Catching Up

Hello Pens Nation! I apologize for my lacks of posts this week. It's been hectic here in NY. I will try and be more on top of things from now on.

This most exciting news of the week is... I AM FINALLY GOING TO MY FIRST GAME AT CONSOL ENERGY CENTER THIS FRIDAY! I know you're all thrilled to hear it and life as you know it will never be the same. But can you blame me for being excited? It's also a momentous occasion for another reason. One of my roommates is also a Penguins fan (courtesy of yours truly) and Friday will be her first ever Penguins game! What, no one care but me? Fine then.

Here is the real news you all came to read:

On-Ice-

-Latest injury updates from around the NHL:

Anaheim Ducks: Joffrey Lupul (back surgery/infection), Dan Sexton (broken nose/surgery) and Matt Beleskey (concussion) are participating in on-ice workouts again. It's unknown when any of them will actually be able to play although head coach Randy Carlyle said Lupul could see action around Thanksgiving. Possibly.

Boston Bruins: First-line center David Krejci will miss at least a week with a mild concussion. The Bruins top players just can't catch a break, can they? (Except Chara, but that's because he's 6'9" and no one wants to/can reach high enough to hurt him. Unless you're T.J. Oshie.) Good news for Boston is that Marc Savard (post-concussion syndrome) and Marco Sturm could see ice time in the near future, though the team will not give a timetable for either player's return.

Buffalo Sabres: Goalie Ryan Miller (sore leg muscle) is back in practice. He will definitely miss Wednesday's game against New Jersey (as if they needed him) and likely miss Thursday against the Rangers but could be back Saturday against the Capitals (then they might need him).

Carolina Hurricanes: Defenseman Joni Pitkanen (upper body) is still day-to-day. He took part in practice today wearing a no-contact jersey. His status for tomorrow night's game against Edmonton is unknown.

Colorado Avalanche: Goalie Craig Anderson (knee) could be back in 1-2 weeks. (Colorado fans: "ONLY 1-2 MORE WEEKS OF PETER BUDAJ! THERE IS A GOD AFTER ALL!")

Detroit Red Wings: Brian Rafalski (knee surgery) will be back in the lineup for Detroit tonight.

New Jersey Devils: There's good news and bad news for the Devils. Good news: Martin Brodeur (elbow) should be back against Buffalo on Wednesday night, despite missing Sunday's practice. And they're within one point of the Islanders in the Atlantic Division. Bad news: Zach Parise is still out for 3 months. And they're still terrible.

New York Rangers: Marian Gaborik ( groin shoulder) is skating again and could be back as early as this weekend. But no one's noticed because they're all too stunned that, thanks in large part to Brandon Dubinsky, the Rangers are actually scoring goals without him in the lineup.

Phoenix Coyotes: Captain Shane Doan out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, has been ruled out for Phoenix's mini road trip to Detroit and Chicago and will not travel with the team. Officially listed as "day to day".

Toronto Maple Leafs: Captain Dion Phaneuf's leg laceration surgery was a success and he's going to miss 4-6 weeks. How will the Leafs be able to go on without him?

-Joe Thornton was suspended for two games for his hit to the head on David Perron of St. Louis. He will have to sit out one more game (tomorrow night against the Ducks) and be back Thursday against the Islanders.

-The Flyers extended Claude Giroux's tenure in Philly for another 3 years at a cost of $11.25 million.

Off-Ice-

-It's been confirmed via Puck Daddy that ESPN is serious about going after the NHL's TV rights. I can't wait to see how this bidding war plays out.

-This year's Hockey Hall of Fame inductees received their Hall of Fame rings today, leading to many people (myself included, I admit) to restart complaining/debating about why Ciccarelli was inducted this year but guys like Pat Burns and Adam Oates were snubbed.

I'll likely be putting up some pictures from the game Friday and look to start working on player features starting this week. For real this time. I promise!

Go Pens.