Kunitz and Conner To Play Tonight

-Chris Kunitz will play in Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens tonight despite missing a couple of practices in the last four days. Chris Conner will likely play again in place of Tyler Kennedy, who will remain out. Ruslan Fedotenko will be a healthy scratch again. Jordan Leopold did not practice today and will not play tonight. The game starts at 7:00 and will be televised on Versus.

Penguins To Face Montreal In Round 2

The schedule will go like this:

 Friday April 30  AT PITTSBURGH 7:00 on Versus

Sunday May 2   AT PITTSBURGH 2:00 on NBC

Tuesday May 4  AT MONTREAL  7:00 on FSN

Thursday May 6 AT MONTREAL  7:00 on Versus

Saturday May 8 AT PITTSBURGH 7:00 on Versus

Monday May 10 AT MONTREAL  7:00 on FSN

Wednesday May 12 AT PITTSBURGH 7:00 on FSN

Penguins Guaranteed Home Ice Advantage In Round 2

-The Pittsburgh Penguins will have home ice advantage in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, the opponent who will face Pittsburgh is not known. If the Capitals beat the Canadiens tomorrow night, the Pens will face the Boston Bruins. If the Canadiens win, Montreal will face Pittsburgh.
-Jordan Leopold and Tyler Kennedy have returned to the ice and have been progressing well. It is still not known if they will be available early in the upcoming round.

Dupuis' OT Goal Sends Pens Past Sens 4-3, Into Second Round

-The Pittsburgh Penguins march will continue. The Penguins scored four unanswered goals to defeat the Ottawa Senators 4-3 in overtime. The win eliminated the Senators as Pittsburgh won the series 4-2 and will advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Down 3-0, Matt Cooke scored a goal to bring some life to Pittsburgh. In the third period, Bill Guerin scored a goal at 7:03 in the third period to make it 3-2. About four minutes later, Cooke scored again to tie the game at three. The game would eventually go to overtime for the second consecutive game. Pascal Dupuis scored the game winning goal 9:56 into the first overtime to send Pittsburgh to the next round. Marc-Andre Fleury kept the Penguins in the game by stopping 28 of 31 shots.

-Who's next for the Penguins? That will not known until possibly Monday. The winner of the Boston Bruins-Buffalo Sabres series will play the defending champs. Boston leads the series 3-2 with a game in Boston on Monday.

Conner To Replace Fedotenko Tonight?

-Chris Conner was recalled from Wilkes Barre/Scranton yesterday and he may actually play tonight in Game 6 according to TIOPS. He would replace veteran Ruslan Fedotenko, who has struggled all season long. Conner scored two goals and recorded three assists in eight games with Pittsburgh this season. He scored 19 goals and recorded 37 assists with the Baby Pens this season. Conner skated with Jordan Staal and Matt Cooke in the game day skate. The game in Ottawa starts at 7:08.

Senators Win In Triple Overtime Thriller 4-3

-The Ottawa Senators defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in triple overtime in the second longest playoff game in the Mellon Arena. Facing elimination, Ottawa's Matt Carkner scored to give the Senators life and make the series 3-2 Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and Chris Kunitz all scored for Pittsburgh. Pascal Leclaire stopped 56 of 59 shots to keep Ottawa in the game. Marc-Andre Fleury played a good game stopping 40 of 44 shots. The next game will be played in Ottawa on Saturday at 7:00.

-There was some good news for Pittsburgh last night. The New Jersey Devils who swept the season series against the Penguins, were eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers with 3-0 loss.

Kennedy Likely Out For Game 5

-Tyler Kennedy will likely sit out tonight's game against the Ottawa Senators at the Mellon Arena. Ruslan Fedotenko is the leading candidate to replace him. Kennedy suffered a lower body injury in Game 4 on Tuesday. He is listed as day to day.
-The Senators are going to start Pascal Leclaire in goal tonight instead of Brian Elliot.

Crosby Leads Pens Over Sens 7-4

-The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Ottawa Senators 7-4 in Ottawa to take a 3-1 lead in the series. Sidney Crosby had another big night scoring two goals and adding two assists. Evgeni Malkin, Matt Cooke, Jordan Staal, Chris Kunitz, and Max Talbot each scored one goal. Sergei Gonchar assisted on three goals. Kunitz assisted on two goals along with his goal. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 26 of 30 shots on goal. Pittsburgh scored five goals in the second period. The Senators are one game away from being eliminated. Game 5 will be on Thursday at 7:00 in Pittsburgh.

-The Philadelphia Flyers helped Pittsburgh out by defeating the New Jersey Devils 4-1 to take a 3-1 lead in the series. The Devils were 6-0 against the Penguins this season.

Staal Named Selke Finalist

-The NHL announced the finalists for the Selke trophy, which goes to the best defensive forward in the league. Jordan Staal, Pavel Datsyuk, and Ryan Kesler were named as the finalists. Staal has played the second to most minutes shorthanded this season in the NHL. He led the Penguins in plus-minus with a +19. The winner will be announced June 23 at the 2010 NHL Awards.

Pens Recall Deryk Engelland

-The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled D Deryk Engelland from  Wilkes Barre/Scranton. The Baby Penguins were knocked out of the playoffs last night. Engelland is a hard working physical defenseman.The 28 year old had five goals and six assists with the Baby Pens this season along with 121 penalty minutes. Pittsburgh now has eight defensemen including the injured Jordan Leopold who will not play tonight.

Pens Power Past Senators 4-2 To Take Series Lead

-The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Ottawa Senators 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in the best of seven series. Sidney Crosby and Bill Guerin led the offense with each of them scoring a goal and setting up one. Evgeni Malkin and Alexei Ponikarovsky scored the other goals for Pittsburgh. Marc-Andre Fleury played another solid game in net stopping 20 of 22 shots. Fleury made a very nice save using his stick to knock away a puck that was moving towards the goal line. Jay McKee played in place of injured Jordan Leopold. Every Penguin was either even or above even in the plus-minus category. Next game is in Ottawa on Tuesday at 7:00.

Pens Recall D Ben Lovejoy

-The Pittsburgh Penguins have called up D Ben Lovejoy from Wilkes Barre/Scranton. This means Jordan Leopold will likely miss tomorrow's game as he has been described as day to day. Jay McKee will likely take Leopold's place in the lineup until he returns. Lovejoy was called up in case of an emergency. Ottawa hosts Pittsburgh tomorrow night at 6:30.

Pens Hold Off Senators 2-1, Tie Series At One

-The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Ottawa Senators 2-1 last night to tie the playoff series 1-1. Kris Letang scored a huge goal with about five minutes left in the third period to seal a Pittsburgh victory. Sidney Crosby set up the goal and scored a goal of his own. Marc-Andre Fleury scared Penguins nation when Peter Regin scored a goal eighteen seconds into the game. That would be their only goal, however, as Fleury stopped 19 of 20 shots on goal. Andy Sutton of Ottawa hit Jordan Leopold very hard and Leopold did not return. He will be further evaluated today. Sutton likely will not be suspended. Ruslan Fedotenko was a healthy scratch as I expected. Next game will be Sunday in Ottawa at 6:30.

-The Nashville Predators defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 while the New Jersey Devils tied the series up against the Philadelphia Flyers.

-My apologies for not posting last night. My power was off until early this morning.

Fedotenko Could Be Healthy Scratch In Game 2

-Mike Rupp was not very happy that he did not play in Game 1 against the Ottawa Senators. However, it looks like he will play in game two tomorrow night as he practiced on the fourth line in practice today. Ruslan Fedotenko was not practicing on any of the top four lines, which means he could be a healthy scratch tomorrow night.
-The Senators announced today that forward Milan Michalek tore his ACL just like Alexei Kovalev and will miss the rest of the postseason. He was their third leading goal scorer.

Senators Take Game One 5-4 Despite Late Effort From Pens

-The Ottawa Senators defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 in the first game of the playoffs. Evgeni Malkin scored two powerplay goals and recorded an assist while Craig Adams and Alex Goligoski each scored a even strength goal of their own. Sidney Crosby was held to only two shots on goal but recorded three assists. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 21 of 26 shots. It is a shame that the puck that took a bad bounce off of the boards would be the difference in the game. Pittsburgh never gave up in this game, but took the loss. The defense must step up in order for the Penguins to win. Ottawa plays Pittsburgh in Game 2 on Friday at 7:00.

 -The Penguins did receive some good news. The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the New Jersey Devils 2-1 to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Pittsburgh was 0-6 against New Jersey this season. Philadelphia is now 6-1 against the Devils this season.

Pens Resign Johnson, Sign Prospect Sneep

-The Pittsburgh Penguins signed G Brent Johnson to a two year extension today. He will earn $600,000 in the next two seasons. The Penguins now have their goaltending situation figured out for the next two seasons. Johnson has been a steady backup picking up ten wins for Pittsburgh.

-The Penguins also signed D prospect Carl Sneep to a two year contract. Sneep, a 2nd round draft pick in 2006, is coming off a few successful seasons at Boston College. He had 17 goals and 47 assists in 157 games. It was not a guarantee that Sneep would sign with Pittsburgh.

Pens and Sens Playoff Schedule

 -The Pittsburgh Penguins (47-28-7) will face the Ottawa Senators (44-32-6) in the first round of the playoffs for the third time in the last four years.

Wednesday, April 14, Ottawa at PITTSBURGH, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, April 16, Ottawa at PITTSBURGH, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 18, Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 20, Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 7:00 p.m.
*Thursday, April 22, Ottawa at PITTSBURGH, 7:00 p.m.
*Saturday, April 24, Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 7:00 p.m.
*Tuesday, April 27, Ottawa at PITTSBURGH, 7:00 p.m

Crosby Leads Pens To Victory To Close Regular Season

-The Pittsburgh Penguins regular season is over. Pittsburgh closed out the season with a 6-5 overtime victory over the New York Islanders. The Penguins finished with 101 points on the season. Sidney Crosby was spectacular scoring two goals and recording three assists. The two goals gave him 51 goals, which was a career high for Crosby. Crosby and Steve Stamkos will share the Rocket Richard trophy for the most goals. Evgeni Malkin also played well scoring two goals and recording two assists. The other goals were scored by Eric Godard and Jordan Leopold. Leopold's goal was the winner in overtime. Brent Johnson stopped 33 of 38 shots. Top prospect Eric Tangradi made his NHL debut.

Ponikarovsky Suspended For Final Two Games

-The NHL has decided to suspend LW Alexei Ponikarovsky for the final two games of the season for a hit on Islanders player Josh Bailey. He received a 5 minute boarding penalty and a game misconduct last night.

Pens Crush Islanders 7-3

-The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the New York Islanders 7-3 last night at the final regular season game in the 41 year old Mellon Arena. Sidney Crosby scored a goal and recorded three assists. Bill Guerin scored two goals and recorded one assist. Bill Guerin's first goal was originally credited to Crosby, but Crosby told the ref that that the goal belonged to Guerin. The goal would have been Crosby's 50th of the season. What a great guy Sid is. He is a really classy guy. If Ovechkin was in that situation, I doubt he would say a word. Evgeni Malkin, Tyler Kennedy, Alex Goligoski, and Brooks Orpik each scored a goal. Malkin's goal was impressive as he intercepted a pass and went down the ice and scored a shorthanded goal. Marc-Andre Fleury made some impressive saves as he stopped 32 of 35 shots.

-The NHL announced that the 2011 All-Star Game will be held in Carolina. The Consol Energy Center was one of the contenders for the game.

-Next Game: At Atlanta Thrashers Saturday at 7:00.

Pens To Host Islanders In Final Regular Season Game At Mellon Arena

-This is it. The last regular season game at the Mellon Arena will be played tonight against the New York Islanders. Many former Penguins will be in attendance. Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar are expected to play tonight while Chris Kunitz is not expected to. Malkin missed the game against Washington and will give Pittsburgh a much needed spark.

I had to post this video. Students at Plum High School made this Penguins video and it is excellent. Very well done guys!

Capitals Sweep Season Series Against Penguins

-The Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the Washington Capitals 6-3 last night at the Mellon Arena. Sidney Crosby scored a goal and two assists while Alex Ovechkin scored two goals, including an empty netter. Crosby and Ovechkin are now tied for the league lead in goals with 48. Jordan Leopold scored two goals for Pittsburgh, giving him three with Pittsburgh. He has three goals in his last two games. Evgeni Malkin did not play because of an illness. Marc-Andre Fleury let in a few soft goals and only stopped 9 of 12 shots. He was pulled after Washington's third goal and was replaced by Brent Johnson. Johnson stopped 13 of 15 shots. Not good goaltending at all for Pittsburgh. Mike Knuble, who scored last night, had a goal in each game against Pittsburgh. He is a Penguins killer.

Next Game is Thursday against the New York Islanders at 7:30. It is also the final regular season game at the Mellon Arena.

Rupp To Play Tonight In Kunitz's Absence

-The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without Chris Kunitz tonight because of an undisclosed injury. Mike Rupp, a healthy scratch last game, will play in his absence against the Washington Capitals. Washington will likely rest D Mike Green and G Jose Theodore tonight. The Capitals do not seem to be worried about this game at all while the Penguins need a win to continue their quest to the second seed in the East. This would be a good test for Washington, but they have elected to not play some of their top players. The game will be televised on Versus at 7:30.

Malkin and Gonchar Shine In Victory Over Thrashers

-The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Atlanta Thrashers 4-3 in overtime. Jordan Leopold picked the right time to score his first goal as a Penguin. His goal in overtime won the game for Pittsburgh and sent the Thrashers to tenth place in the East while Pittsburgh remains in fourth because the New Jersey Devils won. Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar both scored a goal and an assist in their returns. Tyler Kennedy scored the other goal in regulation. Sidney Crosby had three assists in the game. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 21 of 24 shots. Former Penguin G Johan Hedberg played a great game stopping 31 of 35 shots. He made a lot of impressive saves to keep Atlanta rolling.

Next Game: Washington Capitals Tuesday at 7:30

Malkin and Gonchar Expected To Return

-Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar both participated in a full practice today and Dan Bylsma expects both of them to play tomorrow against the Atlanta Thrashers. Malkin has missed seven of the Penguins last eight games while Gonchar has missed the last four games. The powerplay will likely get a much needed boost with the return of these two players. Colby Armstrong will not be playing against his former team after all. He was suspended two games by the NHL for an elbow to the head.

Pens Struck By Lightning 2-0

-The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-0 last night at the Mellon Arena. Steve Stamkos and Steve Downie scored for Tampa Bay. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 15 of 17 shots. Coach Dan Bylsma had a meeting with the players after the game. In addition, he scheduled a rare 8:30 AM practice on what was supposed to be an off day today. The Buffalo Sabres moved ahead of Pittsburgh in the playoff race. Stamkos' goal was his 46th of the season. He is now one goal behind Sidney Crosby. Sergei Gonchar and Evgeni Malkin did practice today but Malkin left after 25 minutes.

Next Game: Atlanta Thrashers Saturday at 1:00