It's All Fun and Games until EVERYONE Gets Hurt: Pens Lose 6-3 vs. Caps

Not much to say about this game. Well there is, but it hurts to talk about it. The Pens and Caps went toe to toe for 50 minutes, then the Caps stepped on our toes then punched us in the throat.

Can't deny how much of a beast AO is, even though he takes 10-million shots a game. Coming into the game last night, he was 160th in the league in shooting percentage, but the man scores big goals at big times, and he took over the game last night. So much for righting the ship...

FIRST PERIOD

The Pens get an early gift when Godard's stick clipped Tanger in the face. Refs think its Brashear's stick and hit him with a four-minute penalty. Did he even play another shift the rest of the game?

Washington takes another penalty giving the Pens a two-minute five-on-three (did I type that right?). Washington does a great job of killing off the penalty, but the highest power can't stop the "Malkin bomb" from the high slot. And 1-0 Peng-wennies. How sweet was Geno's goal celebration? Top 10 material.

Later in the period Pittsburgh had to kill off a Wurshington five-on-three, with Scuderi using his head in the process to do so (bad joke, I know). What a player...easily the best five-on-three penalty killer in the league. As a side note, only Pittsburgh and Boston have not given up a five-on-three goal this season.

Crazy eh? Scuds is day-to-day with a hockey puck imprinted in his forehead.

SECOND PERIOD

The Caps score a goal that I already erased from my brain. Knucklepuck city on Fleury tie the game at one.

A whole bunch of nothing turns into TK and Talbot with a nice cycle game; Talbot with the shot, Miro Satan picks up his 350th career goal on the doorstep to give the Pens a 2-1 lead.

That doesn't last long. Alex Semin gets behind the Pens D and takes a sweet pass from the ageless Sergei Federov to tie the game at two. He's still a joke though. Alex Semin would still be a nobody had he not called out Sid.

Maybe he should do something more than have a good month before he opens his mouth and talks about someone who did more in the QMJHL than he will do in his entire life. ANYWAYS...

Pens kill another five-on-three (man am I getting sick of writing that) at the tail end of the period, but still had over a minute to kill going into the third.

THIRD PERIOD

There are very few things in life that make you want to puke instantly. The horrid scream of Alex Ovechkin after scoring a go-ahead goal in a quiet building in January would be one of them. He cleans up the trash in front to give the Craps a 3-2 lead. Ovie mocks the Pens bench as he skates by, possibly a little revenge for Malkin's lil dance in the first.

Crosby responds on a delayed penalty call coming against the Caps. He "stick handles in a phone booth" and throws a backhand saucer pass over to Whitney who lets a $24-million  slapper from the point go. DING score. Game tied at three. At this point I texted about 38 people and said, "What a game this has been!"

Pens get a power play when Theodore trys to hit the cotton candy man with the puck. Delay of game penalty opens the door for the Pens to lick the stamp on this game. No dice. Then it all comes to a screeching halt.

Caps get a PP. Fleschman (not important enough to check the spelling of his name) cashes in to give the Caps a 4-3 lead. Then Ovie basically puts the game away by pin-balling a shot off of Whitters skate into the net for a 5-3 lead. Remember that sound I was talking about? Hearing it once was horrible, twice was suicide watch.

Speaking of which, Talbot dives during a PK to clear the zone. The next time we see him he's escorting himself down the runway holding God knows what. Then Sid goes awkwardly into the boards with a Cap player and flashbacks of last year ambush your mind.

He barely makes it to the bench, then eventually leaves the game at the next whistle. Just when it can't get any worse, Letang blocks a shot with his shin and goes down in a heap. Did we seriously have four injuries in one game? Give me a break.

Pens get a late power play and pull the goalie. Some Cap penatly killer from waaaayyy downtown. When it's going bad, someone throws a puck blindly from 165 feet away and it goes in. GAME 6-3

MISC:

Thankfully Letang was able to finish out the game. Crosby, Scuderi, and Talbot are all day-to-day. Unfortunately for the Pens, The ol 29er and 66 might have to suit up for the game tomorrow vs. Anaheim if those guys cant go, but who's to say that would be a bad thing right?

I want to close by saying this. Are the Pens and Caps really a legit rivalry? Okay you have Ovie and Semin vs. Sid and Geno, but are the TEAMS themselves actually a rivalry?

The way I see it, you have a decade of playoff dominance for the Pens, and Sid's record against the Caps is now 10-3, how much of a rivalry is that? Ovie is still eight points behind Sid in the head to head totals, and Semin...well how seriously can we take him? So maybe Malkin and Ovechkin did get into a fight at a club in Russia? Big deal!

I agree that there are rivalries between players, but the teams themselves? I see it as the Pens have dominated the Caps for years and now that the Caps have won two REGULAR SEASON GAMES in a row, they think they own us.

Please! Nothing would make me happier than to see a playoff match up between the two, maybe then I could consider this a rivalry, until then, you got to show me more Washington.

Big game tomorrow vs. the streaking Anaheim Ducks. Ryan Getzlaf is no joke (fourth in the league in scoring). GO PENS!! Stay warm yinz guys in Pittsburgh!