Pittsburgh Sports Fan Blog

Shero, Pens ‘Poni’ Up For Scoring-Line Winger

TheHockeyGuy — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:57:14 +0000

General manager Ray Shero wasn’t afraid Tuesday to pony up for a scoring line winger the night before the NHL trade deadline expired.

After the Penguins’ 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres at Mellon Arena, Shero announced a deal with Toronto for scoring-line winger Alexei Ponikarovsky – a 6-foot-4, 229-pound winger who will likely play to the left of center Evgeni Malkin.

Ponikarovsky is likely to join longtime friend Ruslan Fedotenko on a line with Malkin, the leading scorer during the regular season and playoffs last year. Ponikarovsky, 29, and Fedotenko were born a year apart in Kiev, Ukraine.

He’s a good, hard-working winger,” said Fedotenko. “He drives to the net hard. He’s a good player. I think it’s a good addition.

“We’re ready for the last 19 games now, and the playoffs.”

Shero agreed, and acknowledged he was surprised the Penguins could land a scoring winger after dealing a second-round pick to Florida on Monday for defenseman Jordan Leopold.

“It pushes some guys down in the lineup,” Shero said of this acquisition, adding that the Penguins are “capped out” on making another move related to the NHL roster before the today’s 3 p.m. trade deadline.

Click here to read the full article – By Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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Penguins’ Orpik Knows About Miracles

TheHockeyGuy — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:54:48 +0000

To paraphrase a famous orator and the architect of the greatest sports moment of the 20th Century, Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik was born to be a hockey player.

OK, maybe not.

“I lived the first seven years of my life in San Francisco,” Orpik was saying the other day. “I didn’t even know what hockey was until we moved to Buffalo.”

Let me try this again.

Anybody named after Herb Brooks just had to gravitate to hockey sooner or later. Brooks coached the United States team to a staggering upset of Russia at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y., after delivering one of the great motivational speeches of all time. Seven months after that amazing club secured the most unlikely gold medal in history, Orpik was born.

“My dad is from Boston and he liked hockey,” Orpik said. “I don’t know how he ever talked my mother into that name.”

Here’s guessing she didn’t like Herb.

How proud Brooks would be of the way Orpik has turned out. As the Penguins’ most physical defenseman and a key member of the 2009 Stanley Cup champions, to be sure. But especially as a proud U.S. Olympian.

Today, Orpik is in Vancouver, getting ready to pull on a red, white and blue sweater for Team USA’s first game against Switzerland at the 2010 Games.

Too bad Brooks isn’t alive to see it.

Click here to read the full article – By Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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Penguins Also Feel The Brunt Of Local Weather

TheHockeyGuy — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:45:45 +0000

Getting to Mellon Arena was an adventure for many Penguins fans Wednesday because of the recent barrage of inclement weather. The Penguins felt the effects, as well.

Coach Dan Bylsma was shoveling snow in his driveway at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday when he received a call from assistant Mike Yeo and subsequently decided to make the morning skate optional. Most of the players attended, but acknowledged conditions weren’t fun.

“The roads aren’t the best, but I’m sure the city isn’t used to this,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said.

Penguins forward Mike Rupp is from Cleveland and currently resides in Erie. In other words, he wasn’t exactly rattled by the recent onslaught of weather.

“It wasn’t that bad,” he said. “Just drive a little slower than usual and you’ll be fine.”

» The Penguins once again recalled center Mark Letestu and inserted him into the lineup. He has a goal in seven games and has generally looked poised.

Letestu endured perhaps the worst game of his NHL career Sunday in Washington when he was a minus-2 in less than five minutes of ice time. Still, he feels good about his game.

“I’m really happy for the opportunity I’m having,” he said. “I might look calm, but I’m not on the inside.”

Click here to read the full article – By Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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Crosby’s Hat Trick Lifts Penguins Over Buffalo

TheHockeyGuy — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:27:29 +0000

His first 50-goal NHL season isn’t quite in the bag, but center Sidney Crosby skated several strides toward that elusive plateau on Monday night.

Crosby’s third hat trick, and the fifth of his five-year career, fueled a 5-4 victory against the Buffalo Sabres at Mellon Arena. Crosby’s 37 goals are tied with San Jose center Patrick Marleau for the league lead.

“It always helps when Sid has a game like he did (last night),” goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said after stopping 30 shots, including 20 of his final 22 faced. “That was huge.”

As was this victory for the Penguins, who improved to 2-6-0 against the Eastern Conference’s elite – Washington, New Jersey and Buffalo, the lone three clubs ahead of them in the standings.

The Penguins overcame a 3-1 deficit against a top defensive team and goalie Ryan Miller, a Vezina Trophy candidate and the likely starter for Team USA at the Vancouver Olympics later this month.

Center Jordan Staal’s 14th goal and two by Crosby within a minute and 25 seconds turned that deficit into a two-goal advantage late in the second period.

“We were concerned,” Staal said after snapping a 12-game goal drought. “We haven’t had one of those comeback wins in a while.”

The Penguins (35-21-1, 71 points) have won a bunch lately. They are on a 9-5-0 stretch – not an elite measure of excellence, as defenseman Brooks Orpik suggested, but good enough to climb within a point of New Jersey for the Atlantic Division lead.

Click here to read the full article – By Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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Pens’ Dupuis hurt while striking boards

GameSetMatch — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:44:31 +0000

Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis sustained an undisclosed facial injury while being rammed face-first into the boards by the Islanders defenseman Andy Sutton with 2:55 remaining in Pittsburgh’s 6-4 victory on Tuesday night.

Dupuis was down on the ice for several minutes, blood dripping off his face, before he got up and walked with assistance to a tunnel leading to the Penguins’ dressing room. He used a towel to cover up an apparent nose injury. Blood stains remained visible on the ice after the game ended.

Sutton drew a boarding penalty and a game misconduct.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Reed’s field goal lifts Steelers over Ravens, keeps playoff hopes alive

GameSetMatch — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:58:20 +0000

There’s still a tomorrow for the Pittsburgh Steelers, all they could have asked for only days ago. There’s also a next week for the Baltimore Ravens, or exactly what they didn’t want.

Jeff Reed’s 38-yard field goal put Pittsburgh ahead with 5:25 remaining and the Steelers finally preserved a fourth-quarter lead, beating rival Baltimore 23-20 on Sunday to further jumble the complicated AFC postseason race.

The Steelers (8-7), their season seemingly ended by a late-season five-game losing streak, followed their last-second 37-36 victory over Green Bay with another tight victory helped by Reed’s three field goals and Rashard Mendenhall’s touchdown run. Now, their final regular season game at Miami will have some meaning, although the Steelers could win and still be eliminated.

According to the NFL, the Ravens (8-7) will clinch an AFC wild-card playoff spot if they win Sunday at Oakland. The Steelers must win and hope for some losses as the Jets, Ravens, Broncos, Texans and Pittsburgh all go into the final weekend with the same record.

“It’s been do or die for us for a while, fighting to the last minute. We’re like the cardiac kids,” said Ben Roethlisberger, who threw a touchdown pass while becoming the first Steelers quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards in a season.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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Avery’s Tactics Upset Fedotenko

TheHockeyGuy — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:16:42 +0000

Ruslan Fedotenko does not understand why New York Rangers forward Sean Avery attacked him from behind in the Penguins’ 8-3 victory Saturday at Mellon Arena.

He just wishes he had gotten an opportunity to defend himself against Avery, who picked up 17 minutes of penalties.

“I didn’t even have a chance to bump him, or anything like that, during the game, so whatever happened, I have no clue,” Fedotenko said.

“He kind of jumped me from behind. … I wish he’d given me a heads-up, but that’s his kind of game.”

He added that the league should take steps to prevent that from happening more often.

Click here to read the full article – By Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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Pens’ McKee Says Patience Key With Infection

TheHockeyGuy — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:50:15 +0000

General manager Ray Shero expressed a considerable degree of satisfaction Saturday night that the Penguins went 5-3 over a stretch when at least two AHL defensemen were in the lineup, and they split two games over that span when three had to play.

Stability was all the Penguins realistically could hope for during a stretch from Oct. 20-Nov. 16 when five regular defensemen were lost because of injuries. Four have returned to the lineup, and Jay McKee could play tonight at the New York Rangers after missing six straight games.

An infected finger on his right hand that required at overnight stay at the hospital Nov. 17 for treatment with antibiotics and draining of fluid has healed sufficiently for McKee to play, he said Saturday.

Click here to read the full article – By Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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Pens’ Goligoski out for at least 2 weeks

GameSetMatch — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:56:53 +0000

Alex Goligoski will be sidelined for at least two weeks with an unspecified lower body injury, leaving the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins with two healthy defensemen among their top six.

The Penguins already are playing without Sergei Gonchar (wrist), Kris Letang (shoulder) and Brooks Orpik (undisclosed injury). Also out are forwards Max Talbot (shoulder), Tyler Kennedy (groin) and Chris Kunitz (undisclosed injury).

Goligoski plays the point on the power play. He left Saturday’s 6-5 overtime victory against Boston with an apparent left leg injury.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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GameSetMatch — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:57:08 +0000

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