I cannot look at losing all of our games against New Jersey and Washington as anything but a negative. I know Crosby and some others have downplayed the importance of not being swept by an inevitable playoff opponent, but I don’t see it. I feel that it does not bode well for a playoff matchup. Now, I have heard countless people say that they are not worried because the Pens will “step up” their game in the playoffs. Don’t you think that the Capitals will also “step up” their game? New Jersey….maybe not so much because they play such a defensive game to begin with. I would have felt better if the Pens could have pulled tonight’s game out.
I have to say that after watching the game tonight, I have determined the Pens shooting is horrible. For quite a while now, people have been complaining about Kris Letang missing the net. (Which, of course, he deserves) The problem is not limited to him. Also, it is not just missing the net. It involves passing up shooting opportunities or even shooting the puck right into the goaltender. Tonight, Goligoski passed up more good shooting chances than I care to remember. Tyler Kennedy has been a focus of mine regarding this issue all season. It still holds true. He is a nice player. He could be a really good player if he could finish. It just seems that there is a lot of room for improvement in the overall team shooting.
Notes:
- Fleury with not 1, but 2 softies tonight. I am hoping he can get that worked out in like a week.
- What was up with Semin acting like he got shot in the head on Talbot’s hit on him? I saw the replay, and I could not see anything that would cause him to go down for the count. Have I mentioned that I dislike him as much as any player in the league. He is such a baby, and this clip is embarrassing to men and to hockey alike:
- So Crosby scored one goal and Ovechkin scored two goals to tie up the goal-scoring race. One of Ovechkin’s goals was an empty netter. For those of you wondering: Crosby has just one empty net goal vs. Ovechkin’s 5.
Looking forward to the last game in the Igloo on Thursday night. It should be quite a night.
Who cares about empty net goals and if Brent should’ve been pulled, Fluery let in three crappy goals, um playoffs are a week away and if you lose four games you are out, HEY MARC STOP THE DAMN PUCK!! doesn’t have to be fancy, catch the puck, put your pads on the ice stop it, get in front of it. We win or Lose because of Marc
I Agree, Fleury looked like shit. He needs to cover his angles and get his head in the game. Maybe he’s letting all the soft ones in now so he doesn’t in the playoffs.
Let,s hope so
I’m 50/50 on Bylsma leaving the goaltender in or taking him out. Though Crosby is a team player and would rather win the game and 2 goals in 30 some seconds probably has been done before. Bylsma probably should have looked at that low probability and what you would gain even if they did win and thrown it all away to help Crosby after all Crosby does for the team.
How about that ghost elbow Talbot threw at Semin. The NHL should throw out game suspensions for faking to get someone else suspended. Just like they have a diving penalty. If there is a softer wussier person in the NHL or in figure skating than Semin, I haven’t seen them. Tonya Harding would drop Semin in 3 seconds.
Semin has many accidental high sticks that aren’t called and has turned into quite the diver too. That “ghost elbow” is the right description. Refs love it when a player upstages them and Semin has been getting away with it not only against the Penguins.
He’ll get his……. word gets around the league and I think the clock is ticking on this guy.
As for Bylsma pulling the goalie – in the great scheme of things – who really cares. Bylsma doesn’t. It could have been worse he could have left Johnson in and Ovechkin still scored.
Talbot gave Semin an elbow to the head, and must be taking lessons from Cooke, because he got away with it… As for the clip, you will notice it was Semin who threw Staal to the ice and played the bongo drums on his head and chest… Not the other way around… If you question Semin’s manhood, what does that say for Staal, who took the beating like a good, little beotch…
And for the record, Disco Dan made the right call… Goals in the NHL can come quickly, and kudos to Dan for playing it to win it, despite the odds… Not thinking about post season awards… He probably thought, at minimum, that his boys could get the puck deep and keep it in the zone… It just wasn’t to be…
You read way too many Washington Capital blogs son. They are still learning the game too.
Son? I’m probably older than you are, Ron, and I’m a CAPS fan; why wouldn’t I read CAPS blogs?… Just because I read them doesn’t mean I have to agree with everything that is written there… I mean, I read PenguinPoop too… 😉
I could not believe that Pittsburgh left their goalie out with 30 seconds left in the game down two goals. Of course Washington put Ovechkin on the ice to score a easy empty goal. Crosby has always beena team player and I find it insulting that for once, Pittsburgh would have protected the chance for Crosby to win the goal scoring award. How stupid. Thanks coach on behalf of Ovechkin.