COYOTE UGLY: Phoenix Whitewashes Penguins, 3-0

I thought this might happen.

Going into last night's third game of the season against the Phoenix Coyotes at Mellon Arena, the 2-0 Penguins seemed to be defeating -- at least in the eye of general public opinion -- common sentiment that they might begin this season with a Stanley Cup Hangover.

They were at the top of a lot of power ranking lists on sites like The Sporting News and others, and many people seemed to think they were already in dominant form.

Not this observer.

The Penguins were well enough to win their first two games, but didn't overwhelm either New York club -- both of which may struggle to make the playoffs this year -- last weekend. They had more work to do and last night, the Coyotes tossed cold water on any notion that the Penguins would have it easy this season.

In a game that Pittsburgh was as uninspired as they were careless, the Coyotes and goaltender Ilja Bryzgalov pitched a 3-0 shutout to leave the Penguins at 2-1 for the season and on their way to Philadelphia for a big matchup tonight in a frustrated mood.

The Penguins weren't able to get anything going against Phoenix last night. It was one of the worst efforts the team has put forth under coach Dan Bylsma. They mustered only 24 shots and took 9 penalties -- many of them slashing and hooking calls born of laziness.

I hope the Penguins weren't thinking ahead to their game against the Flyers tonight but it sure looked like it.

Ed Jovanovski and Petr Prucha scored power play goals for Phoenix, and Radim Vrbata added an empty netter to finish things, leaving the loudest Pittsburgh cheer of the night for the time when former Penguin Gary Roberts was shown on the big screen sitting in Mario Lemieux's box.

Goaltender Brent Johnson, making his first regular season start for Pittsburgh, stopped 22 of 24 shots before the empty netter. He didn't look out of place, and it's a shame the Penguin offense couldn't do more for him.

Pittsburgh did have a goal disallowed when Alex Goligoski put one by Bryzgalov in the 2nd period, but it was disallowed on a goaltender interference call -- and a weak one in this writer's estimation -- by forward Matt Cooke.

The officials were quite loose with the whistle all night last night, frankly, and that probably also contributed to the Penguins' not being able to get any rhythm.

I hope the Penguins weren't thinking ahead to their game against the Flyers tonight, but it sure looked like it. While there are going to be nights like that during an 82-game slate, the Penguins need to work hard to not let that become a trend. As new Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said after the game last night, "we really fed off the energy of playing against the defending Stanley Cup Champions."

That's how every team that laces up the skates this year is going to feel -- from Detroit all the way down to the New York Islanders -- and the challenge for the Penguins, as I mentioned prior to the season, is how they're going to handle having that target on their back. The risk of a letdown is particularly great against the lesser teams in the league, and those losses are the type that can start the beginning of an ugly in-season spiral.

I'm not saying that's what is going to happen to the Penguins with this loss -- just that it's something they are going to have to do their best to avoid all season.

I would expect Pittsburgh to be more energized tonight against their big rivals in a hostile, physical environment.

Eric Godard, who didn't dress last night -- probably in part to get Chris Bourque in the lineup, and in part because his counterpart on the Coyotes most likely to dust things up with him, former Penguin Paul Bissonnette, wasn't in the Phoenix lineup -- will surely be back on the ice tonight. With Daniel Carcillo, Ian Laperrierre, Riley Cote and Aaron Asham (the last 2 of which haven't even played for the Flyers yet this season) likely in the Philadelphia lineup, don't be in the least bit surprised if there are several scraps tonight.

Bourque, by the way, didn't make a big impact on the ice for most of the time he saw it.

Then again, neither did any of his teammates.

Recap of the first Commonwealth Cold War game this season tomorrow.

Let's Go Pens.