Since that fatefull day back in September, Pens fans have long awaited the return of Gonch to the lineup.  Monday was another large step in the comeback.  Gonchar was cleared by team medical staff to participate in full contact drills.  Sergei has been skating for the last couple of weeks but this marked the first day he could get to building back his punishing physical style.

This news comes at a dire time.  We are on the verge of it potentially being too late.  As Sidney Crosby mentioned in an interview following the All Star break; "The playoffs start now for us."  The leadership Gonchar brings is noticibly missed as made apparent by the lackluster performances our talented D have put on.  Communication, commrodery and passion are the intrinsic attributes a playoff-bound defensive unit posess.  Sergei's influence isn't news to any of us, which is why he was requested to join the team in the locker room before he was even skating again.  Hopefully being on the ice and participation from the time tested star is just what our D needs.  The past few games have been absolutely dreadful for the defense.  Even when the offense is firing on all cylinders, giving up quick goals deflates any momentum we build.  It even makes Fleury look bad back there.  Sure it's taken Flower a little time to get back in the groove, but when they are practically inviting other teams to take position in front of the net, no goalie is going to look good.

Sergei's return has been a milestone on our minds throughout the season, now the end is in sight.  No matter what happens between now and when he's in the lineup again, we can be sure that he will give it all he's got.  A veteran leader like Gonchar can lead by example and help re-unite our defense to the calliber we've come to expect.  All we have to do is hope that we can play well enough to stay alive until then.

The Pens rode the momentum of a huge victory into the game against Washington last night, hoping to pull off two big back-to-back wins against teams from the East for the first time in a while. The only thing we could come up with was a couple additions to the injury list and more hate toward a couple of kakáshkas named Alex.

Rob Scuderi was the first to leave the game for the duration after taking a wrist shot to the forehead and spilling some fruit punch on the ice. Crosby is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, after a leg problem halfway through the game and being slide tackled by David Steckel later in the third period. He didn't skate during the optional practice on Thursday and should have a better idea of whats going on tomorrow. Max Talbot also left the game after Alex Ovechkin had an opportunity to sever a couple of fingers, stomping on his hand.

Things are looking bright for the defense with Sergei Gonchar dawning the red "no contact" jersey and joining the team practice for the first time since his shoulder injury. Pascal Dupuis is another notible mention. He missed the past four games and skated with strength coach Mike Kadar before practice.

After the dismal performance Monday night in New York, it was starting to look pretty gloomy. Pens fans were starting to stir and the All Star Game couldn't come soon enough. Alas, reason to rejoice! The Pens top Atlanta 3 - 1 at Mellon Arena and the slump is (at least temporarily) over. So what if they are the worst defense in the league, we won. If this would have gone the other way, who knows what type of rioting would have arisen in the strip post game.



Time to look at the pluses. Fleury looked like he was returning to his All-Star-hopeful-self. Making a handful of game changing saves to keep the Pens in the game. It was even looking like he could go for the shut out for a while there. Malkin put up three more points to increase his league points lead back to 10. Crosby scored in dramatic fashion with a waist-high redirect. The defense looked good all around, not allowing many breaks and making wiser passes. Ruslan Fedetanko got a nice shot on that damned Colby Armstrong, even though he had to leave the game after. And of course...Petr Gunn was so close to a hat trick he could taste it. He was practically drooling when the Thrashers pulled Lehtonen with a little over a minute remaining. But couldn't quite close the deal due to a Kozlov cross-checking penalty. Maybe next time Sykora! Keep shootin buddy.

Even though it was a small victory and only two points, it's a start. The first power play goal of the game appeared to rejuvinate the boys and the rest was history. All hope is that it sticks and we continue to build confidence and gain momentum enough to keep racking up the wins. Come on...how depressing was it to see the graphic with Pittsburgh out of the playoff picture? We can't have that now!

The Penguins lost to the Flyers Saturday 6-3. The Special teams were the clear difference in this game, as the Flyers won their fourth straight game. The Penguins gave up four power-play goals and scored only one of their own, after the game was already pretty much decided. The Pens were also outshot 27-26, only the sixth time they've been outshot in the last 19 games.

The game started with an unusually high number of power-plays on both sides. Leaving the Pens no chance to get any kind of rhythm in 5-on-5 play, which was clearly a major advantage for the Flyers.

Scoring for the Pens were Jordan Staal, Ruslan Fedotenko, and Eric Godard scored his first of the year. For the Flyers, it was Joffrey Lupul, Mike Richards, Scott Hartnell, Jeff Carter, and Mike Knuble had two.

Evgeni Malkin added an assist and increased his league lead to 49 points on the season. Malkin is also still leading the league with 37 assists. Sidney Crosby was held scoreless, but is still second, only to Malkin, in the league in points (44) and assists (31). Jordan Staal has five points in the last five games, three in the last 2, with his second period goal. Ruslan Fedotenko scored the Pens' power-play goal and recorded an assist, giving him seven points in his last six games. For Godard, it was his first goal as a Penguin and his first of the season.

The Pens will have a short break before they try to bounce back against The Atlanta Thrashers, Thursday December 18.

The Penguins will take on the Buffalo Sabres, at Mellon Arena, Monday night at 7:30 on Versus. The Pens are hoping to bounce back from a crushing loss in Ottawa on Saturday afternoon. The Sabres are coming off of a 4-3 win over Tampa Bay on Saturday, which ended a three game losing streak for them.

As long as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin Keep doing what they've been doing, the Penguins should have no problem handling the Sabres, or anybody else in the league. They'll also need Jordan Staal to keep up his production as of late. Staal has scored 11 points in his lat 13 games, while being mixed and matched on lines with almost every forward available.

The Penguins will once again be without Mike Zigomanis and Tyler Kennedy, who will miss at least four weeks with a sprained knee. Meaning, we'll get a better look at Chris Minard, who will likely play Staal's left wing on the third line, and Janne Pesonen, likely the fourth line left wing. Pesonen, however, has only been on the ice for more than eight minutes once with the Pens this season. We also might get a chance to see defenseman Ben Lovejoy, who was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Sunday. Lovejoy has 4 goals, 10 assists, and 36 penalty minutes with the Baby Pens this season.

The Sabres have had trouble scoring this season, averaging just 2.62 goals per game, tied for 21st in the league. Buffalo will need to rely on its defense, along with a big game from goalie Ryan Miller, to beat the Penguins.

Last night was an entertaining and satisfying game. Finally, the Penguins were able to jump out out to the early lead and hold on to it. Sidney Crosby continues to play out of his mind, putting in goals that would seem impossible to any other player. The crazy play syndrome is apparently contagious as Malkin tried his hand first batting the puck out of the air lacrosse-style, then the sprawling assist following a scuffle for Crosby's second goal. Saboo did his part as well, stopping some high traffic shots with no visibility. Not to mention the power play was hitting on all cylinders.

Sidney Crosby hat trick 11-29-08

The focus has to come back to the #1 star of the game, Sid the Kid. Even his empty-netter was scored in magnificent fashion as he copied Geno's play earlier in the game, laying himself out and directing the puck from the seal position. The best part of the night for me was when Crosby went to the box for his little scrum. Not because I like seeing the captain stand up for himself, or getting penalties, but because our seats were right on the Pen's penalty box. Sid came and served his two minutes while fans shot pictures the entire time. Then to come out rejuvenated and play his head off for the hat trick. Sidney Crosby has moved himself into second in the NHL scoring standings with 34 points, trailing only Geno who's got 39. Pretty cool to have the league's top scorers sitting on our bench.



Next up, the Rangers and a chance to make up some space in the Atlantic standings.

Last night was another exciting game to watch. The first period and a half were filled with frustration and disappointment. Just when we were ready to throw in the towel, trailing 3-1 at the start of the third, the young Pens turned it on again. These guys need to work at breaking this come from behind approach, but at least we are getting the needed results. The Penguins marked the tenth time this season already that we have come from behind to win the game.



Therrien again attempted to revive the dynamic-duo placing Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby on the same line. This time it was apparent that the two are meshing well. The pair teamed up to tally an amazing 4 goals in under 16, count 'em, sixteen minutes. Geno amazed us all with the natural hat trick. As a side, Ovi also racked up a hat on Tuesday night...what is it with these Russians? This was Malkin's third hat trick of his already impressive career, not to mention a 4-point night overall that adds up to his 35 point total.



After Dany Sabourin got yanked mid-second period, John Curry stepped in with a great rookie performance. This was another amazing display of how the Pens and Baby Pens have come to be an organization that continues to produce. It's hard to judge how Curry will play with a little more pressure, when the offense isn't gun slinging, but he did a good enough job stopping the 11 shots he faced.

The Penguins 29 points keeps them in second in the Atlantic Division. We trail the New York Rangers by 5 going into Friday's game at Buffalo. It would be nice to see these guys get out to an early lead and hold on. The emotional come-from-behind victory over the Islanders may be the spark these Penguins needed to start up another win streak. At least we should be able to ride it into the division match-up with the Devils on Friday.