Games like this challenge your will to live and your will to come up with a decent recap after phoning in the previous recap.  This was easily the Pens' worst game of the season.  The Florida game wasn't bad at all.  The Pens just ran into a red-hot goalie.  In this game, they ran into Marty Brodeur...when they could get close enough.

When the Devils made it 3-0 early in the third, it was game-over.  The trap was executed to a T all game long. It's how teams like the Coyotes, Devils, and Panthers can frustrate a run-and-gun, highly talented team.

Those three teams have something in common.
They currently aren't Stanley Cup contenders.
And they won't be contenders when April rolls around.

Simply put, the Pens didn't feel like coming up with a gameplan to counter the trap in this one. The

Pens wanted to do their own thing.  And they lost.  Big deal. There go the dreams of an 81-1-0 season.

Pens can be thankful that they get to see the Devils six times a year.  Later on this season, when the Pens are playing games that matter against teams that decide to trap the Pens' high-flying forwards, they will have six games worth of experience against the best trap coach in the game.

Fiddy14, Itsfleuryingout2571, ellen, Abizz and Diddy,
Emily Vrana, joe and coope, joshua c, nate k.

The first period was choppier than your butthole.
Pens had a power play in there, and even managed to ice the puck during it.

Regardless, it was all Pens all the time for the first half of the period.
Kunitz almost squeaked one in, then Dupuis almost jobbed one in.

Matt Cooke kept shit coming when he terminated el Salvador.

MAF faces his first shot, and it goes in.
Bad bounce.  Who cares.  1-0.

Absolutely nothing going on for the rest of the first period.
Pens were getting chances from the outside.  Brodeur was urinating on them.

You've been trapped.
Guerin prompted a chance late with a stick-lift.  No dice.

The Devils somehow had 9 shots in the first to the Pens' 12.


As the second period dragged on, you started implementing the Paul Steigerwald Voice Fluctuation rule.  You spent your time doing something else (reading, watching YouTubes, killing yourself), and only turned your attention to the game when Steigerwald's voice got excited.

So here were the instances:

• When Crosby broke through the Devils defense for that backhand.
• When Steigerwald cleared his throat.
• The Pens had two consecutive power plays.  No voice fluctuations were needed.
• Rupp actually had two solid chances on the same shift.  Former Devil.  Not surprising.
• Devils scored on some garbage PP resulting from Pandolfo hurting his vaj.  2-0.
• Crosby couldn't push it past Colin White at the end of the period.

To start the third, Letang turns it over deep.
Orpik jobs Clarkson into Fleury.  3-0.

Pens PP.  Guerin.
Killed.

Things were looking bleak.
Out of nowhere, guess-who puts one home.  3-1.

An offensive d-man pinching and scoring to counter the trap.  Textbook.


With about 6 minutes left, Gogo tried to get more magic going.
He danced around and got a puck to the front of the net.
Everything got stopped when Matt Cooke and some joke went to the box.
The 4-on-4 resulting from that was poop.

Devils scored again.  Game.