With or without you - 3-31-09

This list was kind of born out of inspiration from this list we spotted on TSN of teams' records with certain players in and out of the lineup. We decided to take a look at all 36 players, other than goaltenders, who have suited up for the Penguins this season, and figure out the team's record with and without them regardless how or when they left or joined the roster. So in other words, if a player such as Connor James played only one game with the team this season, compared that record to the other 75 games the team has played this season:

We're not sure what you can really get from these numbers (other than a headache in our case). Considering, Ben Lovejoy and Craig Adams are on opposite ends of this list, there's really too much to it. We supposed if you were an insecure fan from a certain Southeast Division defending champion, you could point to the third name on it and add some lyrics to some stupid song you made. Or if you're Hal Gill's agent, you can't brag about how your client offers a 25 percent better chance of winning.

Us? We just wanted a reason to post an old U2 video.

Empty Netter Assists are on the way. This list took a long while to put together.

Empty Netter Assists - 3-31-09

Penguins

-Matt Cooke is no Jarkko Ruutu. Just ask him.

-Sidney Crosby is closing in on 100 points again.

-How much can Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz contribute to a playoff run?

-Shelly Anderson's chat transcript.

-How do this season's Penguins' compare to the 2007-08 squad?

-PensBurgh takes a look at some individual milestones the Penguins are pursuing.

Atlantic Division

-Scoreboard Watch for the Penguins: Henrik Lundqvist made 38 saves and led the Rangers to a 3-0 shutout of the rival Devils. Dan Girardi added a goal and an assist. The Devils have lost five consecutive games. The Rangers are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 89 points, one less than the Penguins who are in sixth place with 90 points.

-New Jersey's David Clarkson had issues with New York's Sean Avery:

-Devils forward Brendan Shanahan made his return to Madison Square Garden last night.

-The Flyers continue their loveable ways. Today's heart-warming story involves coach John Stevens not missing of his sons' games.

Northeast Division

-Former Penguins forward Dan Kesa had a role in getting his nephew, Bruins forward Milan Lucic, into the NHL.

-Going from Tampa Bay to Boston has energized former Penguins forward Mark Recchi.

-Random Jersey Find of the Day: EN reader Doug spotted Paul Coffey Bruins jersey in the Heidelberg Shop N' Save:

-The Maple Leafs are on the cusp of making some bad history.

-Don't expect Senators forward Jarkko Ruutu and Lightning coach Rick Tocchet to get paired up at any Penguins alumni golf outings.

Southeast Division

-The Capitals recalled goaltender Simeon Varlamov from Hershey of the AHL.

-Thrashers defenseman Tobias Enstrom (right) is racking up some serious points.

-The Panthers need forwards Nathan Horton and Stphen Weiss to step up if they hope to make the playoffs.

-Florida is going with Craig Anderson in net until he loses.

-Lightning coach Rick Tocchet is going to go all Herb Brooks on his team come training camp.

Central Division

-With forward David Legwand dealing with a facial injury, the Predators recalled Mike Santorelli from Milwaukee of the AHL.

-How dominant is the Central Division?

-The Red Wings actually backed their way into the Central Division title.

-Does Detroit's team play limit the chances for someone like Pavel Datsyuk to win the Hart Trophy?

-Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith cares not for his hair being pulled.

Northwest Division

-The Oilers put defenseman Ladislav Smid on injured reserve and recalled defenseman Taylor Chorney from Springfield of the AHL.

-At 6-foot-8, Wild defenseman John Scott has found a way to use his size.

-Minnesota forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard and defenseman Brent Burns are both dealing with concussions.

-What recession? The Canucks have had 95 percent of their season-ticket holders renew for next season.

Pacific Division

-Joe Thornton had two assists and helped the Sharks edge the Flames, 2-1. It was San Jose's 50th win of the season. Calgary has lost eight of it's past 12 games.

-Petr Prucha's (right) overtime goal gave the Coyotes a 6-5 win against the Stars. Enver Lisin had two goals and an assist for Phoenix while teammate Scottie Upshall added two goals. Mike Ribeiro had three assists for Dallas which has lost seven consecutive games.

-The Sharks signed defenseman Nick Petrecki, a first-round pick in 2007, to a three-year entry-level deal.

-Kings general manager Dean Lombardi is happy where his team is at.

-The Ducks signed defenseman Mark Mitera, a first-round pick in 2006, to a three-year entry-level deal.

Smythe Division

-The top ten goaltenders masks of all time.

(Photos: Enstrom-Chris McGrath/Getty Images; Prucha-Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Picture this - 3-30-09

EN contributors Bob and Jarrett Rathke keep sending us some amazing pictures of the Civic Arena, the Pittsburgh Hornets and Penguins. Today's batch:

-"Feb. 2, 1964 -- Hornets-Hershey game (a 2-2- tie). That's Ted Hampson whom I believe also played for the Red Wings. "

-The Civic Arena from Duquesne University:

-A brawl during a Hornets-Rochester Americans game.

-The stands during that game:

-Some shots from a Kings-Penguins game in 1969:

-Some shots from a North Stars-Penguins game in 1967:

-Some shots from a Bruins-Penguins game in 1968:

-The Civic Arena from downtown:

-Downtown from the Civic Arena during the day:

-Downtown from the Civic Arena at night near the holidays:

Jack Edwards might be biased, evil - 3-30-09

With a vested interest in the Penguins' playoff fortunes, we watched the Bruins-Flyers game last night. Roughly midway through the second period, we thought for a moment we heard something in the broadcast that was a little odd but we kind of dismissed it as we were working in the office trying too look busy.

But through the magic of YouTube, we confirmed our suspicions. Bruins play-by-play man Jack Edwards was cackling like a mad man at the sight of Flyers defenseman Randy Jones getting mashed into the wall by Bruins forward Milan Lucic:

Wow.

The very first thing we thought of when we saw this clip:

-The next time you get mad at Paul Steigerwald or Bob Errey for saying something that might rub you the wrong way a little, replay that Jack Edwards clip. We'll gladly put up with "Tyler the Tiger" references over Edwards' Dr. Claw impression.

Empty Netter Assists - 3-30-09

Penguins

-The Penguins do, like, pilates and stuff.

-Mark Eaton is your Masterton Trophy nominee for the Penguins.

-Will Dan Bylsma's inexperience be an issue come playoff time?

-An abbreviated version of "Picture This." EN reader Joy Fredrick and family went to Saturday's game early and sent us some shots of the players arriving in the morning for that day's game. Evgeni Malkin feeling and looking blue:

-Petr Sykora being embarrassed by Ruslan Fedotenko's amazing hair:

-Tyler Kennedy being all business:

-Kris Letang's apparently not big on brief cases:

-Max Talbot getting his coffee on:

-Finally, Marc-Andre Fleury being lazy with his hair:

-John Curry made 31 saves and led the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to a 1-0 win at Hershey. Dustin Jeffrey scored the Penguins' goal.

-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton clinched its seventh consecutive playoff appearance.

-Curry set a franchise record with his 31st win of the season.

-Luca Caputi is dealing with an "upper-body" injury.

-Curtis Darling made 25 saves for the Wheeling Nailers who lost to the Elmira Jackals, 4-1. The awesome-named Colton Yellow Horn scored a goal for Elmira while even awesomer-named teammate Bear Trapp was held without a point.

-Do the Penguins still need that scoring winger? Former Penguins forward Ziggy Palffy is looking pretty good after he scored the winning goal in overtime for Skalica in a 3-2 defeat of Slovan in a Slovakian Extraliga semifinal:

-Slovan will meet a team called the Kosice Steelers in the final.

-We didn't even know the Penguins had 1,500 members on their roster.

Atlantic Division

-The Rangers and Sean Avery catch up with old friends Martin Brodeur and the Devils tonight.

-Injured Rangers defenseman Michal Rozsival is close to returning from a knee injury.

-The Rangers recalled defenseman Corey Potter and demoted defenseman Mike Sauer to Hartford of the AHL.

-The Flyers missed a chance to increase their lead in the Eastern Conference over the Hurricanes and Penguins.

-With forward Riley Cote dealing with a finger injury, the Flyers recalled forward Andreas Nodl from their AHL puppy-drowning affiliate.

Northeast Division

-Scoreboard Watch for the Penguins: Milan Lucic (right) had two goals and helped the Bruins edge the Flyers and their Creamsicle uniforms, 4-3. David Krejci added three assists for Boston while teammate Zdeno Chara recorded two assists. Tim Thomas made 45 saves in the win while former Penguin Mark Recchi picked up his 20th goal for Boston. Fire Ray Shero. Claude Giroux led Philadelphia with a goal and an assist. The Flyers are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 92 points, two more than the Penguins who are in sixth place with 90 points.

-Ottawa's Brian Elliott made 20 saves and earned his first career NHL shutout, a 3-0 win at Tampa Bay. The Senators have won 10 of their past 13 games.

-Since being traded from Toronto to Buffalo, former Penguins forward Dominic Moore's scoring has dried up.

Southeast Division

-Goaltender Craig Anderson has come through just when the Panthers needed it the most.

-Lightning coach and former Penguins forward Rick Tocchet sort of had a Therrienesque "soff" rant after last night's loss to Ottawa.

-The Lightning recalled forward Brandon Bochenski from Norfolk of the AHL.

Central Division

-Steve Sullivan had a goal and an assist for the Predators who won at Detroit, 4-3. Pekka Rinne made 33 saves in the win. Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom each had two assists for Detroit.

-Tough break for the Predators who lost forward Martin Erat to a leg fracture after he was hit by a shot from teammate Shea Weber. He will miss the rest of the regular season.

-Late in the game, the Red Wings pulled goaltender Chris Osgood for an extra attacker. The only problem was, Osgood never actually left the net and Detroit got away with having seven players (including Osgood) on the ice:

-In all fairness to Osgood, he's not used to leaving the net  unless it involves flopping like a fish:

-Patrik Berglund had a goal and two assists for the EN bandwagon favorite Blues who beat the Blues Jackets, 5-2, for the second consecutive night. T.J. Oshie and David Perron each added a goal and an assist for St. Louis which has won five consecutive games. Rick Nash led Columbus with a goal and an assist.

-Remember that big hit Oshie put on Nash Saturday? Well he did it again last night:

-Oshie is not popular in Columbus.

-Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo! has joined us on the Blues' bandwagon.

-Detroit defenseman Brian Rafalski is dealing with a groin injury.

-Awesome Picture of the Day: The Blackhawks filling up the penalty box:

Northwest Division

-Roberto Luongo made 26 save and led the Canucks to a big 4-0 shutout win at Chicago. Daniel Sedin had two goals and an assist while Alex Burrows added a goal and two assists. Vancouver has won seven of its past nine.

-The Canucks sent the Blackhawks a message.

-The Sedin, Sedin, Burrows line really came through for Vancouver.

-Chicago's Ben Eager returned from a three-game suspension and it didn't take him long to spark a line brawl in last night's game:

-The Wild kept its playoff hopes alive with a 3-2 win at Edmonton. Marian Gaborik continued to play well in his return from a hip injury and picked up a goal and an assist for Minnesota while teammate Owen Nolan recorded two assists. Niklas Backstrom made 31 saves in the win. The Oilers lost four out of their past five.

-Backstrom set a career-high and franchise record with his 34th win of the season.

-Meet Pavol Demitra and Mats Sundin - Vancouver's Bald Brothers.

-Unavailable for comment:

-A +1 goes to the first person to identify the two gentlemen in the above picture via the comments down below.

-Avalanche forward Milan Hejduk called the Avalanche's terrible season "the worst time ever in my career."

Pacific Division

-Bobby Ryan, the second overall pick in the 2005 draft after Sidney Crosby, scored two goals and led the Ducks to a 4-1 win against the Avalanche. Fire Craig Patrick. Corey Perry added a goal and an assist for Anaheim which has won seven of its past nine games. Colorado has lost seven consecutive games. It is the franchise's longest losing streak since it lost eight in a row in 1992 while based in Quebec.

-With defensemen Trevor Daley and Stephane Robidas both dealing with "lower-body" injuries, the Stars recalled defensemen Dan Jancevski from Hamilton of the AHL and Garrett Stafford from Grand Rapids of the AHL.

-During a game with the Panthers Saturday, Stars forward Steve Ott received a five-minute major for charging Florida forward Gregory Campbell. All charging penalties are reviewed by the NHL's director of operations Colin Campbell who happens to the father of the Panthers forward. To avoid any conflicts of interest, the NHL will have Mike Murphy, senior vice president of hockey operations, review the play.

-Sharks forward and captain Patrick Marleau (right) will miss at least two games this week due to a "lower-body" soft tissue injury.

-According to a study by the city of San Jose, HP Pavilion has provided an cumulaitive economic impact of $1.7 billion since it opened in 1993.

NCAA Mens' Tournament

-Bemidji State, the No. 16 seed overall in the tournament, advanced to the Frozen Four with a 4-1 defeat of Cornell.

-Boston University also advanced by scoring a goal with 14.4 seconds remaining in regulation and edging New Hampshire, 2-1.

-Saturday, Miami, Ohio and Vermont moved on to the Frozen Four which begins April 9, in Washington D.C.

-Several NCAA prospects are now available through free agency. Among them include Notre Dame forward Christian Hanson, the son of Dave Hanson, the "Slap Shot" actor and general manager of the Robert Morris Island Sports Center.

Patrick Division

-See ya later you fat pig:

(Photos: Lucic-Chris McGrath/Getty Images; Blachkawks-Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images; Bash Brothers-Photobucket; Marleau-Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Vermont-Air Force highlights - 3-29-09

Jarrett Rathke, who has been submitting all kinds of awesome stuff to us lately, found the highlights of last night's wild Vermont-Air Force NCAA Tournament game on ESPN.com:

Picture this - 3-29-09

Another batch of goodies from EN readers.

-When we put pen to parchment for the Jersey Foul Bill of Rights, we assumed there where some areas in the art of wearing a jersey we wouldn't have to really explain. There ust are some things you really shouldn't have to make rules about. Right?

-EN reader Barb spotted this cabbage-brain who is challenging our assumption that idea of wearing a shirt of any kind backwards is just something that doesn't require any sort of formal ruling:

-Unless this gentleman is involved with some sort of Kris Kross tribute band, that is indeed a jersey foul. This goes beyond jersey fouls really. We're getting into life foul territory.

(We were asked to block this gentleman's face for his own sake.)

Two readers spotted this Eddie Shack jersey at yesterday's game. First, Katy Kemp:

Then, Tim King:

 -Jason Bakaj spotted a version of this jersey at yesterday's game:

-We'll call a foul on this one. Just recognizing the World Wide Leader is a foul in our book.

-An anonymous reader spotted a Jeff Taffe jersey from last season:

-Mike Bober sent us a shot of Brooks Orpik looking agitated in warm ups:

-Sergei Gonchar with this weird little pompadour thing going on with his hair:

-Some of the signage hanging from the north F baclony:

-It's a little fuzzy, but another anonymous reader spotted a Steve McKenna jersey at a Dairy Queen in Carnegie:

-We wonder if he wore No. 5 in the preseason or something several years ago. The Penguins' media guide does not ever list him as ever wearing that number in an official capacity.

-A.J. Doyle sent us a Zarley Zalapski jersey on Center Ave.:

-Steve Mazefsky sends us a few in-game shots. In light of this gentleman's cool lid, we'll let the jersey foul slide:

-Sean Avery after his fight with Tyler Kennedy:

-Colton Orr looking as if ate an onion while fighting Eric Godard:

-Another Orr-Godard shot:

-Evgeni Malkin parking it in front of Henrik Lundqvist:

-Chris Gunz spotted a few things. Like this Sidney Crosby Rimouski Oceanic jersey foul:

-A complicated relationship:

-The Cotton Candy Guy:

-Lowell Murray spotted... this:

-Lowell actuall found this at HockeyTShirt.net.

-Alan Faneca. Not amused.

-Finally, a scene we see after just about every game. On Center Ave., there's an island that fans will stand on in all kinds of rough weather after day and night games hoping to get autographs from players stuck at the red light:

-Hopefully we got everyone. Given yesterday's e-mail issues, we may have lost track of a few submissions. As always, the address is srorabaugh AT post-gazette.com.

Empty Netter Assists - 3-29-09

Penguins

-Dave Molinari's recap from yesterday's game. Remember the good old days when Sidney Crosby was the clear-cut MVP?

-The Associated Press' recap. It took him a while, but Sidney Crosby finally found the back of the net.

-Newsday's recap. The Rangers are baffled how a fine citizen such as Sean Avery might be targeted by officials.

-The New York Times' recap. Derek Morris took the heat for Sidney Crosby's goal.

-Sergei Gonchar gave Sidney Crosby a little advice on how to shoot against Henrik Lundqvist.

-Mark Eaton needed some stitches after yesterday's game.

-Here's how Eaton got banged up:

-Rangers coach John Tortorella was pretty mad about Colton Orr's penalty.

-Tyler Kennedy vs. Sean Avery:

-Eric Godard vs. Colton Orr:

-No more blue jerseys!!!! For this season at least. Even though they originally were scheduled to wear them for one more game, April 1 vs. New Jersey, the team will not dress in those rags again this season.

-The Penguins have some good public relations.

-Dan Bylsma and Ray Shero will be among the folks on the dias at the Dapper Dan.

-What would've happened if the Penguins and Avalanche met in the 1996 Stanley Cup final?

-Has anyone seen Petr Sykora (right)?

-The Penguins have had a much better record with Alex Goligoski out of the lineup.

-Chris Minard had two goals and two assists and led the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to a 5-2 win against the Toronto Marlies. Jeff Taffe added two assists for the Penguins.

-John Curry tied Dany Sabourin's AHL Penguins record with his 30th win of the season.

-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton leads the AHL with 94 third-period goals this season.

-The AHL Penguins signed defenseman Lane Caffaro to an amateur tryout contract.

-Bryan Ewing had a goal and an assist for the Wheeling Nailers in a 3-2 win at Elmira. Tommy Goebel added two assists for Wheeling.

-Yesterday we introduced you to Colton Yellow Horn of the Elmira Jackals. Alert EN reader Jamie Peklicz spotted an even better name on the Jackals' roster. Bear Trapp. Seriously. The dude's name is Bear Trapp. That's his real name too.

-Should we ask the obvious lame joke and wonder why the Hershey Bears haven't signed him?

-The Nailers have averaged over 3,000 fans per game for the second consecutive month.

Atlantic Division

-Scoreboard Watch for the Penguins: Shootout goals by Daniel Briere and Mike Richards gave the Flyers a 4-3 road win against the Islanders. Joffrey Lupul had two goals in regulation for Philadelphia while loveable teammate Scott Hartnell added a goal and an assist. Martin Biron made 30 saves in the win. Kyle Okposo led New York with two assists. The Flyers, who have won four out of their past five games, are in fourth place in the Eastern Division with 92 points, two more than the Penguins who are in sixth place with 90 points.

-We watched this game last night and were happy to see the Islanders put in a solid consistent effort in regulation and overtime. They have nothing to play for but pride. So after that solid respectable effort, what does New York coach Scott Gordon do at the start of the shootout? He sends Brendan Flipping Witt out to take the first shot. Brendan Witt! He doesn't have a goal of any kind at all this season and hasn't scored one since Jan. 22, 2008. We know the Islanders don't have a lot of natural talent on their roster, and maybe they were just giving a hard-working veteran a bone, but sending Brendan Witt out as your first shooter in the shootout was totally absurd.

-The Islanders roll into Mellon Arena April 9. We say the Penguins should sign Mario Lemieux for one game and stick him just on the power play. Go for 20 goals, have Eric Godard do something worth of a suspension that doesn't involve badmouthing someone's girlfriend and totally embarrass the Islanders.

-On a positive note, Radek Martinek (below) and the Islander did wear their sharp throwback uniforms:

-The Flyers avoided a disaster last night.

-Is there any hope for the Islanders?

-Defenseman Niclas Havelid has been a solid trade deadline pick up for the Devils.

Northeast Division

-Scoreboard Watch for the Penguins: Toni Lydman's first career shutout goal gave the Sabres a thrilling and important 4-3 win at Montreal. Tim Connolly led Buffalo with a goal and an assist in regulation while Ryan Miller, making his second start in as many nights after missing 13 games due to an ankle injury, made 32 saves in the win. The Canadiens got two regulation goals from former Penguins forward Alex Kovalev. Fire Craig Patrick. The Canadiens are in eighth place with 86 points, four less than the Penguins. The Sabres are in 10th place with 82 points.

-Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff dug deep into his memory bank when he chose Lydman for the shootout.

-While the Canadiens have gone through five different coaches, the Sabres have stuck with Lindy Ruff the past 11 years.

-Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta is dealing with a concussion.

-Check out the dirty hit by Montreal's Maxim Lapierre that led to Kaleta's injury (And a solid fight between Tom Kostopoulos and Craig Rivet):

-Former Penguins forward Mark Recchi had two goals and helped the Bruins claim a 7-5 win at Toronto. Fire Ray Shero. David Krejci and Michael Ryder each added a goal and an assist for Boston while teammate Matt Hunwick and Dennis Wideman each recorded three assists. Alexei Ponikarovsky led the Maple Leafs with two goals and an assist.

-Boston's Milan Lucic tagged Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski with a questionable hit:

-Check out this hit Toronto's Jeff Finger put on Boston's Marc Savard:

-Boston's Steve Montador went at it with Toronto's Luke Schenn:

Southeast Division

-Scoreboard Watch for the Penguins: Cam Ward made 31 saves for the Hurricanes in a 2-1 win at New Jersey. Joe Corvo had two assists for Carolina which has won six consecutive games. From the "life isn't fair" department, Martin Brodeur made 46 saves and lost. The Devils have lost four straight games and had an 11-game winning streak at home snapped. The Hurricanes are in fifth place with 91 points, one more than the Penguins.

-Check out one of Ward's saves:

-Not to be outdone, check out one of Brodeur's saves:

-Scoreboard Watch for the Penguins: Cory Stillman had a goal and two assists for the Panthers in a 6-3 win at Dallas. Florida got a goal and an assist each from Jay Bouwmeester, Radek Dvorak, Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss. The Stars were led by Mike Ribeiro who had a goal and an assist. The roof has just caved in for Dallas which has lost six consecutive games. The Panthers are in ninth place with 85 points, five less than the Penguins.

-Former Penguins goaltender Johan Hedberg made 18 saves and earned his 100th career win as the Thrashers beat the Senators, 6-3. Fire Craig Patrick. Tobias Enstrom and Slava Kozlov each had a goal and an assist for Atlanta while teammates Ilya Kovalachuk and former Penguin Colby Armstrong each recorded a goal and an assist. Fire Ray Shero. Jason Spezza had two goals and an assist for Ottawa.

-It wasn't all good for Hedberg last night. Check out this mistake he made on a goal by Spezza:

-Ilya Kovalchuk hit the 40-goal mark for the fifth consecutive season.

-Check out this hit Atlanta's Jim Slater stuck on Ottawa's Ryan Shannon:

-The Capitals demoted forward Keith Aucoin, Oskar Osala and goaltender Simeon Varlamov to Hershey of the AHL.

-For some odd reason, forward Marty Reasoner wants to stay in Atlanta.

-Carolina forward Jussi Jokinen has stepped up in the absence of injured forward Matt Cullen.

-Is the massive amount of ice time Florida defenseman Jay Bouwmeester has received this season finally catching up to him?

-Lightning forward Martin St. Louis has begun mentoring rookie forward Steven Stamkos.

Central Division

-Shootout goals by Brad Boyes and David Perron gave the Blues a 4-3 win against the Blue Jackets. Chris Mason made 24 saves in the win which was St. Louis' fourth in a row. The victory moves the Blues into eighth place in the Western Conference.

-Check out this hit St. Louis' T.J. Oshie stuck on Columbus' Rick Nash:

-Oshie's hit keyed St. Louis' comeback.

-EN is officially jumping on the Blues' bandwagon by the way. There's something about them that just appeals to us. At the trade deadline, they considered dealing veteran Keith Tkachuk for future assets but basically said nuts to that and made a pledge to stick with pursuing the playoffs. They have some nice young players like Perron, Boyes and David Backes and one of the cooler logos in all of hockey. For whatever reason, that's a nice recipe for us to get on board with.

-If the Blues make the playoffs, we're picking them to sweep all of their series. To heck with logic.

-Steve Sullivan's (right) power-play goal in overtime gave the Predators a 4-3 win against the Kings. Sullivan also had two assists while teammate Martin Erat recorded assists on all of Nashville's goals.

-Nashville moved into seventh place in the Western Conference.

-The Blackhawks and Canucks have a big game tonight.

-Could the Central Division get all five teams into the playoffs?

-Two pretty gruesome injuries occured during a game Friday with the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Red Wings' AHL affiliate. First official Chris Cozzan took a skate to the neck and began to bleed. Cozzan was taken to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. Additionally, Griffins forward Ryan Oulahen suffered a broken left femur.(Kudos to EN reader Dave Wolf for the heads up.)

Northwest Division

-Jamie Lundmark had a goal and an assist for the Flames who edged the Wild, 3-2. Miikka Kiprusoff got the win despite allowing two goals on just 15 shots. Wild goaltender had a decidedly better performance by making 37 saves but still lost.

-The Flames actually had two goals called off within 42 seconds of each other:

-Wild forward Mikko Koivu is expected to return to the lineup tonight after missing three games due to a knee injury.

-Forward Owen Nolan's career has been given a kick start by joining the Wild.

-The Manitoba Moose, the Canucks AHL affiliate, will honor all of their former captains April 3. Among those who wore the "C" for the Moose include former Penguins Randy Gilhen and Nolan Baumgartner.

Pacific Division

-Two assists by Devin Setoguchi helped the Sharks edge the Coyotes, 3-2. Evgeni Nabokov made 25 saves in the win which pushed the Sharks ahead of the Red Wings in their seesaw battle for first place in the Western Conference.

-Coyotes forward Daniel Winnick abused Sharks forward Travis Moen's knuckles with his head last night:

-The Sharks set a franchise record by picking up their 109th point of the season.

-San Jose forward Patrick Marleau is dealing with a "lower-body" injury.

-With forward Jarrett Stoll out for the season due to a groin injury, the Kings recalled forward Brian Boyle from Manchester of the AHL.

-The Stars' playoff hopes are all but lost.

-Check out this crazy goal Dallas' Mike Ribeiro scored last night:

-Dallas defenseman Mark Fistric is dealing with an "upper-body" injury.

-Hey look at this. Another black and gold team with Ryan Whitney that can't do anything on the power play.

-Is it time for the Ducks to turn over their top goaltending job from Jean-Sebastien Giguere to Jonas Hiller?

NCAA Men's Tournament

-Vermont beat Air Force and got into the Frozen Four in really bizarre fashion. In the second overtime, Vermont defenseman Dan Lawson literally shot a puck through the net. It hit off the backboards so quickly, most folks didn't realize it. Play did not come to a halt for approximately five minutes when there was a scramble and a frozen puck near the Vermont net. The officials reviewed the shot by Lawson. After a delay of 12 minutes, a goal was verified and Vermont went on to win a crazy 3-2 game. We're still looking for a replay of this, but it sounds completely crazy.

-Also in the quarterfinals, Miami, Ohio moved on to the Frozen Four for the first time by beating Minnesota-Duluth, 2-1.

-Another No. 1 seed fell in the first round. Bemidji State knocked off Notre Dame, 5-1.

-New Hampshire beat North Dakota in a thriller, 6-5. Thomas Fortney tied the game up for New Hampshire with 0.1 seconds left in regulation then Peter LeBlanc's overtime goal sealed the win.

-Boston University stomped No. 4 Ohio State, 8-3. Boston University is the the only No. 1 seed left in the tournament.

-Also in the first round, Cornell edged Northeastern, 3-2.

Norris Division

-Latrobe is your Class AA Pennsylvania Cup champion.

-A preview of the USA Hockey 18-and-under Tier I and II national championships being held at Robert Morris' University Island Sports Center beginning Tuesday.

(Photos: Sykora-Jim McIsaac/Getty Images; Martinek-Paul Bereswill/Getty Images; Sullivan-Fredrik Breedon/Associated Press)

Penguins 4, Rangers 3 - 3-28-09

NOTE: If you want to e-mail us, please hit us up at empty_netters AT yahoo.com. Our Post-Gazette e-mail is having some issues.

You are reading live from the press box at Mellon Arena on a somewhat overcast but mild day in Pittsburgh. Big two points on the line here today. The winner gets sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

We walked up to the arena again with such nice weather. Market Square:

-Greatest. Sign. Ever:

-Is it still necessary to mark buildings as fallout shelters these days?

-Looking up at the U.S. Steel Building or whatever it's called these days:

-If we didn't have our car impounded several years ago for simply parking at an unmetered spot downtown, we would have a problem with posting this photo. But we did and we don't:

-The back side of Pittsburgh's downtown Post Office:

-Some folks might be surprised to know a pretty major highway runs right in front of Mellon Arena:

-Mellon Arena:

-A Henrik Lundqvist jersey:

-A Marc-Andre Fleury jersey foul right?

-Not so. It's a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Marc-Andre Fleury jersey:

-The ice:

-A Marine Corp. color guard getting organized:

-Two of the Rangers getting some leg work in:

-EN reader John Kocher is sporting a Henrik Lundqvist Team Sweden jersey to today's game:

-Lowell Murray took care of the obligatory Consol Energy Center shot for us:

-Dany Sabourin is not amused by this jersey foul:

-Sidney Crosby jersey foul:

-A Ron Francis No. 9 jersey:

(Francis wore No. 9 when he first came here from Hartford in 1991. Barry Pederson already had No. 10.)

-Some things we spotted around the arena. A Darius Kasparaitis jersey with an afro wig:

(Oookay.)

-There was this whole crew of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins fans here with some solid jerseys. Tom Kostopoulos:

-Martin Sonnenberg:

-Ryan VandenBuscche:

-Unless Dave Michayluk wore No. 9 in a preseason game, this is a jersey foul:

(The Penguins' media guide only lists him as wearing No. 34 officially. Still though, a Dave Michayluk jersey? Pretty sweet.)

-Markus Naslund Rangers:

-Luc Robitaille:

(We've got a lot of other stuff to show in the first intermission.)

-The Penguins' scratches are Craig Adams and Philippe Boucher.

-The Rangers scratched Michal Rozsival and Aaron Voros.

-Marc-Andre Fleury and Henrik Lundqvist will start in net.

-"The Staals are brothers" is set at 8 1/2 for those scoring at home.

FIRST PERIOD

19:41: Sergei Gonchar controls the puck at the top of the slot and lobs a wrister on net. Lundqvist makes the easy glove save.

19:20: Tyler Kennedy snaps a wrister from the left wing that misses the mark.

19:08: Sean Avery is already up to his old tricks as an official drags him away from Jordan Staal.

18:06: Crosby coasts up the left wing and dishes a cross ice pass to Chris Kunitz in the left faceoff circle. Kunitz goes to one knee and gets a shot on net. Lundqvist kicks it out. Crosby and Kunitz scramble for the rebound. Lundqvist covers it up. Nice chance there for the Penguins.

17:48: "LET'S GO PENS! LET'S GO PENS!"

17:40: Maxime Talbot and an official take out Marc Staal in the corner.

17:08: Avery is separated from Kennedy during another stoppage.

16:35: Kennedy works his way free down the left wing and dishes a backhanded pass to Ruslan Fedotenko in the slot. Fedotenko pushes the shot wide and crashes into the net.

16:11: You knew something was brewing. Kennedy gives Avery a shove right in front of the Penguins' bench. Avery turns and waves his gloves inviting Kennedy to fight. Kennedy takes him up and lands a first shot. Avery then hugs him. The wrestle a bit before Kennedy falls on top of Avery. The WWE "Missterrrrrrr Keeeeennneddeeeeee!" clip is played. We really need to find a YouTube Clip of that. Nice to see Sean Avery is still Sean Avery.

14:37: Crosby dishes a backhanded pass into the slot for a charging Letang. Letang's a step ahead of the pass and overskates it. They had a nice chance there.

13:40: Jordan Staal whiffs on a nice chance in the slot.

13:17: Malkin gets a pass down the right wing, makes a nice cut inside Derek Morris. Morris gets turned around and is forced to hook Malkin. The Penguins forward still manages to rip a wrister on net. Lundqvist fights it off. Morris touches the puck. Play is halted. That's two minutes. After a commercial stoppage, Malkin, Crosby, Gonchar, Letang and Kunitz are on for the power play.

13:01: Malkin loses a battle along the boards with the puck which gets cleared down the ice. PUT HIM BACK ON THE POINT!!!!!!

11:37: After Petr Sykora steals a puck behind the net and throws it into the crease. Jordan Staal chops at it but can't get a shot on net.

11:17: Morris' penalty is killed. That was a really weak two minutes for the Penguins.

11:03: Whoa. Where did that come from? Fedotenko backhand chips a puck into the neutral zone for Talbot. Talbot grabs it and simply blows by the Rangers' defense like he's Alex Ovechkin. He shoots five hole and burns Lundqvist. That just came out of no where. Fedotenko and Brooks Orpik get the assists. The "Hey Song" is played. Penguins 1-0.

10:47: Pascal Dupuis blasts a slapper from the left point. Lundqvist hangs on for the save.

9:38: During a stoppage. Avery goes to the crease and gives Hal Gill a shove from behind. Gill turns around but before he can do anything, Orpik throws Avery to the ice. We're not sure Avery didn't embellish that a bit. A few fans chant "Avvvee....Reeeee.... Avvvveeee....Reeee..."

8:40: From the right wing, Malkin backhands a puck into the slot. Talbot fights off a Rangers defender and directs it on net. Lundqvist makes the inital save. Cooke fights off Brandon Dubinsky and gets the rebound on net. Again Lundqvist makes a save. While falling, Cooke flips another rebound over a prone Lundqvist. What a nice dirty goal. Talbot and Malkin get assists. A two-point game for Talbot already. "Hey Song." Penguins 2-0.

8:14: Fleury scoops up a low shot.

5:30: Dubinsky fires a loose puck along the left wing high over the net.

4:52: Scott Gomez comes up the left wing and fires a slapper. Fleury fights it off.

4:42: Malkin is sent off for cross checking. Jordan Staal, Gonchar, Cooke and Orpik are on for the kill

4:10: Gomez punches a shot from the side of the net. Fleury fights it off.

3:55: Morris hammers a one-timer from the top of the slot. It clunks off the post.

3:41: Cooke blocks a shot by Morris from the right point. Cooke scoops up the puck and works it down ice killing some time.

2:57: GIll drops Avery in the slot.

2:42: Malkin's penalty is killed.

1:36: Blair Betts tosses a shot on net from deep on the left wing. It rises up on Fleury who traps it against his chest.

1:32: Tough time to give up a goal. Off a faceoff win by Gomez, Callahan collects a loose puck and rips a wrister by Fleury on the glove side. Not a good goal for Fleury to give up. He was square to the shooter and didn't have any traffic in front of him. That's a save he should make. Avery and Gomez get assists. Penguins 2-1.

0:51: On a backcheck, Drury tries to pop Kennedy inside the Rangers' blue line. Kennedy stands him up and Drury falls to his knees.

0:04: Even tougher time to give up a goal. This is a totally different game now. Nikolai Zherdev dishes a pass behind the net to Dubinsky. Dubinsky takes it and sneaks a wraparound by Fleury's left foot. Another bad goal for Fleury to give up. Zherdev and Morris get assists. Penguins 2, Rangers 2.

0:00: End of period. Penguins 2, Rangers 2.

FIRST INTERMISSION

-The Penguins had a pretty good first 18 minutes of hockey there. Too bad most periods last 20 minutes. They were coolly in control of this game and then the roof just caved in on them late.

-Fleury was not good that last two minutes. Both of those goals were weak.

-As we stated before, Avery's still Avery. He's doing all the things that make him a valuable player.

-Hal Gill actually got a shot on net shorthanded. How crazy would that be if he scored in back-to-back games?

-The Rangers have a 15-9 lead in shots.

-Gomez already have five shots on net.

-Cooke and Talbot lead the Penguins with two each.

-The Rangers have a 13-8 lead in faceoffs (62 percent).

-Drury is 5-for-6 (83 percent).

-Talbot is 4-for-5 (80 percent).

-Dan Girardi leads the game with 9:52 of ice time already. Geez.

-Gonchar leads the Penguins with 9:07.

-Anyone care to explain why Letang (5:57) has less ice time than all the Penguins' other defensemen other than Mark Eaton (5:24)?

-A few more jerseys we've spotted. Johan Hedberg:

-Ron Francis:

-Rick Tocchet:

-A Blackhawks Winter Classic Jonathan Toews jersey?

(Jersey foul.)

-Brian Leetch:

-While this is a jersey foul, this is a pretty sweet Patrick Roy jersey:

(It even had the 1993 Stanley Cup final patch on the front.)

-Tom Barrasso:

-Brandon Dubinsky:

-Dan Girardi:

-Mario Lemieux Wales Conference jersey:

-Michal Rozsival still has one fan here:

-A Rob Scuderi Wilkes-Barre/Scranton jersey:

-Warm ups:

-Face painting:

-We got a report from a reader that Jordan Staal may have suffered an injury. For what it's worth, he has returned to ice along with his teammates to start the period.

SECOND PERIOD

19:15: Jordan Staal takes a faceoff. He seems fine.

18:34: GIll chips a puck in on net from the left poing. Lundqvist covers it up.

17:51: Dubinsky sails a wrister from the right wing therough

17:30: Eric Godard and Colton dance for the fourth time this season. They hold each off with their left arms and clobber one another with their rights. They threw some big time punches there. The fights ends when each tires out and officials step in. Nice brawl. Danzig's "Mother" is played during the bout:

15:55: Fleury denies Gomez in tight. Gomez gets the rebound behind Fleury but Scuderi is there on the back door to flick it out of danger.

15:46: Fedotenko comes up on a four-on-one against Morris. Instead of forcing a pass to Jordan Staal, he simply rips a wrister by Lundqvist's blocker from the right wing. Nice shot. Scuderi and Kennedy get assists. Lots of secondary players are getting points today for the Penguins today. "Hey Song." Penguins 3-2.

13:40: Callahan gets a pass to the right of the net. He holds it and allows Gill to go down for a block. Gill slides right by him. Callahan rips a wrister that Fleury fights off.

12:45: Wade Redden finally decides to make a contribution by taking an interference penalty. What a horrible signing he's been. Gonchar, Malkin, Crosby, Letang and Kunitz are on for the power play.

12:03: After about 32 passes (approximately), Gonchar decides he's seen enough and blasts a one-timer from the top of the slot. Lundqvist kicks it out.

11:23: Guerin gets a pass in the slot and has a seemingly clean shot. He decides to leave a drop pass to no one in particular. The Rangers pick it up and work the puck down ice. Ughhh.

11:03: Crosby gets a pass in the slot, moves in and snaps a wrister that Lundqvist gets a piece of and deflects away.

10:45: Redden's penalty is killed. The Penguins got some chances there, but still don't seem to have a great idea of what they're trying to do.

9:17: Cooke is nabbed for holding the stick. Dupuis, Jordan Staal, Orpik and Gonchar are on for the penalty kill.

9:14: After a faceoff win, Redden grips a rips a wrister from the left point. A Penguins defender deflects it away.

8:36: Gonchar chips a loose puck down ice killing some time and getting a line change. GIll, Scuderi and Kunitz join Jordan Staal.

8:03: Jordan Staal fights off a Ranger and gets a puck down ice.

7:28: Despite a screen, Fleury kicks out a wrister from the left wing.

7:17: Cooke's penalty is killed. Not a lot going on for New York there.

6:58: Naslund takes out Crosby with a check in the neutral zone. That was more like an accidental collision really.

6:25: Crosby kneels down and snaps a wrister on net. Lundqvist fights it off.

6:17: Lundqvist fights off another wrister by Crosby.

6:03: Marc Staal socks Cooke up high along the boards. That's two minutes for high sticking. Cooke says something to Staal. Officials keep all the par

5:59: Off a faceoff, Guerin is nabbed for interference. That power play lasted all of four seconds. Four-on-four for 1:56.

5:38: Malkin flies up the right wing and leaves a drop pass for Sykora. With Malkin charging the net, Sykora rips a wrister that Lundqvist fights off.

5:19: Morris appears to trip Malkin up in the neutral zone. No call.

4:44: Who else? Nik Flipping Antropov scores. Girardi tosses a puck into the slot for Drury. Drury fires it into a cluster of bodies in front. Antropov abuses Eaton, grabs the rebound, spins and rips it by Fleury on the blocker side. Blame that one on Eaton. He just couldn't hand Antropov. Heck, the Penguins can't handle him. He has nine points in five games against the Penguins this season. Penguins 3, Rangers 3.

4:11: Fedotenko dishes a feed to Crosby in the slot. Paul Mara holds up Crosby and prevents him from getting the pass. That's two minutes for interference. We'll have a 4-on-3 for seven seconds. Letang, Crosby, malkin and Gonchar are on for the power play.

4:03: Marc Staal's penalty is killed.

3:59: Guerin's penalty is killed. Five-on-four for 1:53.

3:01: "LET'S GO PENS! LET'S GO PENS!"

2:15: Jordan Staal throws a wrister into the crease. Syokora is there and tips it over the net.

1:49: Zherdev is nabbed for tipping. That's two minutes. Crosby, Kunitz, Malkin, Letang and Gonchar are on to waste two minutes for the power play.

1:15: Malkin whips a wrister from the right wing that misses the cage.

1:03: Betts makes a nice play by diving to tip the puck down ice and kills some time.

0:49: Lundqvist has Crosby's number today. He eats up another wrister by the Penguins' captain in tight.

0:42: Lundqvist eats up a one-timer by Jordan Staal off the faceoff.

0:30: Jordan Staal pushes a puck through the crease.

0:00: After about 234lakdfqe234q23422o232'131!%!#320 passes (approximately), Lundqvist covers up a puck that weakly slides in on net. Seriously, that last 15 seconds there was the perfect example of what is wrong with this power play. End of period. Penguins 3, Rangers 3.

SECOND INTERMISSION

-We've said this countless time, but the Penguins' power play will be their biggest internal obstacle to overcome if they want to make a legit run at the Stanley Cup. They have so much talent at their disposal and no one can even seem to get a shot on net. They won't go far until they get that corrected.

-We watched the Capitals' 5-3 win last night against Tampa Bay and they got three goals on the power play. Yeah, the Lightning stinks, but the point of this is that the Capitals got shots on net. And Alex Ovechkin was the reason. He gets shots on net. You can call him selfish all you want, and we might agree with you in some cases, but the Penguins need someone to be like that on the power play at least. Someone needs to be selfish and needs to take that shot. The Capitals got something like six or seven shots on net before they scored on one power play. Some were ugly shots but so what? Eventually one of them resulted in a goal.

-NIk Antropov, destroyer of all worlds, now has nine points (five goals, four assists) in five games against the Penguins. That bring his points-per-game average against the Penguins down from 2.0 to 1.8. He's slipping.

The Rangers have a 22-19 edge in faceoffs.

-Gomez leads the game with seven shots.

-Crosby leads the Penguins with six.

-The Rangers have a 22-19 edge in faceoffs (54 percent).

-Drury is 8-for-12 (67 percent).

-Talbot is 4-for-6 (67 percent).

-Girardi leads the game with 20:37 of ice time.

-Gonchar is tops on the Penguins with 19:51.

-Scuderi leads the game with four blocked shots.

-Betts leads the Rangers with three.

-The Penguins will have 10 seconds of passing drills power-play time on clean ice to start the period.

THIRD PERIOD

19:53: Off a faceoff, Orpik trips up Drury. Orpik seemed like he stuck his knee on that one. And he ends up being a little shaken up on the play. He's slow to get up. Orpik gets two minutes for tripping.

19:50: Zherdev's penalty is killed. The Rangers will have a power play for 1:50. Talbot Cooke, Eaton and Gonchar are on for the kill.

18:15: Talbot covers the puck deep in the Rangers and kills about 15-20 seconds. Smart play by Talbot but that should be delay of game. If we could make one change in the NHL's rules, we would penalize a player two minutes for that because that's exactly what he's doing. He's delaying the game.

17:53: Orpik's penalty is killed. The Rangers' power play almost looks as bad as the Penguins.'

17:45: Attendance is announced as 17,110. It's the 105th consecutive sell-out of the team.

17:13: Eaton is dropped in the corner by Orr. Eaton's slow to get up. His nose is bloodied. Trainer Chris Stewart races out to attend to him. He gets up and makes his way to the bench with a towel on his face. Orr is given a five minute boarding major and a game misconduct. Wow. That's not a great call by any means. Eaton just kind of raced in there and got pinned in behind Orr. We could mabye see giving Orr two minutes or something but a major and a game misconduct is way too much. John Tortorella is screaming at the officials. We can't blame him. Big time gift for the Penguins.

17:09: Right off the faceoff, Kunitz is called for hooking Marc Staal. Four-on-four for two minutes. That was another weak call. The officials are calling this game really tight but that had "make-up" call written all over it.

16:49: From his backside, Crosby whips a backhanded pass to Malkin who glides down the right wing and rips a wrister on net. Lundqvist eats it up.

15:24: Fleury easily kicks out a shot by Redden from the left point.

15:09: Kuntiz's penalty is killed. The Penguins will have a man advantage for 1:56.

15:02: Kunitz flips a backhander on net from the right wing. Lundqvist kicks it out.

14:38: Crosby hammers a one-timer from the right wing. It's off the mark.

14:16: Malkin rips a wrister from the slot wide of the cage. At least they're shooting now.

13:41: Kunitz whiffs on a feed into he slot.

13:25: Lundqvist fights off a one-timer by Letang at the left point.

12:13: Orr's major is killed off. Even if they started shooting the puck more, the Penguins wasted a big opportunity there. They should've gotten at least one goal there.

10:32: Kennedy snaps a wrister off from the right wing. Lundqvist kicks it out with a nice toe save.

10:04: Crosby finally gets one by Lundqvist. Fedotenko dishes a feed to Crosby in the neutral zone and the Penguins' captain is off to the races. He blows by a defender, moves in and snaps a low wrister by Lundqvist. Crosby had some serious jets there. Fedotenko, who always seems to work well with Crosby, gets the only assist. "Hey Song." Penguins 4-3.

9:27: Talbot is tripped up by Antropov. That's two minutes. Why is anyone even cheering when the Penguins get a power play? Crosby, Guerin, Malkin, Letang and Gonchar are on for the power play. "Cotton-Eyed Joe" is busted out:

8:42: Betts blocks a slapper by Gonchar at the top of the slot.

8:30: "Lunnnnn.....Kiiiisssstttt... Lunnnnn... Kissssttt...."

7:46: Kunitz makes a weak pass to Gonchar at the blue line. Gonchar hustles over to keep it onsides but officials blow the play dead.

7:24: Antropov's penalty is killed. The only good thing we can say at this point about the Penguins' power play is that no one suffered an injury or identity theft.

5:41: "LET'S GO PENS! LET'S GO PENS!"

5:20: Fleury boots out a wrister by Morris from the right point.

4:23: Fleury denies Gomez in tight.

3:08: "LET'S GO PENS! LET'S GO PENS!"

2:18: Antropov enters the zone with some speed and rips a rising wrister from the right wing. Fleury gloves it.

1:36: "LET'S GO PENS! LET'S GO PENS!"

1:22: Lundqvist is pulled for an extra attacker.

1:16: Fleury comes up with a big time stop on Antropov in the slot. That might've won the game.

0:49: Malkin takes the puck in the neutral zone, gets held up by Drury and pushes the puck wide of the open cage. Ugh. They're missing more of us. But to be fair, Drury did hold him. Drury gets two minutes. Crosby, Malkin, Guerin, Letang and Gonchar take the ice.

0:34: Gomez comes up the ice with speed. Lundqvist is pulled for an extra attacker again. Gomez moves in on the right wing. He leaves a drop pass for Callahan who cranks a one-timer on net. Fleury fights it off. Another big save there.

0:04: Crosby flies up ice, jumps over a prone Rangers player, moves in and clunks a shot off the post of an empty net.. Ugh. Again? Girardi is called for tripping.

0:00: End of game. The "Woo-Hoo!" song is played. Penguins 4, Rangers 3.

POSTGAME

-The amazing thing about this win is that the Penguins played a very sloppy game , couldn't get anything from their power play and Fleury was shaky early on. Despite all of that, they just won. They simply won. They're hardly a well-oiled machine right now, but they seemingly can't do anything wrong in terms of the scoreboard. Could you imagine how scary they'd be if they did get their power play going even a little?

-We've spoken enough about the power play for the day without getting a headache. It stinks. You know that. It went 0-for-9. Niiiine times. There's nothing new we can say about it with the English language.

-After a few bad goals early on, Fleury got things in order and earned the win today. He had two big saves on Antropov and Callahan late that really sealed the win. Nice to see he didn't have his confidence shaken by those first two goals.

-To clarify something, we incorrectly stated Orr was given five minutes for boarding. He actually got five minutes for interference. There's a little used rule in the NHL's rule book that allows officials to dole out five minutes for interference. To quote rules 56.4 and 56.5:

"56.4 Major Penalty - The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a major penalty, based on the degree of violence, to a player or goalkeeper guilty of interfering with an opponent (see 56.5)."

"56.5 Game Misconduct Penalty – When a major penalty is imposed under this rule for a foul resulting in an injury of an opponent, a game misconduct shall be imposed."

-Based on that rule, we agree with the call all around. Orr interfered with Eaton and it resulted in in an injury. Good call.

-How about Ruslan Fedotenko? He rebounded after a bad spell of games and had a three-point game (one goal, two assists). He played a bit with Crosby today. It's kind of a stupid thing to say that he plays better with Crosby. Who isn't better with Crosby? But he seems to elevate his game more than most when he's teamed up with Crosby.

-Fedotenko scored his first point since picking up an assist in a 4-1 win at Florida, March 5.

-It was nice to see the Penguins get some secondary scoring from some other players. Malkin and Crosby "only" had one point each. Fedotenko and Talbot each had multiple points.

-Talbot had his first multi-point game since that thrilling 7-6 overtime win in Detroit, Nov. 11.

-The Rangers still don't seem like they're totally in sync with one another. This is a very talented roster but there's not a great deal of chemistry.

-Lundqvist was not all that great. He needs to play better for the Rangers to do some damage in the playoffs. He's easily their most valuable player.

-When asked about Kennedy's fight with Avery, Dan Byslma asked "Who did he fight?"

-In all seriousness, did anyone see Avery after the first period?

-Did anyone see Petr Sykora? He has gone five consecutive games without a point. We're not convinced he's not still dealing with some sort of injury or ailment.

-The Rangers ended up with a 29-28 edge in shots.

-Gomez and Crosby each led the game with seven shots.

-New York led in faceoffs, 32-28 (53 percent).

-Drury was 11-for-17 (65 percent).

-Talbot was 4-for-7 (57 percent).

-When did Dan Girardi become Nicklas Lidstrom?  He led the game with a massive 31:18 of ice time.

-Gonchar led the Penguins with 29:08.

-Letang's ice time improved as the game went on. He finishes second to Gonchar among the Penguins' defensemen with 23:22. That was mostly due to the numerous power plays the Penguins had. Letang logged 10:21 of ice time with the man advantage.

-Scuderi, Girardi and Betts led the game with four blocked shots each.

-The Penguins need to sign Nik Antropov this offseason just to prevent him from doing any future damage to them.

-John Tortorella wasn't exactly happy with the officiating after the game saying, "I guess the thing that's frustrating is two teams with the type of position we're in this time of year. I just hope that we allow the teams to make the difference, to determine the results. I'll leave it at that. The players play hard and they're the ones that need to determine the results."

-The officiating was pretty bad today. Both teams had reasons to gripe over some poor calls and just general inconsistency from the zebras. That was probably the worst officiated game we've see in person all season.

-How crazy is it that these teams went undefeated at home against each other this season?

-Crosby's personal scoring streak is now up to 15 games. His career-long is 19 games.

-It was just explained to us that because Crosby missed those handful of games in the middle of his personal streak, he officially isn't getting credit for a 15-game streak. "Officially," He has an 11-game scoring streak.

-Malkin extended a scoring streak to five games.

-Fleury is now 8-2-4 against the Atlantic Division this season.

-Should we change the name of the blog over the Penguins' inability to bury pucks into empty cages?

-Game summary.

-Event summary.

-Highlights.

About the Rangers 3-28-09

A preview of the Rangers.

When and where: 1 p.m., Mellon Arena.

TV: FSN Pittsburgh; MSG.

Record: 39-27-9, 87 points. New York is in fourth place in the Atlantic Division and seventh place in the Eastern Conference. How good is the Atlantic Division by the way?

Leading Scorer: Nikolai Zherdev, 56 points (23 goals, 33 assists).

Last Game: 5-4 shootout loss at Atlanta, Thursday. Chris Drury had a goal and two assists for New York.

Last Game against the Penguins: 6-2 road loss, Jan. 28. Kris Letang and Petr Sykora each had two goals while Sidney Crosby recorded a goal and three assists.

Rangers Player We Would Bet Money On Scoring: Behold and obey the king of all Penguins killers, Nik Antropov (right).

Ex-Penguins on the Rangers: Markus Naslund, LW; Michal Roszival, D; Glen Sather general manager; Rick Kehoe, professional scout..

Ex-Rangers on the Penguins: Pascal Dupuis, RW; Petr Sykora, RW; Kevin Stevens, professional scout.

Useless Rangers Trivia: Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist recorded 10 shutouts last season. He was the first Rangers goaltender to hit that mark since John Ross Roach had 13 in 1928-29.

Best Rangers YouTube Video We Could Find: Former Rangers goon Sandy McCarthy losing his stick to a fan then getting it back:

Notes:

-Marc-Andre Fleury (31-17-6, 2.67 GAA, .913 SV%) and Henrik Lundqvist (34-22-7, 2.47 GAA, .914 SV%) are the expected starters in net.

-For what it's worth, Fleury is 7-6-1 with a 2.53 goals against average and .909 save percentage in games following shutouts during his career.

-Fleury's a Britney Spears fan?!? Ugh. We'd start Mathieu Garon just over that.

-Sixth place is on the line today with one point separating these two teams.

-A lot has changed since the Penguins and Rangers last met. First and foremost, each team has a different head coach. Gone are Michel Therrien and Tom Renney. In are Dan Bylsma and John Tortorella.

-On the ice, Ryan Whitney, Nigel Dawes, Dmitri Kalinin and Petr Prucha are out of the equation. In are Bill Guerin, Chris Kunitz, Nik Antropov, Sean Avery and Derek Morris.

-The Rangers are hoping to rebound after blowing a three-goal lead in Thursday's game.

-The Staals are brothers.

-Former Penguins defenseman Michal Rozsival is not expected to play tonight due to a knee injury.

-Despite an eye injury, Rangers defenseman Paul Mara is expected to play.

-Our live blog begins at approximately noon (ugh). Please tune in.

(Photo: Nick Laham/Getty Images)