I would like to start off one of the busiest times of the year for the NHL by saying two things. First of all I would like to congratulate Disco Dan Bylsma for being the recipient of the Jack Adams Award, or Coach of the Year. He is the first coach in franchise history to win the award with the Pens. That’s right, Scotty Bowman and Herb Brooks are coaches in our franchises history, and Bylsma is the first to take home the award.

The second thing is something that falls close to my heart. Jaromir Jagr is coming back to the NHL. His agent said this weekend should bring the announcement of where he will play. The boys over at The Pensblog have been on a constant “Jagr Watch”. I have been joining them on Twitter, just search hashtag #jagrwatch. Double J has been one of my favorite players of all time since I was a little kid. I remember watching his mullet flow through the air at Mellon Arena night in and night out. I remember watching him dominate his competition every time he touched the ice. Watching the Vancouver 2011 Olympics was a small sample of the fact that he can still play. I would love to see him do just that in October, and I would love him to play alongside 87 and 71. Wow.

The first round of this years draft is going to be somewhat unpredictable. I have looked at many mock drafts, as well as sat down and made my own. I have yet to see the same name in the 23rd spot. My favorite, and this is always an “if he’s available” scenario is a winger by the name of Tomas Jurco. The dude is nasty. He has some of the best hands I have seen, and his dangles have already made him a bit of a YouTube star. Jurco is going to be a star in the NHL someday, and I think alongside Sidney Crosby he could be a superstar. Another guy I have had my eyes on is a six-foot-two right winger named Tyler Biggs. Think Eric Tangradi. Big, scoring, North American winger, just like Ray Shero likes them.

The Pens have also let it be known that Tyler Kennedy will most likely be traded. He is a restricted free agent, and will garner some over the top offers from teams like Florida that have to spend a ton of cash just to get to the salary cap floor.

As the Pens focus on drafting a solid scoring winger here are some guys that deserve a solid look.

Tomas Jurco (RW) 6’2″ – 195 lbs

Current Team:  St. Johns Sea Dogs – QMJHL

Strengths:  Hands, Scoring Touch, Shootout Skills, Hockey sense, ability to use size and strength to score goals.  Top six forward talent.

Needs Improvement:  Mental toughness and consistency seem to be the only knocks.

Tyler Biggs (Wing) 6’2″ 205 lbs

Current Team: US National Development Team U18

Strenghts: Size, goal scoring, and physical play.

Needs improvement: Not the type of player that will be a superstar, but will contribute to a team more than just on the ice.  Good character guy, but may not develop into a goal scorer at the NHL level.  He is a safe pick that could end up a great goal scorer, or just a third or fourth line grinder.

Nicklas Jensen (LW) 6’2″ 187 lbs

Current Team: Oshawa Generals-OHL

Strengths: Great skating, great hands, scoring touch

Needs Improvement: Needs to fill out his lanky build.  could be a star someday.

The Pittsburgh Penguins 2010-2011 season has ended. This season should not be looked back at as a failure. I want you to sit back and think about this season. From the rough start, to Fleury’s re-emergence as an elite goaltender, to the Winter Classic, to Crosby and Malkin being lost for the season. I would like you to think about the massacre on Long Island, to trading Goligoski for Neal, and Niskanen. To Kovy wearing a Pens jersey again, to Joe Vitale-Mike Rupp-Dustin Jeffery is as the first line. Think about Matt Cooke being suspended, and Kunitz and Asham missing major time. Think about how this team, without Sid, without Geno, without the top 7 players in the organization, finished with 106 points. This season showed how much depth there is in the Pittsburgh Penguins system.

As for this series, Roloson and Martin St. Louis are my co-MVP’s. Roloson was facing a weak scoring team, while St. Louis was playing in 2004. Once Stamkos woke up he was dangerous, and the Bolts were an explosive team at times.

The Pens MVP was definitely Fleury. Without his play the Pens lose in 4. Asham had a big time series, and Mike Rupp was fantastic. Kris Letang was not at his best, pretty much since the All-Star break. Dupuis had a great series, at times he was everywhere. James Neal has potential, but needs to spend the entire offseason shooting ON NET! The powerplay needs work. That is really all I have to say about that.

While the Pens are out golfing and enjoying their offseason, there are still many playoff games left to watch. This is going to be a crazy second round, and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.

So before you all start lining up to jump off of the West End Bridge remember, next year is right around the corner, and the Pens will be right back in the fold. July 1st is going to be an intriguing time, and I cannot wait to see where everyone goes. I’ll keep up several posts during the offseason, and remember; “it’s a great day for hockey”.

Go Pens

This was a chance for the Pens to go down to Tampa and close them out in their own house. It looked like a strong possibility early on. The Pens did what any good road team will do in the beginning of the game; weather the storm. After getting several saves out of Marc-Andre Fleury, the Pens came down the ice and Pascal Dupuis put one home for a 1-0 lead. Great starts for Pittsburgh.

After that things turned around. The Bolts get goals from Purcell, Bergenheim, Downie, and Malone.

Pittsburgh did score in there to make it a one goal game, then Malone gets a breakaway and beats MAF top shelf. Malone makes himself relevent for the first time in the series.

Here is the really disappointing part of the game. The Pens had unlimited chances on the powerplay to go ahead, or tie it in this one. Letang is as good of a quarteback on the powerplay as Niel O’Donnell in Super Bowl XXX. Kovalev should be calling the shots at the point, he did play the point for one of the most lethal powerplays of all time, of course he had Lemieux and Jagr on the half boards.

Chris Conner had a penalty shot, and a chance to tie… nevermind.

The Penguins are not going to win this or any other series for that matter if the powerplay woes continue. They are like 1 for 296 it seems.

Game 7 is on Wednesday night, at CONSOL Energy Center, and they better bring the rain. Pens need a big time game from MAF (I know my prediction was way off) and some scoring. If the Pens get on the powerplay, they HAVE to score. Staying out of the box is equally important. The Pens boasted the best PK in the regular season, and are dead last in the playoffs. Part of that is Tampa Bay being lights out on powerplays, and the Pens taking penalties all over the place. Anyone who is blaming the refs for these losses, well, it goes both ways. Watch the game with an un-biased eye on penalty calls. The Pens are one of the most aggressive, and sometimes dirtiest teams in the league. Go Pens! Kick the tires, and light the fires!

As the title says, the Pens were destroyed. Its not every day you see a team put up a snowman in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Everyone has talked about Stamkos being a ghost, and well he was a scary one today. Gagne also was a no show until today, and he was great. People were saying that Tampa needed someone other than St. Louis to score, well today it seemed everyone but St. Louis scored.

I do not want to hear another person blaming Fleury for this one. He was left out to dry from the beginning, and BJ didn’t get the support either. Bad defensive game by everyone. All I could here all game was Michel Therrien a few years back calling the entire defensive unit ‘soft’, or as he said it ‘soff’. I can guarantee game six will be a different showing for the Pens. I’m going to make a prediction: MAF will have a shutout in game 6.

One great thing to come from this game: Watching Malkin skate. He is making incredible progress, but some guy on CBC said he may be available if the Pens make a deep run. No. Moving on because that is absurd. Geno will be back, next season.

I’ll do a quick recap of the game. Lightning score, times 7. Pens score, times 2. Lightning score, Pens lose.

Game 6 is in Tampa, I like our chances mostly because it is a road game. The Pens are really going to have to figure out a way to win at home. Also, fire Sgt. Bob, his anthem singing gimmick is 1-2, and Jeff Jimmerson is clutch, like Jordan in his prime. Also, people are comparing his anthem takeover to Tom Brady overtaking Bledsoe. Any Tom Brady references make you a Pittsburgh enemy, and how do you not get pumped for a guy wearing his own team issued Pens jersey with a treble cleft instead of a number. Awesome

Go Pens

On a night that featured two NHL playoff games that went in to double overtime, James Neal came through in a big way.

The Pens were the better team all night long. Dupuis was everywhere, he was hitting everything, and making the type of plays that win playoff games. Tangradi played in his first ever NHL playoff game. He was great. The Kovalev, Neal, and Tangradi line was solid all game. Kovalev was making plays I haven’t seen him make in his career. Plays on the wall to get the puck out, working, and hitting in the corners, just an overall solid game.

Kennedy scored the first goal of the night, and yes it was a powerplay goal. It was a soft goal, but I thik the fact that Kennedy got a shot off, on the powerplay, shocked him. Asham put home another goal to take a two goal lead. How big has Asham been during these playoffs? Big time performance from him. Of course that lead would disappear. Martin St. Louis is the backbone of that Lightning team, and man did he score another beautiful goal. Lecavalier with a beautiful flip pass to set it up. Bergenheim would visit the goal column on a scrum in front of Flower to tie it up late.

After an overtime period that featured a late powerplay for the Bolts remained scoreless.

The second OT was all Pittsburgh. Staal, after injuring his hand took a shift, and made a great play to keep it in the zone. He threw it down the boards, where James Neal picked it up. Neal with the turn around jumper… SWISH! Game OVER. James Neal scored for only the second time as a Pen. Still, he only has one goal during regulation, and this was his first, that he actually shot past a goaltender. It was soft. Plain and simple. Roloson looked like Smalls trying to catch a baseball the first time on “The Sandlot”. Luckily for the Pens, he didn’t have his P.F. Flyers on.

Game 5 on Saturday at noon. Pens have the Bolts in “Finish Him” mode. Time for them to use their “FATALITY”.

Go Pens!

The Pens made the trip to Tampa Bay knowing they needed to at least win one of the two games.

Right from the opening faceoff this was a different Pittsburgh team from game two. They were everywhere. They won the races to every loose puck early on. Talbot finally scored a goal, on a shot that was perfectly timed on a fly by screen by Chris Conner. Forty six seconds later Asham buried a great pass from Mike Rupp to take an early two goal lead.

Of course a two goal lead in the playoffs disappeared faster than Jimmy Hoffa. Martin St. Louis scored two more goals to officially become the Mike Cammelari of this series. What a player St. Louis has been for such a long time. Respect.

The game was physical from start to finish. Ben Lovejoy got destroyed before the Pens first goal. Letang had some great hits, and Rupp played a fantastic game, as he hit just about every person in the Lightning organization.

Ryan Malone played in this game. Well, according to the boxscore anyway. He must have heard he doesn’t get paid during the playoffs, and decided to mail it in.

Stamkos was better than usual, but still mostly a non-factor. St. Louis has been everything for the Lightning. Roloson has been great as well.

Marc-Andre Fleury had a fantastic bounceback. He was spectacular. He almost made the save of the year on St. Louis’ second goal.

James Neal needs to get a GPS to find the net. I almost feel bad for him, but he makes millions of dollars to hit the net. He needs to get it together. Everyone keeps saying “wait till he plays with Sid”, well guess what, Sid can’t shoot the puck on net for him. It was really good to see Kennedy break his drought, by making it rain on Roloson for the game winner.

Game 4. Wednesday, 7:00. Bring it. Lets Go Pens!

Tonight’s game started off badly for the Pens. The Lightning were just a step faster, and it showed up on he scoreboard early. After falling to a 3-0 deficit after one period the game flow turned around.

The Pens carried the play, and frankly, dominated at times from the beginning of the second period on. Posts were hit, saves were made, chances were missed, but most of all the net was missed. The Pens had unlimited chances to score at times, but they just couldn’t hit the net. Tyler Kennedy had a chance to bury one, but he missed he net by four feet. James Neal has shot just about every shot wide since he has come over from Dallas. Sid was wearing the headset again tonight, and I bet his concussion symptoms came back from the frustration of seeing shot after shot hit the board behind he net.

Marc-Andre Fleury put the loss on his shoulders, but you can’t fault him for a loss, when he carried the team on his back, to a 106 point finish. Fleury had this to say after the game: “They do have a good offense, but I was still hoping to definitely do better than tonight,” Fleury said. “I’ll have to if we want to keep winning.” I respect his leadership, but the Pens defense was lacking tonight. Paul Martin had a ough game. He had some terrible luck with bounces that led directly to two goals. I have to put most of the blame on the powerplay. Honestly, I think Powerball is the perfect sponsor for the powerplay in Pittsburgh. You have about the same odds of seeing a PP goal, as you do to hit the Powerball. So next time you see “Root Sports” put up the “Powerball Powerplay” graphic don’t get all excited fantasizing about what you will do with all that money you might win or a seeing a powerplay goal.

Game three is in Tampa Bay on Monday. The thought of taking a 3-1 lead back to Pittsburgh isn’t too far out of question. No team in the league won more games on the road this season than the Pens, with 24 road victories. The Pens can win if they can just stay out of the box, and put a few goals in when they have the man advantage. Go Pens.

Marc-Andre Fleury was sensational. Simply put, he held off Tampa Bay long enough for Roloson to have a small breakdown. Fleury made some very big saves early in the game, and he kept making them until the final buzzer.

Rupp had another solid game, and Kovy scored the first goal of the playoffs for the Pens. Aaron Asham had a wrap around that looked like it came from “The Mighty Ducks”. The Pens broke Roloson for just a short amount of time, but it was enough to take the series lead.

Steven Stamkos got absolutely hammered by Brooks Orpik early on. The highlight of that hit is the only visual evidence that he played in game 1. He hasn’t been the same since his hot start fizzled off. Lecavlier had some nasty between the legs shot, but Fleury wasn’t having any.

This is going to be an awesome series to watch. Physical, heavy hitting, great offensive talent, and some bad blood from the regular season. There is a part of me that is hopeful for a Sidney Crosby return before the end of this series. I know that It is not a likely scenario, but one can always hope! Game Two this Friday night. Kick the tires and light the fires, it’s playoff time! Go Pens!

Atlanta is bad.  Really bad.  As a matter of fact they may not even be in Atlanta next year.  The Pens played this game without Jordan Staal, Chris Kunitz, James Neal, and Paul Martin.  Eric Tangradi made his first appearance on the ice since the ambush on February 11th.

The Pens beat Atlanta.  Badly.  Kennedy, Dupuis, Rupp, Letestu, and Comrie scored for the Pens.  Ladd tallied the only goal for Atlanta.  Comrie scored his first regular season goal as a Penguin, although he didn’t have to beat a goaltender, it was good to see.  In a little side note; Comrie scored the first goal of the preseason for the Penguins, and the last goal of the regular season.  Maybe he leads off in the postseason, and buries one in overtime of game 7 of the SCF?  Who knows?

Ben Lovejoy played another good game.  One of the best parts of this tough season for the Pens was watching Lovejoy figure it out on the fly.  Lovejoy was hesitant and a little lost at first, but as he started to progress, he really started playing some great hockey.  He has turned into a solid NHL defenseman with some offensive potential and one of the best names out there.

The best part of this game was the final buzzer.  Its playoff time!  Tampa Bay is coming to Pittsburgh, and they will bring with them Pittsburgh’s own, Ryan Malone.  I’ll always like Bugsy, however I hope he is golfing in two weeks.  Tampa is an interesting team.  They have loads of offensive talent, and since the trade for Roloson they have a legitimate goaltender.  However, when the bolts have lost, they have been blown away.  If Roloson has an off game, they won’t be able to bail him out, and will lose pretty handily, but if he is on, he can single-handedly steal a game or two.  This could be a really fun series to watch, especially if Sidney Crosby can come back.

The last time these two teams met Trevor Gillies showed the hockey world what he is made of.  Nothing.  He sucker punched Eric Tangradi, and when Tangradi went to the ice with a concussion, Gillies jumped on him and continued to swing at an injured player.  Gutless.  The worst part was from the runway after being removed from the ice.  Gillies yelled and taunted a dumbfounded Tangradi.  Gillies was suspended only nine games, and caused another concussion minutes into his return from suspension.  Gillies is a goon, he has no place in this game and he makes his organization look like a joke.(Although, when your GM gives an aging goaltender a double digit year contract and said player plays a handful of games since, its hard to be taken seriously.)

As far as this game went, it was meaningful for two reasons to Pittsburgh.  One, after losing badly, and being ambushed last time they played the Islanders, the Pens had a chance to put themselves in position to win the division.

Mike Rupp was a machine all game, and put one in the net in the first period for an early lead. The Pens also got goals from Michalek, Letestu, and Kunitz.  If Kunitz was healthy all year he puts in at least 30 goals without question.

Blake Comeau scored a couple goals for the Isles, while the other was scored by Hamonic.  Grabner can flat out fly, he is going to be a stud in this league.

In the shootout it came down to Fleury being fantastic in shootouts, and Al Montoya being, well not Marc-Andre Fleury.

The Pens getting home ice in the playoffs may not be the best thing.  They haven’t beaten Boston, Washington, New York, or Philly at home this season.  That would be the entire road leading to the cup.  I personally just want the playoffs to start. There is no other sport with a greater difference in the level of play, heart, or dedication from regular season to the playoffs.  The NHL playoffs bring out the hero gene in certain players, and create cult followings and super-powers awarded to guys like Gary Roberts.  Great times.  Unreal beards.

Pens fans watched the Sabres and Flyers game hoping for a Sabre win.  They did indeed win, but unfortunately it was not in regulation.  The Atlantic division comes down to the last game of the season.  Philly has the tie breaker.