 1, because he is No. 1 in hockey. He also said, as a handicap to all the other players in the league, that he will be playing with a left-handed stick, two right-footed skates, and a 1930 hockey stick with no curve.

There was a little bit of talk about where he would play and on what line. He simply answered, "I'll be the fifth line, by myself."

The Penguins have only six games left until the playoffs begin and Mario makes his great return for about the fifth time.

Other possible signees include: Ulf Samuelsson, Kevin Stevens, and Ken Wregget. These are just rumors, but with today's big news, who knows what Ray Shero is doing.

Have a nice April 1 everybody.

Pittsburgh Penguins Sprinting to the Finish in the '08-'09 Season

Matt Hunter — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:10:45 -0400

Well, the least that could be said about this past season for the Pittsburgh Penguins is that it was a rollercoaster of a ride. The Penguins had their ups and downs all year.

They could never seem to find the winning formula to put together a nice winning streak. They would win a few games and then lose a few games. Goaltending was inconsistent, the power-play struggled, and injuries plagued the team all year.

However, by the end of the trade deadline, the Penguins had been made over, bringing in a new head coach in Dan Bylsma, and bringing in some key forwards: Kunitz, Guerin, and Adams.

They were also able to get rid of Ryan Whitney, who did not seem to play a very strong game at defense, allowing for Kris Letang to re-enter the lineup, and giving some much needed puck handling and offensive prowess on the point.

Let's not forget that veteran defenseman Sergei Gonchar also returned to the lineup around this same time and has helped in getting the Penguins' power-play back into sync, even though it has seemed to struggle as of late.

After a difficult road traveled for the Penguins, it has seemed that they found the light at the end of the tunnel. They have started to play the type of hockey that we as fans were used to seeing last year.

The Penguins seem to be playing with a lot more speed on offense, hitting the opposition quickly and hard, and putting a lot of rubber on the net.

Defensively, they have started to look a lot stronger and confident. Young defenseman Kris Letang has showed great speed and puck handling, and the confidence to carry the puck through the neutral zone and attack.

Another defenseman that has stepped up as well from the beginning of the year is Mark Eaton. He did not look so good at the beginning of the year and found himself with baby Penguins often.

Now, though, he has gotten himself into a daily starting spot and has shown that he has earned and deserves to be playing every night in the NHL.

Goaltender Marc-Andres Fleury had been sketchy all season long. He would look great, winning two or three games in a row, but then he would look like he did not know what he was doing, and would lose two or three in a row.

He has, though, played great hockey over the last 20 odd games. He looks like the Stanley Cup goalie we all watched last year, who helped take the Penguins to the Cup, only falling two games short of a championship.

His confidence and key performances over the last eight games of the regular season will determine whether or not the Penguins are able to make yet another run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

People always say that seasons are not sprints to the finish but marathons where teams need to pace themselves in order to finish the race.

Well, right now that marathon is down to the final stretch, and it is time to see teams make that sprint to the finish.

Hopefully, the Penguins have enough energy left in the tank to cross that finish line in the top eight of the Eastern Conference.

What If There Was Only One Conference in the NHL?

Matt Hunter — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:49:59 -0400

In today's NHL, there are 30 teams spread across the country. There are 15 teams per conference, each vowing for one of eight playoff spots.

What would happen if the NHL decided to just completely get rid of an Eastern and Western Conference and just have the NHL play in one big league?

Think about it—teams and franchises complain that they do not get to see certain teams enough throughout a season because of the current scheduling issues. Teams out West do not get to see very many teams in the East and when they do, it is only for a game or two.

The NHL could benefit greatly by having one conference, because now you will have big market teams like Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Washington playing against teams who may only see them once a year.

This allows for the marketing side of the NHL to take complete advantage of the one conference format. They could utilize the likes of Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin, Semin, Nabokov, Zetterberg, and many others to boost revenue from cities who are struggling to fill up arenas.

This setup will also forge new rivalries between teams, or maybe begin ones that have been taken away because of the current conference setup. It would be something to see a team like Vancouver play Boston four times in one season, and then maybe have to play them again in a playoff series.

The one conference would just allow for so many more interesting match ups, and also for a very exciting season with teams getting the chance to play everybody a lot more than just once.

The only time you would see an Eastern-Western matchup would be in the All-Star game. It is an easy way to determine which players will play where, and since the current system is setup like this it would be like nothing has changed, and it will not take anymore time or money in figuring out where players will play.

The other part of the one conference system would be the playoff system. It would be the top sixteen teams in the league making it which could lead to a very exciting finish to a season with the bottom eight or so teams fighting for position down the stretch.

If the NHL were like this today, the Eastern Conference would boast having 10 teams in the playoffs while Western Conference would be sending six teams.

If the playoffs were to start today, this is what the first round matchups would look like.

1. Detroit vs. 16. Buffalo
2. San Jose vs. 15. Columbus
3. Boston vs. 14. Florida
4. New Jersey vs. 13. Carolina
5. Washington vs. 12. New York Rangers
6. Calgary vs. 11. Montreal
7. Philadelphia vs. 10. Vancouver
8. Chicago vs. 9. Pittsburgh

These matchups would lead to some very interesting first round series. Especially the Chicago-Pittsburgh matchup, which would start the playoffs off with four of the most talented young players in the NHL.

It is just something interesting to think about, when you visualize an NHL as an open conference, and teams being able to play each other a lot more than they currently are in opposite conferences.

Though this will more than likely never happen ever, I still think that it would be something interesting to try just to see how everything would work out.

Hats Go Flying in Pittsburgh Even Without a Hat-Trick

Matt Hunter — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:51:39 -0400

The Pittsburgh Penguins have finally come back home to Mellon Arena for a nice long home stand. The only worrying news however was that they had to start their home stint against the East leading Boston Bruins.

The Bruins have been struggling as of late, and the Pens are one of the hottest teams in the league.

The game could not have started off any better with Bill Guerin putting one in from the top of the slot only :50 seconds into the first period. The good feelings would be short lived though as Boston evened the score up merely :16 seconds later off a redirect.

This was not a great sign considering that the Penguins had backup goaltender Garon in the game giving Marc-Andres Fleury a much needed rest. It was his first shot he has seen in 18 games, and for goaltenders giving up the first shot you see can really kill the mental strength.

The Penguins kept battling though but found themselves trailing after two periods.

Which for me is alright because the Pens seem to falter when leading after two periods, so trailing is their best it seems as of now.

The Penguins came out flying in the third period and Chris Kunitz tallied his second goal which looked to deflect off his stick from a Sergei Gonchar wrist shot from the point.

Eighteen seconds later Bill Guerin chipped the puck up to Kunitz who took off on a break-away and slipped it through the five-hole of Tim Thomas.

HAT TRICK!! The hats came raining down onto the ice for what seemed to be the second career hat-trick for Chris Kunitz.

However, the stat would be short lived and after the game it was determined that Sergei Gonchar's shot from the point was re-directed off a Boston defensemen and past goaltender Thomas.

NO HAT TRICK!! So Chris Kunitz was left with only two goals and one assist in the game, and fans were left hatless as well.

The lead was short lived and Boston's Michael Ryder scored a power play goal to notch the game up at four a piece.

Half way through the third though the Penguins would take the lead and not look back with a great goal by Petr Sykora from Jordan Staal.

Leading 5-4 Staal picked the puck up with an empty net in front of him crossed the center line and hit the empty net to get his 19th goal of the season, and the Pens another win.

The Penguins are currently sitting alone in the number five spot in the East, and are only one game out from being tied in the fourth spot with the Flyers.

Pittsburgh Penguins Hit Stride at Most Important Point of Season

Matt Hunter — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:59:21 -0400

A few weeks ago, most fans—including myself—were beginning to think the Pittsburgh Penguins just did not quite have it this year.

The team was playing lackluster hockey, getting outworked on the ice, and just did not seem very focused during games.

It seemed the Stanley Cup runner-up curse had struck the Penguins.

After a coaching change, and a few trades later, the Penguins are on a 9-1-1 run, and their only loss in that span was Dan Bylsma's first game coaching in the NHL.

The Penguins look like the team that we were watching last year at this time. They are very quick on the ice, and they just seem to keep coming at teams the whole game.

This mentality and style of play leads to other teams' defensemen getting tired in the third period—and when the defense is tired, pucks start finding the back of the net.

During the Pens last game against the Florida Panthers, Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun could not get up after a television timeout. Pittsburgh Penguins television announcer Bob Errey mentioned when the broadcast came back on that Vokoun just sat there on all fours during the timeout to try to get a breather.

The Penguins put up 50-plus shots on goal in that game. That is about the total of three games' worth of shots that they were getting earlier in the year.

I have been saying all year the Penguins need to put more pucks on the net—and look what happens when they do.

I also have to give a lot of credit to goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury has not taken a breather in 17 straight games, and it looks like he will be playing tonight as well. He is now playing his best hockey of the year.

Fleury has looked a bit shaky at times, and has given up some bad goals, but with the way the offense has been playing, a bad goal can be looked past as long as it is only one.

Most importantly, the Penguins are having fun on the ice. Penguins fans can all remember last year how much fun the team had. They looked like they were playing a game of pickup hockey out there.

This team now has that feel again, and it can be seen out on the ice while they play.

It is too bad it took almost 75 percent of the season before the Penguins kicked it into gear and started to play like the team that we as fans knew they were capable of.

The Penguins face off tonight against a good Columbus Blue Jackets team that is trying to stay in the top eight of the Western Conference. It should be a great matchup and game.

If the Pens can pull out yet another win tonight, and they get some help from the Islanders to beat the Canadiens, the Penguins will jump up to the No. 5 spot in the East with 80 points, and possibly one game out of the No. 4 spot, which is currently held by the Flyers.

Penguins Trade Whitney For Winger Kuntiz and Prospect Tangradi

Matt Hunter — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:32:05 -0500

Well it looks like Ray Shero has begun his trade deadline dealings. Today the Penguins traded defenseman Ryan Whitney to the Anaheim Ducks for left winger Chris Kunitz, and prospect forward Eric Tangradi.

I along with many other fans are probably pretty happy to see Whitney leave. After returning from his foot injury, he did not look like he was progressing. He had a -15 +/- rating, and just seemed like he could not do anything right.

With the absence of Ryan Whitney, it now opens up for Kris Letang to be an everyday starter, and now the chance for Alex Goligoski to get back into the lineup as well.

Chris Kunitz is a nice addition to the Penguins lineup. He is coming to the Peguins with 16 G, 19 A, and 35 PTS in 65 games. He should be a nice addition to the second line, and if he can come in and step up his game quickly he should be a great winger for Crosby or Malkin on that first line.

One Piece of Good News and Two Pieces of Bad News for Penguins Fans

Matt Hunter — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:07:58 -0500

First the bad news for you Penguin fans. Sidney Crosby had to leave practice early today, according to team officials, with a sore groin. Now, they do say he is probable to play tomorrow night against the Islanders, but an injury right now is the worst possible thing for the Penguins and Crosby himself.

If Crosby can just rest and take it easy he should be OK to play tomorrow night. Let's just hope that he does not aggravate it during the game, and sidelines himself for a long period of time.

The second piece of bad news for Wednesdays game. Marc-Andre Fleury will be back between the pipes. This will be his 16th game out of the last 17 that he will play in I believe, and he is coming some terrible play.

If I were coach Dan Bylsma I would sit Fleury for a few games and let him collect himself and get mentally ready for the final push to the playoffs. The Penguins gave up a lot for goaltender Matheiu Garon, so why not let him earn his paycheck and give him a couple of games. Even let the young John Curry play a game or two.

Just do not let Fleury back in the net right now. He is in no condition to be playing right now, and for some reason the coaching staff cannot see this.

Now to the good news. Kris Letang will be back in the lineup for the Pens on Wednesday night. I am not sure whose spot he will be taking, hopefully Eaton or Gill, but whoever it is it will be good to see him back on the ice.

Bylsma now has to get rid of a second defenseman and call up Alex Goligoski and then things would be set. Mark Eaton and/or Hal Gill are terrible and I think that Goligoski and Letang deserve a spot in front of either of those two.

Well I wish there could have been more better news and less bad news, but you gotta go with what you got, and that is what the Pens are going to have to do tomorrow night against the New York Islanders.

Maybe they can get an easy win tomorrow night against a team that they should beat easily. For the Penguins though no team or game is an easy win.

Pittsburgh Penguins, 2008-2009: The Last Chapter

Matt Hunter — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 12:46:37 -0500

Well Pittsburgh fans, we are coming down the stretch of another Penguins season.

And for us, this year has been the complete opposite of what we witnessed last season from a team that was storming into the playoffs with motivation, confidence, and the knowledge that they knew they could beat anyone.

This season, though, has seemed to be a bust. It is as if the Penguins have no chance of pulling through.

Remember, there are still 24 games left and plenty of points to be had. They are in the chase for at least the eighth position.

The Pens are starting their final stretch with a new coach in Blysma. They also have found themselves with teammates Sergei Gonchar and Ruslan Fedotanko back in the lineup.

With Gonchar, the power play should get back on track, back to where it was last year when Gonchar was healthy.

The Pens are finally healthy, and have a strong team to start this push to the finish line. They also have the trade deadline approaching in two weeks. The Pens have a lot that can be used as trade bait. If Ray Shero can work his magic like he did last year (acquiring Marian Hossa), the Pens could be looking pretty for the last month of the season.

It will all come down to how badly the players want it. It is really easy for a team in their position to throw in the towel and play mediocre hockey the rest of the way.

Some fans and observers have already written them off, and some have said that the Pens need to cut their losses and prepare for next year. That is not what a team needs to hear from its fans.

A team is fueled by the support of its city and fans. If either are not behind them, it is hard for a team to want to do well.

So with 24 games left, how about we fans not write the final chapter of the Pens' season. Instead, let's stand behind our team and give them the support that they deserve and let them finish this 2008-2009 story.

Evgeni Malkin: The Epitome of a Pittsburgh Pro Athlete

Matt Hunter — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:06:05 -0500

Ham. Lambert. Greene. Lemieux. Clemente. Stargell.

All these men have worn the black and gold of their respective Pittsburgh franchises.

They are all poster-men for what a Pittsburgh athlete ought to be. Hard-hitting, hard-working, triumph in the face of adversity, playing with great intensity, and never giving up are perfect summations of these athletes.

These men, along with many other Pittsburgh athletes have shown these qualities, and have shown the rest of the world that just like them, Western Pennsylvania is a group of blue-collared people who are willing to do anything to win.

In today's sports, fans are beginning to see more "pretty boys" than anything. These players want to make money starring in commercials rather than out on the field.

Yet there are still players all around every league that still posses that attitude of earlier days. In those days, the harder you played, the better your team did, and the success of the team determined how well you were paid.

In current times with our Pittsburgh athletes, we are still getting that kind of play, but not like many of our parents or older generations saw with the Steelers and Pirates of the 70s, or the Penguins of the early 90s.

I believe though that one Pittsburgh Penguin in particular possesses all the traits that I listed above, and that player is Evgeni Malkin.

Malkin is a player who rivals as one of the best in the league, but he never showboats or lets people know that. This is partly because he is too shy to speak English. Every game Malkin plays with the intensity and heart as if it were a the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals.

He is a goal scorer who still throws his weight around as if he were an enforcer. That is something that you do not see very much these days in the NHL. Players are beginning to be more specialized in certain criteria in the NHL, and it’s refreshing to watch the type of hockey Malkin plays.

He faced adversity last year when Sidney Crosby was sidelined with an ankle injury, and was left to lead the team who was also without starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

His leadership and ability to keep a team on track for a little bit is yet another great aspect to put on his résumé.

Malkin never slows down. He keeps his feet moving at all times while on the ice, and is always trying to make a play or stop the other team from making one. By the time his shift is over, he is bent over with his stick on his knees, and completely spent from his time on the ice.

What makes that such an incredible thing is that he does this game after game for an entire season. He never gives up on plays, and even when his team seems like they are down and out he is still giving it his all to pull them back.

Penguins fan have seen this plenty of times this season and last, where the Pens seemed to have lost a game, and Malkin takes it upon himself to throw the team on his back and take over games. He did it against the Tampa Bay Lightning two weeks ago.

Even though Malkin is at times overshadowed by Sidney Crosby, he still cannot overshadow his hard work, grit, and intensity that we see every night he plays hockey.

That is what makes Evgeni Malkin the epitome of a Pittsburgh professional athlete.

When he hangs his skates up in the future, I am willing to bet that his name can be added to the list of Pittsburgh legends that have given Pittsburgh sports the reputation that it has today.

Michel Therrien Scapegoat for Terrible Play

Matt Hunter — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:41:50 -0500

It happens in all sports and on all levels. A team struggles and the person that gets blamed is the head coach.

The Penguins organization and GM Ray Shero have decided to part ways with Michel Therrien coming just a day after the Penguins embarrassing 6-2 loss in which they gave up a 2-0 lead, and a five goal third period.

I think that this firing is a way for the Penguins organization to place blame on just one person rather than a team in its entirety. I am not saying that Therrien has no part in this, but to fire him because a team is playing like they just do not care is not right.

Therrien turned the Penguins around 180 degrees last year, helping to coach them to the Stanley Cup Finals. He came into this year with almost the same team as last year, but was plagued with injuries all season.

There is no doubt that the Penguins have played poorly this year. The poor play has ranged from lack of shots taken by the offense, to a poor power play, to inconsistent goaltending. It has been one thing or the other this whole year, and it finally came to the point where something needed to happen.

When Shero gave his comments on why he fired Therrien, he stated that the team was not going in the right direction, which is the most blatant and obvious thing he could have said. He should have said that the Penguins players are the reason why they now have a new coach. Blame needs to be put on everybody in a team sport when somebody is fired who is not even playing in the games.

I am tired of teams axing coaches because "the players" are not playing well at all. Coaches are just scapegoats for organizations, because forbid a GM calls out players for playing terrible and them being the reason why the team is in 10th position in the conference.

Like I said before, I am not saying Therrien is innocent in all of this. I personally did not like his lineup changes for every game. Players cannot perform consistently and get into a grove with line mates if they are playing with different ones each night.

One other thing is the Penguins inability to hold and secure leads. They have lost too many games after having a lead. This one has to go both ways with a team. The coach has to be able to keep his team focused, while the players have to keep up their intensity level as well.

Along those lines is that we are talking about professional athletes. The Penguin players do not need to be told to keep up the hard work. They have been playing this game for a long time, and have worked hard to get to the NHL, so why would they need told to keep doing so?

I do not think that the Penguins organization made the right move on this one. Therrien was a class act and a good coach. If the Penguins stumble more down the stretch, Shero is going to look bad, and Penguins fans are going to be very unhappy with the organization more than they are now.

What the Penguins Must Do To Make the Playoffs

Matt Hunter — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:07:22 -0500

Well, it is pretty simple for the Penguins if they want to make the playoffs this year, and that is for them to win games. However, this year it has seemed very hard for them to get on winning streaks and keep momentum rolling in their favor.

The Penguins are currently tied for the ninth spot in the Eastern Conference with 59 points. They are coming off a very big win last against the top team in the Western Conference, the San Jose Sharks (which I missed because I lost power for the whole game).

The Penguins have only 26 games remaining on their schedule, but their schedule leans towards their favor. Out of the next 26 games the Penguins play 11 games against teams that as of today are out of the playoff picture.

These are teams that they MUST beat. With almost half of their games against teams out of the playoff picture the Penguins should be able to put together some good winning streaks, and also jump up in the standings.

Also, the Penguins get to play the Florida Panthers three more times. The Panthers hold that crucial eighth and final playoff spot currently, only one point ahead of both the Penguins and Hurricanes.

With three games left against the Panthers the Penguins can pull ahead, and then leave the Panthers in their wake if they can manage to at least win two of three.

The down part to those three games is that two of them are in Florida, where the Penguins are known to not play well.

The Penguins do have to face the top four teams in the East though six times down this stretch. They face Boston and New Jersey one more time, and Philadelphia and Washington twice. They play three away and three at home.

The Penguins should be back to full strength for their run to playoffs, which is perfect for a team who is sitting on the outside looking in currently with only 26 games left.

I believe that with 26 games left the Penguins need to win at least 16 games. That does not mean that they can lose 10 too. They need to win 16 and probably only lose 6-8 games in regulation, the other losses will have to come in overtime.

With ending the season with a record of 16-6-4 that would give the Penguins a final point total of 95 points, which should be good enough for a 6th seed.

It is going to solely come down to how badly the Penguins want it. They won a big game last night, and that should help to motivate them for the rest of the season, that they know they can beat a top team.

With Gonchar coming back, the power-play should be getting back to the way it was last year, and the Penguins defense should be solid.

Marc-Andre Fleury needs to play like he has never played before down this stretch. He looked great from what I saw of the highlights of last night's game, and if he can play the rest of the season like last night the Penguins will be just fine.

The offense I think is doing fine, besides the whole not taking shots. If coach Michel Therrien could just get the players mentality to change from pass first to shoot first they will be much better off.

I think though that this group of guys can get the Penguins into the playoffs, and an addition to the offense before the trade deadline can never hurt.

The next 26 games are going to be exciting and nerve-racking at the same time. If the Penguins can play to the ability that we all know they are capable of then us Pittsburgh fans should be watching Penguin playoff hockey come April.

Penguins-Sharks: We Are Going To Need a Bigger Boat

Matt Hunter — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:59:46 -0500

The Penguins are coming off a bad loss to the defending champion Detroit Red Wings on Sunday. Next, they have to face the Western Conference-leading San Jose Sharks tonight at Mellon Arena.

The Penguins are currently sitting in the 10th spot with 57 points, and they are three points behind the eighth-seeded Florida Panthers for the final playoff spot in the East.

Tonight, the Penguins are going to have their hands full, and it is easy to start the list with Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov. Simply put, the man is nasty between the pipes. He is probably the biggest reason why the Sharks are first in the Western Conference and second overall in the NHL points standings.

Nabokov has an impressive 28-6-6 record, a 2.41 GAA, and a .910 SVP. These numbers have helped him become an All-Star this season. His solid goal-tending is a large reason why the San Jose Sharks have been dominant in the league for the last four years.

If the Penguins want to win this game, they have to come at Nabokov early and hard. They will need to pass well and have a high number of shots on goal to beat Nabokov. Getting the first goal is key tonight for the Penguins.

The next player to worry about is Joe Thornton. He has owned the Penguins in past years. He has accumulated 43 points in only 32 games against the Penguins, and he comes into tonight's game with 58 points, which leads the Sharks' team.

The Penguins need to find a way to keep the puck off his stick in the shooting lanes and keep him from taking one of his heavy slap-shots. Shadowing Thornton may work best for Coach Therien's team. It would take away a big option for the Sharks' offense, and make other players beat the Penguins.

However, you cannot forget about Patrick Marleau, who has 56 points, the second-best total on the team. The Penguins' defense will have their hands full defending both Marleau and Thornton.

The San Jose Sharks play a style of hockey that all fans love to see. They play an up-tempo style that is meant to pressure the other team.

The Penguins have a style of play that could slow down the Sharks, and that is a neutral zone trap.

The Penguins' trap has worked well this year when they have had the ability to get it set up. Their trap forces teams to make bad passes, which may lead to odd-man rushes for the Penguins. If the Penguins can get the 1-2-2 trap working effectively, they can take the Sharks right out of their style of play.

For the Penguins, goalie Marc-Andres Fleury is vital to their success. Many observers have noticed that Fleury has not played as well as last season. He has not been able to get in a groove all season.

He cannot make any mistakes tonight. He cannot mishandle pucks behind the next or give up rebounds. If he makes either blunder, the Sharks will capitalize on the mistake and make it difficult for Fleury to succeed.

The Penguins must also stay out of the penalty box. The Sharks are way too good to give them a man advantage. The Penguins need to play even hockey to have a chance.

They must also capitalize on their opportunities. They need to avoid unnecessary passes in the slot. If there is a rebound, the Penguins need to shoot the puck and not worry about finding a teammate cutting in back door. That requires an improbable airborne-saucer pass over three sticks.

There is no need for pretty hockey tonight. All the Penguins need to do is play hard-nosed, hard-hitting hockey, and they may find themselves with two points at the end of the night.

Pittsburgh Penguins' New Rule: No Goalie Allowed Behind the Net

Matt Hunter — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:30:33 -0500

It is pretty simple to see that the Penguins are just not a playoff caliber team after their performance last night. They are playing with no emotion, no heart, and are just going through the motions out there.

The way the Penguins have played is beginning to look a lot like the Penguins of a few years ago. With the talent that they have, there is no excuse for the poor play that we, as fans, have been watching for some time now.

Last night, the Penguins traveled to Montreal to play one of the top teams in Eastern Conference. They came out flying, getting a goal from Luca Caputi in his first NHL shift. The momentum was clearly all Penguins.

Then Goddard gets into a fight, which I believe gave all the momentum to the Penguins.

Then, what happens? Marc-Andre Fleury—who thinks that he is Martin Brodeur behind the net—makes yet another mistake trying to handle the puck, gets caught with his pants down. He then gives up a goal on a play where he should never have left the crease.

After that, one could feel that last night's game was now going to be all Montreal and it was.

They tallied a short-handed goal from a great shot by Chris Higgins on a break-away. After the third goal, if I was Coach Therien, I would have pulled Fleury. That was his second weak goal of the game, and that shot in no way should have went it. He gave the shooter the entire far side of the net. Any hockey player at any level could have gotten that puck by Fleury.

One thing that really got to me was the 2-on-1 with Crosby and Satan. Crosby had a clear lane right to the net because the defenseman knew that all the Penguins wanted to do was pass the puck. So, he clearly took that option away.

So, Crosby shoots right? Wrong! Instead of cutting to the net and taking a shot, he attempted to lift a pass over the stick of the defenseman. Then, Satan whiffs on the one timer and takes another shot, missing the net I believe.

For a team who could only muster maybe 20 shots a game, you would think they would move the puck more? I don't know. All I know is that the Penguins looked bad last night and now have to come back home to Pittsburgh to play the Lightning tonight.

I may actually study for my exam that I have tomorrow instead of watching the game because as of right now, the Penguins are playing like they do not want to be on the ice. Who knows though, maybe they can muster 25 shots tonight. It would be a big improvement.

Pittsburgh Penguins Need To Get Back to Their Blue-Collar Style of Hockey

Matt Hunter — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:33:36 -0500

With many playmakers and others who are capable of taking their play to the next level, the Pittsburgh Penguins have grown into a team of young talent. Along with this young talent are veterans who help take charge in the locker room and help those young men gain the experience and confidence that is needed to become a top team in the NHL.

However, this year it seems as if the Penguins have moved away from their normal style of play. They seemed to play with a lot more intensity and fight each game.

This year, it almost seems as if they are going through the season in a lower gear. Players are not hustling to loose pucks, others are not finishing hits, and the goaltenders seem to not have complete confidence.

Last year, the Penguins played a full 60 minute game. Their skates never stopped moving on the ice, and players like Tyler Kennedy were mad-men out on the ice. For them, that was the only way they were going to stay in the NHL.

Back to this year, I do not know why things have changed or why the Penguins for some reason cannot hold a two-goal lead or even more in the third period. Maybe, it's just the fact that they have become a bit too cocky, but who knows.

With only two full months left in the season, the Penguins need to get out of whatever mindset that they are in and dig deep. If they do not remove this current style of play from their system and get back to the hard-and-grinding style of play that wins games, then they will be on the outside of the playoff picture looking in this year.

Pittsburgh Penguins Pickle: Eight D-Men and Six Spots

Matt Hunter — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 02:41:21 -0500

As a Penguins fan this year we all know that we are missing two big names on our blue line; those being Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney. However, we also know that the Penguins have had some young guys step their games up, and helped the Penguins keep their Eastern Conference street credit.

What happens though when Gonchar and Whitney come back though? The Penguins will then be left with eight defensemen for only six spots. On top of this none of these eight deserve to be sent back down to the minors to play when they all have earned a spot on the roster.

This then leads to which two defensemen come the trade deadline are going to be wearing different jerseys?

I am going to give you my insight on who I think the Penguins will get rid of as well as why I think that they should be traded. First though lets get a list of the all the defensemen, including those that will be back most likely by the trade deadline.

Boucher          Gonchar
Letang           Whitney
Gill                 Orpik
Goligoski         Scuderi

Looking at that list it is hard to pick two guys that in most likelihood will be traded by the end of the year.

However let us start by first choosing four that we know the Penguins will not get rid of:

Letang

Too much of an offensive defenseman, and a good power-play point man. Also still very young and has tons of room to get better.

Goligoski

Talk about getting a name for yourself. Goligoski has great hands on the point, and can open up shooting lanes because of this. Again another young defensemen that the Pens can not let go.

Gonchar

Veteran player. He has been injured all year, but he is expected to come back sometime around the end of January beginning of February. This will give him enough time to get back into the swing of things, and be playoff ready.

Orpik

"The Shift"...enough said. Orpik should be wearing an "A" for his hard work, and his presence on the ice is impeccable. He is the rock that holds that corp together. Also the big contract extension he signed is a key indicator too.

So those are the four that I believe to be lock-ins. Now out of the last four, here are the two that I think will not be finishing as Pittsburgh Penguins.

Hal Gil

He is a veteran defensemen, yes. He is a good presence to have in the locker room for the younger players, yes. He is a giant on the ice, yes. However, I just do not think that he fits into the style of play the Penguins are moving towards.

At times this year he has looked sluggish as if he just did not care if he was getting to the puck first or not. He has only two points this year, and has recently been sidelined with an injury. The Penguins could use him in March to help bring in a play-maker.

Ryan Whitney

Whitney is a great hockey player with a lot of potential. He should be coming back to the Penguins by the end of this month or early January. He should help the Penguins make a nice push during his time back. However, I just do not see the Pens holding onto him.

If he had played all year then it may be a different story, but since these young kids that have come up from Wilkes-Barre have done so well there is no need for the Pens to keep him on the roster. He too could be a big trade boost in getting somebody as well.

Now I know that my choices here are probably going to piss some people off, and have others scratching their heads on why I would get rid of those two. However, that is what I think the Pens should do, and also what seems to be the best move for the Pens to make a deep playoff push.