Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Lemieux Victorious In Pens Debut

Boston 3 (28-22-7)
Pittsburgh 5 (34-20-3)
Shots BOS 32 PIT 39

Malkin 2 Goals (30), 6 SOG
Grier Goal (6)
Sykora Goal (13)
Bure ENG (33), 6 SOG
Gonchar/Sydor -3
Crosby 7 SOG
Fleury 29 saves on 32 shots...25-10-1 on the season

Bergeron Goal (34)
Scheafer Goal (6)
Sturm Goal (18)
Thomas 34 saves on 38 shots

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Penguins Add More Grit In Another Trade With San Jose

After struggling to a -13 this season with just 12 assists in 57 games, the Penguins have decided to cut ties with Sergei Gonchar. The Penguins announced a deal had been completed tonight after the Pens 5-3 win against Boston in which Gonchar was -3.

The deal will send Gonchar to San Jose while the Pens will recieve defensmen Kyle McLaren. McLaren is possibly the hardest hitter in the NHL and will add some more grit to a team that recently added Darren McCarty to the mix in effort to harden up a team that had been maligned as soft, casting doubts upon whether or not the Pens could compete in the rough and tough environment that is the NHL playoffs.

The 6-4 McLaren has tallied 5 goals and 13 assists with the last place Sharks this season with a +/- of -6.

This is the second trade between the Sharks and Penguins this season as the two teams exchanged forwards earlier this season when Pittsburgh traded Ruslan Fedetenko and Bill Guerin to the Sharks for Jonathan Cheechoo and Mike Grier.

"We feel this is a really good move for us and are excited to have Kyle in Pittsburgh. He brings an edge that is necessary to be competitive during the playoffs...and that is where our mind is now", stated head coach Mario Lemieux.

Along with the trade, Mario has announced that the lines will be shifting as well in effort to better the Pens attack as a more well-rounded squad.

NEW LINES

* Players in blue indicate players added since start of the season, 5 in all

Sykora-Crosby-Bure
Sykora moves from 2nd line to 1st line
Satan-Malkin-Kunitz
Kunitz moves from 1st line to 2nd line, and switches sides
Cheechoo-Staal-Grier
Cheechoo moves from 2nd line to 3rd line, and switches sides
McCarty-Christensen-Laraque

Eaton-Letang
Eaton and Letang move from 3rd pairing as they are both top 5 in NHL +/-
McLaren-Whitney
Orpik-Sydor

Fleury
McClennan

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

McLennan Stellar In Debut; Shuts Out Canes

Pittsburgh 3 (35-20-3)
Carolina 0 (24-30-6)
Shots PIT 29 CAR 25

Bure 2 Goals (35)
Sydor 2 Assists
Staal ENG (SH) (17)
Crosby/Sykora/Satan Assists
McLennan 25 saves, SO (1)
McLaren Led PIT with 5 hits in 23:34

Walker, 4 SOG
Staal -2, 2 SOG
Grahame 26 saves on 29 shots
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NHL News Wire

The Columbus Blue Jackets have claimed PIT goalie Ty Conklin off waivers. The Pens have been refunded 500,000 USD.
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Lemieux Hails Pens Victory As Best Performance Of Season; Crosby Nets Four In Win Against Sabres

Pittsburgh 6 (36-20-3)
Buffalo 1 (28-27-4)
Shots PIT 42 BUF 11

Pens out-shoot Sabres 17-1 in 1st period
Crosby 4 Goals (32), +4, scored just 20 seconds into game and again 1:24 later.
Bure 3 Assists, +4
Christensen Goal (11)
Kunitz Goal (18)
Malkin/Satan/McLaren Assists
Fleury 10 saves on 11 shots

Roy Goal (11)
Thibault 36 saves on 42 shots
Tallinder/Lydman -4
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Pens Comeback From 4-1; Lose In Shootout To Panthers

Florida 5 (35-24-3)
Pittsburgh 4 (36-20-4)
Shots FLA 36 PIT 25

Staal 2 Goals (19)
Grier/Letang 2 Assists
Christensen Goal (12)
Malkin Goal (31)
Bure -2, 3 SOG
Kunitz Assist
McLennan 32 saves on 36 shots

Bondra Goal (12)
Horton Goal (32)
Weiss Goal (15)
Jokinen Goal (29), GW Goal in Shoot-Out
Vokoun 21 saves on 25 shots

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Pens Demolish Canadiens In Montreal; 4-0-1 Under Lemieux

Pittsburgh 5 (37-20-4)
Montreal 1 (28-33-1)
Shots PIT 26 MON 23

Malkin Goal (32) Assist
Kunitz Goal (19) Assist
Whitney Goal (1) Assist
Crosby Goal (33)
Christensen Goal (13)
Bure/Staal/Sykora Assist
Fleury 22 saves on 23 shots...27-10-1 this season

Kostitsyn Goal (7)
Plekanec/Latendresse Assists
Halax 17 saves on 22 shots in 44:11
Heut 4 saves on 4 shots in 15:30

[derrickthomas58]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Keep it up man, this is awesome. Mario coaching? How much longer before he attempts another comeback?

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Keep it up man, this is awesome. Mario coaching? How much longer before he attempts another comeback?

Don't think I didn't think about it...:wink:

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Senators Trump Pens; Emery Dominant

Ottawa 3 (35-23-4)
Pittsburgh 1 (37-21-4)
Shots OTW 29 PIT 33

Crosby Goal (34), 4 SOG
Bure Assist, 4 SOG
McLennan 26 saves on 29 shots

Fisher 2 Goals (21)
McAmmond Goal (6)
Eaves/Vermette Assists
Emery 32 saves on 33 shots
-------------------------------------------------------------

Pens Slide By Sharks In Shoot-Out; Former Pens Give Pittsburgh Fits As Pens Reclaim 1st In East

San Jose 2 (22-34-6)
Pittsburgh 3 (38-21-4)
Shots SJ 29 PIT 30

Staal Goal (20)
Christensen Goal (14)
Cheechoo/McCarty/Grier Assists
Sydor Game-winning goal in Shoot-Out
Fleury 27 saves on 29 shots

Guerin Goal (20), Assist, 6 SOG
Thornton 2 Assists
Fedetenko Goal (11), 4 SOG
Nabokov 28 saves on 30 shots
-----------------------------------------------------

Cold Streak Alert

The Penguins Jonathan Cheechoo has not scored a goal in 14 games, he is stuck with 21 on the season. Speculation is that the Pens may look to trade Cheechoo for some additional grit which as been the focus of the club with the recent aquisitions of Darren McCarty and Kyle McLaren. The Trade Deadline is tomorrow.

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Ok league Update coming here at some point...standings, leaders, blah blah blah

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Isles Evade Pens On The Island; Kolzig Steals Win As New York Snaps 8 Game Losing Streak

Pittsburgh 2 (38-22-4)
NY Islanders 3 (23-35-6)
Shots PIT 33 NYI 21

Bure Goal (36), 9 SOG
Malkin Goal (33)
Crosby/Eaton Assists
Fleury 18 saves on 21 shots

Simon Goal (2)
Bergenheim Goal (7)
Roberts Goal (9)
Kolzig 31 saves on 33 shots

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Pens Stats Through 64 Games

Sykora (13G, 14A, 27pts) Crosby (34G, 25A, 59pts) Bure (36G, 38A, 74pts)
Satan (10G, 26A, 36pts) Malkin (33G, 14A, 47pts) Kunitz (19G, 28A, 47pts)
Cheechoo (21G, 12A, 33pts) Staal (20G, 11A, 31pts) Grier (6G, 18A, 24pts)
McCarty (1G, 3A, 4pts in 14 games) Christensen (14G, 5A, 19pts) Laraque (1G, 10A, 11pts)
Letang (2G, 17A, 19pts) Eaton (0G, 10A, 10pts)
McLaren (5G, 14A, 19pts) Whitney (1G, 22A, 23pts)
Sydor (0G, 29A, 29pts) Orpik (0G, 19A, 19pts)

Fleury 28-11-1 2.61 GAA .899SV% 2 SO's 2372 Min
McLennan 1-1-1 2.28 GAA .922 SV% 1 SO 184 Min

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Around The NHL

Eastern Conference Standings

Washington 39-22-3 81pts
Pittsburgh 38-22-4 80pts
Ottawa 36-24-4 76pts
Atlanta 38-23-3 79pts
New Jersey 37-24-3 77pts
New York Rangers 35-22-7 77pts
Florida 36-26-3 75pts
Boston 30-25-7 67pts
Buffalo 31-28-4 66pts
Tampa Bay 28-26-8 64pts
Montreal 30-33-1 61pts
Carolina 27-32-7 61pts
Philadelphia 25-32-6 56pts
Toronto 25-34-5 55pts
NY Islanders 23-35-6 52pts

Western Conference Standings

Anaheim 41-22-3 85pts
St. Louis 37-20-6 80pts
Edmonton 36-20-8 80pts
Detroit 36-24-5 77pts
Chicago 35-23-4 74pts
Los Angeles 35-27-2 72pts
Pheonix 32-23-8 72pts
Nashville 31-24-9 71pts
Dallas 31-28-8 70pts
Colorado 32-28-4 66pts
Calgary 31-30-3 65pts
Vancouver 28-25-9 65pts
Minnesota 26-33-4 56pts
Columbus 26-35-3 55pts
San Jose 22-34-6 50pts

NHL League Leaders

Goals

1. Kovachuk 61
2. Gaborik 49
3. Kariya 46
4. Jagr 44
5. Havlat 43
6. Richards 42

Assists

1. M. Koivu 65
2. Spezza 56
3. Gomez 55
4. Hemsky 52
5. Langkow 51
BrindAmour 51
7. Kane 50

Points

1. Gaborik (49G, 36A) 85
2. Jagr (44G, 39A) 83
3. Kovalchuk (61G, 20A) 81
4. Sakic (34G, 46A) 80
5. Hemsky (27G, 52A) 79
6. Havlat (43G, 35A) 78
Ovechkin (38G, 40A) 78

+/-

1. Letang +27
2. Mara +24
3. Eaton +22
Bure +22
5. Fehr +21
6. Crosby +20

Shots

1. Kovalchuk 365
2. Bure 362
3. Kariya 262
4. Forsberg 254
5. Havlat 253

Wins

1. Fleury 28
2. Broduer 25
Giguere 25
4. Vokoun 23
5. C. Mason STL 22

SO

1. Giguere 7
2. Hasek 6
3. 7 w/4

GAA

1. Giguere 2.04
2. Bryzgalov 2.09
3. Broduer 2.23
4. Miller 2.26
5. Khabibulin 2.28

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Crosby and Bure Lead Pens Past Bruins

Pittsburgh 3 (39-22-4)
Boston 2 (30-26-7)
Shots PIT 32 BOS 22

Crosby Goal (35) Assist, 5 SOG
Bure 2 Assists, 5 SOG
Sykora Goal (14)
Malkin Goal (34)
Fleury 20 saves on 22 shots

Chara 2 Assists
Kessel Goal (13)
Scheaffer Goal (8)
Axelson/Savard Assist
Thomas 29 saves on 32 shots
--------------------------------------------------

Pens Pick Up 40th Win In Shootout With Sens

Pittsburgh 2 (40-22-4)
Ottawa 1 (36-25-5)
Shots PIT 36 OTT 22

Kunitz Goal (20)
Malkin Assist
Bure GW Shootout Goal, 7 SOG
McLennan 21 saves on 22 shots

Alfredson Goal (30)
Spezza/Redden Assists
Emery 35 saves on 36 shots

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Cheechoo Snaps Out Of Slump Against Thrashers

Atlanta 4 (40-24-3)
Pittsburgh 5 (41-22-4)
Shots ATL 30 PIT 40

Cheechoo 2 Goals (23)...had not scored in 17 games
Crosby 2 Goals (37)...takes team lead in goals.
Bure/Staal/Sydor 2 Assists
Malkin Goal (35)
Fleury 26 saves on 30 shots

Holik Goal (10) Assist
Kozlov Goal (9) Assist
Hedberg 35 saves on 40 shots
----------------------------------------------------------------

Red Hot Pens Win 4th Straight; Expand Eastern Conference Lead As They Move To 9-2-1 Under Lemieux

Pittsburgh 4 (42-22-4)
Tampa Bay 2 (28-29-9)
Shots PIT 29 TB 33

Bure Goal (37), 4 SOG
Crosby Goal (38), 5 SOG
Malkin Goal (36), 5 SOG
Christensen Goal (15)
Fleury 31 saves on 33 shots

Prospal Goal (8) Assist
St. Louis Goal (29)
Lecavalier Assist
Joseph 25 saves on 29 shots

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Make It Five; Pens Clicking Heading Toward Playoffs As They Reach 90 Points Leading East By Four Points

Pittsburgh 7 (43-22-4)
Florida 4 (38-29-3)
Shots PIT 29 FLA 29

Bure 2 Goals (39), 8 SOG, 81 Pts-9th in NHL
Whitney 3 Assists, +5
Malkin 2 Goals (38)
Kunitz 2 Assists
Crosby Goal (39)
Christensen Goal (16) Assist
McCarty Goal (2)
McLaren 6 Hits
McLennan 25 saves on 29 shots

Horton Goal (34) Assist
Dvorak Goal (11) Assist
Salei/Jokinen 2 Assists
Auld 18 Saves on 23 Shots in 38:39
Vokoun 4 Saves on 6 Shots in 21:21
----------------------------------------------------------------

Playoff Race Update

Eastern Conference

5. New Jersey 69 GP 81 Pts
6. Florida 71 GP 80 Pts
7. NY Rangers 68 GP 77 Pts
8. Buffalo 69 GP 75 Pts
9. Boston 68 GP 75 Pts
10. Carolina 71 GP 71 Pts
11. Philadelphia 69 GP 68 Pts

Western Conference

6. Phoenix 68 GP 81 Pts
7. Nashville 69 GP 78 Pts
8. Dallas 71 GP 77 Pts
9. Colorado 69 GP 74 Pts
10. Los Angeles 70 GP 73 Pts
11. Vancouver 68 GP 68 Pts
12. Calgary 68 GP 67 Pts*

* The Calgary Flames are 21-11-2 in thier last 34 games.

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Getting It Done; Playoffs Nearing As Pens Catch Fire

After a successful season to this point (90 points through 69 games) and few savvy deals to add toughness to the squad, the Pens look to be poised for a good run this post season. The Pens are now 10-2-1 under new head coach Mario Lemieux and are looking good with the snipers firing and the grinders grinding along with some top notch goaltending from Mark Andre Fleury (31-11-1).

"We feel really good right now...playoff coming soon...and we just want Stanley Cup...stats...who cares...", stated Pavel Bure who leads the Pens with 39 goals and 42 assists for 81 points in 69 games.

Bure is not the only Pen having success this season. The combination of Crosby, Bure, and Malkin has totalled 11 goals in the last 3 games and 116 on the season.

The Pens, in addition have other secondary scorers getting the job done, as Jordan Staal (20 goals) and Eric Christensen (15 goals) complete what might be the best combination of centers in the NHL. In addition, Jonathan Cheechoo recently ended a 17 game goal scoring drought and he has 23 goals, not to mention Sykora tallying on 14 occations.

While the Pens boast skill in droves, it definitely doesn't stop there as they have added a lot of grit this season with the aquisitions of Kyle McLaren, Darren McCarty, and Mike Grier. Add those three guys to Bruce Orpik and George Laraque, and you've got a hell of a blend of skill and grit.

The playoffs start soon, and the Pens are once again peaking, lets see if they can carry it through to glory in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

*once again, the playoffs game updates will be articles, not just stats...i'm looking forward to it.

[onlybygrace]

Re: Return of The Russian Rocket...But To WHO???

Peaking Pens Win 6th Straight With Style To Spare; Bure/Cheechoo Notch Hat Tricks

Pittsburgh 8 (44-22-4)
Washington 4 (41-26-3)
Shots PIT 39 WSH 23

Bure 3 Goals (42), Assist, 8 SOG, +4, 85 points-7th in NHL...just 14:54 ice time
Cheechoo 3 Goals (26), 7 SOG 5 goals in last 5 games after 17 games without a goal
Crosby Goal (40), 2 Assists
Staal/Sykora 2 Assists
Malkin Goal (39)
Fleury 19 saves on 23 shots

Ovechkin Goal (42)
Fedorov Goal (40)
Backstrom Goal (12)
Pettinger Goal (6)
Johnson 30 saves on 38 shots in 54:50
Theodore 1 save on 1 shot in 5:10
----------------------------------------------------------------

Pens Notebook

The Pens have won 6 straight and 8 of their last 9 games on the road, while scoring 15 goals in the last 2 games.

Crosby/Bure/Malkin have combined for 16 goals in the last 4 games.