Sorry for the absence the last few days. An uninvited visitor took over my computer and I had to correct that before being comfortable logging into anything and throwing password information around. That appears to be fixed --- for now anyway.
The Penguins had a mixed weekend. They followed up their huge come-from-behind win over the Lightning on Wednesday night with a solid effort in a 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday. However, they were unable to maintain that momentum against the brick wall that is the Detroit Red Wings yesterday, falling 3-0.
Friday night, there wasn't much to dislike. The game started slowly, but the Penguins took it over with a 3 goal second period. Kris Letang got 2 of those goals, including a beauty top-corner wrist shot which beat Blue Jackets' backup Wade Dubielewicz. That was the 2nd game in the past 6 where Letang popped 2.
RW Petr Sykora got the other goal in that period. Sidney Crosby finished the game with an empty-netter, to add to the 2 assists he already racked up in the game.
In their own end, the Penguins played pretty sound defense overall. When they didn't, netminder Marc-Andre Fleury was there to bail them out. He stopped 33 of 34 shots, including a great stop on Rick Nash in the 2nd period. Fleury's reflexes were all over this game.
It was only the 2nd time since November that the Penguins won 2 straight games.
Unfortunately, their streak stopped there. They just couldn't get much going against Detroit yesterday and were foiled by former teammate Ty Conklin who, playing on back-to-back days, tossed his 6th shutout of the season against Pittsburgh.
Unfortunately, Conklin wasn't tested that often, which is a tribute to the great defense Detroit plays -- as Penguin fans are all too familiar with.
The Penguins really had their chance early when they had 3 power plays in the first period, but failed to capitalize on any of them. Against the Red Wings, it's even more important than it is in any other game to get the lead. Once again, the Penguins' special teams failed them when it was needed most.
After that, Detroit settled into their game, getting 2 goals from Pavel Datsyuk and 1 from ....
I hate to say it ...
The man who was booed MERCILESSLY by Mellon Arena faithful every time he was on the ice, let alone when he touched the puck ....
Marion Hossa.
Worse, Hossa's goal --- a nice backhand through 3 players from about 30 feet --- was the killer in the game. The Penguins were down 1-0 with just under 9 minutes to go in the 3rd when Hossa struck to give Detroit a near-insurmountable 2-0 lead. Forget the Penguins game against Detroit earlier this season when they erased a 5-2 deficit in the 3rd period and won, 7-6, in overtime. That wasn't going to happen again.
Like in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Penguins just seemed a step or two behind Detroit for much of the game. And this was with the Red Wings missing LW Tomas Holmstrom, who had hernia surgery and will miss about a month, and LW Johan Franzen, who was injured the day before in the Red Wings' 8-3 win against Edmonton.
Detroit was ripe, and the Penguins needed the win, but they just couldn't get it done.
With the loss, the Penguins still sit out of the playoff picture in the East -- in 10th spot, and 2 points behind the Carolina Hurricanes, who currently sit 8th and have a game in hand on the Penguins.
It doesn't get any easier for Pittsburgh either. They close out their home stand on Wednesday having to beat the best team in the NHL: The San Jose Sharks. If the Penguins can win, they'll go a long way towards re-establishing some good momentum for themselves -- especially by beating a quality opponent like that.
But it won't be easy.
The Sharks are a good defensive team who skates and transititions well -- just like the Red Wings.
The Penguins simply have to find a way to get it done, because they're running out of time to do anything other than live on the edge for the entire rest of the season.
More later this week ...
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