The Confluence

Report:  Kris Letang Breaks Toe, Re-aggravates Lower-Body Injury

by Tony on 03/27/13 at 08:35 AM ET
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Per RDS' Renaud Lavoie:

Translation:  Letang broke a toe and aggravated his previous injury (stick-tap to Nick Cotsonika @cotsonika for the translation)

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San Jose Trades D-man Murray to Penguins for Two 2nd Round Picks

by Tony on 03/25/13 at 01:28 PM ET
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Sharks and Penguins press releases after the jump:

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Is UFA-To-Be Iginla Worth Giving Up The Assets For Penguins?

by Tony on 03/24/13 at 10:25 AM ET
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That's really a common question at every trade deadline every year, for every team, in every pro sport, particularly those that are legitimate championship contenders.

The Penguins rolled the "trade for the impending UFA" dice back at the '08 trade deadline, acquiring Marian Hossa (and "throw-in" Pascal Dupuis) for Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, highly regarded prospect  (at the time) Angelo Esposito and a 1st round draft pick.  Not only didn't Esposito pan out in the NHL, but Hossa helped the Penguins reach the Stanley Cup Finals that year.

As we hit the T-minus 10 day mark before this year's trade deadline, the Penguins appear to have a similar conundrum on their plate:

Do the Penguins expend the resources that it will most likely take to acquire Jarome Iginla?

But more importantly, do the Penguins really NEED Jarome Iginla, and thereby give up those assets, in light of other team needs?

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Penguins Have Seen This Fish Before

by Tony on 03/17/13 at 10:31 PM ET
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Looks familiar, doesn't it?

As another spring is (barely) inching closer by the day, the Penguins are on yet another roll, winners of nine straight.  The Pens' first line of Kunitz/Crosby/Dupuis are playing out of their minds.  Even their defense, which was much maligned not very long ago, is playing much, much better.

And all this recently without Evgeni Malkin.  You know, the reigning MVP.

So yes, the Penguins are playing fantastic hockey.  But it would behoove the Pens if they remembered their play of recent springs and remember the lessons learned.

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Top Ten Evgeni Malkin Plays

by Tony on 03/06/13 at 06:28 PM ET
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Penguins Hold Annual “Skates and Plates” Charity Gala

by Tony on 03/06/13 at 06:11 PM ET
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And for a little comic relief, after the break check out the "Duper Cam" where Pascal Dupuis commandeers the camera for a while.

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Malkin’s Highlight Goal vs. Lightning

by Tony on 03/04/13 at 11:42 PM ET
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Welcome back Geno...

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Shero Better Be Looking For Defensemen Who Can Play, You Know, Defense as Deadline Nears

by Tony on 03/03/13 at 11:39 AM ET
Comments (5)

In the aftermath of the Penguins' exhausting 7-6 overtime victory over Montreal Saturday night, one thing is becoming pretty damn clear:

Crash the net on the Penguins' defensive corps, and you've got one helluva chance to score.

Not only will the Penguins' D-men not put up much of an effort to stop you from getting near their goal, they're not going to do very much to clear you away from the goal once you get there.

That may very well be an exaggeration, granted, but generally speaking it's not an outlandish statement to make either.

And as we today hit the T-minus one month mark of the NHL Trade Deadline, it would behoove Penguins' GM Ray Shero to be on the lookout in the coming weeks for defensemen that can actually play defense.

That is, if he wants the Penguins to be the Stanley Cup contender that many have proclaimed his team to be.  'Cause without better defensive play, that dog ain't huntin'.

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How Sidney Crosby turned Pittsburgh into Hockeytown

by Tony on 03/02/13 at 08:36 AM ET
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From the Toronto Globe and Mail's James Mirtle:

They call them Sidney Crosby’s Little Penguins.

One thousand kids, aged 4 to 8, who every year for the past four years have received full hockey equipment paid for by the Pittsburgh Penguins, their 25-year-old captain and several sponsors.

The numbers may sound like a drop in the bucket in Canada, where one in 10 kids are already playing, but they matter in a place like Pittsburgh, where even when the Penguins have ruled, the game has never really flourished at the minor-hockey level.

But the combined effect of Crosby and Co. providing free gear and instruction has brought a quick and dramatic change that landscape in this football-crazed city, to the point that there are now 120-per-cent more children aged 10 and under playing in Western Pennsylvania than even five years earlier.

A region with fewer than four million people, in other words, has accounted for 15 per cent of the growth in youth hockey in the United States, outpacing every other state.

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Penguins’ Penalty Problems Cause For Concern

by Tony on 02/27/13 at 11:01 AM ET
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Last night's disappointing 6-4 Penguins loss to the Florida Panthers was one of those nights where you scratched your head and said out loud, a la Vince Lombardi, "What the hell is going on here!".

Lazy, undisciplined penalties getting called left and right.

The usually very steady penalty kill of the Penguins simply collapsing, allowing four Florida powerplay goals.

The fact that the Penguins came back from a 4-1 deficit only made the loss that much worse.

But the increasing frequency of the Penguins' trips to the penalty box should have the coaching staff concerned.

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