Penalty City. PENS LOSE
This is the kind of game that, if it had taken place in the middle of the regular season, would have ruined your weekend.
The first period saw the Pens sleep walk their way to a 2-0 lead.
The second saw every wheel fall off the bus at once.
Only one fighting major per team, but the refs definitely earned their paychecks anyway.
Interestingly enough, the Pens site and NHL.com say that Andy Rogers doesn't exist.
The lesson here is: You steal Mario's number, your existence is wiped from the earth.
Though ESPN had Mike Zigomanis playing (and serving Geno's penalties) so we have no idea what's going on.
Jump.
PRESEASON GAMEDAY 2 - MAPLE LEAFS
7:30PM/ET
Mellon Arena
The Leafs are always annoying to play against.
No matter what year it is, they manage to blow the Pens out at least once a season.
It's games against the Maple Leafs that lead to heart attacks, suspensions, and Michel Therrien losing his job.
It's going to be even worse this year.
Brian Burke has ratcheted up the intensity and filled his team with players that would rather start a fight or deliver a big hit than score a goal.
And the fact that it's preseason doesn't mean they won't play rough.
In their game yesterday against the Flyers, the Leafs had four fighting majors and a misconduct penalty.
On Wednesday against the Bruins they also had four fighting majors.
The Pens had two fights against Columbus.
It's not gonna be pretty.
Pensblog Brunch: Farewell
Only three players have scored 20 goals per season for the last 10 seasons.
Jarome Iginla...
Jason Arnott...
and...
NHL 10 -- Special Features
NHL 10 is here. Having to physically buy attribute points is gay. We uncovered some of the modes and features that didn't make the cut this year.
Pensblog Brunch: Procedures
Wednesday is the day when you find out if that joke who was all about the Pens in June is even a Pens fan. A casual "Hey, the Pens won last night" to the friend is the test. You either got a "Kunitz, baby," or a "The season started already?"
That's when you apply the Million Dollar Dream on the friend.
And he's not a friend anymore.
After the jump, we job.
And there's national-anthem/game-pic procedures.
Good To Be Back. PENS WIN
Nothing was really the same.
No Jeff Jimmerson. No John Barbero. Mellon Arena not sold out.
But yet somehow the same theatrics live on.
Down 3-0 going into the third period the Pens staged a comeback.
It ended up 4-4 in at the end of regulation.
44 seconds into OT Kunitz buried a Bing pass.
5-4 win.
With all due respect to FSN. We could listen to Mike Lange call games via the radio all year if we had to.
Some notes on the game after the jump.
PRESEASON GAMEDAY 1 - BLUE JACKETS
7:30PM/ET
Mellon Arena
Gameday? Unreal.
We've all been waiting for this.
There hasn't been this much anticipation for a Pens preseason game since we came out of the lockout.
Tonight Mellon Arena begins its final run.
The old girl is getting ready to do what she does best: House a hockey game.
There is a space in the rafters that will soon be filled with some new banners.
But no one can be thinking about that right now.
That was last season.
It was incredibly special, but if the Pens spend their time reminiscing about what it was like to raise the Cup over their heads instead of focusing on the upcoming season, there will be trouble.
The Summer of Woooooo is over.
The 2009 - 2010 NHL season is upon us.
Up first?
The Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Columbus Blue Jackets.
