Marc-Andre Fluery, bitches

MAF owns you. Even the haters and the bashers want back on the Fleury wagon. It's cool. #29 will welcome you back, hoist you on his shoulders, and probably smile the entire time he's carrying you.

Go ahead and fall in love with your goalie. It's OK. Do it. I know it's hard. You may not watch hockey as intensely as we do. So just like when you blame the QB every time your football team loses, you feel like you should blame the goalie every time a goal gets past him. So for normal folk, goalies are hard to cheer for.  We at EC are here to tell you that it's OK to get behind your goalie with confidence.

btw: The Versus brain trust does not want to consider MAF a Vezina contender. But don't pull a Hines Ward. Don't be that guy. It's all good. Don't whine about it. Just let Mr. Fleury bring you another Stanley Cup.

So we go into this 4 game stretch (Rags, Wings, Pumpkin Suits, Trap City) thinking it will be pretty tough. Matt Cooke gets banned from the NHL and single handily loses the first one.  Oh nooooo!  Doom City. But no problem...we dominate the Wings in Detroit (and don't kid yourself...if MAF plays that game, it's 4-1).

Then we go to Philly to play the team that everyone has coming out of the East (this middle finger is for you Keith Jones).  Mike Richards (leadership) scores some fluky goal that ricochets off the scoreboard and past MAF.  Without Bobpoopsy standing on his head for the Flyers, that game could've easily been another 4-1.  So we win in the SO.  1 point lost in the standings, and that sucks.  Kunitz is the hero.

Then we take down the New Jersey Devils at their own little BS game of non-hockey.  2011: Fleury > Brodeur.  James Neal buries it along with Marty's Gatorade bottle.  Boobies!! Season over for Kovalpuke and the Devils.  6 outta 8 points.  FCKYA!!!  I love my hockey team!!!!!!!

Misc thoughts on the Flyers game:
Do these Flyers / Pens games look different to you now? All year long, they've not been the same.  Unfortunately for Pens fans, it appears the Flyers are focused on actual hockey now...which is probably why they are in first place. I can't wait until Peter Laviolette ("Petey" as he's known to Pierre McGuire) is no longer there. Surely, Flyers management can screw this up and find a way to get rid of this guy. As a Pens fan, I liked it better when the Pumpkin Suits were gooning it up, and being a mockery to the league (which was for most of the past 30+ years).

Will Bobpoopsy hold up in the playoffs? I thought I'd heard he's been terrible of late (he got pulled against the Craps), but he looked pretty stellar Thursday night. Here's betting he will fold up shop come playoff time.

On the Pens front: the line of Staal-Kennedy-Kunitz is flying right now. God I love my Kunitz. And props to TK, whose been amazing for an extended period now.

James Neal will score. Eventually. He's too good not to. And he's eating up a lot of space right now, and attracting a lot of attention. With Sid as his center, this guy will score 30+ without a fart sneeze.

my stars in no particular order: Fleury, Kuni, TK.

Misc thoughts on the New Jersey game:
5 shots in the entire 1st period by both teams combined.  Jesus what a snoozefest.  But that's what the NJ games always seem like.  The big difference Friday night: instead of getting frustrated with their methods and eventually turning the puck over, the Pens held onto the puck (for the most part), and relied on MAF (as they should) to turn away any BS chances the Devils might trip across.  We beat NJ at their own lame ass game.

my 3 stars: Fleury, Fleury, Fleury.

ADIOS New Jersey.  Even Puddy knows the Devils are dead now.



Sunday: let's not let FLA hang around. Pound 'em early and often. Then it's on to Round 2 against Philly. The CEC should be in frenzy on Tuesday. "Should" being the key word.

editor's note: we are aware that the last 3 W's have come in the SO. Now back off :)