Pens 4, Jokers 1

Good live blog here, the Pens are done with the preseason with a 4-0-1 mark.

Four different scorers for the Penguins and Crosby had 3 assists. Fleury and Danny Sabs split the goaltending duties with Sabourin giving up the goal on a penalty shot.

About time to bring on the regular season, even though it's not going to feel like it on this side of the pond.

The first game of the season...Already

After three camp scrimmages in three days, the Tampa Bay Lightning come to Pittsburgh Saturday night for the NHL's opening pre-season game. And according to the official websites the rosters for both teams couldn't be more mis-matched.

Take a look for yourself at who will be wearing black and gold--our estimation of lines based off how they set up camp:

Dupuis-Crosby-Satan
Staal-Malkin-Sykora
Pesonen-Taffe-Godard
Stone-Beech-Thomas

Orpik/Gonchar
Eaton/Goligoski
Sydor/Lovejoy

Goalies will be MAF and Dany Sabs

That's damn near an opening night lineup. The Pens held their presumptive "24, 25, 26" third line of Matt Cooke (#24), Maxime Talbot (#25) and Ruslan Fedotenko (#26) as well as Kris Letang and Hal Gill but other than that it's a rock and roll lineup.

Interesting that someone Faceoff Factor raved about, Ben Lovejoy--who wrote an awesome blog last season-- gets a spot in the lineup. It'll be of interest to see if he performs as well as Jesse said he did in scrimmages. Lovejoy doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of making the NHL roster out of camp, of course, but considering how injuries can strike a blueline, it's good to get a look-see.

OK, now to see how unbalanced it is, let's look at the squad that Tampa is going to send up north (in alphabetical order). And if you're looking for the good former Penguins (Malone, Roberts, Hall even Recchi) or the stars like Vinny or Marty, you will be disappointed...

Forwards: Evgeny Artyukhin, Brandon Bochenski, Ryan Craig, Jussi Jokinen, David Koci, Zenon Konopka, Chris Lawrence, Michel Ouellet, Wyatt Smith, Radek Smolenak, Steven Stamkos, Jason Ward

Defensemen: Jamie Heward, Andrew Hutchinson, Vladimir Mihalik, Janne Niskala, Andy Rogers, Matt Smby

Goalies: Karri Ramo and Mike Smith

Now apologies to Jokinen and maybe Ward but obviously other than #1 pick Steven Stamkos is Tampa sending a forward that would even make Pittsburgh's opening night lineup? We don't think so. And who are they going to play Stamkos with, the "Trash Man" and Bochenski? Jokinen and Craig? Yuck.

Obviously the point of pre-season games is not the scoreboard at the end of the night (good thing for Tampa) but to get your guys in shape, in tune and prepared for the real thing. Obviously old pros like Lecavalier, Malone and St. Louis don't really need to play in all the exhibitions, and perhaps if this was a road game the Pens wouldn't be wheeling out all the star power. But, news flash, the games count for real in a mere two weeks. Considering there's an ocean to cross there isn't much time for preparation.

Who wants to bet on fights? For the Penguins we wouldn't be surprised if Ryan Stone, who's back is against the wall, comes out swinging. Eric Godard has a history of dropping gloves, he's got to be the odds on favorite to fight. For Tampa, David Koci usually has more balls than brains (not that there's anything wrong about that), Kenon Konopka is feisty and a guy like Ryan Craig might drop 'em too.

Official TST Prediction: Penguins 6, Tampa 2
Goal scorers for the good-guys: (Satan [2], Malkin, Staal, Goligoski, Thomas)

The Pittsburgh Redemption

"I find I’m so excited I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head.

I think it’s the excitement only a Penguins fan can feel. A Pens fan at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope they can make it to the Finals. I hope to see Lord Stanley and shake his hand. I hope the Gary Roberts is as dominant as he has been in my dreams......I hope."

Updated lines for opening night (unless Michel Therrien---who changes lines like an aggressive driver changes lanes on the interstate, gets rambunctious. They're different than previous projections on this blog, so here's your update).

Staal-Crosby(C)-Sykora
Malone-Malkin-Recchi (A)
Roberts (A)-Christensen-Armstrong
Ruutu-Talbot-Laraque

Gonchar-Sydor
Orpik-Whitney
Scuderi-Eaton

Healthy scratches: Hall, Nasreddine

Starting goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury

Note: Mark Recchi will be an 'all-time' alternate captain. "Lord" Sergei Gonchar will wear the A whilst at home, Gary Fuckin Roberts will have the A on his jersey when the Pens are on the road..Because Roberts is a road warrior.

And Sidney Crosby is the 4th (legitimate) captain for the Penguins since the late 1980's.....Joining the prestigious and classy ranks of Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis and Jammer Jagger. But you knew that.

Pens cut 5 more, down to 22

Mild surprises and some things you could see from a mile away. Ryan Stone, Jon Filewich were sent down (more on this later) and 20 year old Kris Letang will be spending some time on the buses as well. Adam Hall conveyed his strong training camp into a one year contract (but it is a two-way salary!).

Mike Weaver, who's grown on this editor and was proclaimed to be on the roster in Pittsburgh was sent down. Rob Scuderi and Alain Nasreddine remain the #6 and #7 NHL defensemen, and my blood pressure remains through the roof.....

Or does it?! The Penguins roster is now at 22 players (13 forwards, 7 def, 2 goalies), one short of the permitted maximum. It's likely Mr. Shero has given himself a little wiggle room in case a player he likes gets waived by another team.

Pittsburgh's opening night roster isn't written in stone just yet, but it has taken quite a shape:
Recchi-Crosby-Sykora
Roberts-Malkin-Christensen
Malone-Staal-Armstrong
Ruutu-Talbot-Laraque/Hall

Gonchar-Sydor
Orpik-Whitney
Eaton-Scuderi/Naz

or, if they swap Jordan Staal back to the wing the lineup should look something like:

Recchi-Crosby-Sykora
Staal-Malkin-Christensen
Roberts-Talbot-Armstrong
Ruutu-Malone-Laraque/Hall


"More at 11" as they say....We'll have to see who if anyone Shero attempts to acquire through trade or the waiver wire in the next day or so.

2007-08 Eastern Conference Forecast

Thanks to the whacky idea to play two games in England, ready or not here comes the NHL season this Saturday. I guess I better make a forecast like everyone else, just so we can re-visit this in about 6 months and look at how much of a dope I was....Here goes:

Atlantic Division
1. Pittsburgh Penguins
2. New York Rangers
3. New Jersey Devils
4. Philadelphia Flyers
5. New York Islanders

­-Every year, much like the Atlanta Braves of the ‘90s, people predict New Jersey’s downfall, as they attempt to replace proven talent with stop-gap measures (Zubrus, Vishnevski this year) and/or young players (Parise, Martin, etc). And every year, they keep on ticking…I got Pittsburgh as #1, a trendy pick, but one I honestly believe, given their lineup and how strongly they played against the division last season. Just like days of old, the Rangers made the sexiest free agent signings, and Philly seemingly turned over about their whole roster. I like 3-4 playoff teams from this division. Maybe this is the year that Brodeur shows his age and NJ falls off, but I’m not bold enough to predict it, they’ve proven me wrong too many times.

Northeast Division
1. Ottawa Senators
2. Montreal Canadiens
3. Buffalo Sabres
4. Toronto Maple Leafs
5. Boston Bruins

--Tough one to call. Boston, IMO, is the best team I have in the basement league wide, but they’re still their. It’s easy to leave Buffalo for dead after they bungled the Briere and Drury signings, so I did. I like what Montreal could possibly do. Ottawa is the consensus #1 and the reigning Eastern Conference heavyweight, but even they had a very slow start in this brutal division last season. I wouldn’t be surprised to see that happen to Toronto, and them not having the firepower to dig out of the hole.

Southeast Division
1. Tampa Bay Lightning
2. Carolina Hurricanes
3. Washington Capitals
4. Florida Panthers
5. Atlanta Thrashers

--I’m leaving Atlanta for dead here, they’ve got basically no one up the middle and their defense isn’t that formidable. It’s a coin toss between two recent unlikely SC champs at the top, I’ll give the edge to Vinny and Marty over Eric and Rod. Washington will delight the locals in grandeurs of a playoff run, but fall short this year, probably with some obscure injury that Caps fans heavy blogosphere will decry all off-season.

Playoff teams (no particular order):
Pittsburgh, Ottawa, Tampa Bay (division winners)
New York Rangers, New Jersey, Carolina, Montreal, Buffalo

Just missing it (this year's Colorado, Montreal or Toronto):
Philadelphia, Washington

Somewhat competitive but not enough:
Toronto, Boston, Florida


It's gonna be a long, cold winter:
New York Islanders, Atlanta

2007-08 Western Conference Forecast

Thanks to the whacky idea to play two games in England, ready or not here comes the NHL season this Saturday. I guess I better make a forecast like everyone else, just so we can re-visit this in about 6 months and look at how much of a dope I was....Here goes:

Central Division
1. Detroit Red Wings
2. St. Louis Blues
3. Nashville Predators
4. Chicago Blackhawks
5. Columbus BJs

--Detroit's the king of this division, Nashville took a huge step back. I like St. Louis as my surprise team...Adding Tkachuk, Kariya (cha-cha-cha) up front and #1 pick Erik Johnson to the blueline should be good enough to have them challenging for the last playoff seed. I like Chicago's core of talent, but I think they're going to need another year to get those young forwards up to speed.

Northwest Division
1. Vancouver Canucks
2. Colorado Avalanche
3. Calgary Flames
4. Minnesota Wild
5. Edmonton Oilers

--The top 4 in this division should all make the playoffs, their order is hard to predict, because each team has it's weakness: Luongo is the man for Vancouver but do they have the firepower? Colorado looks revamped by adding Ryan Smyth and Scott Hannan, but what's their goalie situation? Calgary has Kipper and a tough D, but what's that kook Iron Mike going to bring to the table? Minnesota has the raw talent, and defensive system, but keeping Gaborik off the shelf has has it's challenges. Edmonton will stink, but that's not news.

Pacific Division
1. San Jose Sharks
2. Anaheim Ducks
3. Dallas Stars
4. Los Angeles Kings
5. Phoenix Coyotes

--The Stanley Cup hangover is in effect for the Ducks, who may or may not have their captain Scott Niedermayer (great leadership and decision making their, Cap). Every year I pick San Jose to breakout out in a big way, and usually they disappoint. I like Dallas, but they just don't seem to have "it". LA could be a surprise team, but how will all their new faces mesh? Again, the only thing for sure is it's going to be a long season for #99, if he sticks with that club all year I'll be impressed.

Playoff teams (no particular order):
Detroit, Vancouver, San Jose (division winners)
Anaheim, Colorado, Calgary, Minnesota, Dallas

Just missing it (this year's Colorado, Montreal or Toronto):
St. Louis, LA

Somewhat competitive but not enough:
Chicago and Nashville

It's gonna be a long, cold winter:
Columbus, Phoenix, Edmonton

Get the Skissors out, it's time to make some cuts

The Pens head back to West Point for another round of boot camp on Sunday. They expect to carry close to, if not the final roster. As of now though, we're looking at 24 forwards, 13 defenseman and 3 goalies...Here's my educated more than guess about the roster:

Forwards(13): Armstrong, Brent, Christensen, Crosby, Laraque, Malkin, Malone, Recchi, Roberts, Ruutu, Staal, Sykora, Talbot

Defensemen (7): Eaton, Gonchar, Letang, Orpik, Scuderi, Sydor, Whitney

Goaltenders (2): Fleury, Sabourin


If I'm wrong, here's where:
13th forward: I took Brent, he's a right handed center (unique to the organization), and has some NHL experience. I know the Pens like young guys like Ryan Stone, Jon Filewich and especially Tyler Kennedy but there's only so much room at the inn. Unless there's a trade (Ryan Malone I'm looking at you) then I don't see how. Adam Hall's inspired tryout play falls just short.

Defensemen: The organization loves Letang, but I almost wish they'd give him 10 games in Wilkes-Barre to wet his feet in the professional pool before diving right in to the NHL. Mike Weaver who I consider a poor man's Mark Eaton, just solid enough to get the job done, but not skilled enough to fly above the radar.

And we're off

Head over to the Pensblog for your recaps and funnies, short of the newspapers that's your best bet for timely/funny/in depth game by game recaps. My job and alcoholism doesn't usually let me update as quick or humorous as them.

The important thing is we're playing hockey again. Some key points:

• Capacity house 21,000+ to see a preseason game. Say what you will about Canada, but damn they love hockey. The atmosphere was closer to a post-season game than game 1 of the daggone preseason. You may think that's ridiculous, and it is ridiculous. But somehow it's true.


• Someone named Andrew Archer dished out a big hit on public enemy #2 former hometown boy Angelo Esposito. Georges Laraque soon made his acquaintance.

First hospitilization of the season

• Laraque took heat from Pens fans for not dropping the gloves more down the stretch last year, but it's difficult to get guys to go when they don't want to. Still, with the harsh feelings had by both Edmonton's organization and Phoenix's fans towards Laraque, sometimes maybe you wonder how he feels about consistently being an enforcer. I think having his old junior coach Michel Therrien there, someone who knows Laraque and certainly knows how to call his own players out, only helps.
• Jarrko Ruutu got under the skin of everyone, especially Mike Komaserek. Again when a player says after the game something like: "He's [Ruutu] the toughest guy I've ever seen when the linesmen are between us.... Let him talk all he wants. Let him talk until his lips fall off." you know it's just a little more intense than an average preseason game
• Crosby 1 goal, 1 assist. Nice to see him shake the rust off a summer where he practically got no training in due to a little rest for a broken foot he played on for over a month.
• It sounded like both goalies (Fleury but especially Huet) played excellent. I heard Huet in particular had several monster saves, including reaching back and stopping a Petr Sykora bid right on the goal line.
• For the Habs, it sounded like Alexei Kovalev and Andrei Kostyitin (spelling) were huge and all over the ice. As I said earlier, I'm astounded how few goals Kovalev scored. He's kinda like Jagr in that he's a supreme talent, but almost emotional and if the media or fans are giving it to him, he almost gives up and doesn't try as hard. Certainly neither perform as well. I like Kovalev, I hope the Montreal media just lets him go out and play, that would be the best for both parties there.