Well the Penguins have now laid an egg against the two teams that could potentially knock them out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and it is a bit unsettling. I realize that the playoffs are a different story, but it is tough make a case for a third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final without playing one of both of the Devils and Capitals.
Sure there were some positives last night, but the mental lapses were still very evident and the Birds just couldn’t stop the bleeding. The goaltending was suspect at best, the team defense non-existent and the competitive level of the team seemed to be at around 50%.
You almost get a vibe that some of the guys aren’t even concerned about where they are right now. That lack of concern scares me more than the actual performance on the ice. The play on the ice could get better…if they cared. When a team stops caring or is content to lose games red flags should be going up everywhere.
Sidney Crosby cannot be the only guy trying from shift to shift, but it has been the case far to often.
I hope that the boys prove me wrong, but I am feeling a second round exit this year… when you stir in a first round match-up with the Senators? Maybe even first round… we shall see…
On to Around the Net!
Here is Dave Molinari’s game recap. Dave points out the errors that cost the Penguins so dearly last night… I think I can still see Alex Goligoski falling down as Alex Semin skated towards him last night prior to scoring the game’s first goal…
Shelly Anderson gives us this piece regarding the obvious change in Alex Ovechkin’s game since he was last suspended. Last night being my first chance to see him in person the suspension…I agree. He wasn’t not playing with the usual reckless abandon that had become a staple over his career…
Here is Rob Rossi’s notebook… he mentions that Bruce Boudreau still thinks that the road to the Stanley Cup goes through Pittsburgh…mainly because the Pens are the reigning champions.
Road to Stanley runs through Pittsburgh?
The fans in Ottawa didn’t support their Sens the way they used to this season and the trend seems to have carried over to the playoffs. Their playoff tickets have been on sale for three days and there are still roughly 3,500 tickets remaining for the first two dates… good news for Penguins fans who are known to travel well.
Plenty of seats left in Ottawa
Young guns to miss rest of season? Both Peter Mueller and Phil Kessel could be out for the remainder of the season with injuries that popped up this past weekend.
Mueller and Kessel done for the year?
Tim Sassone feels that Duncan Keith should win this year’s Norris Trophy. The veteran Chicago reporter says that he is casting his vote for Keith and I wouldn’t be surprised to see others around the league vote the same way.
The National Hockey League comes to iPad. The league has released an application that will bring an optimized version of its website to the iPad.
Jonas Gustavsson has had a season of ups and downs…first he dealt with the death of his mother, then came two heart surgeries. All of that adds up to a nomination for the Bill Masterton Award. The Monster is probably the leading candidate for the award this season…
The Monster gets a Masterton nod
Willie O’Ree, the first black player in the National Hockey League was inducted into the Order of Canada.
Ty Conklin loves Lady Gaga… who knew? Then again, that mustache in the picture that Wysh chose looks like he could be in the village people! Conklin was always a wacky guy when he was in the ‘Burgh…but fun to deal with.
P.K. Subban is quickly becoming one of the top prospects in the league and could be an NHL mainstay very soon. He has great skill and parlayed it into a huge AHL Rookie campaign…
Dennis Seidenberg out for eight weeks after successful surgery to repair some tendon damage caused when he was cut in a game this past weekend. The cut was a scary moment, as I got to see it happen while watching that game…
More later…
