The Pittsburgh Penguins were not weighed down by too much turkey on Thansksgiving as on Friday night they won a hard fought game against the Ottawa Senators 2-1 and on Saturday they breezed past the Calgary Flames 4-1. The Senators, now 9th in the East, have struggled.

Through Saturday the Senators had scored 14 less goals than they have allowed and are 4-6-0 in their last ten. Despite jumping out to a 1-0 lead against the Pens, Evgeni Malkin (8 – PPG) and Alex Goligoski (5) provided all the offense needed in front of Marc-Andre Fleuy’s 43 save performance. Despite 21 shot in the first period, Ottawa just could not find the net.

Calgary has been on of the worst teams in the Western Conference this year. After loosing to the Penguins their record stood at just 9-12-2 but with a goal differential of just -5 on the year they are capable of staying in games. But the Penguins jumped on them early in the second with a goal by Arron Asham (3) and a hat trick by Sidney Crosby (16, 17 & 18) thanks to the empty net to make the game never in doubt. Brent Johnson spelled Fleury who has been red hot lately and made 30 saves as the Penguins shot the puck 43 times.

The win against the Flames was the Penguins sixth in a row and they have points in their last 9 going 8-0-1 in that time. Over their last ten games the Penguins are 8-1-1.

Next up for the 15-8-2 Penguins are the 14-10-1 Rangers on Monday night. Last time these two teams met the Penguins scored two late goals to take a 2-1 lead only to see the Rangers score late to tie the game and then finish the Pens off in overtime.

Admit it. You Fleury bashers out there were all shaking your heads when just 2:41 into the game last night against Atlanta Brent Sopel (1) tipped in a shot to put Atlanta up 1-0. It is ok, you can admit that your heart sank because you believe so little in the man that lead the Penguins to two Stanley Cup Finals and one Stanley Cup in the past three years. The rest of us know that you have no faith in Marc-Andre Fleury so it is not like it is a big secret or anything.

But even you Fleury haters have to admit that it was the goal tending that prevented it from getting much worse until the Penguins got their game going. Sure it wasn’t until half way through the second period that Evgeni Malkin (5) scored to tie up the game after a legitimate goal for the Penguins had been waved off for goal tender interference, but after that it was all Penguins. Sidney Crosby (12) tipped in a Deryk Engelland shot from the point early in the third to put the Pens up 2-1. Then Evgeni Malkin (6) scored again on the power play to make it 3-1. Malkin took a rebound off the end board and tucked it behind Pavelek who was leaning the other way looking for the puck to come out to his left.

Niclas Bergfors (5) scored for the Thrashers to cut the game to 3 to 2 but the Penguins buckled down, Fleury made the saves and Malkin (7) got the hat trick on the empty netter to ice the game with 1:02 remaining.

It is not often you will ever see Marc-Andre Fleury play in back to back games especially with the usually capable Brent Johnson backing him up. But apparently Johnson’s third period collapse against Boston (partially due to poor defense in front of him but not completely) along with Fleury’s stunning play the previous night against Tampa Bay earned the Penguins number one goal tender a chance to prove that his performance was not a fluke.

And boy did he ever prove it. Fleury made a plethora of nifty saves with every part of his equipment and body stopping 31 of 33 shots. If you thought that the only reason Fleury looked good against Tampa Bay was the limited number of shot he saw, the Atlanta game puts that theory to rest. Two solid performances in a row is a good start on the road to recovery for the star net minder of the Penguins. But he still must do more and prove his consistency is back.

The win moves Pittsburgh to 9-8-1 on the season and they return home on Monday to host the New York Rangers (8-7-1). Whether or not Fleury will start his third game in a row remains to be seen. But so far it looks like he has earned that opportunity.

The mood at the Igloo last night went from energetic to disappointment to frustration to jubilation to tense and back to jubilation over the course of sixty minutes of hockey in which the Penguins outlasted the North East Division leading Boston Bruins. Mark Letestu, who will probably be a permanent fixture for the Penguins at some point in the future baring a trade, which I think would be foolish, opened the scoring just 0:47 into the game as the Penguins stormed into the Bruins end on an odd man break. Tyler Kennedy fed the puck across the ice and to Letestu who buried a wristed over Miller and into the net for his first goal of the season.

There was energy that could be felt.

But all that changed at 5:15 of the first when the Penguins let in a power play tally by Derek Roy (12) to tie it and then an even strength goal at 6:03 by Thomas Vanek (17) to fall behind 2-1. Disappoint settled in and got worse as at 7:32 of the second Tim Kennedy (6) put the Bruins up 3-1.

Then came the show.

Three and a half minutes later after the Bruins staked a two goal lead on the defending Stanley Cup Champs it was Sidney Crosby (35) snapping a shot in behind Miller on the power play to cut the deficit to 3-2. Three minutes after that it was Jordan Staal (14) who buried the game tying goal. Three and a half minutes after that it was Crosby (36) again who beat Miller to give the Penguins the lead back on an unassisted goal.
Done? Ha! Not by a long shot! A minute and a half later Sidney Crosby (37) found the net for the third time in the period and for the hat trick giving the Penguins a 5-3 lead that had the Bruins reeling.

Pittsburgh and Buffalo played in each other’s end for much of the third period raking up 13 and 11 shots respectively. But the Penguins were holding until near the end. A power play goal with three minutes remaining by Jason Pominville (15) after a Sergei Gonchar tripping penalty made it a one goal game. Then the most bogus of penalties was called on Brooks Orpik at 17:56 of the final frame.

Orpik was nudging his man in down low with his free hand in the lower back and doing so both repeatedly and legally when all of a sudden the referee’s hand goes up, he points to Orpik calls a holding penalty on the defenseman leaving the Penguins to kill one final power play.

With Miller pulled and a six on four however the Penguins held the line and even got a face off down at the Bruins end of the ice at the end of it all to take the pressure off thanks to a puck played by a Bruins high stick.

Fleury played well enough to win the game despite a couple soft goals stopping 30 of 34 shots. The win was another important one for the Penguins who had to prove they could come from behind against a good team and a great goal tender and just one day after a grueling shoot out win against a struggling but still dangerous Detroit Red Wings squad. Pittsburgh (35-21-1, 71 pts) trails New Jersey by just a point in the Atlantic Division but the Devils have three games in hand over the champs.

Now it is a long layoff for Pittsburgh before playing on Saturday against the Montreal Canadians (25-25-6, 56 pts) who are 10th in the East and then a Sunday showdown in Washington against the best in the East Capitals (37-12-6 80 pts).

Ottawa had the unfortunate privilege of coming into Pittsburgh just two days after the Penguins suffered another humiliating defeat at the hands of the New Jersey Devils. After a game in which the Penguins literally handed Martin Brodeur his record setting shutout, the Senators had to know they were walking into the lion’s den.

Although it might all have ended differently if not for Marc-Andre Fleury. In the first period alone Flower had to face 24 shots and allowing just one goal. Leclaire, returning from injury for the Senators, faced just nine but also allowed a goal to Evgeni Malkin (11) on the power play to end the period tied at 1-1.

While it looked like a hockey game was afoot, what was about to happen is so horrific that young children, women and people with heart conditions are advised to look away. As the second period started a murder started to took place. The victims were the Ottawa Senator.

The period went like this:
1:03 Billy Guerin (10) – PPG and 2-1 Pens
7:35 Ruslan Fedotenko (7) and 3-1 Pens
11:25 Chris Kunitz (5) and 4-1 Pens
13:57 Billy Guerin (11) – PPG and 5-1 Pens
18:27 Evgeni Malkin (12) and 6-1 Pens

The bloody and beaten carcass of the Senators though still had life matching the Penguins 15 shots with 15 of their own but nothing to show for it due to a brick wall in net for the Penguins.

In the third the Penguins put the Senators of out their misery as Sergei Gonchar (5) added a seventh goal and Evgeni Malkin (13) capped off the hat trick for an 8-1 lead. Ottawa, in its death throws, added a late goal to make the final score 8-2 but died a short while after.

The crowd was ruckus late in the third repeatedly cheering for Billy Guerin to get more ice time in search of his own hat trick. After failing to finish on a couple opportunities however it was not meant to be.

Fleury finished the night with a massive 45 saves as the Penguins improved to 26-11-1 (53 pts) ahead of a Sunday match up with Toronto, one of the worst teams in the East at 13-17-8. Currently the Penguins sit in 4th place in the East in large part due to their inability to beat New Jersey who is in first place and also with 53 points.

Notes:
Craig Adams (-1) was the only Penguin to finish the game in the red when it comes to +/- rating.

Kunitz (1G, 3A) and Guerin (2G, 2A) both paced the Penguins with four points on the night.

Here is the video compilation of Geno’s hat trick from last nights victory over Carolina in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. If nothing else it is worth watching just to see the replays of his third goal and one man show to score it.

Game two of the Eastern Conference Finals started out much the same way Game one did; with both teams throwing pucks at each other. The difference this time around is that during the first twenty minutes of play the Penguins could not keep the Hurricanes out from in front of the net and despite his best efforts, Fleury could not provide another one man show and shut down Carolina.

The game started out well enough for Pittsburgh as the offense was in full flight again. Just 1:51 in Crosby (13) scored after being fed through the crease by Chris Kunitz picking up right where the team left off in game one. About a minute later however Carolina tied it up with Larose (4) scoring on Fleury. At 8:15 of the first Malkin (8) added a second goal off of a Tyler Kennedy rebound for the Penguins to give them the lead again. 0:25 later Jokinen (7) beat Fleury to tie up the game again. Then at 12:10 of the first things got bad for the Penguins. That’s when Seidenberg (1) scored his first goal of the playoffs to give the Hurricanes their first lead in the series.

After the Seidenberg goal however the Penguins seemed to figure out things defensively and clamped down.

In the second period the Penguins got back on track and all but challenged the Hurricanes to get into a shooting match with them. About three minutes in Crosby chipped a puck up to Malkin who then chipped a puck up to Maxime Talbot in stride. Talbot (3) then pulled into the Carolina zone and fired a puck from Cam Ward’s right that beat him cleanly to tie the game. Fisticuffs broke out midway through the second with Malkin and LaRose each getting roughing calls. For Malkin the call was not that bad. He was just coming off an extended shift and needed the rest … I joke. But seriously, the scrum seemed to ignite Malkin who played with a passion and intensity that Carolina would regret ever igniting later. With eight seconds remaining in the period the Penguins regained the lead on Kunitz (1) first goal of the playoffs.

Eaves (1) pulled the Hurricanes even at 2:35 of the third seeming to give Carolina new life. But then the Evgeni Malkin show began and when it was over, Sidney Crosby had to be wondering if he was about to be demoted to the second line for Game 3. First Malkin jumped on the ice just after the eight minute mark of the period and raced into the Carolina zone. Kunitz tossed a puck on net and the rebound came to Malkin’s stick. He slammed the puck home for a 5-4 lead. Four minutes later, Malkin scored his tenth unassisted coasting out to Ward’s left. He won a faceoff, raced into the corner then around the net, turned and on his back hand roofed a puck that beat the Carolina net minder to give the Penguins the all important two goal lead and bringing truth to the saying that it is best to let sleeping dogs (or in this case Russians) lie.

Mister (Tyler) Kennedy (3) added an empty net goal at 18:11 to seal the deal. But Carolina was not done yet. If you ask my opinion, the Hurricanes had been head hunting all game in response to pretend outrage over two borderline but legal hits in game one against Rutuu and Cole. 0:30 after the Kennedy goal, the Canes got nasty as Gleason, Eaves and Bayda found Penguins to dance with including Satan and Letang. Satan was up to the task and looked like he had been a scrapper all his career. Bayda received a rare match penalty for intent to injure and for his role in the altercation that showed the frustration of the Carolina squad.

After struggling in the first period both Fleury and the Penguins defense clamped down. After allowed 3 goals on 14 shots in the first, the Penguins allowed just 1 goal on 14 shots the rest of the way. Now it is time for Game 3 in Carolina and they had better hope that Hurricane Geno has blown over by Saturday night if the Canes have any hope of gaining any sort of foothold in this series and not get blown away by the wind.

For the Penguins part, they continued the high pressure offense that Washington was barely able to hold off while stretching the previous series to seven games. If they keep it up, this series, and Hurricane season, could be over in very short order.