You can click here to VOTE FOR OUR BOYS OF WINTER. Another thing you can do is text the word "PENS" to 81812 to vote for all of them at once. I strongly encourage you to do both - REPEATEDLY!
We CANNOT let the JavaScript writing cheaters take the top spots! We just can't. So vote for our Boys often. And look, Friend of The Show Scott sent in this screenshot that shows that even comedian George Lopez knows what's up:
So before you
FIRST PERIOD
This game started out rather uneventfully. It was good hockey - not boring by any means - but there were no goals and no penalties were assessed in the first half of the period. That is, until our outstanding faceoff beast, Mike Zigomanis, won a faceoff... right to the back of our own net. Mikko Koivu was given credit for the unassisted goal. [Pens 0, Wild 1]
While Pens fans everywhere may have been stunned, Jordan Staal and Matt Cooke evidently didn't let it phase them because just 10 seconds later, Gronk threw the puck at the net, and Cookie Monster banged it home. [Pens 1, Wild 1] We were informed that it was the fastest goal scored after the opposition scored for any team so far this season.
Siddo made a sweet centering pass that didn't connect, and Geno Malkin made a sick move where he passed the puck around a defender to himself. Kris Letang (who, according to an awesome clip shown on the Mellon Arena's JumboTron during commercial breaks, has more vitamin C than orange juice, LOL) was called for tripping. On the ensuing penalty kill, Hal Gill made a killer stick save to prevent the Wild from scoring with the man advantage. In the last seconds of the period, Geno got a lead pass and rushed the net. Nicklas Backstrom, of whom the announcers spoke so highly, denied Geno with a quick stick and a toe save.
SECOND PERIOD
Okay. About these announcers: honestly, what effing game were they watching?! All throughout the game they took random subtle jabs at the Pens, misidentified the Pens (81 != 87), and showered the undoubtedly gifted Backstrom with heaps of sometimes undeserved praise. (Listen, I know he's a great goalie, but when a player shoots the puck to your logo, that is not "a beautiful save.") At one point, I thought Alexander Semin had joined them in the booth when they stated that Geno was "special" because he can make those wicked shots from 40 feet while Sid "only" makes shots from 4 feet. WHAT A COUPLE OF TOOLBAGS.
Gronk has been in rare form lately. Since his hat trick, 4 point stunner in Detroit, he has really shrugged that monkey off his back and has gotten much spunkier. Case in point: after taking an uncalled high stick to the chops from Marek Zidlicky, Gronk ended up in fisticuffs with Erik Reitz:
Advantage: Hmmm. I think it was a draw. Gronk had the better hits, but Reitz did take him down to the ice. What a solid effort from Staalsy, though! :)
Then Eric Belanger fired a shot and hit the post. He slid in to get to his own rebound, and hit the post again. As he did, he knocked the net off its moorings as his teammate fired the puck over the line. If a Penguin had dislodged the net, the goal would have counted. But since it was Belanger, the War Room reiterated the on-ice "NO GOAL" call.
Minnesota took their first penalty as a team. Cal Clutterbuck served the 2:00 for the too many men penalty. While the Pens were on the attack, Gronk got away with a high stick. If you ask me, turn about is fair play, but the announcers acted like Staal got away with murdering that Wild player's mom. The Pens didn't score on their advantage. Then something bad happened. Rob Scuderi deflected a puck right into Geno's face. As he dropped, a Wild player hit him so he fell awkwardly into the boards feet first. He lay on the ice bleeding for a few seconds but eventually was able to make his way to the dressing room for treatment. The announcers then compared the way Geno slid into the boards with the way Siddo went into the boards when he sustained that evil high ankle sprain. I mention that only because the announcers stated that it happened to Sid "a few years ago!!!" Maybe in DOG YEARS!!! Geez. I don't think there is a Pens fan alive that doesn't remember that it was January 18, 2008.
Towards the end of the again exciting but again uneventful period, Superstar Max Talbot got into a scrum. He was sporting a wicked shiner that he got courtesy of a puck to the face in Saturday's game. I had to mention this because, at the game, the guy behind us said, "Ah, don't worry. He'll be back. He's not a football player." HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
THIRD PERIOD
Evidently Geno, too, is not a football player because he returned to the ice with a cut lip for the third period. Andrew Brunette slashed Gronk early on, but he was called for a hooking penalty. On the ensuing power play, Sid - who we all agree normally sees everything on the ice a fraction of a second before it happens - missed a chance on a loose puck in front of a wide open net. The Pens didn't score on their advantage. Dany Sabourin was called for delay of game after launching the puck higher than the glass. The penalty was served by Tyler Kennedy. During the penalty kill, new Pen Philippe Boucher attempted to clear the puck off the boards, but he accidentally banked it off one of the linesman. (OUCH!) The Wild didn't capitalize on their advantage.
Miroslav Satan came up short on a great chance in front. Zidlicky interfered with Ruslan Fedotenko and hauled him down, but the announcers simply couldn't believe he was being penalized for his actions. It didn't matter, though, since the Pens were less than stellar on their power play and failed to score. Saint Siddo set up Satan for a good chance, but he deflected the puck just a bit wide. The last minute of the game was crazy with each team trying desperately to get that second point. Sabou made a sick pad save on Koivu and the period ended. Without a winner, we headed to...
OVERTIME
I swear that the Pens aren't getting enough of the game so they're purposely forcing all these OTs and SOs. During the last minute or so of the 4-on-4 OT period, Brent Burns was called for high sticking Alex Goligoski. Immediately the announcers insisted that Boucher must have lifted Burns's stick up into Gogo's face. Upon the replay, however, the two were made to eat a big helping of CROW when it showed that Burns actually high sticked both Penguins simultaneously. On the ensuing 4-on-3, Belanger made a stunning diving poke check on Geno to cancel out the Pens' last chance. Geno was visibly upset and slammed his stick into the boards as the horn blew. Now, for the 1,000th time this season, we had to go to the...
SHOOTOUT
- Petr Sykora → Save
- Marek Zidlicky → Goal
- Alex Goligoski → Save
- Antti Miettinen → Save
- Siddo → Save
Sorry - there are no friends on the ice...
GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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