The Quick and the Dead. PENS LOSE.
Going into this game, the Kings were as real as the Tooth Fairy to us. Coming out of this game, the Tooth Fairy is real and it will shit in your mouth. Anze Kopitar is the most imposing player the Pens have played against in a long time. The Pens needed Evgeni Malkin for this one, case closed.
A vintage Chernobyl in the third period led to the Pens' demise.
Any talk of injuries catching up to the Pens is garbage.
They just didn't show up in the third period.
Bill Guerin's scoring a goal on Saturday.
Charlie's birthday was also celebrated in L.A.
Jump.
TK1966
1087
Brian Y.
Ryan M.
Shawn K.
1087
Brian Y.
Ryan M.
Shawn K.
Frack
"I had to take my jersey off and remove my Pens towels from my belt so they wouldn't completely dismiss me, and then I told them that it was my younger sister's birthday (it was), and that her favorite cartoon character was this "Charlie" fellow (she does love him, though he is obviously far from a cartoon), and though she couldn't be at the game, she'd love it if she saw a whole section of fans with Charlie (she will).
The results are attached. Happy Birthday Charlie! -- and my sister Sarah!
do it.
-- Frack
Lt, USAF"
The results are attached. Happy Birthday Charlie! -- and my sister Sarah!
do it.
-- Frack
Lt, USAF"
Cold night.
10:30 start.
You knew the next day was Friday, so you got settled in to watch the entire game. Kopitar scores 30 seconds in for the Kings, and you have the same look on your face that Vladimir Konstantinov gets when someone says "limo."
1-0.
Is that Elton John?
And the Staples Center organist prompts a "FLEU-RY, FLEU-RY" chant?
30 seconds into a game in November?
That goal had "long night" written all over it.
But the Pens came right back. It's their style.
Staal has a gift for King John. 1-1. Give an assist to Chris Conner.
No clue why, but this is one of the top five PS's of the season.
HAMMY also brought this.
Coupled with the top banner of the site, it's easy to say HAMMY is becoming a force.
Eventually, we find out Tyler Kennedy isn't dressed.
That should have been the first story at the top of the broadcast.
That meant Chris Bourque was able to continue his charade of acting like an NHL player.
On IMDB, it says he also played a small acting role in Jurassic Park:
Dupuis draws a penalty. Nice.
Pens changed up the PP a little bit. Letang and Gogo switched. Crosby took Geno's place on the boards.
Quality chances, but Jon Quick was everywhere.
Quality chances, but Jon Quick was everywhere.
Guerin got friggen robbed.
That $50 bill in Scuds' pocket helped him forget about the play.
After that's killed, Orpik almost kills Wayne Simmonds.
Malkin put out a hit on him.
Later in the first, the Kings take their first of about 80 runs at MAF.
MAF throws some dude's stick to the boards.
Regardless, Fleury did not look sharp from the get-go.
The Kings' top line was nuts. Kopitar gets his 20th scoring chance.
Malkin sips his Coke unimpressed in the press box.
At the end of the period, Craig Adams destroys some dude and knocks a pane of glass out.
A long delay to fix the glass doesn't help us on the east coast. Period.
MAF throws some dude's stick to the boards.
Regardless, Fleury did not look sharp from the get-go.
The Kings' top line was nuts. Kopitar gets his 20th scoring chance.
Malkin sips his Coke unimpressed in the press box.
At the end of the period, Craig Adams destroys some dude and knocks a pane of glass out.
A long delay to fix the glass doesn't help us on the east coast. Period.
For the record, we got this after the Ducks game:
Doesn't really mean anything anymore.
Check out who dropped the puck in Phoenix recently:
Speechless
The beginning of the second period is still a blur.
Everyone was still recovering from Bob Errey's Stick 101.
As was the case for most of the game, the Kings came out flying, and the Pens took a penalty.
Pens actually had a 2-on-1 shortie chance. Quick says eat me.
Sid leans in to take a faceoff but is kicked off the ice because he's bleeding.
You can never be too careful in L.A.
The Kings were still coming, but MAF was hanging tough.
After things get settled down, the puck goes behind the Pens' net.
You can actually hear MAF directing traffic. Solid communication.
In turn, the Pens have a great breakout.
Candy snatches a loose puck and puts it on net. Koon city on the deflection. 2-1.
The Kings come right back, and the Pens are in trouble. Amidst all this, Eaton spies some dude in the stands trying to steal somebody's wallet and hits him with the puck. Unfortunately, that's a penalty. That's Eaton's first penalty in like 8 years. But the Pens buckle down and kill it.
The Pens were poised to make it 3-1, but Quick absolutely robs Chris Conner. Man.
We hope Conner scores before Bourque does.
Then shit got interesting. Letang gets jobbed with a high stick. Penalty.
Michal Handzus reminds you he's still in the NHL and takes a shot on net after the whistle.
Kunitz abides to the code and steps in to job him.
The Pens came out of that with a PP, and they were making all the right moves.
With Kunitz in the box, Staal sees the first unit.
Staal makes a solid play that leads to Guerin getting robbed by Quick again. Period.
Why is Fred Durst hanging out at Ron Burkle's house? Bizarre.
Ron Burkle is the most interesting person of all time.
FSN did a feature about Scuds getting his ring from Burkle. Burkle's shirt was illegally tight.
FSN did a feature about Scuds getting his ring from Burkle. Burkle's shirt was illegally tight.
Pens came out all business in the third.
Quick kept the Kings from rolling over and dying.
Kopitar comes back and hits the post.
You just knew something was gonna happen.
It does. Kopitar. 2-2.
Kopitar gets the puck after a give-and-go with Smyth.
But Free Candy obliterates him.
Staal draws a penalty, and the Pens PP again looked like it was about to erupt.
But Quick probably robbed Guerin again or something. Killed.
Quick kept the Kings from rolling over and dying.
Kopitar comes back and hits the post.
You just knew something was gonna happen.
It does. Kopitar. 2-2.
Kopitar gets the puck after a give-and-go with Smyth.
But Free Candy obliterates him.
Staal draws a penalty, and the Pens PP again looked like it was about to erupt.
But Quick probably robbed Guerin again or something. Killed.
And then it happened.
Things gets sloppy, Kings put one home. 3-2.
3 seconds later, loose puck in front of MAF. 4-2.
3 seconds later, loose puck in front of MAF. 4-2.
Hello, old friend.
They kill the ensuing powerplay, but the damage had been done.
Then Quick makes another dazzling save. It just wasn't gonna happen.
Kings score a dazzling goal on a delayed penalty. 5-2. Game.
- Kopitar is real.
- Hopefully Chris Bourque gets left in L.A.
- Chris Conner is holding his own. Fact.
- Kings dominated in faceoffs, 35-23.
Story from WES:
"So I just got back from the Pens/Kings game and thought you could use a story to lighten up a 5-2 loss...
It's the third period and the score is 2-2, still a solid game, when the jumbotron goes to this Navy guy who was standing at center ice for the anthem. He's the "Hero of the night", guess they do this regularly with people in uniform. Can't argue with giving the troops some love, and the announcer starts in with the bio of this Navy guy, he's served in Iraq, his division, etc., and the cheering is building, the Navy guy is looking around soaking it up, and just as the whole emotional moment peaks.... the Navy guy whips out a "Let's Go Pens" towel and starts waving it around. 18,360 people = stunned. A few seconds of silence and then boos rain down, mixed with a big cheer from the Pens fans in attendance. The jumbotron stays with the guy for at least 30 seconds as the announcer finishes his bit, and the Navy guy is just giving the towel to the camera the whole time. Outstanding. Definitely the Pensblog hero of the night.
Wes -- Redlands, CA"
It's the third period and the score is 2-2, still a solid game, when the jumbotron goes to this Navy guy who was standing at center ice for the anthem. He's the "Hero of the night", guess they do this regularly with people in uniform. Can't argue with giving the troops some love, and the announcer starts in with the bio of this Navy guy, he's served in Iraq, his division, etc., and the cheering is building, the Navy guy is looking around soaking it up, and just as the whole emotional moment peaks.... the Navy guy whips out a "Let's Go Pens" towel and starts waving it around. 18,360 people = stunned. A few seconds of silence and then boos rain down, mixed with a big cheer from the Pens fans in attendance. The jumbotron stays with the guy for at least 30 seconds as the announcer finishes his bit, and the Navy guy is just giving the towel to the camera the whole time. Outstanding. Definitely the Pensblog hero of the night.
Wes -- Redlands, CA"