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).

After getting trounced by the Penguins on Saturday night, the Rangers wanted a little revenge. Pittsburgh put the previous game away with a third period explosion that New York just could not match and the Rangers got a little antsy, taking all sorts of foolish penalties trying to settle scores. Monday night however was their chance.

The Rangers strategy early seemed simple; shoot the puck from any angle on Fleury who was up to the task. But the Penguins had other plans along the lines of not letting the Rangers get even.

After a scoreless back and forth first period in which both Lundqvist and Fleury were on top of their games, the contest moved to the second frame where Marion Gaborik (20) scored early to put the Rangers up. But before the jubilation of the players and their home town fans ended Sidney Crosby (16) answered with a backhand shot and goal just ten seconds later.

Even though the second period ended in a tie with Rupp (6) scoring for the Penguins and Gaborik (21) notching another for the Rangers on a power play, you could see the blood in the water. In the third Pittsburgh needed only eight shots to notch another three goals and put the game away. One of those goals was by His Sidness (17) but the other two were all Michael Rupp (7, 8). It was Rupp’s first career hat trick in the NHL thanks to the empty net.

Rupp has long been known for his physical play and has been used in that role for years. But what is becoming apparent to everyone is that he has a keep nose for the puck and how to score too. He is quickly becoming a utility man for the Penguins playing everywhere and with anyone at various times throughout games.

While he and his fellow fourth liners, Adams and Goddard, have been turning heads with their aggressive play and almost scoring a number of goals making teams play them like they would a #2 or #3 line, Rupp has emerged as the current hot hand and versatile enough to do whatever the Penguins want of him.

The Rangers have struggled this season despite the addition of Gaborik and the loss dumped them to .500 on the season at 13-13-1. The Penguins however improved to 19-9-0 to keep pace with the Washington Capitals in the East. Thursday the Penguins return home to host the Colorado Avalanche who are 15-8-5 and in second place in the Northwest Division (4^th overall in the West).