Their Biggest Win

Due to the conflicting RMU Playoff game across the river at the Island Sports Complex (they lost), we decided to DVR the Pens / Bruins game Saturday night and watch it "live" 3 hours afterwards.  Tough to stay misinformed about a Pens game in Pittsburgh, at a hockey game...but with some tactical hands plugging ears, eyes straight forward (the ISC has TVs airing the Pens game), and cell phones off...WE DID IT!

The mission was rewarding: booze, pizza, and maybe the best Pens game all year.  Fleury was back in form.  The hitting was hard, clean and all over the place.  Shawn Thornton got his ass kicked.  And James Neal, although remaining goal-less in a Penguin sweater, absolutely creamed big Z.  Somewhere, Don Cherry was creaming, too...as Milan Lucic was also dishing out the physicalities. (I'm on record as saying I'd like that guy on my team...despite Cherry's man crush on him).

After a great 1st period from our Beloved, the B's strike first and everything in our world sucks again.  3 minutes later, Staalsy!!!...remain calm!  1-1.  Tough to tell who took the bigger spill: Staal, who got cheapshotted into the cross bar after the goal...or Yast, who went flying across the living room as he raced for the goal lamp.  For the record: Yast blamed "new socks" on the slippery wooden floor.

1 minute later, Dustin Jeffrey puts in his 6th of the season, and all of a sudden, we're going back to the Stanley Cup Finals. The energy inside 1512 Center was crazy. Up 2-1 against one of the best teams in the East in their house. We were flying high.

Of course Boston would pull Tim Thomas and get the tying goal with @ 30 seconds left to play. Of course.

OT again, what else is new. 1 point, and it felt like pending doom again. No fear, Dustin Jeffrey is here. WINNER.  FCKYA!!!



DJ is nowhere to be found on the 3 stars list, but he gets our #1 Star. Fleury was a beast all game long...he's our #2 Star. And because I was boozy, I can't decide who was better...Michalek or Paul Martin, so they split my #3 Star. Even more impressive, noting Martin logged 35 minutes of ice time the night prior in New Jersey.

James Neal played a great game...and his goals will come.  Niskanen continues to impress.

What a huge W. And if they go on to do anything in the playoffs, we can go back and point to this one. On the road for a 2nd straight night, and they outwork the Bruins for much of the night. Shots aren't everything, but 29 SOG thru the first 2 periods was pretty massive.

Making it even bigger, the Flyers have some sorta flu bug going through the locker room and have now lost 4 in a row. A look at the standings shows the Pens a mere 2 points back of a possible #1 seed (albeit, 2 games in hand for Philly).  We've got 2 games left against Philly (3/24 away, 3/29 home)...circle them.  A look at the next 4 shows very winnable games: Buffalo, Montreal (hot), and Edmonton at home...followed by a mailed-it-in-early Senator squad on the road.  Somebody's pumpt.

full highlights...



Pensblog has a much better recap, along with a beauty of a "stunned" gif of the the GWG.