Pittsburgh is doing well so far on this current road trip but excitement over three straight road wins (and four straight overall) has to be tempered by the knowledge that both the Stars and the Bolts are pretty banged up and sinking fast. Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Tampa Bay was important for the standings but the real test will be Thursday as this team heads into a must win game against the Panthers who are ahead of them in the standings.

Kunitz is proving his worth for the Penguins, although I still cringe at giving up a talent like Whitney to get him, and scored the opening goal last night for his 18th of the season between Pittsburgh and Anaheim. He also got a second goal in the game bringing his season total to 19 and the Staal line has been firing on all cylinders since the acquisition meaning Shero might be looking for another winger to play with Crosby which was what Kunitz was supposed to be. But how can you break up a line playing so well?

Obviously you cannot.

Carolina also won yesterday so the Penguins needed a win to remain in eighth place overall in the East.

Satan was also placed on waivers despite playing which seems to point towards the Penguins looking to make as move before today’s 3:00PM trade deadline. We will have to wait and see.

Kunitz had better pay dividends for the Penguins because they gave up a lot in Ryan Whitney to get him. In his first game with the Penguins, Kunitz helped power the Penguins past Chicago by providing a powerful and aggressive presence on the ice netting a goal and an assist playing along with Jordan Staal. With the way those two played together they might still be looking for someone to slap on the wing with Crosby even though Kunitz was supposed to be that man.

The Penguins jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead last night against the Blackhawks on a goal by Jordan Staal (16). A shot by Sarge was not handled well by Huet and Staal roofed the rebound with energy that he has not had since signing his contract extension. The Penguins then went up 2-0 as Kunitz (17) slipped a puck softly under Huet’s pads.

But penalties would be the Penguins nemesis. Late in the first period Tyler Kennedy (who later left the game with illness) took a hooking call and Toews (23) scored his first of three goals on the power play to make it a 2-1 game. Toews would have had four goals on the night had he not batted another power play chance down with what was, despite moans from Blackhawk fans, a clear high stick.

The Penguins regained a two goal cushion in the second after Toews (24) tied the game thanks to goals by Satan (16) and Talbot (9). But in the third, the Penguins went into a shell and let the Blackhawks beat on them with twenty shots. Two of those twenty found the net and tied the game. The Penguins had a golden opportunity to put pressure on Antti who replaced Huet in the third but simply could not.

So into overtime the contest went. The Penguins carrying over a late powerplay set up in the Chicago end 4 on 3. Gonchar came high and had only one man in sight – Evgeni Malkin. Sarge fed him the puck and Geno fired it to the back of the net behind Antti for the win.

The Blackhawks got really lucky last night as the only reason the game was not 4-0 or worse before they scored their first goal was the play of Huet who made some incredible saves on great opportunities by the Penguins who seem to be taking their playoff run seriously. Finally.

The win moved the Penguins record in February to 7-4-1 and their overall record to 31-26-6 (68pts) and still a point out of the playoff race. On Sunday the Penguins face another Western Conference foe in the Dallas Stars in Dallas.

Dallas is 5-5-0 in their last 10 games and are hanging on to eighth spot in the West and will be desperate for a win against the Penguins who are 6-3-1 in their last 10 and trying to get into the playoffs.

… Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangradi who is a prospect. This season Kunitz has 35 points in 62 games this season with 16 of those being goals. He’s a perpetual 20 goal scorer especially on a team like the Penguins. Tangradi has 38 goals and 87 points in the OHL this season. Nothing overly indicative of any real talent as the minors are filled with players putting up impressive numbers against subpar talent.

Shaking it out, you have the Penguins dropping about $4 million in cap room but picking up Kunitz for $3.725 million and getting a little bit of an upgrade. You have the Penguins relieving themselves of a player who has not played up to his potential (but then again have any of them this year except maybe Malkin) for a guy who has managed 81 goals over four seasons which is pretty decent.

I have been saying that one of the Penguins defensemen were going bye-bye this year based solely on the number we were carrying. I even said it would be one of the offensive defensemen. But I really thought it would end up being Gonchar because he had the most value and a year left on his contract (if I am counting 5yrs correctly). I knew Letang was safe and figured it would be Goligoski or Whitney. But for some reason, I don’t know why, this trade just doesn’t make my nipples hard yet. That’s probably because the team as a whole hasn’t done that either.

Lots of people do not seem to like Whitney. There are even a couple in my office who have some unfounded resentment for the man. I think it is probably because he spoiled us by have that one really kick butt season which landed him his $4 dollar deal and people sort of expected him to keep getting better despite still being young and this year playing on a team that under performed. I hope these people that hated him and are joyous to see him leave are happy because I think he is going to be yet another player that in a couple year they are going to wish was still with the Penguins. All I can say is thank God he is in the Wester Conference so he can’t burn us much.

Perhaps with Whitney gone, does this mean that the Penguins are going to work to lock up Gonchar for a few more seasons? I hope so because he is the most underrated defenseman in the league if you ask me and certainly has a few more years left in him.