Pesonen demoted - 11-30-08

The Penguins demoted forward Janne Pesonen to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL. He was called up Thursday after Penguins forward Maxime Talbot suffered a foot injury in a game against the Islanders Wednesday. Pesonen played in two games in his recent call-up to the NHL Penguins and failed to record a point. He logged 7:16 of ice time last night against New Jersey and was a minus-1.

This season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, he has 21 points (5 goals, 16 assists) in 19 games.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Picture this - 11-30-08

NOTE: In an effort to lessen the strain on our servers, we will be breaking up our typically large posts. News from the Eastern and Western Conferences follow this post in separate posts. We're sick of the word "posts."

Another Sunday and another group of photos from several generous EN readers:

-Ian DeArdo with last night's national anthem:

-Rick from Penguins Experience spotted this Jiri Slegr jersey last night:

-We spotted these brave Devils fans in the Marriott after the game last night wearing Colin White and John Madden jerseys:

(Those guys even had 2003 Stanley Cup Final patches on the front of those jerseys.)

-We don't care what team you root for or what the venue is, if you show up on the road in your squad's colors, you deserve props at some basic level as a hockey fan.

-Lowell Murray with his Pensblog jersey last night:



-Tim Kaminsky from Friday's game in Buffalo:









-Dan Levy from Wednesday's game on Long Island:



(We don't care if it's fuzzy. A picture of Pat Sajak at an Islanders game might be the greatest photo we've ever had a reader send us.)









-C.J. Romano's friend spotted the world's finest anthem singer and butt-cut in the stands for the home opener in October:

Empty Netter Assists - Eastern Conference -11-30-08

Penguins

-The Penguins demoted forward Janne Pesonen to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL after the game.

-Dave Molinari's recap from last night. Sidney Crosby stinks.

-The Newark Star-Ledger's recap.

-Crosby overwhelmed the Devils last night.

-Eric Godard is not Atkins friendly.

-Is Mike Yeo responsible for the Penguins' power-play issues?

-Icethetics ranked the Penguins' third jersey (right) as the best in the league.

-The Penguins have done a good job of recognizing youth hockey in Western Pennsylvania.

-Leave it to Don Cherry to have a problem with Evgeni Malkin scoring a hat trick against the Islanders:



-We assume Cherry missed the Penguins-Blues game from a few weeks ago when Malkin did dish a pass to one of Cherry's heartthrobs, Jordan Staal, for an empty netter:



-Adam Berkhoel made 44 saves for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a who fell 4-3 in overtime at Norfolk.

-The AHL Penguins collapsed in the third period.

-Aaron Clarke and Nick Johnson each had a goal and an assist for the Wheeling Nailers who beat the Elmira Jackals, 5-2.

-Through Friday, former Penguins forward Aleksey Morozov is leading the KHL in scoring with 41 points. Jaromir Jagr is fifth with 34 points. Fire Craig Patrick.

Atlantic Division

-Freddy Meyer had a two goals and an assist for the Islanders in a 4-2 defeat of the Senators.

-The Islanders will not send 2008 first-round pick Josh Bailey (right) back to his junior team.

-Also included in that link is news of the Islanders recalling goaltender Yann Danis from Bridgeport of the AHL and demoting former Pittsburgh Forge goaltender Peter Mannino. Additionally, defenseman Bruno Gervais was put on injured reserve.

-As you can tell, the Islanders wore their dazzling throwback jersey's last night.

-Islanders defenseman Thomas Pock was put on waivers for the purpose of sending him to Bridgeport. (Note towards the bottom.)

-The Devils are the new Penguins.

-An illness pretty much benched Devils forward Dainius Zubrus in the third period in Pittsburgh last night.

-New Jersey forward Jay Pandolfo hasn't had to worry about defense as much this season.

-Should former Flyers forward Reggie Leach be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame?

-HA! HA! HA! HA!




Northeast Division

-The Bruins might be for real. David Krejci and Blake Wheeler each had a goal and an assist for the Bruins who dispatched the defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings, 4-1. Goaltender Manny Fernadez made 29 saves for the Bruins. Boston chased Detroit goaltender and former Penguin Ty Conklin after he gave up three goals on nine shots.

-Defenseman Aaron Ward suffered a leg injury last night.

-The first day of the Brian Burke era was a good one. Nikolai Antropov and Dominic Moore each had a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs who beat the Flyers, 4-2.

-A day after some in Canada compared him to Barack Obama, Burke pretty much compared himself to the Pope.

-By the way, "Superman" was introduced as the Maple Leafs' new overlord.

-Andrei Kostitsyn had a goal and an assist for the Canadiens who edged the Sabres, 3-2.

-Dave Stubbs of Habs Inside Out, the Montreal Gazette's fine hockey blog, has perhaps the stat of the night: The Canadiens' all-time record vs. the animal kingdom so to speak.

-Canadiens forwards and former Penguins Alex Kovalev (right) and Robert Lang were reunited on a line last night.

-For some reason, someone decided to ask Flyers executive/Ed Snider's caddy Bobby Clarke about the abilities of Senators forward Jason Spezza. Clarke, the amazing hockey mind who compiled that amazing Flyers' team of 2006-07 that went 22-48-12, basically said he wouldn't want him on his team.

Southeast Division

-Lightning forward and Gary Roberts says there's something that can be learned from watching a game from the press box.

-Roberts played his first game after missing four games due to an "upper-body" injury. Also, the Lightning demoted defenseman Matt Smaby and forward Jason Ward to Norfolk of the AHL.

-Carolina's top line of Tuomo Ruutu, Sergei Samsonov (right) and Eric Staal has developed some chemistry.

-Hurricane defensemen Tim Gleason (leg), Dennis Seidenberg ("lower-body") and forward Scott Walker ("lower-body") are all dealing with injuries.

-As if the Capitals didn't have enough injury problems, rookie defenseman Karl Alzner is dealing with an undisclosed ailment.

(Photos: Crosby-Jamie Sabau/Getty Images; Bailey-Jim McIsaac/Getty Images; Kovalev-Rick Stewart/Getty Images; Samsonov-Tom Mihalek/Associated Press)

Empty Netter Assists - Western Conference - 11-30-08

Central Division

-Rick Nash had two goals and Steve Mason made 26 saves for the Blue Jackets in a 3-0 shutout of the Capitals.

-Nash stepped up big time last night.

-Predators forward Steve Sullivan (right) practiced with his team for the first time since February 2007.

Northwest Division

-Shawn Horcoff had a goal and two assists for the Oilers in a 4-2 win at St. Louis.

-Mikko Koivu scored two goals and an assist for the Wild in a 6-2 win at Nashville. Minnesota set a franchise record by scoring five power-play goals. This game had four fights.

-Two goals from Wojtek Wolski and three assists from Marek Svatos helped the Avalanche edge the Lightning, 4-3. Lightning forward Ryan Malone had a goal and an assists. He has a four-game goal-scoring streak and a five-game point-scoring streak. Fire Ray Shero.

-Miikka Kiprusoff made a "whopping" 17 saves for the Flames in a 3-1 win against the Canucks.

-Colorado captain Joe Sakic is out indefinitely due to a back injury. Additionally, defenseman Adam Foote (right) was put on injured reserve due to a neck injury and defenseman Aaron MacKenzie was recalled from Lake Erie of the AHL.

-The Wild is like France. It hates Americans.

Pacific Division

-Alexander Frolov, Patrick O'Sullivan and Jarret Stoll each had a goal and an assists for the Kings who thumped the Blackhawks, 5-2.

-Two goals by Joe Pavelski helped the Sharks edge the Coyotes, 3-2. San Jose has won seven consecutive games.

-The Ducks recalled defenseman Brett Festerling and demoted goaltender David LeNeveu to Iowa of the AHL.

-Anaheim defenseman Bret Hedican will return to Carolina today for the first time since leaving the Hurricanes in the offseason.

-The Coyotes demoted forward Garth Murray to San Antonio of the AHL.

-Stars defenseman and former Penguin Sergei Zubov is dealing with some sort of undisclosed ailment.

-Sharks forward Jonathan Cheechoo (right) is dealing with an "upper-body" injury. (That photo is from last season and isn't his current "upper-body" injury. As far as we know.)

-With Cheechoo out last night, Sharks forward Riley Armstrong, the brother of Thrashers forward and former Penguins forward Colby Armstrong, made his NHL debut.

(Photos: Sullivan-Andy Lyons/Getty Images; Foote-Jeff Gross/Getty Images; Cheechoo-Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Penguins 4, Devils 1 - 11-29-08

NOTE: This is the live blog for Saturday's Devils-Penguins game we posted  in our "fallout shelter" on Blogspot. Due to technical problems, we could not post it live in this forum as usual.

PREGAME

-Greetings from Pittsburgh folks. Apologies for the delay tonight. The Parkway East was bad tonight. It's usually bad, but it was an extra special type of bad tonight. And on top of that, we're having issues with Community Server which maintains our blogs.

The ice and warm ups:

-Devils forward Dainius Zubrus is feeling under the weather tonight but he's expected to play.

-The Penguins have scratched Philippe Boucher, Pascal Dupuis and Marc-Andre Fleury. Hmm...

-New Jersey's only scratch is John Madden.

-Scott Clemmensen and Dany Sabourin are the starting goal keepers.

-No Jeff Jimerson for the national anthem. Bummer.

FIRST PERIOD

18:39: Sidney Crosby streaks down the ice holding off a former Canadian prime minister Paul Martin. Before Crosby can do anything with it, Clemmensen manages to poke it away from him. Crosby still regains control of the puck, spins and slides it by Clemmensen. What a play. Miroslav Satan and Hal Gill get assists. The "Hey Song" is played. Penguins 1-0.

18:11: Evgeni Malkin slides a puck into the slot for Petr Sykora. Sykora snaps it off. Clemmensen eats it up.

16:45: Malkin works the puck up the right wing and makes a nifty move to duck a check from Bryce Salvador.

16:38: Zubrus is nailed for holding the stick. Two minutes. Crosby, Satan, Tyler Kennedy, Malkin and Alex Goligoski are on for the power play.

15:05: “LET’S GO PENS! LET’S GO PENS!”

14:38: Zubrus’ penalty expires after another weak effort on the power play by the Penguins.

14:32: Sykora is sent off for … Head Butting? Zinedine Zidane not impressed:

13:11: Anssi Salmela blasts a one-timer from the top of the slot. Sabourin manages to keep it out.

12:54: Travis Zajac is called for high sticking. We’ll have four-on-four for 21 seconds.

12:32: Just as Sykora’s penalty expires, Malkin knifes through the Devils’ defense for a loose puck and creates a mini-breakaway. He snaps a wrister low that Clemmensen manages to kick out. Big save. The Penguins will have a power play for 1:38. Sykora joins Crosby, Stan, Malkin and Goligoski.

11:11: Goligoski rips a wrister from the left point that hits a post.

10:53: Zajac’s penalty expires.

9:44: Kris Letang tosses a wrister on net that Clemmensen gloves. Public address announcer John Barbero acknowledges Matt Cooke for recently playing in his 600th career game.

7:13: Crosby makes a nice spin move to get away from Salmela and whips a backhander on net that Clemmensen eats up.

5:27: Colin White shoves Malkin down in the corner with a nice check.

4:33: Satan zips a shot on net that Clemmensen shuffles away.

2:52: Fedotenko fires a wrister from the slot using a few players as a screen. Clemmensen is still able to locate the puck and eati utp.

2:37: Fedotenko fires another wrister from the slot. Clemmensen fights it off.

1:39: Eric Godard crashes into the boards hard while chasing after a puck behind the New Jersey net.

1:27: Mark Eaton's first game back in the lineup after several healthy scratches sees him go off for holding. Jordan Staal, Maxime Talbot, Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill are on for the penalty kill.

1:24: Right off the faceoff, Martin fires a slapper that Sabourin gloves.

1:21: The great Mike Zigomanis replaces Talbot and clears the puck down the ice.

0:33: Patrik Elias whips a loose puck on net that Sabourin is able to kick out.

0:08: Langenbrunner whips a shot on net from the left wing that is knocked away.

0:00: End of period. Penguins 1, Devils 0.

FIRST INTERMISSION

-The Penguins played pretty well that period though. The had a little bit more jump than the Devils who seemed to be on their heels a bit.

-The Penguin shave a 16-12 advantage in shots.

-Elias leads the game with five shots.

-Sykora, Kennedy and Crosby lead the Penguins with three shots each.

-New Jersey has a 12-10 lead in shots.

-Zajac is 5-for-8.

-Johnny Oduya leads the game with 8:43 of ice time.

-Goligoski leads the Penguins with 8:06.

-Oduya also leads the game with two blocked shots.

-Apologies for all the issues again folks. This has just been a terrible night. If we didn't get to come to a hockey game for free and "work," we'd probably just go home and hide under the blankets.

-The Devils will begin the period with a power play for 33 seconds.

SECOND PERIOD

19:27: Eaton's penalty expires.

18:59: Malkin pumps a slapper off a drop pass from Sykora wide of the cage.

17:28: A shot by Mike Mottau is deflected by Zach Parise juuuust wide of the cage.

16:52: 17,132.

15:56: Fedotenko takes a shots in the slot. A Devils defender seems to get a piece of it and block the shot a bit. Clemmensen scoops up the loose puck.

15:18: Goligoski chases a loose puck behind the Penguins' net, tries to fake a pursing New Jersey player and crashes into the boards awkwardly.

15:15: A scrum ensues in front of Dany Sabourin.

14:53: Staal dishes a pass from the corner to Cooke in the slot. Cooke's shot misses the cage.

13:59: Zubrus takes a pass ton the right wing and rips a wrister that Sabourin knocks away with his glove hand.

13:46: EN reader T.J. McAloon informs us Channelsurfing.com has a feed of tonight's game.

12:48: Sabourin covers a loose puck in the crease.

12:46: Janne Pesonen chases a puck following a faceoff win by the Devils. Parise dumps him. That's two minutes for interference. Crosby, Malkin, Kennedy, Goligoski and Sykora are on for the power play.

12:34: Crosby glides in with the puck from the right side and dishes a sneaky pass through the crease to Sykora who easily taps it in. Sykora jumps in the air and into Crosby's arms. He celebrated that goal more than the game-winner he had in Game 5 of the Cup final last season. It his first goal in five games. It's the Penguins' first power play goal in ... well... quite a while. We're too lazy to look up their last power-play goal. Maybe that's why he's celebrating. The "Hey Song" is played. Crosby and Kennedy get assists. Penguins 2-0.



12:00: Mike Rupp controls a puck in the slot, spins and fires a wrister from in tight that Sabourin is able to fight off.

10:22: There's a pretty wild collision of a few players in the neutral zone in front of the Devils' bench. Not surprisingly, Matt Cooke is in the middle of it all. Replays show him slamming Parise into his team's bench. Jamie Langenbrunner comes over to give Cooke the business and a scrum develops. Cooke and Langenbrunner go off for roughing. Four-on-four.

9:02: Michel Therrien is using Crosby and Malkin at the same time on a four-on-four. Sometimes life just isn't far.

8:40: Malkin gets dumped with a nice check along the boards.

8:31: After getting dumped, Malkin hustles up the ice and steals a puck off a sloppy turnover by Mottau. Malkin lunges at the puck and pokes it on net. Clemmensen left the crease to poke it away himself. The puck gets by him and comes immediately to Crosby who sweeps it into the empty cage. That was lucky but impressive at the same time. The "Hey Song" is played. Malkin gets an assist. Penguins 3-0.


7:59: Staal and Kennedy come up on a two-on-one. Staal slide the puck by a prone defender to Kennedy who pushes his shot wide of the net.

7:25: David Clarkson is sent off for interference. Crosby, Malkin, Sykora, Goligoski and Satan are on for the power play.

6:34: "LET'S GO PENS! LET'S GO PENS!"

6:10: Goligoski slides a pass to Malkin who blasts a one-timer that Clemmensen is able to kick out. What a shot.

5:05: Fedotenko is sent off for high sticking. Gill, Scuderi, the great Mike Zigomanis and Talbot are on for the penalty kill.

4:18: Zajac rips a wrister that rings off the near post.

3:05: Sabourin covers up a slapper from Salvador just as Fedotenko's penalty expires.

2:21: Satan runs a Devils player from behind the

1:56: Malkin challenges two Devils while lugging the puck up ice. He doesn't quite split them, but he is able to bounce it up in the air and chop it on net in mid-air. Clemmensen is able to kick it out with a fine save. What a display from Malkin.

1:40: Sabourin covers a puck up despite having approximately 423 people scrumming in the crease.

1:08: Cooke spins and chops a loose puck in the slot. Clemmensen makes a nice save again with his right toe.

0:30: Crosby gets away with a bit of a trip on a Devil in the neutral zone.

0:26: Crosby comes down on a two-on-one and elects to shoot. He shoots five hole. Clemmensen closes the gates. Crosby stabs at the rebound and is denied again.

0:00: End of period. Penguins 3, Devils 0.

SECOND INTERMISSION

-That was about as dominant of a period of hockey as we can remember from this team in quite a few games. Hopefully they'll remember to play the third period of this game unlike so many others.

-A turkey bowling contest is held during the intermission. Despite wearing an Erik Christensen jersey, one participant is get two shots on target.

-The Penguins have a 28-20 edge in shots.

-Kennedy and Elias lead the game with five shots each.

-Faceoffs are even, 20-20.

-The great Mike Zigomanis is 6-for-9.

-Crosby leads the game with 15:48 of ice time.

-Oduya leads the Devils with 15:06.

-Brooks Orpik leads the game with three blocked shots.

-White, Brian Gionta, Oduya and Clarkson all have two for New Jersey.

-Speaking of the Devils (Wow what a lame pun), has anyone seen Gionta this game? He came in to the game with five goals in five games. He's been a non-factor so far.

-The Penguins' last power-play goal was Sykora's game-winner in a 3-2 victory in Atlanta Nov. 20.

THIRD PERIOD

19:18: Kennedy zips down the right wing and slides a pass into the slot to... no one.

18:30: Malkin appears to get clipped with a stick in the face.

18:10: "LET'S GO PENS! LET'S GO PENS!"

18:06: Wow what a shot! Mike Rupp!?!? When did he get ta shot like that? He collects a loose puck in the slot, moves into the right faceoff circle and roofs a sick wrister high to the far side on Sabourin's glove side. There was no room for error on that shot. An inch to the left or right and it's a save or hit its the post. Wow. Hopefully for the Penguins, they stop the bleeding now. Elias and Gionta get assists. Penguins 3-1.

17:28: Crosby gets DDT'ed by Rupp along the boards. A scrum ensues. Crosby and Rupp are sent off for roughing. George Thorouhgood's "Bad to the Bone" is played. We'll take that trade off if we're New Jersey. Four-on-four.



16:38: Martin is sent off for holding. Four-on-three. The Penguins' need a goal here. The Devils have three skaters on and that's a lot of ice to cover. Malkin, Letang, Sykora and Kennedy are on for the power play which will be four-on-three for 1:10.

16:22: Sykora blasts a slapper on net from the right wing and Clemmensen kicks it out.

15:28: Crosby and Rupp leave the box. The Penguins still have 50 second of power-play time left.

14:38: Martin's penalty expires. The Penguins let the Devils off the hook there.

12:17: Satan tosses a puck in the crease. Talbot chase after it but doesn't get a blade on it. Clemmensen is able to shuffle it away despite a bit of a screen.

10:48: We've had a lot of up and down hockey here for about three minutes but very little in terms of shots on goal by either team.

9:33: Salvador dumps Satan with a nice check in the corner.

9:11: Rupp collects a puck along the boards on the left wing and rips another wrister. Sabourin is able to glove this one.

8:19: Scuderi gets dropped in the crease by either a shot or a stray stick.

7:45: Replays show Gionta swinging his like he's splitting logs. He seems to get a piece of Scuderi with it. No call. Letang does get a penalty however. He's sent off for delay of game after tossing the puck out of play. The Penguins need a kill here. The great Mike Zigomanis, Scuderi, Gill and Talbot are on for the penalty.

7:15: Salmela blasts a one-timer from the right point that Sabourin easily gloves.

6:13: "LET'S GO PENS! LET'S GO PENS!"

5:52: Clarkson hits Orpik to the ice in the corner. Clarkson almost jumped on his back there.

5:45: Letang's penalty is killed.

5:27: Following an icing call against the Penguins, Therrien calls time out to organize a Rampage tournament. We think.




2:43: A whole bunch of nothing happene while we were looking up a Rampage image.

2:11: Sabourin covers a puck in the crease. Cotton Eyed Joe is busted out.



-Clemmensen is pulled for an extra attacker.


2:01: Malkin chips a puck up ice along the boards. Crosby gets by Salmela and works it into the offensive zone. Salmela hooks the heck out of Crosby who falls. Crosby falls but is able to push the puck in the net for one of us while sliding down the ice like a Slip'n Slide. What an effort. It's a hat trick for Crosby. Hats litter the ice. Malkin takes a swipe at a hat. The "Hey Song" is played. Malkin and the great Mike Zigomanis get assists. Penguins 4-1.





1:13: "GO-HOME DEV-ILS! GO-HOME DEV-ILS!"

0:07: The fans still here stand and give their team a standing ovation.

0:00: End of period. "Hey Song." Penguins 4, Devils 1.



POSTGAME



-That was about as complete of an effort by the Penguins as we've seen in quite some time. They seemed to give the Devils a slight chance to get back into this thing late and perhaps another third period collapse was in the works following Rupp's goal. They managed to clamp down on the Devils' offense and finish the game. Perhaps last night's collapse woke them up.

-It was nice to see the Sykora get a goal and it was even better that it was on the power play. He's been a tad disappointing this season and this team needs him to get back on a pace to hit 25-30 goals. Anyone could've scored that goal which Crosby set him up with, but sometimes an easy one is what can get a player going.

-That said, the Penguins' power play still looked weak at times tonight. Work still needs to be done.

-So uh... Crosby or Malkin. Who do you want?

-This could the the first time we see those two truly compete with Washington's Alex Ovechkin for the scoring title and the Hart Trophy. Three seasons ago, Crosby and Ovechkin were rookies and were still getting used to the NHL. Two seasons ago, Crosby won each title with ease while Ovechkin was saddled with a struggling Capitals team and Malkin was a rookie. Last season, Ovechkin and Malkin each took off while Crosby struggled with injuries. If these three stay healthy and maintain their play, this will be an amazing three-person race.

-We wouldn't exactly say Sabourin was challenged a great deal despite facing 30 shots. Not a lot of them were quality chances. But 29 saves is never anything to sneeze at.

-The Penguins ended up with a 35-30 advantage in shots.

-Kennedy led the game with seven shots. Crosby was second with six.

-Elias led the Devils with five.

-The Penguins controlled the faceoffs, 31-24.

-The great Mike Zigomanis was 11-for-14 (79 percent).

-Malkin led the game with 22:54 of ice time.

-Zajac led New Jersey with 21:43.

-Orpik led the game with four blocked shots.

-Crosby moved pass Joe Mullen for 17th place on the team's all-time scoring list. Crosby now has 328 points to Mullen's 325. Rob Brown is in 16th place with 342 points.

-This was only Crosby's second career hat trick which is kind of surprising. We know he's not a pure goal-scorer like Ovechkin by any means, but only two hat tricks?

-Crosby's other hat trick was in an 8-2 rout of the Flyers, Oct. 28, 2006. John LeClair was still on the Penguins' roster.

-Sabourin moved into a tie for 25th place on the team's all-time goaltender wins list. He now has 15 along with Pat Riggin.

-We appreciate anyone who jumped into the EN Fallout Shelter with us tonight. These problems with Community Server have been frustrating to put it mildly. Part of the problem is us in how we basically overload each post with a lot of material. We thought we took some steps to scale things back, but apparently they haven't been enough. We'll get this fixed ASAP. Thank you for your patience.

-Kudos' to Jody Farr, the Post-Gazette's Webmaster, has been very helpful with us in regards to trying to get this corrected. His efforts are never truly appreciated considering he's been trying to put out some fires on the weekend during his personal time. (Yes that was some gratuitous butt-kissing.)

-The lack of jersey pictures and Cotton Candy Guy videos and all that other fun stuff is completely our fault. We'll do better the next home game.

-Does anyone know of a bar that will give us a bottle of Wild Turkey with a fun straw?

-Game summary.

-Event summary.

-Highlights.

About the Devils - 11-29-08

NOTE: Community Server which provides our blogging platform, is having issues again. Until further notices, visit the EN Fallout Shelter we created on Blogspot. Bring your own blankets and water bottles.

A preview of the Devils.

Record: 12-7-2

Leading Scorer: Zach Parise 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists).

Last Game: 3-2 overtime win in Florida Wednesday. Johnny Oduya had the winning goal.

Last Game against the Penguins: 2-1 overtime win in Pittsburgh, Oct. 11. Parise had the winning goal in overtime. Not only was this game the Penguins' home opener, it was also their first game in North America this season. What a memorable day.

Devils Player We Would Bet Money On Scoring: Brian Gionta. He has scored a goal in five consecutive games and nine point in his last six games.

Ex-Penguins: Tommy Plasko, massage therapist.

Ex-Devils on the Penguins: Petr Sykora, RW.

Useless Devils Trivia: Martin Brodeur holds frachise record for shutouts with 98. Chris Terreri (right) is right behind him in second place with seven.

Best Devils YouTube Video We Could Find: Here's another reason to bet on Brian Gionta scoring tonight: Check out this goal he scored last season against the Penguins:

NOTES:

-Dany Sabourin and Scott Clemmensen are expected to start in net.

-Devils defenseman Mike Mottau finished a two-game suspension for hitting Islanders forward Frans Nielsen in the head. With Mottau back, the Devils demoted defenseman Jay Leach to Lowell of the AHL.

-Forward John Madden (right) is not expected to play. He's dealing with an ankle injury.

-Pesonen and the Pens was more than happy to see its namesake back with the NHL Penguins last night.

-Our blog begins tonight at approximately 6:30 p.m. Please tune in.

EMPTY NETTER ASSISTS

Penguins

-Dave Molinari's recap from last night. The Penguins are 1-for-22 on the power play in their last five games.

-The Buffalo News' recap. Buffalo won back-to-back game for the first time in nearly a month.

-The Buffalo News' live blog from last night.

-Connor James had two "smashing" goals for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 4-3 win at Norfolk. David Brown made 26 saves in the win.

-One of James' goals was shorthanded. For the season, he has four shorthanded goals.

-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward Luca Caputi got into a fight with Norfolk's Justin Keller last night:

(Kudos to EN contibutor Eric Politowski for the heads up.)

-Shootout goals from Jon Grecu, Nick Johnson and Bryan Ewing gave the Wheeling Nailers a 3-2 win at Dayton. Curtis Darling made 30 saves in the win.

-The Nailers have gone from worst to first in one year. Sort of.

-Former Penguins forward Steve McKenna is currently playing for the Sharks... in China.

-The Orpiks are brothers. And they don't score a ton of goals.

-EN reader Chris was looking for a new Penguins wallpaper for his desktop and did an unfiltered Google Image Search for "Pittsburgh Penguins." This was one of the the first things that came up:

-The Staals are brothers. And they want you to have digital television:

Atlantic Division

-Shootout goals by Markus Naslund and Nikolai Zherdev gave the Rangers a 4-3 win at Florida.

-Is 2008 first-round pick Josh Bailey a lock to stick with the Islanders?

-Islanders forward and former Penguin Andy Hilbert had to expand his game to stick in the NHL.

-Flyers forward Jeff Carter and goaltender Martin Biron are each dealing with shoulder injuries.

Northeast Division

-Michael Ryder had two goals for the Bruins in a 7-2 rout of the Islanders. Boston has gone 10-1-1 in November.

-The Bruins demoted defenseman Matt Lashoff to Providence of the AHL.

-Ottawa defenseman Luke Richardson (right) announced his retirement.

-Senators defenseman considered Richardson his idol. Ironically, Bell's play may have pushed Richardson into retirement.

-As James Mirtle recently pointed out, Richardson is in some pretty impressive company in terms of games played.

-Only in Canada would Brian Burke taking over the Maple Leafs be compared to a black man becoming the president of the world's most powerful country.

-Speaking of which, president-elect Burke will be introduced as the team's new president and general manager at 2 p.m. today. Yes we can.

-Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau was embarrassed by his team last night.

-How important is defenseman Mike Komisarek to the Canadiens?

-Former forward Dave Andreychuk and former public address announcer Milt Ellis were inducted into the Sabres' hall-of-fame last night.

-The Sabres might have the coolest hall of fame ever. They gave Andreychuk and Ellis swords! Swords!

Southeast Division

-Sergei Samsonov's overtime goal gave the Hurricanes a 3-2 win at Philadelphia. Carolina's win ended the Flyers' six-game winning streak.

-Jose Theodore made 28 saves for the Capitals in a 3-0 shutout of his former team, the Canadiens.

-Theodore settled an old score.

-Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau became the fastest coach to reach 50 wins in franchise history.

-The Lightning recalled goaltender Andrew Hutchinson from Norfolk of the AHL.

-Thrashers coach John Anderson has a restaurant named after him in Toronto.

Central Division

-Two goals by Marian Hossa helped the Red Wings claim a 5-3 win against the Blue Jackets. Fire Ray Shero. Chris Osgood made a "whopping" 13 saves in the win.

-Check out one of the goals Osgood let up last night:

-Ryan Suter's overtime goal gave the Predators a 4-3 win at Atlanta.

-With goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin dealing with an injury, Cristobal Huet is getting a chance to be the Blackhawk's top goaltender.

-Chicago put defenseman Aaron Johnson in injured reserve and recalled goaltender Corey Crawford from Rockford of the AHL.

-The Red Wings recalled forward Darren McCarty from Grand Rapids of the AHL and demoted forward Darren Helm.

-In his first game back, McCarty hurt his groin.

-Detroit defenseman Brad Stuart played in his 600th game.

-Blues defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo has issues with his new socks.

Northwest Division

-James Sheppard had a goal and an assist for the Wild in a 4-2 win against the Lightning. Tampa Bay forward Ryan Malone scored his six goal of the season. He has scored in three straight games. Fire Ray Shero.

-Check out this crazy goal Minnesota's Mikko Koivu scored yesterday:

-Colorado forward Joe Sakic shut things down last night after one shift due to his wonky back.

-Vancouver's special teams are having issues.

-So is the Canucks' checking line.

-Vancouver's Sedin twins aren't backing down from anyone.

Pacific Division

-Dan Boyle's two goals helped the Sharks rout the Stars, 6-2. San Jose has won six consecutive games.

-As you might imagine, Stars goaltender Marty Turco was chased last night.

-Jonas Hiller made 26 saves for the Ducks in a 1-0 shutout win against the Blackhawks.

-Mikael Tellqvist made 37 saves and helped the Coyotes edge the Avalanche, 2-1.

-With forward Olli Jokinen on the shelf for a few weeks with a shoulder injury, the Coyotes moved Kevin Porter to center. His debut at that position turned out well as he scored the winning goal.

-The Ducks care not for the Sharks and their league-best record.

-The Kings don't exactly have a history of sterling goaltending.

-With forward Brenden Morrow done for the season, the Stars are using Sean Avery (right) in front of the net on the power play.

Smythe Division

-Hall-of-Fame announcer Jiggs McDonald is stuck in Thailand due to political unrest in that country.

-What's the deal with all these black third jerseys?

-Former NHL agent David Frost was acquitted of charges he sexually exploited several of his former players.

-Tony Hand is the best hockey player you've never heard of.

-Things might not be as sunny in the NHL as Gary Bettman would have you believe.

-Random YouTube Find of they day: The theme from ESPN NHL2Nite:

-Man do we miss that show.

(Photos: Terreri-Photobucket; Madden and Avery-Bruce Bennett/Getty Images; Richardson-Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

Sabres 4, Penguins 3 - 11-28-08

PREGAME

-Greeting from Pittsburgh. We're going to try to do a live blog while doing a regular office shift. So please pardon us if tonight's post is a little sloppy. And excuse us for doing this despite stating in this morning's post we wouldn't be doing a live blog. This was a very last minute decision on our end.

-Bob Errey mentions that Janne Pesonen will get some playing time with Evgeni Malkin tonight.

-John Curry and Ryan Miller are the starting goaltenders tonight.

-We are reminded that Brooks Oprik is from Buffalo. We don't think this will reach "R.J. Umberger is from Pittsburgh" levels, but we are somewhat concerned.

-Dan Potash interviews Brooks Orpik about being from Buffalo.

-Ruslan Fedotenko will sit in place of Pesonen. Hmmm. He's joined in the pressbox by Mark Eaton and Marc-Andre Fleury.

-Tim Connolly, Nathan Paetsch and Andrew Peters are the Sabres' scratches.

-Paul "The Butcher" Alexander is up to his old tricks. Boston's David Krejci is apparently "Cragison." Chuck Kobasew is "Cobisaw."

-He does turn Mikko Koivu to "Koyvow" but corrects himself to "Koivu."

-The Sabres will wear their new "old" "fake" throwbacks:

-Paul Steigerwald already blames any potential problems Curry might have on a ceremony honoring Dave Andreychuk.

-FSN Pittsburgh shows us the lines Michel Therrien will used through the first 15 minutes:

FIRST PERIOD

19:48: Derek Roy comes up the left wing and blasts a slapper that misses the cage.

19:09: Matt Cookes pushes a puck on net that Miller easily knocks away.

18:20: Malkin makes two nifty moves to dodge a pair of checks.

17:42: Eric Godard gets involved with two Sabres in a conversation about Carlo Azeglio Ciampi's presidency. We think. Patrick Kaleta is sent to the penalty box for high sticking.

16:34: Roy pushes a wrister wide of the net.

16:06: Miller covers up a one-timer by Malkin.

15:46: Sykora rips a wrister from the right wing that Miller knocks away.

15:42: Kaleta's penalty expires.

15:15: Miller eats up a shot from the great Mike Zigomanis.

14:40: Thomas Vanek tries a wraparound but Kris Letang is there to chop it away.

14:26: Drew Stafford tosses a shot on net. Curry knocks it down and covers.

14:05: Malkin dishes a puck to Sykora who wrips a wrister from the slot wide of the net.

13:46: Curry eats up a re-direct from Jochen Hecht in the slot.

13:14: Mark Mancari knocks Hal Gill down behind the net.

12:58: Cooke lands a solid check on Clarke MacArthur.

12:49: Maxim Afinogenov flies downt he right wing and zips a wrister on net. Curry eats it up. Afinogenov chops at him for a rebound. No dice. Several of the Penguins, including Tyler Kennedy, take exception and give Afinogenov the business. Kaleta goes to the penalty box again. This time for roughing. Gill joins him for roughing as well. Four-on-four.

12:31: A shot by Miroslav Satan is deflected out of play.

11:21: Curry denies Hecht twice.

10:52: Miller absorbs a shot from Pascal Dupuis.

???: Our prediction of 15 minutes for the line combinations proves to be generous as Michel Therrien teams Malkin with Sidney Crosby again. (FSN Pittsburgh's clock has died.)

???: Cooke takes the puck off a cycle behind the net. He goes to the left of the cage and zips a slick pass to Kennedy in the crease and he's able to put it by a helpless Miller. That was a nice play, but it was the product of hard work. Penguins 1-0.

8:35: Afinogenov swoops behind the net and tosses the puck into the crease. Drew Stafford is there to put it by Curry. Orpik left Stafford alone in the crease to challenge Afinogenov. Somewhere, Sabres play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret is screaming his head off. Penguins 1, Sabres 1.

7:51: Alex Goligoski fires a wrister from the point that's off the mark. The rebound comes right to Satan near the cage and he rips a wrister that's off the mark.

7:12: Curry denies Paul Gaustad on a nice re-direct attempt.

6:21: A tired Goligoski tries to play a puck out of his own end and is hooked by Jason Pominville. The Penguins caught a break there. They were running around their own end on fumes.

5:38: Sykora dishes a pass to the left point to... no one.

4:21: Pominville's penalty expires without much of a threat from the Penguins.

3:54: The great Mike Zigomanis fires a pass to Dupuis that sends him off on a breakaway. Dupuis approaches the net, gets hooked from behind by Teppo Numminen and shoots to the stick side. Miller makes a save with his right leg. Numminen is sent off for two minutes.

3:06: Crosby rips a wrister from the left faceoff circle and it's blocked by a cluster of bodies.

2:27: Goligoski slides a pass to Malkin who blasts a one-timer that's off the mark.

2:21: Satan is sent off for hooking Jaroslav Spacek. Malkin is a little too casual in pursuing the puck to begin Satan's penalty.

1:52: Numminen's penalty expires. Buffalo will have a power play for 1:29.

1:08: A puck goes out of play. We have delay as a piece of broken glass is replaced. Errey and Paul Steigerwald recall loving memories of the Ottawa glass-changing crew. FSN Pittsburgh kills some time with a picture of Janne Pesonen's gold helmet which he wore in Finland last season.

0:33: Roy works his way towards the net and zips a wrister that misses the cage.

0:21: Satan's penalty expires.

0:00: End of period. Penguins 1, Sabres 1.

FIRST INTERMISSION

-The Penguins had more than enough opportunities to take a lead that period and failed to cash in. Their power play is still an issue.

-The Penguins have a 12-11 edge in shots.

-Hecht leads the game with three shots.

-Dupuis and Letang lead the Penguins with two.

-The Penguins have a 13-7 advantage in faceoffs.

-The great Mike Zigomanis is 4-for-5.

-Crosby and Spacek each lead the game with 9:43 of ice time.

-Rob Scuderi, the great Mike Zigomanis and Tony Lydman lead the game with two blocked shots.

-Satan references Brett Hull's game-winning "goal" in the 1999 Stanley Cup final:

-Satan, by the way, has probably the least appropiate voice for someone who's name is Satan. He's a very soft-spoken individual.

SECOND PERIOD

19:01: Jordan Staal steals a puck and puts a shot on net from in tight. Miller is able to keep it out.

18:51: Curry denies Stafford but gives up a rebound. Orpik sweeps it away before a Sabre can jump on it.

18:45: Miller kicks out a wrister from Kennedy from the left wing.

 17:05: FSN Pittsburgh shows some video clips of the "Aud" (AKA, the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium). It's in the process of being torn down.

16:40: Kaleta gets his third penalty as he runs Satan from behind into the corner. What a stupid penalty. Satan is lucky he didn't crash into the boards more violently. That's two minutes. That should be a five minute major.

16:08: Sabres captain Craig Rivet goes to the bench with an apparent leg injury.

15:12: Roy goes through the Penguins' defense, Malkin "defends" him with a hook. Roy goes in on net and is denied by Curry. Roy crashes into the net. Malkin is sent off for two minutes. Four-on-four for 32 seconds.

14:40: Kaleta's penalty expires. The Sabres will have a power play for 1:28.

13:48: Letang tosses a puck out of the Penguins' zone.

13:20: Staal carries the puck up ice and fires a wrister from the right point. Miller traps it against his chest.

13:12: Malkin's penalty expires.

12:41: Afinogenov works the puck into the crease and is denied by Curry.

12:02: Coming back from commercial, Potash mentions that seats and other goodies from the Aud are being auctioned off. He also speculates a similar thing could happen when Mellon Arena is closed. Errey tells us he wants an orange seat. We want this trash can from the press box:

11:45: Curry directs a shot away with his his blocker.

11:32: Curry covers a loose puck in his crease off a shot by Vanek from the left point.

10:59: Miller kicks out a shot by Crosby from the left wing.

10:06: Curry eats up a shot.

9:25: Orpik clobbers Daniel Paille with a check behind the net. Paille wasn't looking when he got hit. Orpik shouldn't have done that since Paille was away from the puck. A few Sabres try to jump Orpik but officials manage to hold everyone off. Orpik goes off for interference.

8:39: Hal Gill blocks a shot by Vanek.

8:32: Talbot rushes the net with the puck which gets poked away by Miller.

8:22: A shot by MacArthur is deflected out of play by Miller. Steigerwald informs us that was the Sabres' first power-play shot tonight. And we though the Penguins' power play was having issues.

7:39: It's not having problems now. Stafford take the puck int he corner, moves towards the net and is able to slide a backhanded pass to Gaustad in the slot. Gaustad mishandles it a bit but is able to push a shot by Curry's left foot. Sabres 2-1.

7:17: Curry turns away a slapper by Hecht.

7:05: Malkin hammers a loose puck from the slot. It misses the net but hits off the backboards. Crosby is Johnny-on-the-spot and is able to poke it behind Miller. He even tips the puck in the air and pokes it in to be sure. Some classy Sabres fan behind the glass makes a hand gesture to the Penguins' celebrating. Penguins 2, Sabres 2.

5:43: A wrister by MacArthur is deflected out of play by Letang.

4:41: Orpik rushes the net from the left wing and whiffs on a shot. Miller turns it away. Hecht is sent off for hooking Orpik.

4:20: Roy steals a puck off a bad pass by Goligoski. Letang is able to chase him down and steal the puck off him. Very impressive display by Letang.

3:50: Miller covers a puck in his crease.

3:41: Sykora snaps a wrister of a pass from Crosby. Miller covers it. Kennedy digs for it and is jumped by three Sabres.

3:38: Miller turns away a quicks shot right off the faceoff.

2:59: Crosby's wrister is wide of the net.

2:56: Kennedy gets away with a trip on Rivet. Terrible non-call. Even Kennedy thought it was a penalty.

2:47: Errey mentions Philippe Boucher has gone to the Penguins' locker room.

2:41: Hecht's penalty expires.

2:23: Gill is called for hooking Hecht. Errey mentions Boucher will not return to the game.

1:15: Pominville blasts a slapper. Curry kicks out the puck. Vanek has a big juicy rebound to punch into the empty cage but he hits the side of the cage. Franchise players are supposed to bury that.

1:09: Vanek finds something to do this stick and trips Letang.

0:56: Malkin steals the puck off Spacek in the neutral zone. Crosby takes it, fakes a slapper and zips a wrister though Miller's five hole. That's how a franchise player takes avantage of his scoring chances. Penguins 3-2.

0:29: This is tough to keep up with. Pominville is sent off for tripping.

0:20: Gill's penalty expires and the Penguins are on a five-on-three.

0:18: Crosby slides a pass from the corner to Letang who blasts a one-timer that Miller makes a fine save on.

0:00: End of period. Penguins 3, Sabres 2.

SECOND PERIOD

-The Sabres gave the Penguins some chances and the Penguins finally took advantage of them.

-This game has been a bit sloppy, but it's been fun to watch. Lots of up and down action and plenty of shots on goal.

-The Penguins have a 27-22 lead in shots.

-Crosby leads the game with five shots.

-Hecht and Stafford lead Buffalo with four.

-The Penguins are controlling faceoffs, 27-19.

-The great Mike Zigomanis is 7-for-10.

-Crosby leads the game with 17:35 of ice time.

-Spacek leads the Sabres with 15:26.

-Lydman leads the game with five blocked shots.

-Scuderi leads the game with three.

-Paul Alexander rebounds with a solid effort with the highlights in the second intermission.

-The Penguins will begin the third period with a two-man advantage on the power play for 54 seconds.

-Mike Yeo gets some facetime with his Secret Service Agent earpiece hanging on his shoulder:

THIRD PERIOD

19:21: Malkin rips a wrister wide of the net.

19:08: The first Buffalo penaltye spires. The Penguins will have a one-man advantage for 38 seconds.

18:27: Gaustad clears the puck and essentially kills the rest of Pominville's penalty. The Penguins needed at least one goal there.

16:49: Wow. There's the pretty-passing Buffalo team we remember. Roy moves the puck into the offensive zone and dishes it to Vanek on the right wing. Almost immediately he dishes it to Stafford on the left wing who easily deposits the puck behind an out of place by Curry. What a nice play. Penguins 3, Sabres 3.

14:54: Stafford tries to drag the puck by Goligoski but the Penguins' defenseman is able to poke it away.

14:33: Miller covers a puck that bounces into this crease.

14:00: Andrej Sekera bangs Dupuis to the ice with a solid check.

13:29: Kennedy sneaks a pass to Cooke near the net and Cooke directs it on net. Miller gloves it.

12:55: Malkin goes to his team's bench with what looks like a chest or shoulder injury.

11:17: The ever-dangerous Rob Scuderi slaps a shot from the right point that is off the mark.

10:43: Sykora blasts a slapper from the slot wide of the cage. He needs to get that on net.

10:08: Curry fights off a high shot by Mancari.

9:02: A shot by Satan sails over the cage.

8:35: Dupuis slides a loose puck wide of the net. Some get this team a shooter tutor!

7:45: Mancari drives a big one-timer on net. Curry comes up with a big glove save.

7:34: Sykora blasts a slapper from the slot. Lydman gets down to block it. Miller gloves the puck when it gets chopped into the air.

6:20: The great Mike Zigomanis dumps a puck into the Sabres' zone and gets dumped with a check at the red line.

5:30: Curry somehow keeps the game tied with a big glove on MacArthur in the slot.

5:02: Roy puts a backhander high of the cage.

4:37: Curry comes up huge again. Vanek has Curry dead to rights but the Penguins' goaltender stones him with the glove hand. The puck gets behind Curry but it fails to go over the red line. Officials review the play to see if it was a goal. The non-goal call on the ice is upheld.

3:51: Michel Therrien calls a time out to organize a Mario Cart tournament. We think.

3:35: Hecht misses the net with a shot.

3:24: The Sabres drive to the net and get one by Curry. Pominville snaps a pass into the crease. Gaustad drives to the cage and is able to drive it by Curry. Lindy Ruff calls a time out. Sabres 4-3.

3:04: Miller covers a loose puck in the crease and denies Crosby a chance at a goal.

1:56: Janne Pesonen steals a pass into the Penguins' slot.

1:00: Hecht takes the puck behind the net and kills time

0:35: Curry is pulled for an extra attacker.

0:13: Malkin drives a slapper wide of the net.

0:10: Talbot tries to dig and poke a puck in from the side. Offiicials blow the play dead. Crosby slams his stick off the side of the cage in anger.

0:00: End of game. Sabres 4, Penguins 3.

POSTGAME

-The Penguins' difficulties on the power play finally came to haunt them. Against a team that likes to run and gun like the Sabres, you need to score whenever you can. The Sabres will take chances on offense and will give you scoring opportunities. You need to take them.

-We say this each and every time the Penguins fail to score on one, but anytime you have a two-man advantage, you need to get at least one goal. The opponent has so much ice to cover with just three men, you can't help but find a way to generate a goal.

-Curry was solid in his debut. He was left out to dry on a few of his goals. Give the Sabres credit, their last two goals were the results of some fine passing.

-Satan and Sykora are struggling. They're getting chances but they're failing to even get them on net most times. The Penguins are hoping for 25-30 goals with each of these guys and they're failing the team right now.

-Did anyone see Janne Pesonen? We're hardly blaming him for the loss, he's not that important to the Penguins. He just didn't do anything of note outside of a nice defensive play late.

-Philippe Boucher's injury hardly helped matters. Any long-term injury to him would obviously be somewhat of an issue.

-Buffalo ended up with a 32-30 lead in shots.

-Stafford and Crosby led the game with five shots each.

-Buffalo ended with a 36-32 lead in faceoffs.

-Clarke MacArthur was 6-for-8.

-Maxime Talbot was 4-for-5.

-Crosby led the game with 24:29 of ice time.

-Rivet led the Sabres with 22:46.

-Lydman had an impressive seven blocked shots.

-Orpik led the Penguins with four blocked shots.

-Crosby's two goals moved him past Randy Carlyle for 18th place on the franchise's all-time scoring list. Crosby now has 324 points to Carlyle's 323. Joe Mullen is in 17th place with 325 points.

-Malkin's two assists moved him past Jan Hrdina for 30th place on the franchise scoring list. Malkin now has 228 points to Hrdina's 227.

-Game summary.

-Event summary.

-Highlights.

Curry to start - 11-28-08

A few notes:

-The Penguins will start rookie goaltender John Curry tonight in Buffalo.

-Maxime Talbot and Janne Pesonen are expected to both be in the lineup tonight. It will be interesting to see who they take out of the lineup.

-Buffalo goon Andrew Peters (above) is not expected to play tonight. Perhaps that means Michel Therrien will scratch Eric Godard.

-The status of Buffalo's Thomas Vanek will be a game-time decision.

(Photo: Elsa/Getty Images)

About the Sabres - 11-28-08

A preview of the Sabres.

(Yeah, we'll use any excuse to use a Winter Classic photo. So what?)

Record: 10-8-3

Leading Scorer: Thomas Vanek (above), 20 points (15 goals, 5 assists).

Last Game: 3-2 home win against the Bruins Wednesday.

Last Game against the Penguins: 5-2 road loss Nov. 15. Evgeni Malkin had a goal and three assists while Jordan Staal had two goals.

Sabres Player We Would Bet Money On Scoring: Derek Roy. He has three goals in his last two games.

Ex-Penguins: Patrick Lalime.

Ex-Sabres on the Penguins: Philippe Boucher, D; Miroslav Satan, RW; Andre Savard, assistant coach.

Useless Sabres Trivia: Sabres coach Lindy Ruff is one of give current NHL coaches to have played for the team he is coaching. The others are Montreal's Guy Carbonneau, Edmonton's Craig MacTavish, Philadelphia's John Stevens and Toronto's Ron Wilson.

Best Sabres YouTube Video We Could Find: During the 1980 playoffs, Ruff, then a defenseman for the Sabres, attacked Islanders goaltender Billy Smith for jabbing him in the face with the butt end of his stick:

NOTES:

-Vanek is expected to be in the lineup despite dealing with a "lower-body" injury. Forward Ales Kotalik is expected to miss the game due to a hamstring injury.

-No live blog tonight. We're stuck in the office. We'll have a recap up for the morning.

EMPTY NETTER ASSISTS

Penguins

-Matt Cooke, Tyler Kennedy and Jordan Staal have managed avoid Michel Therrien's meddling ways.

-What are the long-term plans for Kennedy and Maxime Talbot?

-Rob Scuderi is eighth in blocked shots among defensemen.

-The Pensblog spotted the video of John Curry getting creamed after Wednesday's game:

-Maxime Talbot watching his handiwork:

-The AHL Penguins are hoping to rebound after a poor game Wednesday.

Atlantic Division

-Devils forward Barry Tallackson is thankful for his health.

-New Jersey is starting to believe it can win without Martin Brodeur.

-After blowing a 3-0 lead to the Penguins Wednesday, things don't get easier for the Islanders with a trip to Boston today.

-Islanders management throught so much of goon Mitch Fritz's fight with the Penguins' Eric Godard, they sent him to Bridgeport of the AHL. Actually forward Nate Thompson was activated from injured reserve and Fritz was demoted to make room on the roster.

-Rangers forward and former Penguin Markus Naslund is beginning to mesh with forwards Brandon Dubinsky and Nikolai Zherdev.

Northeast Division

-Shootout goals from Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza gave the Senators a 2-1 win against the rival Maple Leafs.

-Check out this hit Toronto rookie defenseman Luke Schenn stuck on Ottawa forward Antoine Vermette:

-Ottawa put defenseman Luke Richardson on waivers.

-Senators forward Dean McAmmond might've single-handedly dispelled the myth of hockey players being tough.

-The Canadiens recalled forward Matt D'Agostini from Hamilton of the AHL.

-Montreal forward Alex Tanguay (neck) and defenseman Josh Gorges (knee) are dealing with injuries.

-Tanguay was rattled Wednesday on this check from Detroit defenseman Brad Stuart:

(Kudos to Kukla's Korner for the find.)

-The Oshawa Generals retired the jersey of Bruins great Bobby Orr.

Southeast Division

-The Lightning made a few moves. Forward Steve Downie and defenseman Matt Smaby were recalled from Norfolk of the AHL. Forward Jason Ward was put on recall waivers while defenseman Andrew  Hutchinson was put on regular waivers. Additionally, defenseman and former Penguins prospect David Koci (hand), forward Matt Pettinger (knee) and defenseman Marek Malik ("lower-body") are dealing with injuries.

-Former Penguin Mark Recchi is the second-oldest player to play in the NHL this season, but he's been one of the best members of the Lightning's roster.

-Lightning goaltender Mike Smith doesn't know why he stinks at the shootout.

-Panthers forward Nathan Horton (right) is dealing with a cut leg.

-Remember the slow start of Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin? Anyone?

-Washington rookie defenseman Karl Alzner kept things simple in his NHL debut.

-Capitals defenseman Tom Poti is dealing what is thought to be a groin injury.

-It's been quite a year for Washington coach Bruce Boudreau.

Central Division

-The Predators acquired goon Wade Belak from the Panthers in exchange for forward Nick Tarnasky.

-The Blues assigned defenseman Steve Wagner to Peoria of the AHL.

-Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios is down with Claude Lemieux attempting a comeback.

-Detroit is playing a guessing game with its salary cap.

-Joel Quenneville has righted the Blackhawk's ship.

Northwest Division

-Mike Cammalleri's first career hat trick helped the Flames claim a 4-3 win at Vancouver.

-The Canucks will honor retired captain Trevor Linden with a 16-day tribute. (He used to wear No. 16. We're guessing the Penguins are still working on that 95-day tribute to forward Aleksey Morozov.)

-The Stastnys are brothers.

-Colorado goaltender Peter Budaj is getting his swagger back.

-The Wild will pay tribute to Lightning assistant coach and former captain Wes Walz today.

Pacific Division

-Coyotes forward Olli Jokinen (right) will be out 2-to-4 weeks due to a shoulder injury.

-Phoenix forward and former Penguins prospect Daniel Carcillo isn't all that timid.

-The Ducks recalled goaltender David LeNeveu from Iowa of the AHL.

-Sharks foward Mike Grier won't be suspended for hitting Chicago defenseman Aaron Johnson from behind Wednesday.

(Photos: Vanek-Dave Sandford/Getty Images; Horton-Bruce Bennett/Getty Images; Jokinen-Aaron J. Latham/Associated Press)

Things to be thankful for - 11-27-08

EN commenter jbayer47 spoted this video noting ten things Penguins fans should be thankful for over at Penguins Experience. Enjoy: