We knew this was coming. But we hoped it was another few years down the road.

The Pittsburgh media have put in motion the beginning of the end of Evgeni Malkin with the Penguins.

Like Ron Cook last week, Rob Rossi has jumped into the bash-Malkin discussion.   Sadly, the seeds for this Rossi article were planted way back in the early-to-mid-'90s, when journalists began having personal vendettas against foreign hockey players because they wouldn't grant interviews or were just generally standoffish toward the media.

Pittsburgh media, renowned for being some of the most prejudiced and back-stabbing in the country, are slowing turning the tide against Evgeni Malkin.  It's shocking and disgusting.  But it was to be expected.

The title of Rob Rossi's Sunday column, "Malkin paid like Crosby, needs to play like him," sucks you in, making you think that the article will be about Malkin's current slump, some fancy stat comparisons between Sid and Geno, and how the Penguins might fare if Malkin doesn't start showing his brilliance on a nightly basis.

And actually, Rossi touches upon this stuff...for maybe 8 sentences.  The rest of the article is Rossi giving Sidney Crosby the journalistic equivalent of a reach-around, applauding Sid for handling the Canadian media with deftness while chastising Malkin for not doing the same.  And it is almost maddening to think that this happens BECAUSE Malkin is in a slump.  While setting the pace for the Penguins during the regular season AND the playoffs last year, the media wasn't saying a word.  Watching this Malkin kid come into his own while learning the finer points of the English language was arguably the story of the year for every Pens fan.   The media knew this and churned out feel-good story after feel-good story about Malkin.

After the jump, it's time to assess Rossi's column...and read his whinefest about Malkin not falling over himself to give the media what they want, consequently turning journalists and their egos against him.

And this is anything but a bash-Crosby piece coming from us.

If the day comes when Penguins fans are split into Malkin and Crosby camps, it's all over.

Rob Rossi doesn't even try to hide his prejudice against Evgeni Malkin.

Here is his bio from the Trib.

Definition of unprofessional.

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There was some confusion regarding the rules of this game's contest.

And we're not douchebags, so we actually gave out two shirts for this one.

But guess what.

wooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

See you Tuesday morning.

When the game was winding down, Steigerwald said that the Pens' flight home wouldn't have a horrible atmosphere. The Pens knew what the situation was going in and coming out of this Vancouver game. That's pretty much all it is. Wish we could look up the last time a team lost their starting goalie and backup goalie to injury in the same timeframe.

We have no clue what John Curry thinks about on a daily basis.

And we don't know his level of testicular fortitude.

But he just didn't have it.

His effort on the 5th goal was embarrassing.

It left Bylsma between a rock and a 19-year-old kid.

Enter Alexander Pechursky.

With his Mylec pads and white helmet.

His presence alone kept some people watching the game.

What an intriguing story.

Still, game over.

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Listen to the game at [WXDX]

Their Gameday:

"Last time the Pens played in Vancouver, every time Crosby touched the puck, some select people in the crowd booed him. Why? Who knows, it's not like we have some hate on the Penguins or on Crosby. I hope people going to the game will have the respect just to enjoy a good game, but there are always a few dumb people at GM Place, so I won't hold my breath. Funny thing is, those same people will be cheering for Sid in less than a month's time at the Olympics."

Fleury is out.

John Curry is starting.

The Penguins have signed 2008 draft pick Alexander Pechurski to a one game try out contract.

Pechurski will back up Curry in tonight's game.

From Canada.com:

Asked if he felt any extra pressure due to an inexperienced back-up, Curry said: “Not really. I'm not planning on using the back-up goalie.”

This is what Faceoff Factor has to say about Pechurski:

Career Projection
Pechurski has played well for the Russians in international tournaments, deploying a hybrid style that makes him very versatile as a netminder. Flexibility is his greatest asset, and he moves about the crease with unwavering ease. His future in Pittsburgh could never be more than as a backup to Marc-Andre Fleury, but he’s a very interesting player to keep an eye on. He has NHL-caliber talent, but there are several questions surrounding him. Foremost, he may or may not ever make it to North America from Russia.

Strengths
Ungodly flexibility and poise between the pipes.

Weaknesses
Smallish stature…doesn’t always take good angles…fundamentals could use refining.

Fleury's injury destroys the Olympic goaltending battle that everyone wanted to see.

Whatev.

Fleury deserves to outrank Luongo in the Olympics anyway.

He'd have nothing to prove tonight.

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UPDATE: For the contest: Anytime the gameclock stops, it is considered a stoppage in play.

If this affects a guess you've already made, delete your Tweet and re-submit.

Sorry for any confusion.

We have two (2) Talbot T-shirts left.

1. Get yourself a Twitter account.

5. If you're unfamiliar with Twitter, log in to Twitter, click "HOME," then copy and paste the following into the text box on your "HOME" page, change the timing and shit to your guess, then click "UPDATE."

@Pensblog 13:03, 1st per, 2

-To check if your entry was submitted: After you click update, you'll see your Tweet pop up on your HOME page.  Click @Pensblog in that Tweet.  If it takes you to the Pensblog Twitter page, you did it right.

 

Trying a few new things. We've grown tired of the three-column look.

And we've gotten rid of some ad space.

A few things:

• We are going to be giving all of our sidebar links their own page. Those sidebar links were the foundation of this blog, but let's face it, sidebar links just aren't what they were in 2006. But they are important to us, so they will be going up in the top bar somewhere.

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Go Pens

Last night in Edmonton, Marc-Andre Fleury fractured his finger.

He made a glove save in the second period and the puck hit his hand akwardly.

Fleury was seen getting medical treatment on his left hand a couple of times during the night.

Trainers taped up a visible cut and Fleury finished the game.

He is now listed as day-to-day.

Backup goalie Brent Johnson is also injured so, if Fleury cannot play tomorrow night in Vancouver, John Curry will get the start.

Fleury is 25-14-1 this season and has played two outstanding games in a row.

He has appeared in 41 of the Pens 49 games.

John Curry has not played in the NHL this year.

He went 2-1 in the big leagues last year and has a 16-13-1 record in the AHL this season.

 

 

 

 

 

Classic.

At the start of the third, the Pens were entering their sixth period of a back-to-back situation.

On a road trip.

And they were facing a 2-goal deficit.

Nowhere. No how.

As Pens fans, we'll definitely chalk this up to the Pens refusing to lie down.

Jordan Staal has arguably been the Pens' best non-87 player for the last couple weeks.

So, the Pens sweep Alberta.

Now they head to British Columbia.

Wonder if referee Auger will follow the Pens to Vancouver.

Could be an interesting night.

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