Everything Else

Fascinating And Meaningless, All At The Same Time

By 1397

Once you get past the Predators’, or more to the point their fans’, constant bed-wetting over the refs (and really a lot of people’s), or the heavier amounts of bullshit we saw last night when the game got out of reach, there is something of a fascinating clash of styles going on here. And also an excellent example of how in hockey there really is only so much you can control, and it’s rarely enough to ensure things swing your way.

I guess you could call it that… except it’s probably not the Penguins plan to get throttled for huge swaths of the game and then pray that Matt Murray can bail them out of it. If it is… well bully for them.

Everything Else

Feed The Animals – Hawks at Penguins Preview, Overdraft Notification

By 1447

 at 

Game Time: 7:00PM CDT
TV/Radio: NBCSN, TVA-S, WGN-AM 720
Noah Didn’t Take No Penguins With Him On The Ark: PensBurgh

Once again the Hawks find themselves a part of NBCSN’s RIVALRY NIGHT with a team they see a sum total of twice a year. The network should just call the event “Wednesday Night Hockey” and play up the rivalry when there actually is one. Though, to much of rockheaded fanbase of this league, there is still somehow a “rivalry” between the captains of these two teams, even though it’s long been established that the one on the Penguins’ side of things is far and away the better player. But a superstar matchup is a superstar matchup, even this late in the season when most of the playoff picture has been settled and teams like this are basically trying to not get hurt.

Everything Else

Dr. Livingston, I Presume: Penguins at Hawks Preview/PFT Test

By 1214

 vs. 

RECORDS: Penguins  38-15-8  Hawks  39-18-5

PUCK DROP: 7pm Central

TV: NBCSN (because hoo boy is this a “rivalry”!!!!)

IRON CITY BEER SUCKS: The Pensblog

PROJECTED LINEUPS

ADJUSTED TEAM CORSI %: Penguins – 51.8 (9th)  Hawks – 51.2 (10th)

ADJUSTED TEAM xGF%: Penguins – 54.0 (3rd)  Hawks – 49.1 (16th)

POWER PLAY %: Penguins – 21.6 (9th)  Hawks – 18.9 (16th)

PENALTY KILL%: Penguins – 80.3 (20th)  Hawks – 76.4 (28th)

You don’t get many marquee matchups in the league anymore. No one cares about the Wild yet, despite their bleeding, so the only teams from the West that anyone in the East is the least bit interested in seeing are San Jose and the Hawks (sit down, Kings, no one gives a shit about you either). And really in the East, there aren’t too many more teams you’d make time out for. So over the NHL season, there’s really only six to eight games that would get the dreaded and overused “Final preview” tag. This happens to be one of them, and you better believe it’s what everyone in the NHL offices is absolutely dying to see. Not that it matters, because if any league could completely biff any momentum from the Gone-Plaid-Speed of a possible Pens-Hawks Final, it’s this home for wayward children.

Everything Else

I’m Miss World Cup, Watch Me Break And Watch Me Burn: Flew Into Miami Beach BOAC…

By 1607

Every time we have a big international tournament, a lot of us get sucked into the belief that Russia’s premier talent will finally shine through. Maybe it’s still the echoes and ghosts from the Red Army teams. We grew up with Russia being an international monster. It’s still somewhat ingrained.

But now they simply biff it every time. They looked a real force in the opening round in Vancouver ’10. They then gave up 19 goals to Rick Nash in the first period. They had the next Olympics at home. They were basically awful for the whole tournament and were easily swatted aside by Finland. It just never adds up to what you think it should.

If you look at two facets of this team, you’d think they have every chance of winning this thing. The forwards are loaded with scoring and speed. They have two goalies who have won Vezinas and can go supernova for two weeks at any point.

The problem is the in between is a giant sucking sound. Like, the hole that Gwar throws shit into onstage.

Everything Else

Muscles From Brussels – Hawks at Penguins Preview, Human Resources Webinar

By 1809

evil empire vs budicepenguintin

Game Time: 6:00PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN, SportsNet, WGN-AM 720
Ben Roethlisberger Is A Gray Dicked Rapist: PensBurgh

In a matchup of rivals that never were, much to the chagrin of Gary Bettman and NBCSN (despite what they’re pitting tomorrow’s game as), the Hawks travel to Pittsburgh for the first of yet another inter-conference mid-week home and home knocking out the season series in 27 hours. And in an even more remarkable turn of events, both Jonathan Toews and Sidney Crosby are upright for at least tonight’s contest, something that’s eluded both of them in this non-existent battle. Though to what degree is debateable.

Everything Else

Penguins Spotlight: Phil Kessel

By 1511

You might not have thought heading out of last year that the Penguins’ big problem was top six scoring. After all, Crosby and Malkin when healthy were over a point per game, even in a down year Chris Kunitz put up 17 goals, Brandon Sutter scored 21, Patric Hornqvist netted 25 goals. Sure, there are some missing wingers there but with Paul Martin set to depart and the injury history of Kris Letang, you would have thought the blue line was priority #1.

Well, you aren’t GM Jim Rutherford.