Technical issues recap in the morning

PHT- End of 1st in L.A, Pens lead 1-0

Pretty great patience showed by the Pens at the end of the period right there on the power plays. Didn't see much of any lanes on the 5-3, but they didn't try to force shots that would be blocked or that would cause giveaways. They stayed the course. Fake slapper by Letang, down to the net mouth to Sullivan for his first of the season. Boom. Pens lead 1-0 after one.

PHT- Gameday #15 @ Los Angeles

After a disappointing shootout loss to the Sharks on Thursday night, the Pens travel to the Staples Center to take on Kobe Bryant and the Lakers......wait. I mean Anze Kopitar and on the Kings. The Pens come into this game after blowing two different 2 goal leads against the Sharks on Thursday.

Pittsburgh did get one point out of the game, but they left the Shark Tank with a sour taste in their mouth. The Kings come into this game on a 3 game losing streak going down to the Coyotes in OT, Avalanche in regulation, and most recently being shutout by the surging Oilers at home. Jonathon Quick, goaltender for the Kings, has only allowed 9 goals through his last 3 games, but hasn't gotten much goal support from his offense. This is a Kings team that will be looking to rebound and get a win in their hands before they travel to San Jose on Tuesday night. At the same time, the Penguins will be looking to rebound after a tough loss. The Pens would like to put a win up before they head home, when many people speculate Sidney Crosby will return on Friday night to take on the Stars.

Penguins Projected Lines

Sullivan-Malkin-Neal

Kunitz-Staal-Dupuis

Cooke-Park-Asham

Adams-Letestu-Vitale

Pens 7 Dmen rotated in the morning skate

Fleury in net

Kings Projected Lines

Gagne-Kopitar-Williams

Parse-Richards-Brown

Penner-Stoll-Richardson

Clifford-Lewis-Moreau

Mitchell-Doughty

Scuderi-Johnson

Martinez-Greene

Quick in the net

• Quick Hits
• Hope to see Jordan Staal back in the lineup tonight. Staal and Martin game time decisions.
• First look at Mike Richards in a Kings uniform tonight
• Last Penguins victory in L.A came in 1999

Would love to see Pittsburgh pick up 2 points tonight before all the Crosby speculation begins for Friday night at CEC. That will be all you hear about from after this game over, until the puck drops Friday against Dallas.

Game ends at 1 tonight, and its only actually midnight. Woooooo

LGP

PHT- Recap, Shark Bitten, Pens go down in SO

First Period

The Pens came out in this game on fire. Engelland scoring some huge goal, and Malkin flying everywhere around the ice. The Sullivan-Malkin-Neal line was purely dominating the early stages of this game. But thats why you play 60 minutes. Winchester was in Engo's face the entire first period challenging him to a fight, and as much as we would of loved to seen Deryk take him down, Niskanen had just sustained some injury. So smart hockey on Engellands part to not drop the gloves and send the Pens down to 5dmen. Winchester finally found someone to oblige late in the first, and that was Craig Adams. The fight was a snoozer, no real winner or loser, Pens take a 2-1 lead into the break.

Second Period

Puck drops and Engelland knows Niskanen is back and healthy on the bench, so he decides to drop them with Ryan Clowe. He puts up more of a battle then I thought he would. I thought the fight was pretty even, both guys got in some solid right hooks. Marleau puts some soft goal by Flower that he knows he shouldn't of let in. Pens waste no time responding, as Malkin buries his second of the night from Letang and Neal. Questionable right there whether or not that puck touches Neal on the way in, but either way Geno gets credit.

Third Period

Pens carry a two goal lead into the third period and cant hang on. How many times have we heard this before? Seems like too many, and it was exactly the case last night. Lets be honest, if it wasn't for the play of Flower in net in the third period, San Jose could have scored 6 goals in the third last night and won this one in a blowout. Fleury was tremendous in the third, really the only reason at all that the Penguins got this game into OT.

Overtime

Pens looked odd in the overtime. Never really even trying to move the puck up ice. If they controlled the puck for two minutes in overtime, a minute and a half of that was in their own zone. Bizarre.

Shootout

Sharks select to shoot first and Fleury stones Couture. Next up for the Pens was Kris Letang. Tried a pretty sneaky move once he got to the hashmarks to put it over the glove hand of Griess, but just couldn't elevate the puck. Weird seeing a Dman in the shootout on both teams, and neither one scores, Boyle misses for sharks. Next up was Evgeni Malkin, and unfortunately, this shootout attempt looked like a replay from 2007. Geno never looked comfortable taking this attempt, and never looked like he had any move planned out. Soppy attempt for someone who has looked fantastic in the shootout lately. Ryan Clowe beats Fleury over the glove, 1-0 Sharks. The Penguins must score to move it on to sudden death, so the game is on the stick of James Neal....right? Pascal Dupuis misses. Game over. See you Saturday night in L.A.

PHT- Final, Pens lose 4-3 in SO

Well Evgeni Malkin was the hero through two, and Flower stoned the Sharks throughout the third and in OT. Without Flower on his game, it never goes into OT or shootout and Sharks have unlimited goals in third period. Duper couldn't get it done in the shootout, and the Pens lose. Recap to follow in the morning.

PHT- End of 2nd in San Jose, Pens Lead 3-1

Patty Marleau scored some soft goal on Flower. Pens answer quick with Geno's second goal of the night. Stevie Sullivan has 2 assists on the night. Fleury coming up big. Best PK man is your goalie. Sullivan looks so smooth skating out there, and Geno, well looks like Geno of old who cant be stopped.

Third coming up next.

LGP

PHT- End of 1st in San Jose, Pens lead 2-0

Rough period for San Jose. Penguins get 2 early goals from Engelland and Malkin. Malkin flying out there. Some joke fight that Adams had to take at the end of the first.

Keep it going.

LGP

PHT- Live Chat

PHT- Shannaban

Patrick Kaleta of the Buffalo Sabres suspended 4 games for headbutting some Flyer. And he didn't expect to be suspended, after he used a WWE move on the rink...Riiiiiiight.

PHT- Gameday #14 @ San Jose

This is the first post for the new an refined Penguins Hockey Talk blog, so without wasting any time, lets jump right into the gameday. The Penguins come into this game with an 8-3-2 record, 18 points, which currently is good enough for the lead in the Atlantic Division. San Jose comes into tonights game with a 6-4-0 record, which puts them in a tie for last place with Anaheim in the Pacific Division. Pittsburgh is 4-2-1 away from CEC this season, while San Jose is struggling in the shark tank, posting a 1-2-0 record at home this season. The Sharks seem to be struggling to find there spark this year, while Pittsburgh continues to roll on with a depleted lineup. The Penguins have played this entire season without Crosby, and a big chunk of it without Malkin. However, they continue to find ways to win games, largely in part to James Neal and his 9 goals to start the season. It is early, but Neal is looking like he has found his home in a Penguin sweater.

Penguins Projected Lines/Defense/Goalie

Kunitz-Staal-Dupuis

Sullivan-Malkin-Neal

Vitale-Letestu-Adams

Cooke-Park-Asham

*Macintyre-Crosby-Jeffrey*

Defense is anyones guess. Good Luck.

Flower in net

San Jose Projected Lines/Defense/Goalie

Marleau-Thornton-Pavelski

Clowe-Couture-Mitchell

A Murray-Handzus-Wingels

Winchester-Desjardins-McGinn

Murray-Boyle

Vlasic-Burns

White-Demers

Niemi should be in net

We all know the story by this point. Pens haven't won a game in San Jose since 1997, blah blah blah. Anyone who says that stat and thinks it means anything to tonights game is a total moron and shouldn't even be speaking. Time to get shit done tonight.

LGP