What’s bugging me is Satan’s twin!

What’s really bugging me today is not the (2) losses… not even how much people in Pittsburgh seem so worried about the scoring race.  Although the scoring race does bother me a little bit.  One win and we are in and that’s what counts.  Those who should be worried are …..

teams like Boston who really deep down in can’t possibly have confidence that Tim Thomas against Crosby and Malkin in a 7-game series is going to cut it. In fact, Jose Theodore in Washington won’t last in a 7-game series. That’s not a given at all because we all know the playoffs are one major crapshoot BUT it’s close to a given.  Most hockey people (except Boston’s GM) know that neither of these goalies is THAT strong. It’s not that their team can’t win against the Penguins – it’s just not likely and their goalies have to get hot as hell to pull it off.

I’d take the Penguins against any of them and right now if Cam Ward continues to play as well as he’s playing… they along with the Pens are who those TOP-4 teams fear the most. All of them have something to bring to the table but I think these ‘all season long’ front runners fear the Penguins most of all.  Beware the Penguin!

But this isn’t what’s bugging me. What’s bugging me is Petr Sykora. What’s

going on with this guy? He’s hanging on the perimeter and not playing well at all. It’s not just the scoring. Bylsma has been dropping him in the lines and is limiting his time on the PP.  His ice time is in the crapper too… and Deservingly so. Is the goal #300 placing the same pressure as the Hat Trick was on him?  He best on the PP and right now he’s been pretty much removed from it.

Whatever it is his play over the last weeks has been terrible. This is a contract year and reports are he’s asking for a 3-year contract and the Pens offered him 2-years. The way he’s been playing if I was Ray Shero I’d take that 2-year offer off the table. Unless he’s playing hurt and if he is playing hurt – that’s stupid. Personally, I think he’s choking. It’s not so much his ZERO points in his last 8 games it’s more his 2 goals in his last 17. That’s Rod Scuderi type numbers!

As to Malkin winning the scoring race… I’d hate to see him blow the lead he’s got just because he doesn’t have a right wing worth a bag of pucks right now.  I wouldn’t want him losing to Ovechkin and the Penguins playing the Capitals in the first round.  I don’t think that would be good for Malkin’s psyche.