The Pens snagged a point today from the Rangers making the the first team in the Eastern Conference to reach the 100 plateau. Despite the loss the Penguins will be able to hang on to first place in the Eastern Conference even if the Montreal Canadiens beat the Ottawa Senators tomorrow. The Pens came out sluggish yet again against the Rangers so Penguins forward Ryan Malone dropped the gloves against Sean Avery of the Rangers to try to stir things up. The two exchanged blows to each others heads before they both toppled to the ice. Things couldn't have been much worse for the Penguins after period one. They were out shot in the period 9-1, but the only upside was, it was still 0-0. The second period started the same way the first ended. Midway through the second Jeff Taffe of the Penguins was called for holding, and after the whistle blew Penguins defensman Ryan Whitney took the pushing and shoving a little to far so the refs assessed Whitney with a two minute penalty for roughing giving the Rangers a 5 on 3 man advantage. The PK started off well for the Penguins with a vicious forecheck by Ryan Malone. The Rangers got it together after receiving a few "boo's" from the crowd and stormed into the Penguins zone. The Rangers set up their power play and Jaromir Jagr scored which seemed to be a high stick on the puck by forward Scott Gomez, but after further review the goal was granted to Jaromir Jagr (21) coming from Chris Drury and Brendan Shanahan. This came as a wake up call to the Pens who seemed to find another gear and really turn the pace of the game up a notch. The second period ended 1-0 in favor of the Rangers, but the Penguins showed some life. In the third period both teams killed an early penalty, but the Pens found a crack in the Rangers defense and buried one. Brooks Orpik of the Pens laid a huge hit on Jaromir Jagr of the Rangers which lead to Maxime Talbot's goal (12) assisted by Georges Laraque and Ryan Malone. It was a beautiful passing play by the Penguins which left the Rangers defense reaching. The third period ended with a score of 1-1, even after a late surge by the Penguins in which Henrik Lundqvist came up huge. The OT period started and Pittsburgh defensman Sergei Gonchar took a hooking penalty 24 seconds into the five minute OT period. It didn't take long for the Rangers to take the second point, season series, and second game of the home and home series when Chris Drury was left alone at the point and blasted one past goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury giving Drury his (24) goal of the season coming from Jaromir Jagr and Scott Gomez. A couple of things bothered me about the Penguins tonight. They didn't play a full 60 minutes of hockey. You can't expect to win in the playoffs, let alone any game if you don't play the full 60 minutes. They also failed to clear the puck at key moments in the game, for instance, in OT Jordan Staal had a chance to send the puck down the ice, but fanned on the opportunity which lead to the game winner by Drury. The Penguins PP tonight was a train wreck. They went 0-4 with 2 shots on goal and 2 shots against. They weren't shooting when they had clear lanes, their passing was sloppy, and the point men couldn't hold the puck in to save someones life. Its only one game and I'm thankful they got a point, but I'm disappointed in the fact that they could have locked up the division. Next up, the Philly Flyers.
The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to the "Big Apple" tonight to take on the New York Rangers. This game will complete the season series between the two teams which the Rangers lead 4-3 and will also complete the home and home series between the two clubs. Pittsburgh took the first game of the home and home series yesterday with a 3-1 victory on home ice. The win for the Penguins eliminated the Rangers from reaching Atlantic Division title. The last division title for the Penguins came back in 1993. The Penguins' division at the time was called the "Patrick Division" which consisted of these teams: Washington Capitals, NY Rangers, NY Islanders, NJ Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. A win tonight could guarantee the Penguins their first Atlantic Division title. Hopefully Marc-Andre Fleury gets the start in goal tonight for the Penguins, nothing against Ty Conklin who has been outstanding this season, but Fleury is playing his best hockey of his career and seems to be comfortable in net. I would also like to see Ryan Whitney playing defense again, but I have been impressed with his attitude and willingness to adjust to the left wing. Key Players: Pit: Marian Hossa NYR: Scott Gomez