I never thought I’d see the day when the Penguins organization embraced being second best. Certainly not with Mario Lemieux at the helm.

That’s why I had a hard time believing my ears this past Wednesday when GM Ray Shero attributed his team’s early playoff exits to parity. Maybe I’m taking his comments out of context. But it sure sounded like Shero was rationalizing the Pens’ postseason failures instead of taking a hard look at the root causes. Perhaps if he had, he wouldn’t have been so quick to offer coach Dan Bylsma a two-year contract extension.

It’s difficult to explain Shero’s unwavering confidence in Bylsma. It’s not as if the 42-year-old coach was leading a bunch of ham-and-eggers this spring. This was a deep and talented team—favored by many to win the Stanley Cup.

Michel Therrien should’ve been so fortunate. Eight months after guiding a rising young Penguins squad to the Finals in 2008 (seven months after signing a contract extension) Shero gave him the boot. Granted, the team was in the midst of a desperate slide and needed a change. But there are many—including myself—who feel Therrien laid the structural foundation for the 2009 Cup winners.

Back to Bylsma. It’s not that he doesn’t possess many admirable qualities. He’s a genuinely good guy. His players love him. He’s popular with the fans. He represents the franchise well. He’s enjoyed a ton of regular-season success—and has a Jack Adams Award on his mantle as proof.

In a way he reminds me of former University of Pittsburgh football coach Dave Wannstedt. A “Pittsburgh guy” through and through, Wannstedt was a wonderful recruiter and ambassador for the Pitt football program. He wasn’t a great coach and wasn’t going to lead the Panthers to a national title, but that wasn’t the expectation.

It’s a different dynamic with Bylsma and the Pens. In each of the past four seasons the black and gold have been touted as legitimate Cup contenders. And each year the team has gone belly-up in the playoffs.  Give the Bowling Green grad a pass for 2011, when the Pens lost to Tampa Bay without big guns Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. However, you can’t absolve him of blame for the other postseason flops.

Kevin Pawlos, a prominent local amateur player and former teammate of Boston defenseman Matt Bartkowski, said the Penguins never adjusted to the Bruins in the recent Conference Finals. They kept trying to beat Boston’s 1-2-2 with stretch passes, a tactic that failed miserably. Along those lines, who can forget our dreadful penalty killing against Philadelphia last year? The penalty-killers chased Philly’s point-men all series long (with nary an adjustment) and got burned to the tune of a dozen power-play goals.

That’s Bylsma’s modus operandi…and Achilles Heel. He only knows one style. While opposing coaches like Boston’s Claude Julien work to get favorable match-ups, the Pens skipper is notoriously reluctant to make adjustments. It’s puck-possession or bust.

It’s one thing to stick to your guns. It’s another matter entirely to stick to your guns when what you’re doing doesn’t work. That, I believe, is the definition of insanity.

So, for that matter, is extending the contract of a coach who has yet to truly prove he can win in the playoffs.

© Rick Buker for Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog, 2013. | 11 comments |

As soon as the Penguins team got healthy towards the close of the regular season a few noticeable problems started to arise.  The biggest problem was where to fit in Jarome Iginla.  It was always assumed he would fit in on Crosby’s line, but that would mean removal of Chris Kunitz or Pascal Dupuis.  If the Penguins put Kunitz on Malkins line Dupuis would have to be moved to the opposite side.  A Dupuis that has had more regular strength goals than Iginla over the past few seasons, even with Crosby out of the lineup.

The odd guy out ended up being rookie Beau Bennett on Malkin’s line.  As it turns out, Iginla 3 years removed from the Olympics, 3 years not going to the post season, 3 years further into the twilight of his career didn’t have what it takes to remove Neal or Dupuis from their respected winger positions.

Bylsma is known for his fast attack style of play.  Four games into the Islanders series when the Islanders managed to tie it up, Bylsma made his first couple moves. He changed the goaltender and he brought back his speed.  The speed duo of Tyler Kennedy and Joe Vitale were finally back on the ice together for the Penguins.  When Kennedy and Vitale were both playing for the Penguins, the team was 4-0.  They won the last two games of the Islanders series then the first two of the Senators series.  Then they were split up again.  The Pens lost.

Fact:  Without the speed duo on the ice the Pens were 4-7 in the playoffs.

Coach Bylsma had just received the gift of 4 quality veteran players, and his gift didn’t fit correctly.  Unlike easily returning an incorrectly fitting shirt to the store, if Bylsma didn’t wear this shirt the media would have a field day.  They would wonder if Shero even talked to Bylsma before trading for these guys.  Simply put, if Bylsma sat the majority of them it would make his boss look bad.  One fifth of the team was now slower, older players, three of which had not been in the playoffs in over 3 years.

So, Does Bylsma show up the guy who has the ability to fire him by sitting a couple of these “great” acquisitions or does he try to make due so as not to get fired for making the GM of the year candidate look bad?

At Ray Shero’s press conference on Wednesday he said he would like a couple of “do-overs”.  I personally was 100% all for the acquisitions, looking back I wouldn’t be.  Hind sight is always 20/20.  Three out of the 4 guys brought in by Shero are UFA’s at the end of this season.  The only one worth it to re-sign is the only one of them that showed heart, Brandon Morrow.

—

Penguins coach Dan Bylsma recently received a 2 year contract extension, which means he is slated to be the Penguins coach for 3 more years.

I have been reading extremely ignorant posts all over the internet from extremely ignorant fans and I feel I must clarify some false information that has been posted.  Starting with my favorite piece of garbage “it was Michel Therrien’s team that won the Cup in 2009 not Bylsma’s”

In the 2008-2009 season Therrien had driven the Penguins so far wrong that by the time he was fired the Penguins needed to (...)
Read the rest of Penguins GM Shero put Coach Bylsma in a Very Tough Situation

© Phil Krundle for Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog, 2013. | 16 comments |

There’s a popular notion among Pens fans that Fleury is—or was—an elite playoff goalie. A quick glance at his playoff stats indicate that’s not the case. Based on the numbers the willowy Sorel, Quebec native has had one truly exceptional postseason—and that was in 2008 when we lost to Detroit in the Finals.

For emphasis, here’s a table that compares Fleury’s postseason save percentages with those of the Stanley Cup winning goalies for each year dating back to his first playoff appearance in 2007. The numbers are eye-popping:

Granted, save percentage isn’t a bottom-line indicator of effectiveness. There have been plenty of goalies—Gerry Cheevers, Battlin’ Billy Smith, and Grant Fuhr come to mind—who didn’t post flashy numbers but were winners all the same. Likewise, statistics don’t account for the fact that the Penguins play a fast (and loose) style that often leaves their goaltenders exposed.

Still, I think the numbers underscore how much Fleury’s postseason performances pale in comparison to his peers. It’s especially alarming in light of the fact that the Pens still regard him as a franchise goalie.

Whoever replaces the departed Gilles Meloche as goaltender coach will have his hands full. He’ll need to work long hours to improve “Flower’s” focus, consistency, and fundamentals, while rebuilding his fragile psyche. If the new mentor is up to the task, then hopefully the goalie who was good enough to hoist the Cup in 2009 will re-emerge.

© Rick Buker for Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog, 2013. | 2 comments |

1. Sid’s Jaw—The fractured jaw Sidney Crosby sustained with a month to go in the regular season may have contributed more than any other factor to the Penguins’ undoing. The combination of the grueling playoff grind and a liquid diet—not to mention the Bruins’ rugged checking—left him looking gaunt and exhausted in the Conference Finals.

2. Easy Does It—Although the Islanders gave the Penguins some difficulty in the opening round, the black and gold had too easy a time with Ottawa. In particular, the goal-fests in Games 4 and 5 of the Conference Semifinals may have filled the Pens with a false sense of security and left them vulnerable to a tough team like Boston.

In stark contrast, the Bruins rallied from the brink of elimination in their first-round matchup with Toronto. Having stared adversity squarely in the eye and conquered it, they were the more confident, assured team.

3. The Trades—When GM Ray Shero acquired Jarome Iginla, Jussi Jokinen, Brenden Morrow, and Douglas Murray prior to the trade deadline, I was ecstatic. While it’s true the newcomers added a huge helping of skill, grit, and veteran leadership, the team lost a step (or two) in the process. Indeed, a lack of foot speed is part of the reason the Pens struggled to mount a sustained attack.

The trades may also have provided coach Dan Bylsma and his staff with too many options. Bylsma seemed especially at a loss on how to use Iginla, who saw precious little ice time beside Crosby.

4. Coaching—On a whole, I thought Bylsma did a better job of adjusting than at any time since his arrival in ‘09. His decision to start veteran goalie Tomas Vokoun in Game 5 of the Islanders series literally saved the Pens from another humiliating opening-round loss.

On the down side, the defensive adjustments he made in Games 3 and 4 of the Conference Finals to hold the Bruins in check served to dull the Penguins’ attack. Bylsma also failed to come up with any tactical solutions for Boston’s 1-2-2. With the lone exception of Evgeni Malkin—who frequently employed the center drive—the Bruins denied the Penguins access to the prime scoring areas and forced them to play a perimeter game.

5. Bad Karma—I was thrilled when Shero pirated Iginla away from Boston in March. But in hindsight, perhaps it wasn’t such a good move. Had Boston gotten “Iggy,” rumor had it they planned to trade power forward Milan Lucic for defensive help.

Instead, the Bruins kept their core intact, acquired Jaromir Jagr, and swept the Pens in four straight games.

6. The Jagr Factor—When I learned Boston had acquired Jagr at the trade deadline, I thought “uh oh.” In my worst nightmares I envisioned the ex-Pens great scoring the series-winning goal against us in Game 7.

To my great relief, my foreboding didn’t come true. Instead, all No. 68 did was force the turnover that led to the Bruins’ backbreaking overtime winner in Game 3.

7. Providence—A friend suggested that in the wake of the tragic Boston Marathon bombings, the “Hub City” surely could use a lift. It may appear far-fetched that the Almighty would care about who wins the Stanley Cup. But it sure seemed as if the Bruins enjoyed some divine intervention—especially when the Pens hammered all those shots off the pipes.

© Rick Buker for Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog, 2013. | 5 comments |

“It stopped being fun,” was all he said.

When the Penguins were on a tear and look unstoppable, they also looked like they were having an absolute blast. They were relaxed; there was infectious passion in their game; they were clearly having fun together. Somewhere along the line, I’d say game two of the Islanders series, it stopped being fun. When people with a lot of talent stop having fun and that fire dies down, they either walk away, find a way to rekindle the passion for it, or start a slow descent. For a team of all stars who were expected to win the Cup, being threatened by an underdog as lowly as the Isles took away the fun and made them choose. They certainly couldn’t just walk away. Finding the fun again would have required our collection of superstars to play like a team instead of a collection of superstars, which didn’t happen. So all that’s left is the slow descent. That statement has a lot of layers to it — Bylsma didn’t coach it right… Our C disappeared in the finals… Too many distractions… on and on… — but this is blog post, not a dissertation. I’ll let someone else deconstruct the breakdown if they want that Ph.D.

A few months ago I got absolutely BLASTED on here because I openly admitted I didn’t want to add Iginla to our growing roster of big names. I totally disagree with the concept of building a team of superstars just because you can and expecting it will all work out because the team is stacked. There are too many uncontrollable variables that come with it, and it rarely ever works the first time around. Before you jump straight to the comments section to defend Shero or Iggy (again!), I’m not blaming anyone in particular. I blame an incredibly flawed idea that a collection of superstars is the best thing for a club. The New York Yankees, the Miami Heat, and now the Pittsburgh Penguins. All teams that fell for it, all teams that paid for it, and certainly company I never wanted to see a team I support share. The Heat won it all the next season, sure, but that team stayed together. I’ll be surprised if the Pens aren’t dismantled to make room for the next generation. The bottom line is that the Pens had an embarrassment of riches and squandered it because, in practice, the organization had no idea what do with it all. It’s the hockey equivalent of mo’ money, mo’ problems.

I hate to end my blogging season by saying I told you so. Oh wait, no I don’t. I do, however, hate that the team I love had to get humiliated for me to do so. But do you know the best thing about being a sports fan? No matter what happens at the end of one season, there will always be another. See you in October. Let’s Go Pens!

© Joey Wales for Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog, 2013. | No comments |

We’ve put together an incredible group of writers to predict how the series will pan out and at the same time throw a little insight into what the Penguins will have to do to win. We have everything predicted from a sweep to 7 game series, all with a common theme when it comes down to handshake at the end.

Six of the writers have followed the Penguins since the 1970′s, two of them have been season ticket holders since then.  The writers here at PenguinPoop have been to more Penguins games than any other group of writers on the internet.

First up:

 Horse - Season ticket holder since the 1970′s also a longtime PenguinPoop writer & radio host.

The two best teams in the Eastern Conference are going to meet in the Conference Finals. The winners get the opportunity to play for the Stanley Cup.  The best team in the East will get that chance — that team is the (...)
Read the rest of Pittsburgh Penguins vs Boston Bruins 2013 Playoff Predictions

© PenguinPoop for Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog, 2013. | 60 comments |

Let’s start with Evgeni Malkin. While Malkin does lead the team in playoff points, he has left a lot on the table. He has dazzled us, made terrible blunders, and at times disappeared, but if he could summon the Malkin of 2009, or even 2012 and dazzle on a more consistent basis while minimizing the blunders, Malkin would be the star among stars.

Sidney Crosby has been cleared to remove the guard protecting his broken jaw. I would liken the protector to that of Superman’s Clark Kent glasses. The specs come off and the super hero emerges. Crosby has been nothing short of spectacular, but has admitted that the guard hampered his vision and its removal can only improve things. Look for a guard less, energized Crosby to reach a Lemieux like level.

Brandon Sutter has been quiet offensively this post season netting only two points thus far. It would be a shame to continue to compare Sutter and Jordan Staal, but deep down Sutter has a few Staalzy like performances in his future. He showed his talent level in the regular season, and has done things to help the team that doesn’t show up on the score sheet, but when he does put up points it will be in convincing fashion.

I have likened the insertion of Jarome Iginla onto the left side of Malkin to that of putting a square block into a round hole. Sure he has some decent numbers, but if he were on the right side with the right center, the goal production would be much higher. Crosby and Iginla have shown that they can make magic together on more than one occasion, and moving Chris Kunitz onto the second line would benefit Malkin as well.

Brenden Morrow has somewhat disappointed this post season, but he showed a spark upon returning from injury. Morrow may be nearing the end of his career, but his hockey smarts, skill, and absolute desire to win the Cup will drive him to a better showing. The former Dallas Stars Captain may not be a first-liner anymore, but he is still capable of taking over a game be it on the score sheet or in a Gary Roberts way of doing things.

Above are just a few examples of how the Pittsburgh Penguins could take their elite level of hockey to another echelon of play that few teams have ever experienced.

Who knows what we could see from Beau Bennett, Simon Despres, maybe even Marc-Andre Fleury, but no matter how is shakes out, it is truly a good time to be a Pens fan.

Greg is the editor in chief of www.hypeduphockey.com

Follow Greg
Twitter:@hypeduphockey
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hypeduphockey

Sidney Crosby Photo Dan4th flickr.com

© Thor for Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog, 2013. | No comments |

Many will argue that Tomas Vokoun is the hot hand and the Penguins should leave him in net.  On the other side many will argue that Marc-André Fleury has experience under the pressures of Stanley Cup games and that experience will pay off in the long run.  There is no arguing needed to know at 36 years old, Vokoun’s limited playoff experience has him already standing in uncharted territory.  If Coach Bylsma plays his cards right, the Penguins can get Fleury back into the mix and hopefully have two good goalies down the stretch.

If you ever wanted to show your kids what good sportsmanship is, watch Fleury. He has temporarily lost his job to Vokoun yet you see him high five Vokoun every chance he gets. Team first.  He stands and cheers, you can tell by his face all he wants is for his team to win, no matter how they do it.  This guy is all heart,  all Pittsburgh, all Penguins.

A good laugh can be had reading an ESPN Insider article by Neil Greenberg who suggests that the “Penguins should punt Fleury“.  He goes on to say the Fleury has been milking his Stanley Cup win and has done nothing since.  While Fleury hasn’t had the greatest success in the playoffs since then, the Penguins themselves have been decimated by injuries going into each playoff year since then.  This year is the first they’ve had a semi healthy squad.

A little detective work tells you Greenberg is a Washington Capitals blogger for the Washington Post.  Is he trying to sabotage the Penguins?  Probably.  Is it possible that watching the Capitals all the time he doesn’t understand what a starting goaltender is? Probably.

Everyone’s opinion about Fleury this playoff year has been based on the one bad game against the Islanders.  Face it, the Penguins defense was a good deal responsible for the loss also, that and a bunch of crazy bounces.  Does Fleury need to play better?  Yes, he does.  Vokoun himself fluttered a little last night, a few that rang off the post could easily have made the game a lot closer.

One thing is for sure, the Penguins do not want to be looking for goaltenders every year like Philadelphia or Washington,  the time is perfect to get Marc-André Fleury back in net.

© Phil Krundle for Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog, 2013. | 78 comments |

There is no such thing as a guarantee in the playoffs, and by no means has any team stamped their ticket for the conference finals, but the writing is on the wall for a Pens/Bruins series. The best we can hope for is that we come out of our series unscathed while the Rangers keep the Bruins occupied for a few more games and force them to burn a little more gas before the next round.

I’m already anxious about a showdown with the B’s. Coming up against them after a sweep if the Pens have to play one or more games while the Bruins are resting and healing up just adds to it. So send some good vibes to MSG. Just never ever admit to it. We’ll all feel better about it that way.

© Joey Wales for Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog, 2013. | 7 comments |

It was bad coaching.

It is 100% Dan Bylsma’s inability to go for the kill is what lost last night’s double overtime game against the Ottawa Senators.  It is not just the matter of the one game.  It’s what could have been a 3-0 series with Ottawa’s hope decimated is now a 2-1 series with Ottawa having the momentum swing in their favor.

You would think after losing a game to the Islanders using the same prevent defense plan the Dan Bylsma would have learned his lesson.   In his post game interview Bylsma said   “We went to a possession powerplay there with the time”.   He also mentioned the powerplay line was mid change.  It was obvious that he didn’t get the full line change he wanted and perhaps Evgeni Malkin didn’t change like he was supposed to.  That is not what allowed Ottawa to to tie the game up with seconds left in the game.

Bylsma may have been trying to get possession players on the ice, but it wasn’t a “Possession Powerplay”  it was(...)
Read the rest of Double Overtime Game Lost Thanks to Coach Bylsma’s Prevent Defense

© Phil Krundle for Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog, 2013. | 20 comments |

© Doug MacRay for Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog, 2013. | 9 comments |

We’ve put together an incredible group of writers to predict how the series will pan out and at the same time throw a little insight into what the Penguins will have to do to win. Six of the writers have followed the Penguins since the 1970′s, two of them have been season ticket holders since then.  The writers here at PenguinPoop have been to more Penguins games than any other group of writers on the internet.

First up:

 Horse - Season ticket holder since the 1970′s also a longtime PenguinPoop writer & radio host.

Hopefully the Penguins learned from all the mistakes they made in their series against the NY Islanders.  Face it —- they got past the Islanders even though they were far from their best. They will have to be much more consistent to advance to the Conference finals.  It’s hard to gauge just how good the Senators are, since they advanced by beating a decimated Montreal Canadians team.  We know the Senators will try to play a low-scoring defensive series behind their great goaltender, Craig Anderson.  I believe the Penguins should play a tight defensive game as well.  They have the talent to win the series with limited goal-scoring opportunities.

Fleury should start Game One because Vokoun is a better contingency plan.  Fleury will rebound from his shaky performance against the Islanders — remember he did have a shutout in Game One. The Penguins will win in six games simply because they always clinch on the road.

Phil Krundle   – Head cheese at PenguinPoop – Pens fan since 1976.

There is one thing that concerns me.  The Senators just got finished laying a whooping on Penguins coach Dan Bylsma’s mentor.  Other than that I’m expecting the Penguins to win games they get the lead early by scores like 6-1 and lose games they get behind by scores like 2-1.

The Penguins need to start Tomas Vokoun the first game Tuesday night.  If Fleury comes in and flops it would crush his psyche.  Think about it.  Vokoun is playing great, and the team is confident in front of him.  Two thing could happen.  You ride Vokoun to the Stanley Cup.  I can live with that.  Or…(...)
Read the rest of Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators 2013 Playoff Predictions

© PenguinPoop for Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog, 2013. | 3 comments |

Last week, the museum was robbed.  No one was hurt or threatened and no artwork was stolen but the thieves did steal our director’s laptop, the store’s I-Pad and all of the cash from our register.  These guys will be eventually caught as we have descriptions of them and even have them on video trying to pawn the electronics and also from while trying to stash them in a locker at the Grey hound station.

Being that we are a museum that survives on donations and grants, it will take us a while to be able to purchase new electronics.  Here’s where you guys come in.  Over the Winter, one of our exhibits was the animation art of Kensington Falls Animation.  They are the folks that have done the scoreboard animation art for both the Penguins and the Pirates for years.  The Toonseum created a limited edition print of one of their Penguin pieces featuring the old Muscular Penguin.  During the exhibit, the piece was being offered for $39.99, but right now, it is being sold for $19.99 right here on the museum’s Etsy site.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/117463923/pittsburgh-scores-the-art-of-kensington

The piece is limited to run of 250, and at this price, I hope they will sell out fast.  I know there have to be a bunch of our wonderful followers who would love to have this piece hanging in their house or office, and you get to help out a good cause.

© Disco Stu for Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog, 2013. | No comments |

This opening line of “A Tale of Two Cities” was quite possibly written for the 2012-13 Pittsburgh Penguins playoff team. At times the Penguins were the dominant team that everyone expected them to be, and other times they looked like they were overwhelmed and outmatched.

At times the Penguins looked like beings with intellect far superior to mere humans, and at other times it appeared that they forgot that they weren’t supposed to pass the puck to the opposing team.

In games 1 and 5 the Penguins tossed shutout hockey and operated like a well-oiled machine. The rest of the series they appeared at times to play confused and on their heels.

Let us recap.

Game 1

Result: Penguins 5 Islanders 0

The Penguins owned the Islanders in every facet of the game. The Islanders looked like a scared small town tourist in a big city. Evgeni Nabokov looked shaky, Tavares was invisible except when getting hit, and the rest of the club just looked like they didn’t belong.

As bad as the Islanders looked, the Penguins looked that good. They dismantled the Islanders game and physically dominated. Pittsburgh owned every area of the ice and sent a message to the Islanders that they were the better team.

Game 2

Result: Penguins 3 Islanders 4

Despite the return of Sidney Crosby, the Islanders sent their own message to the Penguins that they could hang. While it did appear that the Penguins relaxed a bit after Crosby returned, the Islanders beat the Penguins to loose pucks, showed more effort, and showcased their speed against a slower opponent.

The Penguins thought that they were going to steamroll over the Islanders, and the young team from Long Island made a statement to the odds on Cup favorites that if they didn’t step up they would be working on their golf game sooner than later.

Game 3

Result: Penguins 5 Islanders 4

We can say here that the Penguins won, but it isn’t really clear that they deserved to. The Islanders put forth the same effort that they showed in game two, but the Penguins took advantage of some opportunities to win the game in overtime. The Isles could very easily have won this and the Pens were lucky to walk away with a win.

Game 4

Result: Penguins 4 Islanders 6

It was in this game that not only the Penguins play was concerning, but the coaching decisions by Dan Bylsma. Bylsma kept goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in the game far longer than he should have. He was clearly being out-coached and wasn’t reacting. One of the most frustrating things was the absolute insistence on keeping Jarome Iginla at left wing on a line with Evgeni Malkin rather than playing his natural right wing position with Sidney Crosby. With this embarrassing loss it was clear that things needed to change, even though most people following the Penguins already knew this.

Game 5

Penguins 4 Islanders 0

Once again we have Penguins dominance. Bylsma finally made some changes and they proved valuable. Tomas Vokoun started in net while Jussi Jokinen, Tanner Glass, and Mark Eaton sat in favor of a speedier group in Joe Vitale, Tyler Kennedy, and Simon Despres.

The fresh faces injected speed into the lineup and gave a calming influenve and confident presence to the rest of the team. The Penguins of game 1 had returned.

Game 6

Result: Penguins 4 Islanders 3 (Penguins win series)

Here we go again. This could have easily ended up 10-0 in favor of the Islanders. The Islanders again worked harder, hit harder, and really dominated most of the game. The Pens penalty kill was soft and frankly scary, but somehow managed to survive.

While the Penguins mostly failed to take advantage of a shaky Nabokov, they made the most of the opportunities that they had and answered the Islanders goal for goal.

Was it overconfidence? Difficulty meshing with players returning from injury? Who knows, but important things did happen in this series.

If the Penguins are to make a cup run they will need both goalies to perform strong, and hopefully this was a wakeup call to Fleury. He will likely get another shot and needs to be the Flower of 2009. While he did allow some soft goals, the Pens struggles were put too heavily on MAF as his teammates admittedly hung him out to dry. Thankfully though, we have been shown that even if Fleury struggles, Vokoun can stand tall in high pressure games.

The Penguins “interchangeable pieces” can show up big. The insertion of Kennedy, Vitale, and Despres were viewed as a move just to shake things up, but each performed admirably and clearly were game changers. It could be said that the Penguins may have been headed to a game 7 were these moves not made. This is not to say that we have seen the last of Eaton, Jokinen, and Glass, but it is nice to know that the Penguins have the players to fill the need of the situation.

Finally Bylsma gave in to whatever stubborn attachment he had to playing Iginla with Malkin and put him on the right side of Sidney Crosby. The pair showed what magic could be performed while the two massive talents are combined.

Inconsistency, effort, coaching, overconfidence, any of these things could be blamed for the Penguins play in round one. How about blaming the Islanders for playing well?

While you can’t expect the Penguins to be dominant every moment of every game, the complete night and day gameplay that we have seen recently is concerning. The Ottawa Senators easily dispatched the Canadiens and they have an axe to grind with Matt Cooke and the Penguins, so should the Penguins wish to survive to round 3, they can’t afford to display the effort and poor decision making that they showed for much of the series.

Dominance or listlessness have been our choices. While we all prefer dominance, surly there is room for somewhere in between.

Greg is the editor in chief of www.hypeduphockey.com

Photo Dan4th flickr.com

© Thor for Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog, 2013. | No comments |

I’ve been critical of the Pens’ skipper in the past for what I felt were questionable personnel moves. But last night he made the Dean’s List.

First and foremost, Bylsma had the courage to bench a wilting Marc-Andre Fleury in favor of backup goalie Tomas Vokoun. He also had the good sense to announce the switch well in advance so the team had time to mentally prepare.

Making his first playoff start since 2007, the 36-year-old Czech was terrific. Not only did Vokoun slam the door on the Islanders, but his steadiness and composure between the pipes rubbed off on the rest of the team.

That move alone would’ve earned Bylsma straight A’s. However, he made several other adjustments that reaped significant dividends. The Bowling Green grad shifted Jarome Iginla to right wing on a line with Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis. “Iggy” seemed more comfortable manning his natural position and displayed good chemistry with Sid. They combined to freeze Isles goalie Evgeni Nabakov on No. 87’s back-breaking (and breathtaking) third goal.

Bylsma wasn’t finished. He plugged (...)
Read the rest of Penguins Update: Bylsma Pushes the Right Buttons

© Rick Buker for Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog, 2013. | 5 comments |

View Video:

© Doug MacRay for Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog, 2013. | 4 comments |

Every team knows right now that they can throw Malkin off his game by getting in his face.  Crosby had these problems at the beginning of his career.  Crosby was a hot head for a year or two and eventually was able to battle it off verbally most of the time and eventually learned to use it to his advantage.  Seriously how hard is it to say “Ha that’s funny”, “I make 12 Million a year before endorsements and own just about every trophy the NHL has invented, what do you got”

For Malkin it’s a bit of a different story.  English being his second language, a battle of verbal linguistics is not his forte. He has no problem coming back physically and that’s what gets him in trouble.

Malkin is #2 in penalty minutes this post season among the top 50 scorers.  The Islanders have exploited him over and over.

While there are a few solutions to this, some are harder than others.  The easy solution would be for him to stop retaliating.  That’s most likely not going to happen.  It is extremely hard to be a fierce competitor to put away his emotion while being abused verbally & physically.

My solution comes with a problem created by (...)
Read the rest of Malkin Could Use Some Help

© Phil Krundle for Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog, 2013. | 5 comments |

You can be sure nobody felt worse about the black and gold’s Game 4 collapse than “Flower.” You could see it in his posture as he stood helplessly on the bench after allowing the back-breaking sixth goal on a failed poke check. No one wants to cost his team a playoff game.

Yet that’s precisely what happened in Uniondale on Tuesday night. If Fleury didn’t turn in the worst performance of his checkered playoff career (six goals allowed on 24 shots), it certainly was in the bottom five. And that’s saying something considering some of his more recent efforts.

It truly was painful to watch Fleury struggle as another third-period lead slipped away. Whatever mojo he established during the fabulous Cup run of 2009 seems to have vanished into thin air.

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what’s wrong. Despite his impressive regular-season numbers, a lack of confidence seems to be an issue. Facing fast, skilled teams like last year’s Flyers and the Islanders certainly hasn’t helped his psyche. At times it’s like the Flower’s tending goal in a shooting gallery.

But I think the root of Fleury’s problems stem from his style. His biggest flaw—an inability to control rebounds—seems to work in his (...)
Read the rest of Penguins Replace Fading Flower for Game 5

© Rick Buker for Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog, 2013. | 12 comments |