Pens Tidbits

[83-Steelers-43]

Bob Errey along the lines: "They want to make you think they are still calling the same penalties as they were in the beginning of the season but they are not.".

Thank you Bob..............http://forums.steelersfever.com/show...t=12221&page=8 #72

[X-Terminator]

And it's now 3-1. Game over folks.

Hey guys...there's 10 games left in the season. Think maybe you want to pick it up a bit? Thanks. Finishing 4th is a hell of a lot better than finishing 5th, but more importantly, they have NOTHING wrapped up yet.

In other news, with 6 points in the past 2 games, Joe Thornton now trails Sid by just 6 points in the scoring race.

[HometownGal]

Originally Posted by X-Terminator

And it's now 3-1. Game over folks.

Hey guys...there's 10 games left in the season. Think maybe you want to pick it up a bit? Thanks. Finishing 4th is a hell of a lot better than finishing 5th.

In other news, with 6 points in the past 2 games, Joe Thornton now trails Sid by just 6 points in the scoring race.

Haven't you learned your lesson XT? The Pens are down 2 goals with 8 minutes left in the game. Have some faith, will ya? If they go on to lose this game, Therrein will work their a$$es off to get them back to where they were just a couple of games ago.

There's a lot of hockey to be played in the regular season - they'll be OK.

What does it matter finishing 4th or 5th? They'd still have to most likely play the Sens, though home ice would be preferable. The Pens have a decent road record this season.

P.S. That power play SUCKED. That's my negativity for the night - LOL!

[83-Steelers-43]

Bottomline........

The Islanders were playing for a playoff spot tonight and the Penguins were playing as if they already had a spot locked.

Eitherway, the fellow pizan looked damn good tonight in net for the Islanders. Nothing new there. The guy is consistent on a nightly basis.

Oh well. Nothing you can do now. Put it behind us and move on to the Thrashers.

[SteelCityMan786]

They need to play day in and day out. This will hurt them at playoff time if this keeps up.

[BettisFan]

OH BABY PENGUINS ARE GOING TO GO ALL THE WAY THIS YEAR GO CROSBY!!!!!! THE NEXT GRETZKY

[83-Steelers-43]

PENGUINS SIGN COLLEGE FREE AGENT MARK LETESTU
03/22/2007

Center Mark Letestu has agreed to the terms of a two-year, entry-level contract with the Penguins, it was announced Thursday by Pittsburgh Penguins Assistant General Manager Chuck Fletcher.

Letestu, 22, recently completed his freshman season with the Western Michigan Broncos, leading the team with 24 goals, five shorthanded goals and 46 points. He also ranked tied for first on the team with seven power play goals and three game-winning goals.

The 5-11, 195 pound native of Elk Point, Alberta, placed tied for sixth among all NCAA skaters in goals and tied for 14th in points, while his five shorthanded tallies led the entire nation. Letestu led all freshmen scorers across the NCAA in points, and was named the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of the Year.

Letestu played four seasons with the Bonnyville Pontiacs of the Albert Junior Hockey League, leading league in scoring with 105 points (50+55) in 58 games during the 2005-06 season. That performance led him to be named the AJHL.

http://www.pittsburghpenguins.com/te...rts/2410.0.php

[X-Terminator]

Originally Posted by HometownGal

Haven't you learned your lesson XT? The Pens are down 2 goals with 8 minutes left in the game. Have some faith, will ya? If they go on to lose this game, Therrein will work their a$$es off to get them back to where they were just a couple of games ago.

There's a lot of hockey to be played in the regular season - they'll be OK.

What does it matter finishing 4th or 5th? They'd still have to most likely play the Sens, though home ice would be preferable. The Pens have a decent road record this season.

P.S. That power play SUCKED. That's my negativity for the night - LOL!

Therrien had better get on their asses and let them know RIGHT NOW that they do not have a playoff berth sewn up, and they better start matching other teams' intensity if they want to ensure their spot in the post season. Once again, they're getting no production from their star players, and it's costing them games. Sid has been hot and cold for about 6 weeks now and so has Malkin, and if this team is going to win consistently, they MUST produce regularly - and that goes for Recchi (who hasn't scored a goal since the 8th grade picnic), Malone and Staal. The entire team looked like they were just going through the motions, with the exception of the 3rd line. Completely unacceptable at this time of year. On top of that, it was another missed opportunity to tie the Devils for first place, as they lost tonight to Tampa Bay (who coincidentally is now just 6 points behind the Pens for 5th). There are 8 games remaining, and 6 of those 8 games are against teams that are either jockeying for position or fighting to get in. Some of those teams (TOR, CAR, NYR, OTT) are picking up their games. It's time for the Pens to do the same, starting with Atlanta on Saturday afternoon. Needless to say, I was NOT happy with their performance tonight.

[X-Terminator]

Pens' offense sputters in loss

By Karen Price
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, March 23, 2007

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Penguins coach Michel Therrien agreed that New York Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro was good in the Islanders' 3-1 win on Thursday night at Nassau Coliseum.

The Penguins had 36 shots on goal and only scored on one.

Among DiPietro's saves were a stop on an Evgeni Malkin breakaway while the game was tied and another on a Malkin penalty shot after the Islanders went ahead by one in the second period.

Still, DiPietro's play didn't matter to Therrien.

All that mattered was that in the past two games, when his team had a chance to catch the New Jersey Devils for the lead in the Atlantic Division, the Penguins have lost both games and scored two goals.

"We have to find a way to score more goals," Therrien said. "We didn't score enough goals to deserve to win the hockey game. I thought DiPietro was great (Thursday); he played an excellent game and we got a lot of shots. But at the same time, that's not good enough. Our philosophy has always been the same: that you have to score at least three goals to deserve to win. We're not scoring enough goals."

Colby Armstrong scored the only goal for the Penguins (41-23-10), who remain two points behind the Devils after their loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, now within six points of fifth place. The Penguins also fell four points behind the Ottawa Senators for fourth place.

The Islanders, meanwhile, were in 11th place with 79 points heading into the game and looked to leapfrog three teams log-jammed at 80 points. They were leading, 2-1, when Malkin was awarded a penalty shot and put the puck into DiPietro's leg pad.

The Penguins had consecutive power plays, including 37 seconds of a 5-on-3 advantage before the second period was over. They didn't score, and the penalty kill energized the Islanders and the crowd of 14,457 at Nassau Coliseum.

Therrien blamed the missed penalty shot for the outcome of the game more than the performance on the power play.

"The penalty shot, if we could have scored, it would have been a different game," Therrien said. "We didn't score."

Therrien moved Malkin up to the top line with Sidney Crosby and Mark Recchi, and he moved Erik Christensen to a line with Jordan Staal and Michel Ouellet. Those were done to spark the offense, but the moves didn't work.

The Islanders scored their third goal just 1:42 into the third period after Maxime Talbot turned the puck over heading into the Islanders' end. The Islanders gained control along the boards, and that led to a 3-on-2 rush.

Viktor Kozlov scored from the middle to make it 3-1.

The Penguins received another chance on the power play, but the Islanders controlled the puck almost the entire advantage.

Crosby said the Penguins managed to get a lot of pucks behind DiPietro but could get just one to cross the goal line.

"There were probably three or four that were sitting behind him, and we didn't get a guy in there to bang it home," Crosby said. "They were solid around their net, but at this time of year, you have to score ugly goals and we have to find a way to do that."

The eighth and final installment of the season series between the two teams was as hard-hitting and chippy as one might have imagined from two division teams fighting for two points.

"We were definitely expecting something like that," defenseman Ryan Whitney said. "They have a physical team, and they were really battling for their playoff lives. We had a good first (period), but after that they kind of took it to us."

Whitney didn't take much solace in the fact the Devils also lost.

"That's good, but at the same time that's twice we could have been in first place," Whitney said. "We would have been in first by ourselves if we'd won those two games here in New York. We're still right there for the division, but Saturday (against Atlanta) we have to be better."

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt.../s_499166.html

[X-Terminator]

Good. Now if we can keep his ass healthy for longer than 2 weeks, that'll be great.

Notebook: Eaton might return this weekend

Friday, March 23, 2007

? Defenseman Mark Eaton, who's recovering from a knee sprain suffered on March 1 against the New York Rangers, said that he "optimistically" might be ready for one of the Penguins' two home games this weekend, either Saturday against the Atlanta Thrashers or Sunday's featured national game against the Boston Bruins. Eaton has been skating with the team for more than a week and said that if he's unable to play this weekend, he'll almost certainly be ready for Tuesday's game at the Washington Capitals. The 29-year-old defenseman led the team in blocked shots with 36 before he suffered a wrist injury on Nov. 4 at San Jose, and then recorded 33 more between his return on Jan. 26 at the Dallas Stars and March 1.

? According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Sidney Crosby had 17 points in six games against the New York Islanders going into Thursday's game, with at least two points in each game (three goals, 14 assists). The only two players who have scored more than 17 points in one season against the Islanders are Mario Lemieux in 1988-89 (18 points in seven games) and Jaromir Jagr in 2005-06 (18 points in eight games).

? The Penguins scratched forwards Chris Thorburn, Ronald Petrovicky and Nils Ekman and defenseman Joel Kwiatkowski. The Islanders were without Chris Simon (suspended), Shawn Bates (hernia), Joel Bouchard (hamstring), Radek Martinek (leg) and Bruno Gervais (ankle).

? "I don't know; we'll see when that comes around." Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, laughing at a suggestion that he might try for a contract like Islanders' goalie Rick DiPietro's 15-year deal the next time he comes up for free agency.

Digits

4 - Games in which Evgeni Malkin has registered an assist (five total) for the only scoring streak on the team going into Thursday.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt.../s_499150.html