Pens 3, Canes 2 — shootout
When you talk about unlikely candidates to win a game — Chris Kunitz is it.
Pittsburgh Penguins 3 — Carolina Hurricanes 2, SOT
I mean, the guy hadn’t scored a goal yet this season while playing on the Penguins’ top line, he scored just one in the playoffs last year and, all told, had scored just one goal in his last 35 games.
Ironically, he also had this story published in the paper the day of the game, documenting his recent scoring troubles.
Well, all he did was step to the puck as the Penguins’ sixth shooter and potted home the game winner to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a 3-2 overtime win and perfect 4-0-0 roadtrip to start the season. It also makes the Penguins 5-0 on the road to start the season since entering the NHL in 1967.
Oct. 14 — Pens at Canes
First thing’s first — if you haven’t read this column disputing Pittsburgh’s No. 1 ranking as the best sports city in America then you need to. Join the masses of the Black and Gold Nation on the comment board.
It’s written by Jessica Isner, who decided to pick the worst argument ever to claim Boston is the best sports city in the U.S. Thank to Tony at The Confluence for shooting that over.
Now to the game.
Pittsburgh Penguins (5-1-0, 10 pts.) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (2-3-0, 4 pts.)
The Pens travel to Raleigh tonight for the final game of their 4-game road trip. They are already 3-0-0 on the trip with wins over Philadelphia, Toronto and Ottawa — all by a combined score of 14-7.
Pens sign Lovejoy, Wallace
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today the signing of defenseman Ben Lovejoy and forward Tim Wallace (Penguins.com).
Both spent time between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre last season. Lovejoy played in two games in the NHL, while Wallace played in played in 16 games and registered two assists.
The two will likely be the first to get a call up to the Penguins in 2009-10 if the Pens need fill-ins. Wallace is a guy people talk about as a possible permanent fourth-liner. He’s a gritty, grind-it-out winger that fits perfectly on a fourth line. Lovejoy is the best defenseman in the Penguins’ minor league system, in my opinion.
Click read more for their career stats in professional hockey.
Bill Guerin signed
The Pittsburgh Penguins signed Bill Guerin to a one-year deal today. The contract is worth a reported $2 million.
Guerin’s signing likely assures that Sidney Crosby will have the same line next season. Guerin also brings the veteran presence most of the players and all of us fans want on the team.
The pay he will receive has not yet been disclosed. We will update you when there is more information.
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Chris | PPT
Pens sign Craig Adams
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed Craig Adams to a two-year deal. His contract will pay him $550,000 each year for two years, which is a decrease from his $600,000 salary of this past season.
That’s great news for the Penguins as far as signing other guys goes. We figured he could earn around $750,000 to $1 million.
Adams scored 3 goals and added two assists in the playoff run. He’s a solid fourth-line center that we were hoping would get re-signed. His signing means the Penguins are all set down the middle, with each line’s center under contract — Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Adams.
Chicago placed Adams on waivers and the Pens picked him up. Maybe the Blackhawks should have kept the guy, considering they were knocked out in Western Conference Finals. Solid player, solid guy.
NO SLEEP
So now we get overly optimistic.
Detroit 3 — Pittsburgh 1
(Red Wings lead series 1-0)
I mean, hasn’t that been the case for every Pens fans since the end of Game 1? Before the game started we all knew how important a win in Game 1 would be, considering the first two games are back-to-back on Detroit’s home ice.
Many of us are thinking, ‘We’re alright. All we need to do is split.’ And that’s true. But a win tonight will not come easy.
Detroit looks just as strong as they did last year. Confidence for the Penguins should come from the fact that they look better.
Pens vs. Canes – Series Outlook
Well here it is folks. The race for the Stanley Cup is down to its final four, with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes vying for the Prince of Wales Trophy (awarded to the Eastern Conference champion).
No. 4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. No. 6 Carolina Hurricanes
I’m hearing alot of confidence from alot of the Pittsburgh fans. I’ve got to stress that Carolina is no pushover. They are a solid hockey team with the hottest goaltender in the league.
This series is destined to go at least six games, maybe seven. Lucky for the Pens is the fact that they earned that No. 4 seed. Had it not been for the New York Rangers beating Philadelphia on the last day of the regular season, we may not even be here right now.
Nevertheless, it’s off to the conference finals. Here’s how I feel about the upcoming series …
Second Round Schedule Released
| SERIES J |
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| Saturday, May 2 | at Washington | |||||
| Monday, May 4 | at Washington | |||||
| Wednesday, May 6 | at Pittsburgh | |||||
| Friday, May 8 | at Pittsburgh | |||||
| *Saturday, May 9 | at Washington | |||||
| *Monday, May 11 | at Pittsburgh | |||||
| *Wednesday, May 13 | at Washington |
Site Down
PPT will be down until tomorrow as Dan and I are moving back up to school. We will be back to blogging for Wednesday’s game against the Caps.
GO PENS
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Chris | PPT
“Avenge 6-4-08″
Power Play falters, Habs beat Pens
Another 0-5 effort on the power play led to another Penguins loss Saturday night, this time to Montreal by a score of 3-2.
Canadiens 3 — Penguins 2
Many will blame the soft goal given up by Marc-Andre Fleury early in the third period or the defense of he Pens. However, a power play unit with so much talent that is given so many chances should not go 0-5. Especially against a Montreal team with an average penalty kill.
Not to mention the fact that three of the five came in the third period while trailing. The final chance came with just over three minutes remaining — a gift for any team trying to tie a game late.
Team Info
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2008-2009 Stanley Cup Champions
Regular Season Stats:
Points: 14 pts. — Evgeni Malkin (4G+10A)/Sidney Crosby (9G+5A)
Goals: Sidney Crosby — 9
Assists: Evgeni Malkin — 10
PIM: Jay McKee/Chris Kunitz — 21
+/-: Alex Goligoski — plus-11
GAA: Marc-Andre Fleury — 2.07
SV%: Marc-Andre Fleury — .921
Atlantic Division Standings:
1. Pittsburgh Penguins: 10-2-0 (20 pts.)
2. New York Rangers: 8-4-0 (17 pts.)
3. New Jersey Devils: 7-4-0 (14 pts.)
4. Philadelphia Flyers: 5-4-1 (11 pts.)
5. New York Islanders: 2-4-5 (9 pts.)
