Recap: Games 68-71

photo courtesy of penguins.nhl.com

Games: vs. BUF (W 3-1),  vs. MON (L 3-0) Edmonton (W 5-1), @ BOS (W 3-2 OT)

Notable Highlights:

-6 of 8 possible points. The playoff spot is nearly secured. I'm not going to roll around in a pile of $$ over these wins though. Edmonton and Ottawa are very bad. As The Pensblog points out, we are entering a stretch where 6 of the next 7 games are against playoff teams. Even though it will likely be a time to coast and get guys back in to the lineup, there is a definate chance to find out if there is reason for optimism in the playoffs.

-It seems pretty clear that the Pens go out of their way to hit and mess with Montreal D P.K. Subban. F Mike Rupp took a swipe at him in a scrum and F Max Talbot got him with a pretty good slash. This seems directly related to the opinion that Subban's injuring of F Jordan Staal in last season's playoffs was not accidental.

-The home game against Montreal was the 200th consectutive sellout for the franchise (regular season and playoffs). I've been a half-season ticket holder for 7 years and attended many games prior to that. Even though I've become jaded by the game day experience (not including playoffs), it is nice to see things going so well after being in the building for so many lean years in the early 2000s.

-Wins against Edmonton and Ottawa give the team some confidence after the poor showing against Montreal. Even though they are bad, they are on the schedule and it would be very alarming had the team looked bad again in either of these contests.

-There's been some positive news on the injury front with Mike Comrie, Arron Asham, Eric Tangradi, and Sidney Crosby all returning to the ice in one form or another. Crosby had been symptom free for enough days in a row that he was able to skate for 15-20 mins. He remained symptom free the day after that, so he skated again. Speculation that he will return is extremely premature, but after all the ridiculous rumors swirling around Sid, it is good to see that he is not, in fact, retiring as the most ridiculous rumor speculated.

Ghastly Lowlights:

-Penguins power play was 0 for 7 against the Sabres. Could have changed a close game in to a comfortable win. Nothing new, but this stood out to me.

-Terrible effort against the Canadiens. I am way too lazy to look up the day game stats of the past 3 or 4 years, but for some reason I feel they start sluggish each and every time. In this case, there was an early goal scored by Plecanic. Turnovers galore. Ugly. Lucky for them, Edmonton and Ottawa were up next on the schedule to get their confidence back.

-D Kris Letang has been playing really poorly of late. He is not showing up on the scoresheet like he did at the beginning of the year and it's like injured Evgeni Malkin has been giving him pointers on how to constantly turn the puck over. His turnovers lead to goals in both the Montreal and Ottawa games. Hopefully he will settle down and get out of this funk. I do have to point out that I don't hear many of yinz calling for the trade of Tang...guess he's lucky his name isn't Goligoski.

-The NHL has a new hot topic of discussion: the "turnbuckle" hit. The "turnbuckle" is an area that juts in near the end of the player benches or in the buffer zone between the benches. It has become a topic of discussion because of this hit by Boston's Zdeno Chara on Montreal's Max Pacioretty. He suffered a severe concussion and a cracked vertebra.

I suppose this is the point in my blogdom where people can call me a hypocrite, but I did not find the hit on Pacioretty dirty. How is that possible? Two simple answers. First, it is an unavoidable area of openness from the playing surface. Players will from time to time be hit there an knocked in to the "turnbuckle". Did Chara know what he was doing? Yes. Was it interference? Yes, but not because Chara targeted the head. He looks to rub a player out in to this area to make him pay a price for the territory he is trying to gain. I see no indication that he was trying to do any more than shove his body hard in to the "turnbuckle". Secondly, this area really isn't much different that the boards or the goal. Sure the goal has give to it, but it's still possible for injury if a guy is hit in to it. Same with the boards. It's the way a hit is carried out that makes it dirty or not. Pens D Ben Lovjoy hit a Buffalo Sabre in to the turnbuckle and the Sabres went after him hard. F Max Talbot was the near victim of a hit like this against Ottawa, but wisely skated out of trouble by slowing up.

The "turnbuckle issue" will certainly come up again, but for now the NHL has the "headshot issue" on its hands. At the GM Meetings in Boca Raton, FL the discussions were dominated by how to best protect the players from the league-wide rise in concussions. A ban on hits to the head was rejected, with support being thrown behind proposals to expand Rule 48 and have increased enforcement of existing rules for charging and boarding. It was also reported that Penguins Owner and Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux sent a letter to the league outlining a proposal for a fine scale to be used against teams based on the amount of games suspended. In it, the Penguins were used an example. Under the proposed structure, they would have been hit with $600,000 in fines based on the suspensions to players (mainly Matt Cooke) this season. These are great ideas, but it remains to be seen if the NHL brass and officiating have what it takes to be consistent and sustained in their enforcement both in-game and after the fact. As a lifelong fan of the NHL, I have my doubts but will hope for the best.

Forward Recaps:

-Guess who gets another mention?? Tyler Kennedy (...Kennedy). He scored his 16th goal of the season against the Sens.

-LW Chris Kunitz scored his 19th and 20th goals against the Oilers.

-C Jordan Staal scored his 8th and 9th goals of the season during this stretch.

Defenseman Recaps:

-Zbynek Michalek went without a goal until the Buffalo game. In a strange quirk of fate, he now has 3 goals in his past 4 games with goals against Edmonton and Ottawa. He has been a very steady piece of the defensive end, so it's good to see him get some breaks in the o zone.

-Ben Lovejoy had a goal against Ottawa and continues to play well with his expanded role.

-Corey Potter and Steve Wagner were called up from Wilkes-Barre Scranton prior to the game. Potter played in his first game for the Penguins. He has played in the NHL before.

Goalie Recaps:

-Marc-Andre Fleury played well against Buffalo and Edmonton. An early goal against Montreal did not help the cause with the team playing incredibly flat. He was pulled in that game about 7 minutes in to the 2nd period. With a 2 goal lead in the last few minutes of the Sabres game, he was attempting to get off a shot at the vacated Buffalo net. No real chance was launched. This is mainly because the puck was to his right. Fleury's best chance at a goal came a few years ago against Edmonton. The puck was settled to his left and he had time to set himself. Expect him to continue to try for a goal in any situation where the Pens have a 2 goal lead.

-Brent Johnson had a good game in relief of MAF against the Habs and then stopped 21 shots in the win against Ottawa. Good to know he's around for the playoffs as our #2. He has proven his worth time and time again this season. If there is such a thing as an "unsung hero" award for the team, he should be the unanimous winner.

Opponents:

-Buffalo

-C Rob Niedermayer scored his 2nd goal of the season.

-Buffalo fans are rejoicing at the rapidly completed sale of the team to natural gas billionaire Terry Pegula. Having a billionaire fund your team is always a good thing, just like Pens co-owner Ron Burkle. Even better for Sabres fans is the fact that Pegula is a passionate hockey fan. He donated $88 million to Penn St to help develop an arena for an eventual Division 1 hockey program and his dog is named after Sidney Crosby. I'd wish him luck, but it doesn't seem like he's short on reasons to feel good about himself. This is still welcome news for their fans, and there is a real sense of optimism surrounding their fan base. They are great fans (not obnoxious) and travel well. I'm happy for their organization.

-Montreal

-The Canadiens are involved in their own controversial hit, with the injury to Max Pacioretty (discussed above). Montreal Police had to ask fans to stop calling to report a crime took place the outrage was so bad. I'd like to wish him the best in his recovery.

-C Tomas Plecanic scored his 21st goal of the season.

-G Carey Price recorded his 12th career shutout. This was his 61st game played of the season!

-Edmonton

-LW Ryan Jones scored his 16th goal of the season for the Oilers only goal.

-Star Rookie Taylor Hall will miss the rest of the season due to ankle injury. He has been one of the few bright spots for the team this season.

-Ottawa

-D Erik Karlsson has a very promising future leading the Senators in points, but after the game his +/- dropped to -36. FSN Pittsburgh's Bob Errey has a funny line about him being in contention for the green jacket (golf reference).

-RW Ryan Shannon's 7th goal of the season served as the only tally for Ottawa.

Recap: Games 65-67

Games: @ TOR (L 3-2 OT),  @ NJ (L 2-1 OT), @ BOS (W 3-2 OT)

Notable Highlights:

-4 of 6 possible points. Somehow, the Penguins find themselves only 2 points behind the Flyers for the Division and Conference lead. Currently, the Penguins have 84 points. Historically, you need between 88-92 points to be around the 8th spot. Even with a slump, the Penguins still have a better mathmatical show at finishing in the top 4 than in the bottom 4 or even outside of the playoff picture. Again, give Coach Bylsma credit for keeping the direction of the team moving forward, despite a definite lack in firepower.

-I'll give D Paul Martin a shout out in the highlights for logging a TOI of  35:26 against New Jersey. Somebody has to take the minutes when a defensemen is kicked out early on, but that doesn't make it any less important. He also made a nice stick check on Toronto D Dion Phaneuf to thwart a great scoring chance in a tight game.

-RW Craig Adams again gets a mention in the highlights. Just before Devils RW Ilya Kovalchuk scored in OT, he cranked up for shot that Adams got in front of. It's a tribute to the heart of Adams, that even in a game in early March, he will step in front of one of the hardest shots in the game and not give it a second thought.

-LW Tyler Kennedy scored his 15th goal of the season in the Devils game and added an assist on C Jordan Staal's goal against Boston. TK just keep making the most of his chances. Frankly, I couldn't find something negative to say about that if I tried.

Ghastly Lowlights:

-D Kris Letang had  a very selfish/stupid ejection in the Devils game. After knocking Devils C Travis Zajac down, he stood over top of him for a few seconds instead of joining the team on the rush. This naturally lead to a fight between the two. After grappling for a bit, Zajac pulled on Letang's jersey, revealing that it wasn't tied down. That is an automatic ejection. At a point this early in the game, it just unacceptable for a defenseman to be tossed over something he can control.

-C Jordan Staal and LW James Neal both went to the shooter on the GWG by C Mikhail Grabovski in OT against Toronto. With both forwards out this high, the puck was sent to Grabovski in front of the net where there was little G Marc-Andre Fleury could do. Both guys were being aggressive, but you have to be aware of where all players are at on the ice. It is even more important when an accomplished goal scorer is the one that is wide open. They will make you pay more times than not.

-There is a vocal group of dolts/Steeler fans that are unable to comprehend a fast moving sport like hockey/Sidney Crosby haters that will tell anyone that has an earhole or two that Sid is a sissy and should "tough it out" when it comes to playing with his concussion. The long term affects of concussions are terrible. They have even been said to change those who have been afflicted's judgment. Why else would Hines Ward agree to do "Dancing With the Stars"??

photo courtesy of mrboots.com

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, of course. I do wonder if these people would say the same thing about/to the face of Arron Asham. He has now missed his 13th game due to a concussion and isn't exactly the kind of guy that has ever shied away from physical play.

I wouldn't consider myself the biggest Crosby fan out there, but I do believe in at least trying to be reasonably consistent in an argument on any issue. Much of this season, I've found myself harping on the head shot and concussion issue as it relates to hockey, and sports in general. To suggest that Crosby isn't tough for doing the medically prudent thing is ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as it would be to accuse Asham of the same.

About 20 games ago, I discussed the growing concern over concussions in the sport, and introduced myself to the medical condition CTE.  This past week, it was revealed that NHL legend Bob Probert (1965-2010) had died with CTE. To his credit, he seemed to know that he would not live to see old age and agreed to allow his brain to be studied.

Probert accumulated 3,300 PIMs in his NHL career, many of which were from trading blows to the head in one form or another. Anyone that grew up learning hockey in the 1980s has a special place in their heart for Mr. Probert. He was one of the toughest guys to ever play the game. That just isn't a question. If you say otherwise, chances are you never watched him play. The trouble is, all that toughness couldn't save him from a hell of a shortened life (due to heart failure) and CTE.

I guess that if pressed on the subject, I would concede that Sidney Crosby and just about anyone else isn't tough when compared to Bob Probert. If he couldn't survive it, what chance do they have??

photo courtesy of fightstrap.com

Forward Recaps:

-James Neal has yet to score a goal in his time with the Pens. While this surely can be considered a negative, because of Neal's contract situation we can give him some time to adjust. He likely will benefit greatly from playing on line's next season with players like Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. Neal is a power forward. His game isn't based on handling the puck and skating with it. With the injury situation, that is often what he is needed for currently. With players such as Sid and Geno, he will be able to find space because players have to go them instead. Once open, they will find him the puck. If you watched any highlights of Neal's goals (I know I have), you see a hard shot. The kind of shot that can go right through a goalie, even from the high slot. Don't write him off just yet.

-RW Chris Conner chipped in his 7th goal of the season against the Maple Leafs.

-C Dustin Jeffery had both an up and a down in this stretch. His up was the 2 goals (6th and 7th) against the Bruins, including the game winner. A closer look also reveals the negative. In the Toronto game, his turnover near the defensive zone face off dot directly lead the C Phil Kessel's goal.

Defenseman Recaps:

-Matt Niskanen took the blame for blowing the assignment on the winning goal in Toronto, but as discussed above I'm not buying it. Strong move on the part of a new teammate thought. Was pleasantly surprised at his seeing eye goal and the assist that sent Conner on a breakaway (for a goal) in in this game as well.

-Ben Lovejoy had an assist against Toronto and has looked pretty comfortable in the lineup recently. Playing time has allowed him to work some of the kinks out of his game.

Goalie Recaps:

-Marc-Andre Fleury had 17 saves against Toronto and had 29 saves against Boston. You could argue that he dramtically helped our cause against Boston and was just a participant in the Toronot game. I'm still anxious to see if he will be performing at the level he did for most of the month of February. MAF playing at that level will be the team's only realistic shot at advancing past the 1st round of the playoffs.

-Brent Johnson stopped 28 of the 30 shots tossed at him by the Devils. The first goal against was fairly weak, but you have to expect that a goalie will let in a soft one from time to time. Perfection isn't a realistic expectation every time a goalie is in the cage, let alone for one that had not played much in February.

Opponents:

-Toronto

-LW Nikolai Kulemin scored his 23rd goal of the season on some nice work with F's Clarke MacArthur and Mikhail Grabovski.

-C Phil Kessel had an assist and a nice tip in goal near the cage for his 27th of the season.

-New Jersey

-The Devils have played at an astonishing pace. At the start of February, they had 35 points. By the start of March, they had 58 points. While it is still very unlikely the will qualify for the playoffs, they proved that they still have a strong enough roster to contend next season.

-In addition to a fight, Travis Zajac scored his 10th goal of the season.

-Ilya Kovalchuk's GWG was his 23rd goal of the season.

-Boston

-D and Captain Zdeno Chara scored his 11th goal of the season.

-Mt. Lebo's D Matt Bartkowski has played 3 career NHL games. Each have been against the Pens.

-G Tim Thomas let in 3 goals against the Penguins, which is a "terrible" game for him this season. His GAA is 1.97 and if I had a vote for the Hart Trophy (MVP), he would have it.

Recap: Games 62-64

Games: vs. SJ (L 3-2 OT),  @ CAR (L 4-1), @ TOR (W 6-5 SO)

Notable Highlights:

-3 of 6 possible points. Despite the fact that the punchless Penguins could be considered to be slumping, they continue to scratch out points here and there. Give credit to Coach Dan Bylsma. There are a lot of "moving parts" right now, so to speak. Keeping everyone on the same page and with the appropriate level of focus is not an easy task. Currently there are 18 games left, with 36 points on the line. If you accept the assumption that they can win half of these games, they would finish with 98 points. If they play below .500 the rest of the way, there is still a chance of missing the playoffs. I don't think it's likely given that injured players will keep returning to the lineup, but it is something to consider.

-GM Ray Shero pulled the trigger on the a deal to bring RW Alexei Kovalev back. He was acquired from the Senators for a conditional draft pick (either a 6th or a 7th round). Despite his flaws, it is good to add an NHL caliber player to the lineup. We saw both the good and the bad of his game already. He had a goal against Toronto (good), scored the shootout winner in the same game (good), and managed to rack up 8 PIMs in his 2 games (bad). He is wearing #72.

At the time this was written, the trade deadline had officially passed. The Penguins did not make any more moves, appearing to be happy to stay put with the additions of D Matt Niskanen, LW James Neal, and RW Kovalev. Overall, the trade deadline was relatively calm around the league. The main deadline day deals went to Vancouver, Los Angeles, and Washington. Despite the Penguins and Capitals recent moves, they still appear to be chasing Philadelphia and Boston in the conference. As of this moment, I would consider Philadelphia and Vancouver to be the favorites, with Boston and Detroit just behind them. Other teams that I believe could make an impact would be Washington, San Jose, and Los Angeles (as a sleeper pick).

-RW Craig Adams played a particularly inspired game against San Jose. He finished the game with 4 blocked shots and was doing the little things you need done in a tight game.

-LW Tyler Kennedy continued his excellent play with 2 goals against the Sharks, his 13th and 14th. His 2nd goal of the game tied the score at 2 with 50 seconds left while the goalie was pulled.

Ghastly Lowlights:

-PK was 10 of 14 during this stretch. First time in a long time where the Penalty Killing Unit could be considered a lowlight.

-C Sidney Crosby has now missed 23 games due to recurring concussion symptoms. At the advice of medical experts and several former afflicted players (including Eric Lindros), the team and Sid are not proceeding with workouts until he is symptom free. Unfortunately, the current rumor is that he has not been able to remain without headaches for more than a few days. Even though it will mean the team has no real shot at a lengthy playoff run, as a fan and season ticket holder I support the team if Crosby is unable to return this season.

-The team was not very focused in the defensive end during the Toronto game. If G Marc-Andre Fleury has cooled off, they are going to have to be all about defense down the stretch to keep the point a game pace they should need to comfortable qualify for the playoffs.

Forward Recaps:

-Nice to see an awakening of some forgotten forwards in the past 2 games. Pascal Dupuis scored his 11th against the Hurricanes, and against the Toronto we were treated to goals by Maxime Talbot (7th, SHG) and Mike Rupp (6th)

-C Dustin Jeffrey returned to the lineup against Carolina and scored his 5th goal against Toronto. GM Ray Shero also indicated that we can expect Jeffery to remain with the team for the duration of the season. He had previously been shuttling between the AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre Scranton and Pittsburgh to save space under the salary cap.

-C Mark Letestu returned to the lineup against Toronto. He scored his 11th goal of the season and chipped in an assist.

Defenseman Recaps:

-Brooks Orpik suffered a break to his finger/hand while blocking a shot against the Sharks. He is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, but is also expected to return this season.

-Paul Martin was able to complete a full practice with the team. He is expected to return to the lineup soon.

-Ben Lovejoy had an assist against Toronto.

Goalie Recaps:

-Marc-Andre Fleury did not have a strong stretch. He played very well against the Sharks, with 35 saves. He was pulled about halfway through the game against Carolina, and gave up 5 goals against Toronto. If MAF is coming back to earth after his strong play in the past month, the team will continue to find it difficult to gain points.

-Brent Johnson stopped 9 of the 10 shots he faced in relief of Fleury against Carolina.

Opponents:

-San Jose

-LW Patrick Marleau scored 2 goals, including the GWG with 4 seconds left in OT. These goals were his 23rd and 24th of the season.

-G Antti Niemi had 24 saves in the win. Niemi is in his first season with the Sharks after leading Chicago to the Stanley Cup Championship last season.

-Carolina

-Captain and C Eric Staal left the game after a check by D Matt Niskanen.

-LW Erik Cole scored a goal (18) and added an assist.

-G Cam Ward had 33 saves in the win.

-Toronto

-RW and former Penguin Colby Armstrong scored his 8th game of the season.

-RW Phil Kessel had  2 assists.

-Rookie G James Reimer had 35 saves in the loss. He has the Toronto media and fans abuzz over the possibility that he was become the team's #1 goalie. Since the Leafs are carrying 3 goalies, he appears to be getting his chance to stake a clain to that top spot.

Recap: Games 58-61

  
Games: @ NYR (L 5-3),  @ COL (W 3-2 OT), @ CHI (L 3-2 SO), vs. WAS (L 1-0)

Notable Highlights:

-3 of 8 possible points. Each point takes on a greater importance with the injury situation. Depending on how thing's shake out at the trade deadline, we could be hanging on for dear life the rest of the way. Being able to keep a sniff of the home ice advantage, and hopefully securing it, is a nice goal to shoot for.

-As I've been saying since the inception of the blog, the Penguins figure to move one of their defenseman this season in attempt to land a top 6 winger. D Alex Goligoski was traded February 21st to the Dallas Stars. In return, the Penguins get LW James Neal (pictured above) and D Matt Niskanen. Neal provides a scoring touch, netting 21 goals this season. Niskanen is a former 1st round pick of the Stars. He hasn't had a very strong season, but he will likely be in the mix for the #6 D spot on the team if he is not moved again prior to the trade deadline. Both guys have 1 year on their contracts past this season. Welcome to Pittsburgh, guys. Also, I would like to thank Gogo for his time here and his contributions to the team. Best of luck in Dallas!

-LW Brett Sterling has 3 goals in his time up this season, including 2 in this stretch. He may be earning himself a shot in the NHL for a longer look. If not here, somewhere. He had a 5 game scoring streak snapped against Washington.

-Even Tyler Kennedy has been playing what many consider to be his best hockey ever. He's making the most of the ample oppurtunity for ice time. He's also seeing time on the Power Play, scoring the game winner in OT in Denver. In Chicago, there was a chance for a second consectutive gamer winner on the PP in OT, but it just sailed past the net. This stretch for Kennedy may be saving him in the eyes of management for the future. Surely they are keeping a close watch on who has stepped up in the absence of so many of the team's top forwards.

-C Jordan Staal played a very strong game against the Avs. His 6th goal of the season answered an Avs score right away. Staal typically just plays his game and doesn't let the circumstances or surroundings affect him. In the Chicago game, he put on his power forward hat and drove the net, causing space for a Brett Sterling goal. That is why Jordo succeeds. He keeps it simple and within his means.

-Make sure you are sitting down as you read this next sentence. I commend the Power Play of their performance in the Colorado game. Yes, you read that correctly. I've spent a lot of time earlier in the season discussing how timely goals are just as, if not more important than, a high conversion percentage. The extra point was on the line in OT and the PP Unit converted.

-The Penguins forwards controlled the tempo and pace for most of the Capitals game. Unfortunately there just wasn't enough punch to get a lead at any point.

Ghastly Lowlights:

-C Jordan Staal did not return to the bench after being struck by a Kris Letang slap shot. It appear to catch him in the neck area, so both his collarbone or jaw could be concerns. Hopefully he is alright.

-The Ranger game was pretty ugly for the team performance wise. In fact, this whole trip to New York City didn't go so well. There was the joke of a game on Long Island, of course. When the team went to practice outdoors at Central Park, the bus was in a traffic accident. Then there was the performance in this game. A forgettable trip to the Big Apple, to say the least.

-If something goes wrong in the defensive end, I'm not always able to fully identify who is at fault. One thing is for certain, lately there have been many lapses in judgment in the Pens D zone. There's been a lot patting the organization patting itself on the back because they force the minor league team to play the same system/strategy as the NHL club. Again, I can't be 100% of the cause, but there seem to be examples of any reason you can think of from the Rangers game.

Pascal Dupuis was forced to take a faceoff to the left of Marc-Andre Fleury. The Rangers won the draw back to the line, and each forward went out. This left Vinny Prospal open at the side of the net, where he cashed in on his 2nd of the year. It's very possible that guys are having trouble knowing where to be with so many different guys around.

There also may be the possibility that the Penguins just can't keep up currently. Theer are so many AHL players in the lineup that it seems likely that at certain times, we are just going to get outgunned.

Wearing the guys so think also seemed to affect the PK in the Rangers game. D Paul Martin failed to move a guy out from in front of the next...next thing you know Ryan Callahan has his 14th of the season.

On Artem Anisimov's 12the goal of the season, he was allowed to float right on down the slot as if he he were one of the cabs taking players to practice.

The Avs 2nd goal was a disgrace from a defensive standpoint. If you watch the ice level replay, D Cameron Gaunce

Even when the team has been in games such as the Avs and Hawks games, there have been many instances of wide open play

-C Maxime Talbot maybe be seeing his final games in a Penguins uniform. It seems absolutely certain he will not be re-signed. You typically don't look for Talbo to be a big numbers guy, but you'd like for him to step up and chip some in with the situation currently. AHLers are scoring more consistently than Max. That is a  problem since Talbot has shown flashes of offensive ability.

-Hall of Fame Co-Owner Mario Lemieux relased a statement regarding the Islanders game. It can be viewed here. While I do not want to spend much time going over this in detail, there are two items I would like to cite as lowlights.

First, I don't think I've criticized Mr. Lemieux more than twice in my entire life, so this is foreign territory to me. I'll just disclose that I've always considered him my favorite player, and something more than that. In my youth, he was able to do something that my other sports heroes were not...win. The Steelers and Pirates of the time (and for many, many years to come) did not and could not win when it counted most. When the Pens lifted the Cup that first time, it was the best feeling in the world for me. I certainly could not consider myself a popular kid, but in the Penguins and avid fandom of hockey I had an identity. Them winning, meant that by extension, I could soak in some of that glow. So having said that, please know that aside from treason, I don't think I have it in me to be highly critical of Lemieux.

At any rate, I cannot take issue with anything that Lemieux said. He is, at worst, the 3rd best player ever to play the sport. He he taken training a bit more seriously and not be sidelined with such grave injuries, perhaps the NHL record books would take on a different shape today. Even without that though, Lemieux is allowed to speak out on whatever he likes or dislikes about the sport. He is even allowed to threaten to take his ball and go home, as some has suggested he did with this statement. I believe that his main flaw is in his lack of action. Lemieux, by most accounts, has maintained a lassiez faire attitude towards his involvement in attending and influencing NHL rules and policy. This is a grave mistake. Lemieux can be extremely influential here. Just because you are "hands on" doesn't mean you are automatically a jackass like Mark Cuban. I would strongly urge Lemieux to reconsider his role in policy development. Not because he owes it to me, or any of you reading this, but because he owes it to the sport he loves.

Secondly, I would take great umbrage with those in the media that have made this about the Penguins team having the most fighting majors and employing Matt Cooke. I would especially like to chastize the Canadian medie for their reaction to this. For you guys and gals to lose sight of the cheap ugliness that went on during the Islanders game as the main issue of contention is disappointing. Americans are supposed to not "get it" when it comes to hockey. What is your excuse? You know damn well this isn't about fighting. Do you really want to watch a sideshow at the NHL level? Really? I find both the notion and the media response to this both quite hard to believe and stomach.

Forward Recaps:

-Matt Cooke returned from his 4 game suspension against the Blackhawks and chipped in a goal. He played a decent game with 20:22 TOI and manged to keep himself out of trouble. Many will be watching Cooke's conduct very closely the rest of the way, including the league and referees. Make no mistake though, Cooke can play the game without resorting to cheap shots. A great example is him drawing a penalty on RW Marian Hossa in the closing 35 seconds of the 3rd period. Hossa got the call because he used his stick to the body as a means of battling for a puck. Cooke kept his skates moving even as he slipped to the ice. Good hard work there by Cookie. Here's to hoping that he keeps his nose clean from here on out.

-Congrats to St. Louis, MO born Joe Vitale for scoring his 1st NHL goal against the Avalanche.

-LW Pascal Dupuis has also gone missing. He has 10 goals on the seasons, which actually seems about right for him relative to his talent level and lack of hands. Unfortunately for the team, they have had to rely on Dupuis as a top line player. Even when guys are healthy, this is sketchy. Dupuis is best suited for a 3rd line type role. In case you think I'm just beating up on the guy, I really do like what he brings to the team. It just ends up being miscast due to the lack of depth of skill guys at forward.

Defenseman Recaps:

-Brooks Orpik defened a 3-on-1 against the Rangers about as well as could ever be expected. He kept the puck and the pressure to the outside, which allowed for an easy save.

-Kris Letang had a missed pinch at the Offensive end during the Ranger game. A 2-on-1 came back the other way, and Pascal Dupuis was forced to take a penalty. I'm not sure if the team is looking to have the Dmen be so agressive currently, though it may be the only hope of generating a capable offense with the injured players out of the lineup.

-Ben Lovejoy was in the lineup against the Capitals. He did well defensively but looked a little out of rhythm on offense. Perhaps a result of sitting for so many games.

-Brian Strait was called up from Wilkes Barre-Scranton for the Capitals game. This was his 1st NHL game. He blocked 1 shot and registered 13:02 TOI. He was paired with Ben Lovejoy most of the evening.

Goalie Recaps:

-Mark-Andre Fleury was off against the Rangers. Another case of who to blame to be certain, but with all the injuries, Fleury has to be counted on to keep teams to 2 or less goals if there's going to be a realistic chance to win or take it to OT. Conversely, he played very well in the Avs, Hawks, and Caps games. The team let up a lot of open chances in the Avs and Hawks games. Fleury stood tall and had a large part in the 3 points gained in these games.

Opponents:

-New York Rangers

-G Henrik Lundqvist overcame a poor start to stop 26 out of 29 saves in the win.

-RW Marian Gaborik had only scored in 9 games for the Rangers this season (as of this game).

-Colorado

-D Cameron Gaunce scored his 1st NHL goal. Congrats to him.

-RW Chris Stewart scored his 12th of year. After this game, he and young D Kevin Shattenkirk were traded to St. Louis. I'm a bit baffled by the move to be honest. To me, these are guys the Avs could build around. Obviously, their GM disagrees...and also gets paid a much better salary to disagree with me.

-C Peter Forsberg ended his 2 game comeback attempt, citing that the health of his foot would not let him play at the level he would want/expect for himself.

Forsberg leaves the game having scored 249 goals and 885 points in 708 regular season NHL games. He also played in 151 NHL playoff games , lifting the Cup with Avs twice (after the 1995-96 and 2000-01 seasons).

"Foppa" is also one of the most decorated International players as well. He played in over 200 games for the famed MoDo squad of the Swedish Elite League. In addition to multiple World Championship tournaments and a World Cup of Hockey appearance, Peter played in 4 Winter Olympics: 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010. Sweden won Olympic Gold in 1994 and 2006. The 1994 Games produced one of the most memorable moments for Forsberg, as his shootout goal against G Corey Hirsch helped win it and also became a stamp in his homeland.

On his legacy, he is quoted as saying "I hope people remember me, that when I went out on the rink, I gave everything." I know I sure will Peter. Congratulations on an excellent career in hockey. Best of luck in whatever avenues you pursue worldwide.

-Chicago

-Rookie G Corey Crawford stopped 24 of 26 shots and stopped all players he faced in the shootout. With the Blackhawks struggles this season, it seems that Crawford is being given a chance to play his win in to a prominant role for the future.

-C Patrick Sharp scored his 31st goal of the season.

-Former Penguin RW Marian Hossa's season has been plagued by injury and lack of production. He has 12 goals in 42 games.

-Washington

-Captain Alexander Ovechkin scored his 24th goal of the season on the Power Play. It was his 8th game winning goal of the season.

-G Michal Neuvirth stopped all 39 shots he faced to earn his second consecutive shutout against the Penguins.

Recap: Games 54-57

Games: @ WAS (L 3-0),  vs. CBJ (L 4-1 ), vs. LA (W 2-1 OT), @ NYI (L 9-3)

Notable Highlights:

-2 of 8 possible points. Not exactly a highlight, but 1) I don't feel like moving the points from this spot and 2) considering the lineup that's heading out there, any points are a plus.

-F Tim Wallace (6'1", 207 lbs) made the most of his call up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton by engaging a much bigger (6-5'', 222 lbs) David Steckel (The Capital that hit Sidney Crosby at the Winter Classic, which may have caused a concussion). Wallace has proven to be unafraid of going up against other team's giants. Last season he fought Boston's Milan Lucic (6'3", 228 lbs).

-Even a person like me has to be impressed with the Kings game win. Inserted in to the lineup were minor leaguers Ryan Craig, Nick Johnson, Brett Sterling (scored a goal), and Joe Vitale. Combine that with the fact that we've also seen Mark Letestu, Dustin Jeffery, Chris Conner, Tim Wallace, and Eric Tangradi fill spots during the season and the Penguins record is all the more impressive. I'm beginning to be convinced of what I thought all along this season: we aren't going to have the scoring depth to make a deep run. Even though I believe that, I'm fully prepared to cheer on the guys for as long as the run takes us. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

-Congrats to Coach Dan Bylsma. The win against Los Angeles was his 100th NHL win. FSN Pittsburgh also did a nice job of featuring Assistant Coach Tony Granato during that game. He played 6 season for the Kings.

Ghastly Lowlights:

-Chris Kunitz's last minute scratch before the Columbus game made an already depleted team look lighter. The forward group was spread thin, as evidenced by all forwards but Eric Tangradi and Eric Goddard having more than 10 mins of ice time.

-The team "toughness" that gets heralded when the team is winning doesn't seem to be doing much for the offense. Fighting majors aren't goals...hockey is still about scoring more than the other team. That is something the Pens are clearly incapable of right now. (I'd actually like to note that I wrote this prior to the Islanders game...which makes it even more prophetic)

-LW Matt Cooke basically made a mockery out of the first two games of this stretch. He took a run at Ovie, could have killed Fedor Tyutin, and received a 4 game suspension for his troubles at a time when the team needs every healthy body possible. Coach Bylsma even defended him on both counts. Is this just a case of finger pointing at mislabelled agitator or a player that deserves every game of his suspenstion? Let's break it down...

Alexander Ovechkin has a reputation for hitting guys dirty. Some would say that he charges on the majority of his hits. He also has been accused of attempting to hurt players via knee on knee contact (see Sergei Gonchar's injury in the last Cup year, or his suspenstion for a similar hit). Some would also say that Ovie probably has brought dirty hits on himself because of this. While I wouldn't disagree with any of that, I would also state that this should have been worthy of a suspension on its own. Just like when we were kids, two wrongs do not make a right. There was clear intent to injure in my opinion. Just because the result wasn't what Cooke desired doesn't make it any less cheap.

Cooke has a clear resume of questionable plays (just google "Matt Cooke cheap shots"). I'm sorry if that offends any Pens fans, but it is what it is. As I've said before, Cooke is veteran, and he knows damn well what he is doing. Look at someone like Boston's Marc Savard. His career now may be over due to one of these questionable hits.

Caps Coach Bruce Boudreau was quoted as follows (from the Washington Post online): "It was Matt Cooke. Need we say more? It's not like it's his first rodeo."

Bylsma (from the same WP online): "I didn't think much contact was made. Maybe their skates get wound up together. Buy you know, Ovechkin was out on the ensuing power play."

Coach Dan Bylsma not only is wrong on that point, but his logic is flawed. For example, if a player took a baseball style swing at someone's head with a stick and didn't connect...would that mean it wasn't dirty? I think not.

 Disco Dan is also wrong about the Tyutin hit, in my opinion. According to prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com he stated, "(Tyutin) makes sure that he keeps his numbers (on the back of the jersey) towards him." The debate over what role a player has in avoiding injury is a long one, and most likely a post of its own (one that I"ll try to take up during the summer). I just think is nothing more than a Coach sticking up for his player, but I consider that a disservice to the league when it's such a questionable group of plays.

Tyutin is entitled to make a play along the back wall in his defensive end to move the puck without potential paralysis. Cooke can still apply pressure without blasting him from behind in to the glass. This was not a situation where the victim turned at the last second to embellish. He was establishing position in case of a scrum at his feet for the puck, and preparing to move the puck.

As I've said a few times this season, Cooke's saving grace is that he is able to chip in goals and kills penalties well. At this point though, is he really any different than Jarkko Ruutu or Sean Avery? I find both of them to be buffoons that find ways to constantly hinder their team due to their reputations and actions. For my money, Cooke deserves every game of this suspension and I hope that there isn't another one.

-As of Friday night about at 7pm, I figured that my detailed piece for this segment would be on the Cooke fiasco(s). I had everything written up for the first three games, and whatever the Islanders game added would be a minor add on. Have you ever heard the bad joke that somebody went to a fight and a hockey game broke out? Well, that's what happened as Reggie Dunlop and the boys from "Slapshot" snuck in to the Islanders dressing room. Now there are 2 "features" for the recap in this segment. I feel pretty passionately about this, so it's going to shoot from the hip. Just my heated opinions.

At any rate, I believe that pregame speech went a little something like this:

Reggie Dunlop: I am personally placing a hundred-dollar bounty on the head of Max Talbot. He's the head coach and chief punk on that Pittsburgh team.

Islanders players in unison: A bounty? Hundred-dollars!? That's more than twice our entire franchise and arena are valued at!

Reggie Dunlop: Yeah, a hundred bucks of my own money for the first guy that really nails that creep.

I'd like to state again, for the millionth time, that I have no problem with fighting in the sport of hockey. It certainly isn't the be all, end all to me...but I think it belongs. With that being said, I feel the need to define that as a clean fight, between two particpants that are willing.

One of the problems with the boxing match between the Islanders and the Penguins was that the referees were clearly unable to handle everything that was going, let alone sort it out. There was too much focus on "evening things up" as opposed to getting the offenders penalized in a way that would keep the game under control. I'm not sure what role any off ice officials have with the on ice crew, but there may need to be consideration for a contingency plan and cooperation from the off ice officials in these rare situations where all hell breaks loose. I find it incredibly hard to believe that there were only two instigator penalties out of 65 penalites (183 PIM for NY, 163 PIM for Pit) and 15 fighting majors. Even crazier is that these occurred for Islanders that fought Deryk Engelland and Eric Goddard. Come on. Those guys are willing combatants. I see plenty of guys on both teams that don't necessarily want to go, but did because of the circumstances. The refs failed by not assessing more instigators.

Another travesty that is sure to come out of this game is the debate of whether or not the NHL should ban fighting altogether. No. NO. NO. NO. Most of the NHLs conduct penalties are not called properly by the officials. If you enforce your rule book, this becomes less of a problem. Plus, don't lose sight of the fact that this is an isolated incident. Rather than restate all the rules, just go here and take a look at 46.4, 46.5, and 46.12. There was a lot of lollygagging when it was time to get off the ice because players knew the on ice officials couldn't get everyone. Also, there was a lot of fighting under 5 minutes left in the game. My hope is that suspension will follow for any player from either time found to have violated these rules.

A lot of people will feel that the Islanders were out of line. If they conducted themselves within the rules, they would not be out of line. I can understand that they want to stick up for their teammates, as they indicated in post-game interviews. There is no real issue with a million fights in a game, if they are done to a player's face and with willing combatants. This isn't football, there is still plenty of room for men to be men. But that's the thing, men don't act like punks and attack players from behind. Unfortunately, Islanders LW Matt Martin didn't believe in fighing like a man. He dropped his gloves and tried to attack/sucker punch C Maxime Talbot from behind. This was an awful moment. No defense for it. Being born in 1989, maybe Martin is too young to remember the Todd Bertuzzi assault of Steve Moore. That assault took place during a hockey game (after Matt Cooke had already fought Moore earlier) and broke Moore's neck. I call it an assault because it was done from behind. The court system in British Columbia also called it an asault, charging Bertuzzi with a crime in June 2004. It was a gutless move that has no place in society, let alone sports. We weren't far from having another giant black eye on the sport, just like the video below.

There were other ugly cheap shots in this game one both sides. RW Eric Goddard elbowed an Islander, which resulted in a concussion from what I've read. D Brooks Orpik took a few liberties with RW Michael Grabner. Believe me just because these are Penguins doesn't mean I consider them immune to punishment. They deserve anything they get.

The ugliest incident of the night came when Isles LW Trevor Gillies delivered a headshot on Eric Tangradi, causing contact with his elbow to the head, and thus the head to the glass. Tangradi was injured and was on the ice for quite some time. In a total classless move, Gillies refused to go to the locker room, instead stood in the runway and taunted an injured Tangradi in one of the more disgusting things I've ever witnessed in this sport. Gillies has played in 47 NHL games, logging 1 game in 2005-06, then returning in 2009-10. In between he spent his time re-uniting with The Village People, resuming his role as "The Biker".

Eric Goddard also left the bench to intervene with the fight between G Brent Johnson and C Michael Haley. I give Johnson credit. He said that he felt responsible for much of went on during this game. It's not required of him to have dropped the gloves there, but surely his thinking was that if went with Haley, the Islanders would have what they truly wanted, a shot at him. Goddard will face a minimum 10 game suspension for his actions. This is wrong according to the rules, and he deserves what he gets here. I won't criticize him though. To expect a guy whose job it is to protect players to sit by during this nonsense is foolish. Goddard felt this was what he needed to do, much like the Isles guys feel that their actions were merely their way of being a good teammate.

I hope that NHL takes strong and decisive action against the cheap shots that went on during this game from both sides. I think If there's anything positive to come out of this, it's the word from TSN's Darren Dregger reported via his Twitter:

"NHL has a lot to digest. "Unacceptable" is how one high ranking official views last night. Fines and suspensions may not be decided on today about 3 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® "

Reggie Dunlop photo courtesy of dryden.eastmanhouse.org

Forward Recaps:

-Evgeni Malkin had knee surgery to repair the damage done to his MCL and ACL. He is expected to be out for 6 months.

-Despite the rumors, there is still no word that Sidney Crosby is done for the season. While the length of this injury has been longer than expected, they team is hoping for a March return for the team's Captain. While Sid himself could not rule out the possibility that he could be done, in his words: "I expect to play".

-Dustin Jeffery joins the list of Penguins players on IR with a "lower body injury". He cannot return until after the Colorado game at the earlierest. No word on the severity of whatever is wrong with him, so that may or may not be an option.

Defenseman Recaps:

-Brooks Orpik let Columbus RW Rick Nash get behind him near the faceoff circle and a split second later the puck was in the net. Nash is simply too good of a sniper to allow him an uncontested one-timer.

-Zbynek Michalek made multiple saves in the crease during the Kings game, which helped the Pens overcome the Kings in a tight game.

-Kris Letang had some bad turnovers at both ends of the ice during the Islanders game. Not to pick on him, because nobody played well, but just merely pointing out that it happens to him as well. Just like Goligoski, he is a young defenseman and is still learing his craft.


Goalie Recaps:

-Mark-Andre Fleury had a rough game against Columbus. You could argue that the team also played lousy in front of him, but considering the fact that a lot of media types such as Dan Potash (in an interview on 93.7 The Fan) spent time crowing about Fleury's excellent play since his early season troubles, I'll suggest that this was a game that the team needed Fleury to keep them in. With so much offense out of the lineup, they're going to need a lot of that unless they like the idea of being a 6, 7, or 8 seed in the conference.

-Brent Johnson was very unimpressive against the Islanders, but I give him credit for tossing off the gloves and mask (again) in an attempt to calm the storm of fights that overtook the game.

Opponents:

-Washington

-G Michal Neuvirth stopped all 22 shots he faced for the shutout.

-RW Mike Knuble tallied an empty netter, his 13th of the season. I believe this was the 11th consecutive game against the Penguins in which he has scored a goal.

-LW Brooks Laich's 11th of year served as the game winner.

-Columbus

-RW Rick Nash scored his 24th goal and added an assist.

-LW R.J. Umberger added 2 assists in his first game at the Consol Energy Center. R.J. is a native of Plum and was drafted 16th overall in the 2001 draft by Vancouver.

-Columbus entered the game in 13th place in the Western Conference, yet only 5 points out of the 8th spot (the last playoff spot).

-Los Angeles

-The Kings will spend 10 games on the road in February becuase of the NBA All-Star Game and Grammy Awards.

-D Drew Doughty is a stud on the Kings' blue line. He has it all. Plays good D and can absolutely blow by a guy with skill or speed when he has the puck.

-D Rob Scuderi played in his first game in Pittsburgh since leaving as a free agent after the Stanley Cup win. He must have been chanelling Game 6, because he stopped a Jordan Staal goal at the buzzer. That earned the Kings one point by making it to Overtime.

-New York Islanders

-I rescind any support I've previously offered for this franchise to stay on Long Island or the New York area.

-The Islanders are last in the league attendance wise, averaging 9,893.

-Quebec City and the Provincial Government have agreed to funding on a $400 million arena project. This will be completed for the fall of 2015. The NHL had previously stated that Quebec City had to have a new arena before they would be considered for NHL expansion or relocation.

-Kansas City still has a very new, empty arena. Surely they would throw their hat in to the ring for the Islanders as well.

Recap: Games 51-53

Games: @ NYR (W 4-3),  vs. NYI (W 3-0 ), vs. BUF (W 3-2)

Notable Highlights:

-6 of 6 possible points without Sid and Geno again (mostly). A lot is made by media types and people like me about the Penguins lack of depth and skill on the wings. One thing goes without question: this group knows what it takes to grind out games and get wins. The key thing for the team long-term is for these role guys to continue to step up and take control of games as they have without the stars in the lineup. When they are in the lineup, there is too much of a tendency to watch them work and wait for them to save the day as opposed to taking control themselves.

-The PK unit killed 10 of 11 chances during this stretch. Ryan Callahan's PPG for the Rangers was the first goal given up by the PK in 22 chances.

-Even though it's not from this stretch, D Kris Letang had 2 goals in the All-Star Game. He also has a nickname in case you haven't heard: Cinco Ocho.

Ghastly Lowlights:

-The injury bug continues to rear its ugly head. Sid has now missed 12 games due to his concussion and has returned to his home province of Nova Scotia to work out with his trainer. Evgeni Malkin returned to the lineup against Buffalo and went right back out in the second period after an awkward looking tweek of his leg/knee. An MRI is scheduled to see if anything is wrong. He was not on the ice for practice Saturday (Feb 5). Mark Letestu injured his knee at practice, has had surgery and will miss 4-6 weeks.Lastly, Arron Asham left the Ranger game with what is thought to be a shoulder injury.

EDIT: Coach Bylsma has confirmed that Evgeni tore his MCL and ACL in last night's game. Sorry to hear that. Best of luck in recovery.

-PP was 2 for 13 during this stretch. I'm thinking of just giving this feature a rest until the playoffs. Broken record...

-C Jordan Staal  was kicked out of the Ranger game, after punching LW Brandon Prust. Prust had a fight earlier in the evening, looks to have taken a severe dive on this play. At first glance, it looked like this could be an ugly incident, possibly even the type that the NHL is trying to clamp down on.

When I stop and watch what happens during this sequence, it really makes me sick. Prust elbows Staal in the face as he approachs the scrum. Staal hits hit with a closed left fist with his glove on. The stick was not in the left hand. Prust reacts as if he was shot from a grassy knoll nearby, tumbling to the ice and waiting for the trainer. Jordo is sent to the box, and then sent to the locker room as it is determined that he committed a "match" penalty (intent to injure) and given a game misconduct.

The match penalty aspect is what disgusts me. Jordan Staal committed a penalty, possibly even a double minor worthy penalty if Prust gets 2 mins for roughing at the same time. There was speculation that Jordan received the match penalty because of the brace on his hand. That would be an incorrect assessment because the brace is on his right hand, and as mentioned before he did not use his stick as a brass knuckle type device to strengthen the punch. He also did not strike a player from behind, or blindly from the side. Prust drew the first contact, so I would have to assume that he was expecting a potential strike from Staal

Other have said that this was a blatant cheap shot, and a head shot. This is where I may come off as hypocritical, but I do not believe a punch to someones face a head shot or a cheap shot if delivered properly. If someone disagrees with that, it is time to remove scrums and espeically fighting from the game of hockey (which I do not support). Each fight would allow for a potential "intent to injure" and it would be irresponsible of a league, and us as fans, to support that. I do believe fighting has a place in hockey, though I also believe that it is not as important as many would claim.

On the subject of Prust's actions, I can only express disgust and sadness. Prust really tarnished his reputation with a severe dive and embellishment of a punch to the face. If you don't agree that this was a dive, ask yourself how you react if Sidney Crosby hit the ice in this manner (which you may feel he already has). Chances are if this was Sid, you'd still be talking about it during the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Luckily, the league assessed the situation the next day and rescended the automatic 1 game suspension and match penalty from Staal's record. He was able to play against the Islanders and aside from some disgust with officiating, nobody was worse for the wear.

photo courtesy of thepuckdoctors.com

Forward Recaps:

-Eric Goddard was in the lineup for the Ranger and Islanders games, returning from a facial fracture suffered in a fight against Ottawa. He logged 7:07 and 4:24 worth of ice time and was an even rating with 1 shot on goal.

-Dustin Jeffrey scored 2 goals in this stretch (3 in his last 5 games), and had the shootout winner against the Rangers. He figures to stick around for a bit due to the Letestu injury. This could be a defining period for DJ with Sid and Malkin out. Jeffrey has not looked out of place with anyone in the lineup, so seeing top 6 duty could be his chance to show where his long-term future is with this team.

-If you'd never watched a hockey game before the Buffalo game, you'd still come away with a pretty good sense of all things Matt Cooke. He was invloved in a game long battle with D Tyler Myers. There was a pretty long post-whistle match with F Tyler Ennis in which Cooke came away with a cut on his nose and it appeared that he was mouthing the words "you f'n bit me" to Ennis. After all this agitation of the Sabres, he then chipped in a goal...the game winner. The goal was Cooke's 10th of the season.

Defenseman Recaps:

-I've Brooks Orpik delivered a shoulder to head of chief punk on that Rangers team, Sean Avery. This was a moment where I was torn, because I loathe Avery. At the end of the day, I say this was wrong. Even head shots against creeps are not acceptable in the NHL today.

-Zbynek Michalek was initially thought to have his 1st goal as Penguin in the Ranger game, but it was discovered that Chris Kunitz tipped it. Z will have to wait another few days before he scores his first with the team.

-Alex Goligoski had a terrible 1st period against the Sabres. There were multiple defensive zone turnovers, one which lead directly to a goal. I've talked about his upside and this clearly is his downside.

Goalie Recaps:

-Mark-Andre Fleury had 2 wins during this stretch. The Buffalo game started off rough, but the team bailed him out. He had 26 saves and a strong shootout performance in the Ranger win. He also mopped up the final 16 seconds of the Islander game.

-Brent Johnson was about to have a shutout against the Islanders, but he took exception to Rick DiPietro clotheslining F Matt Cooke and the other end. You likely know what happened, but in case you have been comatose for the past week, Johnny skated on down and engaged DiPi in a fight. A one punch fight. A one punch fight that ended up causing facial fractures and knee swelling in the oft-inured DiPietro, who will miss 4-6 weeks. As long as BJ doesn't do anything that directly costs the Penguins a Championship, his legacy in the city of Pittsburgh will be forever cemented: the badass goalie that turned the end of an unevenful game on a cold, windy night in February in to something that anyone that watched it will always remember. Nice work Johnny!

Opponents:

-New York Rangers

-C Artem Anisimov scored his 11th goal of the season by batting a puck out of mid-air a la a baseball player.

-Aside from scoring a 9.0 in the diving competition of the evening, Prust had a fight and a nice goal, his 8th of the season. That's what makes the dive all the more disturbing to me, there is no need for him to tarnish himself like that. He seems like a decent player that can handle him. Very puzzling.

-American born Ryan Callahan scored his 11th of the season.

-New York Islanders

-G Rick DiPietro has got to be disappointed in himself and frustrated. It's one thing to lose a fight, that happens. It's a completely separate issue for a goalie that has missed countless games since signing a giant contract to be injured in a fight. One also wonders what role his little post-shootout celebration in December played in this.

-C Zenon Konopka fought again. This time we went with F Mike Rupp.
-Buffalo

-C Paul Gaustad scored his 6th goal of the season just 0:17 in to the 1st period.

-RW Mike Grier scored his 3rd goal of the season.

-D Mike Weber is from Cranberry Township. He was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2006 draft.

Recap: Games 47-50

Games: vs. DET (W 4-1),  @ NJ (L 2-0 ), vs. CAR (W 3-2), NYI (W 1-0)

Notable Highlights:

-6 of 8 possible points without Sid and Geno. This helps keep the team afloat in troubled waters, but don't kid yourself...the season and its success or failure still hinge largely on Crosby and Malkin. Without them, the team simply lacks offensive punch, creativity, and excitement.

-Jordan Staal, Matt Cooke, and Tyler Kennedy have re-united as a line. They have been very effective as a unit. The problem is that without separate lines for Crosby and Malkin in conjunction with them, it lacks the dramatic ability to turn the course of games. It's just a good checking/energy line without them.

-Even if the Red Wings were depleted by injury, it's still very satisfying to beat them.

-The PK unit killed 16 of 16 chances during this stretch. It seems likely that at least one of the games was saved by this given the tendency to take penalty after penalty by the team.

-After the first period of the Devils game, the team forwards made a noticable effort to activate an agressive forecheck, getting in the face of and hitting Devils' dmen in their zone. This was most noticable against D Anton Volchenkov. The Pens have had similar success in the playoffs employing this technique. The theory is this aggressive forecheck will wear the dmen down, force turnovers, and generate pressure. Not in the cards on this night though.

-If I may (and I may), I'd like to be self serving again for a minute. Welcome to readers/visitors around the world! I'm seeing people from Denmark, Hungary, New Zealand, Austrailia, Indonesia, Finland, and Sweden. If any of you would like to have your story told here, email us! If not, I'm very curious what you think of the blog. While I have a somewhat narrow focus in topics, I am an avid fan of the sport around the globe. Hopefully, you enjoy it.

Ghastly Lowlights:

-Trap, trap, trap...I am sick of the damn trap! New Jersey stymied the Pens with their version. While the Red Wings trap was soft in the middle without their starters, this was easily the worst game in terms of tempo that I have ever been in the building for. Whistle after whilfe. I understand why teams run the trap, but it seems as entertaining to me as restrictor plate racing does to you NASCAR fans. Hockey can be as simple as shampooing at its most basic. Skate...score or miss...skate back on defense...repeat as necesary until desired result is acheived. Turn the guys loose! Too much clogging up the neutral zone creeping back in to the  game in my opinion.

-Even though it was very brief, the New Jersey game brought another 5-on-3 shorthanded situation. Last I heard, the Penguins were the most penalized team in the NHL (minors only).

-Hockey players are just like you...a cold seems to have been making its way through the team, forcing players to miss practice here and there.

-Another 3rd period defensive letdown by the guys in the Carolina game. 2 goals let up under 5 minutes left turned a 3-0 breeze in to a 3-2 nail biter. This keeps rearing its ugly head. This lack of focus will be costly in the playoffs if it continues. Don't doubt that for a second.

Forward Recaps:

-The Wilkes Barre-Scranton connections continue to make an impact for the team. Chris Conner scored the team's first penalty shot in 4 years, Mark Letestu inked a 2 year contract extenstion, and Dustin Jeffrey keeps going up and down between the farm club and Pittsburgh, chipping in goals while here, then going back to WBS and lead the Baby Penguins in scoring.

-Speaking of Dustin Jeffery, he had both a highlight and lowlight in the Islanders game. Lowlight was that he tried to skate from behind his net with the puck and go straight up the middle with it. This isn't the AHL, and he was stripped of the puck by the blue line. Next time, he'll remember to use the wall and support players. On the positive side, he won the faceoff that lead to Craig Adams' game winning goal. Good work also getting around the net to cause traffic and confusion.

-Evgeni Malkin will miss the All Star Game due to a nagging knee injury and a sinus infection.

-Sidney Crosby has missed 9 games due to his concussion adn will not attend the All Star Game. Concussions continue to be a hot topic throughout the league. Unfortunately, Boston F Marc Savard has been ruled out indefinately due to another concussion. If you recall, last time I mentioned a hit that D Deryk Engelland put on Savard. It was clean, but made contact with the head. Nights later, Savard was hit in a similar fasion and was face down for a time. He missed a ton of games due to concussion suffered from the Matt Cooke hit, including 23 at the start of this season due to recurring symptoms. Sid has been progressing, but he still hasn't been cleared to work out, let alone consider playing even in a limited role.

For my money, tonight's State of the Union is a colossal waste of time. Now if you want to talk about stuff that matters, let's chat concussions. NHL players seem to miss a lot more time than NFL players because of these injuries, despite both league's lip service regarding the desire to reduce/eliminate these from the game. Why though? NHL players aren't less "tough" than NFL players. It boils down to the basics. Here are my opinions:

First, is the speed of the game. An NHL player can skate between 25 and 30 MPH, with some even fast than that. NFL players run between 18 and 21 MPH, 22 tops. That may not seem like a lot, but the amateur physicist in me says that those extra MPH pack quite the punch over space.

Secondly, NHL helmet quality doesn't get much publicity. Meanwhile, the NFL version are constantly being tweaked and evaluated. Have been for some time now. Only recently has this become an issue in hockey.  It took one of the sports legends to get it on the radar as well. Hall of Famer Mark Messier has made this a priority, launching The Messier Project (themessierproject.com, see "The Epidemic" portion for good reading) line of helmets, research, and awareness.

Next, there are also areas where the NFL and NHL are similar in regards to concussions. Both leagues have recently adopted new rules, and tweaked existing ones to attempt to combat the problem. These initiatives have also been gigantic failures thus far in large part because of inconsistent officiating during the act and discipline after the fact.

The sports again hit a fork in the road regarding the way that concussions happen. The majority of concussions (that are diagnosed and noticed) are the result of violent collisions in both sport, most often to defenseless players. The problem is that football players also often endure small, head to head hits on nearly every play of the game.

Old school thinkers in both sports also say that this is a "part of the game" based on the fact that these are both contact sports and if you have a player launching himself at a player or a skater with his head down, sometimes guys are going to get hurt. It's a sensitive topic to be sure. Nobody wants to take the violence out of these games. Franky, that is why these two leagues are special. It's unfathomable what these guys put their bodies through.

I believe the main difference between the sports is the the way the leagues are taclking the issue moving forward. There is talk in the NHL of banning hits to the head altogether. Period. No exceptions. Not for guys with their head down, not for any reason. The NFL has target hits to the head of Quarterbacks and Receivers. Where they expose their lack of concern for player saftey is to Running Backs and Lineman. Running Backs are often targeted by blatant head shots and all players continually engage in the small, repeadted hits. One needs to look no farther than the study of the late Chris Henry (Cincinnati Bengals). He died at the age of 26 (not due to football) and his brain was the subject of medical study (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/29/sports/football/29henry.html). This study revealed that Henry had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which the article above says is caused exclusively by brain trauma and appears to affect everything from personality to decision making, to the ability to function. The scariest part of this is that he never was diagnosed with a concussion in his NFL career.

 Hopefully in the next few seasons, the NHL eliminates the head shot from the game. They should learn for the mistakes that the NFL continues to make on the issue, as future studies will likely prove that it isn't just the big shots, but all hits to the head that can cause irreparable damage to players and their quality of life post-sports.

-PP was 1 for 9 during this stretch. There was a time where the Power Play was showing signs of life this season. At this point, it's just disgraceful that it cannot be executed better even if Malkin and Crosby aren't in the lineup.

Defenseman Recaps:

-I've noticed Paul Martin blocking shots. That really isn't the role he is in per se, but you love to see the dedication. Martin still seems a bit out of place overall, but he continues to just quitely go about his minutes and, to his credit, he doesn't cost the team very much in their own end.
-Zbynek Michalek seems to have a bit of the turnover bug in the D zone. Luckily these haven't ended up in the net, but it's definitely out of character for the solid defensive defenseman.

Goalie Recaps:

-Mark-Andre Fleury was 3-0 during this stretch. He had two good games (Wings and Isles) and I'd chalk the Canes game up as bad despite the loss due to the focus lapses we've talked about time and time again both in him and the team. After the win against the Hurricanes, Fleury came out in a Steeler helmet. He also did this prior to the last AFC Championship (and eventual Super Bowl Win) appearance by the Steelers. The shutout against the Isles was the 18th of his career.

 photo courtesy of @pghpenguins

-Brent Johnson took the loss in the Devil game. Tough to win if your team does not score goals.

Opponents:


-Detroit

-Don't be fooled by the uniform, the Red Wings were missing about 7 of their lineup regulars. Injuries have been very unkind to the Wings. I'm sure Pens fans everywhere are weaping for them.

-I try to find something postive to say about all of the opponets, but I find myself still not liking the Red Wings players or their system of play. I'll force myself to say that this may be the last time I see D Nicklas Lidstrom in person, and I will be sad to see him retire at some point.

-New Jersey


-G Martin Brodeur shut out the Penguins for the 8th time in his career. He is the NHL's All-Time Leader in Shutouts with 114. I have to say, in recent years I've said that Former Canadiens and Avalanche G Patrick Roy was and always will be the king, but my thoughts on the stats of the Crosby vs. Lemieux vs. Gretzky debate earlier in the season softened my stance a bit. I still prefer Roy, but Brodeur belongs in the conversation a lot more than I previously would have liked to admit.

-While some accused Brodeur of embellishing contact from F Maxime Talbot, take note of the fact that it directly lead to Vladimir Zharkov carelessly crashing in to G Brent Johnson. Even if contact with Marty was light, the Devils showed that they would respond in kind.

-The Devils have been successful since the switch to Coach Jacques Lemaire, which has started to get thoe nose up on a disasterious season. To reach the 92 point mark (roughly what you'd need to qualify for the playoffs) they only have about 6 losses left in them the rest of the way. A tall order, and likely, too tall of an order for this group.


-Carolina

-Eric Staal will serve as a Captain in the new "pick up" style All-Star Format. He scored his 23rd goal of the season in the game.

-Former Penguins F Ron Francis and G Tom Barrasso were behind the bench as special assistants to Coach Paul Maurice. Francis is the Canes Associate Head Coach and Director of Player Personnel. Barrasso is in charge of Goaltender Development for the organization.


-New York Islanders

-C Zenon Konopka leads the NHL in fighting majors. He went with Arron Asham in the 1st period.

-D Dylan Reese is a Pittsburgh product. He was undrafted and has played in 36 career games. Dylan attended Upper St. Clair High School.