- Empty Netters

- Experiencing The Evolution

- The Wicked Wrister

- Penguins that Fly

Go Pens!!

First Period
Pens have the puck in the rangers zone, Talbot blasters Callahan into the boards, I guess that’s a penalty. Rangers on the power play, the pass it point to point then to the half boards, Dawes shoots the puck, it hits off Scuderi and goes in. 1-0 Rangers, horrible way to start the game.

Prucha high sticks Orpik, he draws blood so its a 4 minute power play for the pens. Pens on the power play, Whitney blasts one from the point off the back boards, it comes in front and Crosby has an open net, he shoots the puck but out of no where Lundqvist comes over and makes an amazing save. The Rangers give up the puck right in front of the net and Crosby shoots it off the post! He tries to run the gauntlet and gets tripped up, another penalty on the Rangers. 5 on 3 for the pens, Whitney passes over to Malkin on the point he fires a huge 1-timer off the post! Pens get a few more shots and Staal gets an interference penalty. It looked like total bs, all he did was lift someones stick. 4 on 4 now, pens kill off the rest of Staal penalty.

There is a scrum in front of the Rangers net, Cooke and a Ranger go off for roughing. 4 on 4 action. Malkin makes a nice move around a Ranger and has a 2 on 1 with Staal. He flips it over to him and Staal 1-times it wide of the net.

The Pens can’t really get anything going. It seems like they don’t have their legs or something.

Betts takes a hooking call, Pens on the power play. The Pens have great puck movement, Kennedy gets an unreal chance in front but Lundqvist makes a nice poke check. The Rangers kill off the penalty.

Voros takes a roughing call, they shoot the puck from the point as the whistle blows, it beats Fluery but is waived off.

Second Period
The Pens start the second on the power play. The have great puck movement, but they are not getting to the rebounds, the rangers kill off the power play.

Crosby takes a hooking call, Rangers on the power play. The Pens do a great job in killing off the penalty.

The puck takes a weird bounce and Malkin and Sykora gets a 2 on 0, Malkin tries a quick wrister but Lundqvist gets a piece of it.

Rozsival holds up Malkin, he gets called, pens on the power play. Right off the faceoff Crosby gets some phantom penalty, since versus is so good we don’t really get to see what the call was. 4 on 4 action, pens get some pressure but Lundqvist is strong.

The Rangers comes down on a 3 on 2, they rip one off the crossbar behind Fluery.

Cooke takes an interference penalty, Rangers back on the power play. Right off the faceoff the puck comes to Mara and the point and he blasts it past Fluery. 2-0 Rangers.

Crosby gets a pass in between the Rangers defense, he drives to the net and knocked down but still gets a shot on net, Lundqvist makes the save.

The Rangers shoot the puck over the glass in their own zone, thats a penaltly. Pens on the power play, they don’t get much going. Rangers get a short handed chance, but Fluery comes up huge.

Third Period
Pens start the with a small power play, the Rangers kill it off.

Kennedy goes to the box, Rangers on the power play. Pens do a good job and kill it off.

Once again the pens can’t get anything going. The can’t maintain the puck in the rangers zone and are making bad plays.

The Rangers come into the Pens zone, Letang falls down, Prucha takes the puck behind the net and passes to a wide open Drury, he puts it home. 3-0 Rangers.

Orr cross checks Orpik in the face, thats definitely a penalty. Pens on the power play they look alright but can’t get much going. Halfway through they call a timeout. The pull Fluery for a 6 on 4, they can’t get anything. Gomez puts it in the empty net. 5-0 Rangers.

Orr and Goddard square off, Orr gets a lot of shots in first, but Goddard comes back and gets some huge punches in late. Good scrap.

Pens get some late pressure, but nothing comes of it. Satan takes a penalty, Rangers on the power play.

Game Thoughts
Well another loss for the Pens, they came out strong in the first period and played pretty good. The first goal kind of took some of the steam, but still 1 goal is easy to come back from. The Pens had a 5 on 3 and a 6 on 4 and could not convert. The special teams really need some work, we have been saying that for almost a month now! The Pens really did not look like they had their legs in this game either, they looked like they were second guessing and not making the right plays. Lundqvist was strong in net and deserved the shutout. This is the fifth loss in a row for the pens, not sure what to say except for they need to turn things around.

First Period
The Pens start out the game with some energy and draw a penalty. Pens on the power play, their second unit looks better than the first, but they don’t even get a shot. It would have been great to start the game with a power play goal.

Talbot steals the puck and he makes a nice move around the Panthers defense and then tries to pass it over to Wallace, but the Panthers break it up. Wow what a sick move by Talbot.

The Game slows down a bit, the Panthers are feeling the Pens out a little more.

Gill takes an interference penalty, Panthers on the power play. The Pens get a short handed chance, but Anderson makes the save. The Panther are getting some chances, the move the puck from the point to the high slot, and they rip one towards the net and it beats Fluery. 1-0 Panthers.

Both teams are exchanging chances.

The Panthers get a 2 on 1, the drive to the net and take a shot and it beats Fluery through the 6 hole and goes into the net. 2-0 Panthers.

Dupuis goes to the box for hooking. Panthers on the power play, they are getting some shots on net, one appears to go off the outside of the post. The Panthers have 1 final rush before the period ends, they come into the pens zone and Orpik just nails a panther!

End of the first.

Second Period
Sabu is in net to start the second period, interesting since Fluery only let in 2 goals, maybe he could be hurt? Or Therrien is just sending a message to him. The Panthers start the second with 14s on the power play. The Pens kill it off.

The Pens lose a faceoff in the offensive zone, the Panthers try to go behind the net, but Fedotenko gets the puck and feathers it past Anderson. 2-1 Panthers. Great way to start the second!

The pens are getting more pressure on the Panthers, Jeffery takes a shot Anderson makes the initial save and then Wallace follows on. Anderson hits the puck up in the air with his stick and out of play, thats a penalty. Pens on the power play, they work it from the point to the high slot, Malkin takes a shot, the rebound comes out and Crosy tries to wrap it around but the Panthers defense makes the save for Anderson, so close! The Pens don’t convert on the power play, but looked really good.

Satan takes a roughing penalty. Panthers on the power play, they move it down low then pass it right through the slot and McCabe is open and puts it past Sabu. 3-1 Panthers.

The Pens come flying into the Panthers zone, Malkin flips the puck over to Sykora, he puts in on net, Malkin comes flying in there after the puck and knocks McCabe into Anderson the goalie, they call Malkin for interference, bad call. Panthers back on the power play, they are moving the puck well in the pens zone. The move it D to D and McCabe takes a 1-timer, Sabu makes the save and the rebound comes out and the Panthers put it in. 4-1 Panthers.

The Pens call a timeout, on the net play the Pathers come to the Pens net and Sabu covers it, a scrum insues and Crosby has Campbell in a headlock, they both exchange blows. Both go off for roughing, 4 on 4 action. Both penalties expire.

Pens are trying to get something going, Cooke gets level and the puck is not even near him….no call. Off the faceoff Campbell and Talbot squareoff, Talbot wins that fight for sure. Off the next faceoff Crosby drops the gloves with Mclean, I don’t think Mclean knew what was even going on. Crosby gets an extra penalty.

Malkin breaks through the Panthers defense and has a clear path to the net, he gets hooked but still gets a shot on net. Finally a penalty call. 4 on 4 action. Kennedy is passing in front of the Panthers net and gets knocked over….no call, Fedotenko gets clearly hooked, no call. The Pathers break the pens defense and get a breakaway and beat the Sabu. 5-1 Panthers.

End of the second, what a horrible period 3 unanswered goals.

Third Period
Therrien puts Fluery back in to start the third period, should he have even been taken out after the first? Panthers start the third on the power play. The Pens do a great job and kill off the penalty.

The pens third line comes flying into the panthers zone, Kennedy passes it to Staal who passes it to Cooke, he puts it on net but Anderson is strong on net.

Cooke takes a hooking penalty, before it is called Frolik puts another one past Fluery. 6-1 Panthers. This is just horrible.

David Booths takes a slashing call, Pens on the power play. They really can’t get anything going, another power play chance wasted.

The Panthers are still putting pressure on the pens, they ring one off the post behind Fluery.

Gill takes a slashing call, Panthers get another power play. The Panthers are getting to all of the loose pucks but the Pens are able to kill off the Penalty.

The Pens 4th line is getting a little bit of pressure, but Anderson is like a wall in net, stopping everything the pens throw at the net!

The Panthers ring another one off the post behind Fluery.

Game Thoughts
This is definitely rock bottom for the Pens, I could see losing 6-1 against the Bruins or Rangers, but against the Panthers and at home? It’s really embarrassing! Who knows that was up with Fluery, he did not play like he has, then Therrien pulled him then put him back in. Where was the offense this game? Fedotenko’s goal was really a lucky bounce, they couldn’t do anything on the power play once again. It just seems the Pens don’t know what to do to get a win. It was good to see Kennedy back in the lineup today, he played a good game. It was also good to see Talbot and Crosby mix it up to try to give the Pens some momentum. This is the Pens 4th lose in a row, the 5th lose in a row at home! Not good at all, they need to do something to turn things around.

First Period
The Pens play a really strong first 2 period working the puck in the Bruins zone well. Jeffery has the puck down low, he passes it to the point to Goligoski, he passes back to Jeffery and he wrists it through a screen on net and it beats Fernandez! 1-0 Pens! Great way to start the game! That’s Jeffery’s first NHL goal!

The Bruins are coming down into the pens zone 3 on 2. The pass it across to the late man, who passes it towards the net and David Krejci deflects it past Sabu. Tie game.

The Pens are coming down into the Bruins zone, they do a give and go and Crosby is going to the net and gets dumped. Pens on the power play, they have some good puck movement. Letang rips one from the point and it hits off the crossbar. The Bruins kill off the penalty.

Goligoski shoots the puck over the glass, he gets a delay of game penalty. Bruins on the power play, they are moving the puck well, they move it down low and they try to put it infront, it hits off Gill’s stick and pops up in the air, Axelsson backhands it out of the air and behind Sabu. 2-1 Bruins.

Talbot takes a hooking call. Bruins on the power play, they have the puck in the pens zone for the first minute of the power play, Sabu is strong in net. The Pens kill off the rest of the penalty.

The Pens are still looking good getting chances on Fernandez.

Sobotka takes a holding penalty, Pens on the power play. The Pens power play does look better, but they can’t convert. In the last minute of the first the Pens really put on some pressure, great shift.

Second Period
The second starts out pretty slow with the Pens and the Bruins exchanging some chances.

Malkin has the puck and the Bruins zone and he is basically playing keep away, the Pens can’t make anything out of it though.

The Pens are making some mistakes in their own end. Luckily the Bruins cannot finish the play and put it in the net.

Satan takes the puck into the Bruins zone and puts it infront, the Pens deflect it on net, but Fernandez makes the save.

The game seems to open up more, the Pens have the puck in the bruins net for quite a while, but they can’t cash in. Great pressure though, especially on the Bruins.

Now it seems like it the Bruins turn, they are not putting the pressure on the pens. The come into the Pens zone, they drive towards the net, and pass it back to Lucic, and he wrists it past Sabu. 3-1 Bruins.

Dupuis gets dumoed behind the Bruins net, Pens on the power play. The Pens power play once again does not look that great and does nothing. Bruins kill off the penalty.

Talbot goes to the box for interference. The Pens take another penalty, Dupuis for hooking. Bruins will get a 5 on 3 for 1:14. The Pens kill off the first penalty, 43 seconds left on the Bruins power play. Lucic gets a slashing call and then tries to fight someone, but no one wants to go. Pens have a 1:32 power play, they get some good chances but could not put the puck in.

End of the second.

Third Period
The Pens start the third strong, they get a few shots and are in the Bruins zone for a while. It just seems like they can’t get a break!

Cooke gets a high sticking penalty, tough call. Bruins on the power play, they are getting chances, but Sabu is strong. Pens kill it off.

The Pens get the puck and come up nice, Malkin makes a nice pass to Satan, he floats the puck into an area infront of the net, Fedotenko catches up with the puck and 1 hands it on net, Fernandez makes the save, but Fedotenko puts it home with a second effort! 3-2 Bruins! The Pens definitely needed that!

The Pens once again are putting on a lot of pressure on the Bruins. They are really working hard, but can’t get a puck past Fernandez.

Cooke somehow gets a goaltender interference penalty, looks like a bad call to me. Bruins on the power play, Malkin and Stall get a short-handed chance, but nothing comes of it. The pens kill off the rest of the penalty.

The Pens finally get a break when Goligoski draws a hooking call. The Pens really need to score on this power play. Although they look good and get a ton of chances, they can’t score!

Time is running out of time, with around 32 seconds they pull Sabu, Fedotenko comes on as the extra attacker. Crosby has the puck in the corner and passes it out front, Sykora puts it on net but somehow Fernandez makes the save! Off the faceoff the Bruins get the puck and float it down the ice and it goes in the open net.

Game ends…

Game Thoughts
Well the game really was a 3-2 loss the empty netter really didn’t count. The Pens definitely played a better game tonight then they did on Tuesday, they put fourth so much more effort this time. They really did a lot to stop the Bruins break out and keep them out of their own zone. Also the pens were cycling the puck really well tonight. The thing that kept them from really getting back in the game was the power play. Once again they were unable to score on the power play, it looked a little better but the Pens power play needs to produce. This is the Pens 3rd loss in a row, they need to start winning! Solid effort tonight though.

The Blackhawks came out strong in the first period, throwing big checks and taking it to the Red Wings, they were definitely feeling the home crowd at Wrigley! After the first period they were up 3-1. When the second period started it was all Detroit, exploding for 3 unanswered goals in the second giving them a 4-3 lead going into the third. Only down 1 goal you could see that the Blackhawks could get back into it, but Detroit closed things down and scored 2 goals in 17 seconds! The Blackhawks got one past Conklin with about 9 seconds left to make the game a 6-4 final.

This was definitely a high scoring game, especially compared to the 1-1 game last year. The main reason was probably the weather, no snow like last year and the ice was good throughout the entire game. So players were easily able to pass and shoot the puck. I don’t know if it was because the Pens were not playing in this Winter Classic, but it did not have the feeling like the first one did. But none the less it was a great game to watch and great to see how the NHL is growing and hosting events like these. Will we see the Pens in next years Winter Classic? Who knows….

First Period
Kessel comes into the Pens zone and rips one on net, Fluery makes the save. The Pens third line works the cycle, the puck hops towards the net. Talbot looks like he is going to get it but Thomas poke-checks it away. Sykora gets 2 great looks at the net but Thomas makes 2 good saves. The Pens are looking really aggressive to start the game.

The Bruins have the puck down low and try to move it infront Ryder gets tripped up, Eaton goes to the box. Bruins on the power play. The pens on get a short handed chance and Cooke gets the puck behind the Bruins defense, he gets a shot on net but Thomas makes the save. The Bruins are back in the Pens zone, Kessel rings one off the post. The Bruins have the puck in the pens zone well after the power play is over, the Pens finally clear it. Thomas hurrys the puck back into the Pens zone, they do a give and go, Fluery makes the initial save but it pops up in the air, a Bruin player gloves the puck and drops it right on the goal line, Fluery somehow keeps it out of the net, amazing save!

The Bruins come flying into the Pens zone, they take a booming shot, big rebound comes right to another Bruin, but Fluery gets over and makes another great save.

Sykora hits the puck over the glass with his glove, he gets a delay of game penalty. Bruins back on the power play. The Bruins get some shots, but the Pens kill it off, big kill there.

The Pens come into the Bruins zone, Jeffery puts it on net from a sharp angle, the rebound comes out to Fedotenko he puts it on net but Thomas makes that save too, the puck comes out again and Sykora puts it in the net! 1-0 Pens!

Wheeler hits Orpik from behind, he goes to the box. Pens on the power play, they get a few chances but the Bruins kill it off.

End of the first…

Second Period
The Pens are getting a lot of pressure on the bruins early and not allowing them to get setup.

Orpik takes an interference penalty, Bruins on the power play. They take the puck down low and Chara comes in the back door and they pass it to him and he puts it past Fluery. 1-1 Game.

The game is picking up, both teams are exchanging chances.

Kessel and Talbot get into it, a scrum ensues. Talbot and Kessel both go off, 4 on 4 action. Malkin and Crosby do a quick give and go and get the shot on net, Thomas makes the save. Malkin takes a phantom hooking call. Bruins have a 4 on 3. They pass it across the crease and Kessel puts it top shelf on Fluery, great goal. 2-1 Bruins.

Sykora gets hooked, no call.

The Pens are finally getting some pressure on the Bruins, both Crosby and Dupuis get good chances, but Thomas is there to make the saves.

The Bruins give up the puck, Crosby gets it and passes it over to Dupuis, he winds up a big slap shot and he beats Thomas over the glove! Tie Game!

The Pens turn the puck over in their own zone, Kessel puts it on net, Fluery makes the save, it comes out Savard gets the rebound and passes it over to Kessel and he puts it in. 3-2 Bruins.

Malkin takes a interference penalty, Bruins back on the power play. The Bruins get some chances, but Fluery is strong.

End of the Second

Third Period
Cooke gets his stick up in a Bruins face, he gets 2 minutes. The Bruins are on the power play and Staal and Dupuis get a short-handed 2 on 1. Dupuis passes it over to Staal and he shoots it right back into Thomas instead of in the open net, a goal there would have been huge! The Pens kill off Cooke’s penalty.

The Pens are putting some pressure on the Bruins and draw a penalty as Crosby is tripped up. Pens on the power play, they get a few shots then the Bruins get a short-handed chance when Savard passes the puck up to St. Pierre, he gets a mini breakaway and beats Fluery. 4-2 Bruins. If you are not going to produce on the power play at least don’t let the other team score!

Kessel gets behind the Pens defense and is driving to the net, Goligoski tries to stop him but Kessel gets a shot on net, Fluery makes the save. Goligoski is called for hooking, Bruins back on the power play. The Bruins get a few chances, but the Pens kill it off, huge kill!

The Bruins are in the Pens zone, Wideman takes a wrist shot from the point and it beats Fluery cleanly, he must have been screened there. 5-2 Bruins.

Time is running out for the Pens and Sykora gets a hooking penalty, Bruins back on the power play. The Bruins are still getting shots on the power play, Fluery is strong in net and the Pens kill off the penalty.

Off a faceoff Wallace decides he wants to fight Lucic, who is obviously much bigger. Lucic lands most of his punches but Wallace is really tough for staying in there and actually fighting Lucic. Great fight! Both get 5 for fighting and Lucic gets an extra 2 for roughing.

The Pens are on the power play, but no surprise they don’t do much with it. Lucic’s penalty expires and the pens get a few more shots as the game ends.

Game Thoughts
Going into this game I did not know what to expect, after the first period I thought that the Pens played very well, getting the first goal was huge! They could not keep the lead and the Bruins took control on the game half-way through the second period and exploded in the third. The Pens really need to do something about the power play, they not only did not score on the power play the gave up a short handed goal. If the Pens actually had a decent power play they could have came back in this game for sure. The Bruins are definitely the team to beat in the east, what’s scary is that they are still missing 2 of their best players! The Pens held a meeting after the game, interesting to find out what was said.

- The Post-Gazette has a good article on if Shero should be given a deadline to win the cup.

- Vinny Lecavalier explained his non-fight with Matt Cooke last week.

- Puck Daddy has a great post on why the Rangers don’t need Sean Avery.

- Check out this fight between Vancouver’s Darcy Hordichuk and Ottawa’s Chris Neil.

- The Winter Classic is just a few days away, here are some things you can check out:

The Time-Lapse Camera
Tour of Wrigley
Wrigley Wrants Blog

Dupuis picks up a Devils turn over, looks like he has a breakaway, but the puck rolls off his stick and Satan gets a shot but misses the net.

The Devils take a penalty, pens on the power play. The pens basically do nothing on the power play, really sad.

Talbot chases a dump in and gets tripped into the boards, looks like he is hurt. Devils take a penalty on the play and Cooke gets a 10 minute misconduct on the play. Pens on the power play, they pass it across the crease and it almost goes it, they get a few more cracks at it, but can’t put it in. Pens can’t do much of anything else on the power play, Devils kill it off.

Pens get 2 good chances and are putting some pressure on.

With about 30 seconds left in the first the Devils come into the pens zone, they take an initial shot, fluery saves it, they get the rebound, fluery saves it, they get the rebound again and they shoot it wide! The Pens go back the other way and almost put it in the net, but Clemmensen makes a few good saves.

Second Period
The Devils get some pressure early, but Fluery makes some good saves.

Eaton gets called for hooking, Devils on the power play. The Devils get a few chances, but once again Fluery is there to make the key saves.

The Devils come into the Pens zone, Elias comes down, fakes a shot, more to the slot and fires one on net, Fluery makes a great save!

Both Pens and Devils exchange chances, but Fluery and Clemmensen both make the necessary saves.

The Pens come down into the Devils zone, Malkin passes the puck into the slot to Fedotenko he rips a wrist shot on net, Clemmensen gets a piece of it, but not enough as it trickles by him and into the net! 1-0 Pens!

Whitney gets called for a hooking penalty, Devils back on the power play. With tons of traffic in front the Devils put a shot on net, Fluery makes the save, the rebound comes out to Langenbrunner and you think he is going to score but Fluery drops his stick and dives over to make an amazing save! That’s what having a premier goaltender in this league is like! There is a pile up in front of the Pens net and the puck appear to go over the goal line, then be swept out by Eaton’s skate. They go to Toronto to review and play and they rule it no good, great play by Eaton! Gionta gets a tripping penalty, 4 on 4 for 16 seconds. Whitney’s penalty expires and the Pens are on the power play, but bascially do nothing.

Elias takes the puck in the pens zone and puts it on net, Fluery makes the save and when the rebound comes out FLuery trips up a Devil player, he is called for tripping, Cooke will serve the penalty.

End of the second.

Third Period
The Devils start the third on the power play. The Devils get a shot on net, it gets past fluery and is in the crease, the pens try to clear it but it goes right to a Devil player but he misses a wide open net.

Martin goes to the box on an interference penalty, pens on the power play. Pens really don’t do anything on the power play, not good at all 0 for 4 tonight.

The Devils are putting alot of pressure on the Pens.

The Devils take another penalty as one devil chops down Fedotenko. The pens once again can’t produce on the power play, thats 0 for 5.

Sykora gets called for hooking, Devils on the power play. The Pens do a great job killing the penalty, definitely needed to there too!

Madden has the puck in the Pens zone, he passes it over to Langenbrunner who takes a 1-timer, Fluery makes another great save!

The Devils call at time out to try and organize things.

The Devils really are getting many chances, even after the timeout. They pull Clemmensen with a little over a minute left. Fluery makes a few saves in the last minute of play and the Pens win!

Game Thoughts
Well we all know who was the #1 star tonight….FLUERY! It is great to have a star goaltender who can make the key saves when you really need it. There were a few times tonight when the Devils could have easily scored, but Fluery was there to make the amazing saves. The Pens played an alright game, they did do a good job in the third, easpecially on that last penalty kill. The Pens power play was once again bad, I beleive it was 0 for 5 tonight, which is horrible for a team that has a much fire power as the pens do. Things still need work, but it was good to get a win tonight!

Dupuis takes a holding the stick penalty, lightning on the power play. The lightning get a few chances but Fluery is there to make the saves. People are booing Ryan Malone when he has the puck.

Whitney gets the puck and takes it into the Lightning zone, the puts it in front and Taffe deflects it on net, no clue how it did not go in there!

The lightning try a wrap around, Fluery makes the save the rebound bounces around in front the Lightning get a few wacks at it, but Fluery covers it. There is a scrum, but nothing comes of it.

The puck comes down into the pens zone and takes a weird bounce off the back boards, Stamkos gets the puck and is about to put it in the open net, but Taffe saves the day and stops him. Pens take a penalty though, Lightning on the power play. The lightning are getting some good shots, but the pens are doing a good job blocking shots. Pens kill off the penalty.

Malkin gets tripped, Pens on the power play. Pens look really good on the power play, but don’t convert. Lecavalier decides to try and fight Cooke, probably for the hit he put on him last year. Cooke does not want to go so Lecavalier gets a penalty, Pens back on the power play. Pens try the backdoor play by Sykora just puts it wide. Lightning kill it off then draw a penalty. Lightning on the power play, period ends.

Second Period
Lightning start the second on the power play with about 30 seconds left, pens kill it off.

Game is sort of slowing down, both teams are getting some chances, but nothing substantial.

Sykora gets a pass behind the lightning defense, he fakes out smith, but just shoots it wide! The lightning come right back and take it into the pens zone, they take it behind the net and pass it out front and score. What a bad goal, 1-0 lightning.

Malone takes a holding the stick penalty, pens on the power play. Whitney is on the power play this time, pens look pretty good but can’t score. Lightning kill it off.

Malkin get the puck wide open, he passes it back for Crosby and he just shoots it wide, whats with the pens and missing the net tonight.

The lightning are getting some pressure on the pens, but both Recchi and Dupuis go off for penalties. Lightning get a great chance but Fluery makes an insane save, Malone gets a chance coming into the pens zone but he shoots it just wide.

Third Period
The lightning are clogging up the neurtal zone, then pens are having trouble getting anything setup in the lightning zone.

Time keeps coming off the clock, the pens just can’t get anything going.

Talbot gets a 4 minute highsticking penalty, tough break. Scuderi gets hit from behind by Malone, no call..looks like scuds is hurt. Malone comes back down into the zone and scuds lays him out. Malkin chases the puck in short handed, Smith comes out to play it but does not do a good job of it and falls over, then me blatently hooks Malkin, no call. Malkin comes down into the zone behind the lightning defense and ties to go to the backhand but Smith stones him. The lightning come back down into the pens zone and score…wow. 2-0 Lightning.

Recchi gets a step on Scuderi and gets a good shot on fluery, but he makes the save.

Pens pull the goalie with about 1:30 left. Pens get somne shots bit Smith makes the saves, pens call time out with 55 seconds left. Lightning get about 5 chances to put it in the empty net but can’t, game ends.

Game Thoughts
Another home loss and against the Lightning who are one of the worst teams in the league. Tampa played a good game for sure, not the best but they shut down the pens offense for the most part. Smith also made a few key saves, the one on Malkin and the one right at the begining of the first period. The pens are still passing the puck too much, they need to get the puck on the net, they only had 15 shots tonight. Fluery was good and kept the pens in it as much as he could. There were some definite no calls where there was a blatent penalty on the Lightning. Whitney played an ok game nothing to rave about. Pens are falling out of the playoff picture, not sure what to say.