For the Bruins, the veteran Tim Thomas will get the nod at the other end of the ice in a similar back to back scenario with Boston. Thomas has been erratic at times during the season, but the Pens are fully aware of what he is capable of when he’s in top form. The puck is dropped here against the league’s lowest scoring team from Boston and the Pens will look to continue that trend for the B’s. Jordan Staal and the Pens third line in arguably the best third unit in hockey and they begin the afternoon with a great shift working along the boards retrieving the puck to get a pair of shots for Tyler Kennedy. David Krejci makes a strong move in the Penguins zone flashing thought the high slot and draws the game’s first penalty on Brooks Orpik for tripping. Pittsburgh has no difficulties killing off the penalty thanks in large part to the help of Pascal DuPuis and they then go to work in the Boston zone with Sidney Crosby creating great chances on the doorstep for both Mike Rupp and Chris Kunitz from behind the cage. The B’s maintain some quality puck possession in the Penguins zone and force Mark Eaton to high stick a Bruins player putting the Pittsburgh penalty kill under the gun once again. Penalty killing continues to be no problem for the Pens as they prevent the Bruins from getting any rhythm with the man advantage and then go to work in the Boston end again with Crosby setting the table in front for DuPuis who nearly deposits the puck behind Thomas. Often times the quality minutes logged by defensemen goes overlooked during the course of a game, but Jordan Leopold has been a huge contributor to the penalty kill and the outlet passing transition game of the Penguins in the opening period. Although the defense has played well today, they have been under pressure due to a handful of costly turnovers at their own blue line during period one. Some late heat in the kitchen for the Pens on Thomas in net earns the third power play of the afternoon for the B’s when Ruslan Fedotenko interferes with the Boston keeper and is sent to the box.

The majority of the penalty time ticks off of the clock before the horn sounds for the intermission as the Pens really need to stay out of the box in the remaining forty minutes to generate some momentum. They have outshot Boston 10-3 after one, but never really threatened with extensive zone pressure. A kill to open this second frame will go a long way as the puck is dropped and the Pens do finish off the kill, but not without an injury as Staal blocks a Boston shot with his ankle and struggles to get to the bench. Fleury makes a phenomenal stop with his pads moving laterally to deny Mark Recchi who was setup by Patrice Bergeron on a delayed penalty to Malkin for hooking and the Bruins ultimately capitalize on their fourth power play opportunity when Blake Wheeler finishes the play drawing first blood at 1-0 Boston. Pittsburgh gets their first power play right after the goal as Michael Ryder is sent off for slashing, but the Pens fail to get anything going on their initial opportunity with the extra skater. Some terribly sloppy play in their own end has marred this game thus far for Pittsburgh with the turnover continuing inside of the blue line. After the goal for Boston was a bit questionable with Fleury appearing to have to puck covered, the favor appears to have been returned as DuPuis comes around the net on Thomas and persistently pounds at the puck until it squirms in between the skate and the post over the goal to level this one at 1-1. Some chippy play is beginning to surface after the whistle as Fedotenko and Marc Stuart tangle in front of the Bruins net with both going to the box for roughing. During four on four play DuPuis scares the net once again as he continues to skate confidently in this game playing an outstanding two-way game thus far. Kunitz and Crosby have a fantastic chance to take the lead on a two on one chance, but Kunitz carried the puck a bit too deep and failed to squeeze a pass through to Sid. DuPuis continues to play the role of ‘Johnny on the spot’ as he center drive on a shot by Kris Letang and nearly guides the rebound home before Thomas scrambles to cover the puck.

The middle frame closes out after a bit more open ice action during that segment of this contest and the Pens will once again look to pull out some 3rd period drama level at 1-1 after two. Pittsburgh is still doubling Boston in shots 22-11 so they just need to cash in on one of their many opportunities in the latter moments of this one. What a start to the final period as Evgeni Malkin throws a shot at the net that appears to get deflected by Alexei Ponikarovsky or is in the very least aided by his screen as it finds its way by Thomas to give the Pens their first lead of the game at 2-1. Crosby carries some speed into the Boston zone and DuPuis again provides a great center drive, but Thomas comes out to the top of his crease and makes a solid stop on Sid. As always, TK is willing to shoot it from anywhere and he fires a blast at the net and connects with iron to the left of Thomas who taps the post to show his appreciation. The zone time is mounting in favor of the Pens as they are peppering Thomas with shots from all angles nearing the midway point in the game’s final period. Thomas again is called upon to make a great stop as Crosby comes storming toward the net on a give and go with Kunitz as the Boston netminder makes a smart poke check on the play. Fantastic alert save made by Fleury as he denies Ryder on a rebound opportunity at the top of his crease with a poke check to push the puck out of Ryder’s reach. Geno creates his own offense at the other end as he attacks the Boston net, but Thomas is again up for the challenge making a handful of sparkling stops with his pads on Malkin and Fedotenko. One of those awful moments takes place in the neutral zone as Matt Cooke lowers a shoulder into the head of Marc Savard who hits the ice hard and unfortunately it does not look good as a stretcher is brought out to help get him off of the ice. All the best is sent to Savard as he is taken from the ice and the Penguins crowd gives him a standing salute and he raises his hand in appreciation which is a great sign. Neither team shows any negative effects in the closing moments of this game after that injury scene, but all of the energy appears to have been sapped from the Bruins as time expires without any true threats on net and the Pens notch up their fourth win in a row since returning from the Olympic break.

After that ugly scene on the ice with Cooke hitting Savard with his shoulder sending him crashing into the ice, the Pens will probably need to prepare for a game or two without his services. Even though the hit was clean and there was no ill-intent from Cooke in the check, the NHL has been cracking down on those open ice blows this year and rightfully so with so many scary moments across the league. For Pittsburgh, their road trip will begin on Thursday as the Pens get some time to rest up before embarking on their five game trek beginning with the red hot Carolina Hurricanes. The hard work of some select role players in this lineup continues to play a huge role in the team’s overall success. Today’s biggest contributor was DuPuis who seemed to find another gear just flying to every loose puck and making plays in transition that Pens fans should expect from him for the duration of this stretch run as well as on into the postseason. Fleury looked quite solid in this matchup as well making some key saves when called upon and may have found his rhythm after a slow start to his post-Olympic game.

Pittsburgh is faced with a difficult decision in today’s game against the Dallas Stars as they acquired winger Alexei Ponikarovsky and now they have to decide which current member of the lineup will be a healthy scratch. Evgeni Malkin was the main reasoning behind the acquisition of Ponikarovsky as Geno really needs some fire power on his wing to make his game work at its best. The debate has been between sitting Mike Rupp and Craig Adams in favor of the newcomer and neither is a player that the Penguins want to lose from that lineup. Preferably Rupp would sit in my opinion with all of the added value Adams brings on the penalty kill giving Jordan Staal some time off after long shifts. Dallas made a deal of their own just prior to the trading deadline and that new member of their lineup will be in goal for this one as Kari Lehtonen takes over for the struggling Marty Turco between the pipes. Lehtonen is gigantic for a goaltender at 6’4” 215lbs. and he continues the rebuilding on the fly that Dallas seems to have started. In their two wins since returning to the ice after the Olympics, the Pens have been very effective with their puck possession moving the biscuit around the zone and working until they see an open look at the cage. Dallas has been on the opposite side of the coin after the layoff with two lop-sided losses which both saw the team net only one goal. There is one injury of note for the Pens as Bill Guerin missed Thursday’s game with the New York Rangers due to back spasms and won’t be in the lineup again in this one still recovering from that ailment.

Obviously both teams will be looking for some improved play in net as Marc-Andre Fleury was yanked from the net on Thursday after allowing 4 goals on just 12 shots. The Pens will look to continue their stifling defensive play today holding opponents to as few shot opportunities as possible after really closing out on angles denying passes in their defensive zone. Mellon Arena is jumping for this Saturday matinee as the puck is dropped with the Pens dawning their baby blues here for this one and Fleury is called upon early to make two alert stops right in the high slot on former Penguin Toby Peterson. A counterattack from the Pens catches the Dallas defense sleeping as Staal receives a pass from Matt Cooke and storms over the blue line with the puck to beat Letonen through the five-hole to make it 1-0 Pens in the early going. Fleury continues to look solid in his bounce back effort this afternoon making two more pad saves of Mike Ribeiro. Pittsburgh unveils the two-headed monster of Sidney Crosby with Malkin for the first time on the day and Nicklas Grossman takes a holding penalty as a result, but the Pens power play is unable to pay off the time with the extra skater. Ribeiro creates his own offense for the Stars with a nifty move coming into the Pens zone and gets the puck to the net handcuffing Fleury before depositing the puck into the open portion of the net to level the game at 1-1. A Tyler Kennedy hooking penalty extends the momentum swing in favor of Dallas who scares the net, but the Pens kill of the infraction to free TK from the box. Pittsburgh continues to have difficulty staying out of the box as Maxime Talbot is sent off for interference giving the Stars another chance to build on their current positive energy.

The first intermission arrives with just seconds remaining on the penalty as the Pens continue to cut off the passing lanes defensively a man down with Pascal DuPuis logging some valuable minutes on the kill. Level at 1-1 after one, the Pens will look to get more to their game and cycle the puck in the Stars end of the ice as period two begins with a miscue from Brooks Orpik. Orpik misplays a two on one break in from the Stars as Ribeiro makes another great play to slide a dish pass to Brandon Segal who finds the twine to give Dallas a 2-1 advantage. The demons are back for Fleury as Loui Eriksson scores on a pass from Brad Richards that the Penguins goaltender should have been broken up as the puck slides right through the blue paint onto the tape of Eriksson who directs it into the open cage to increase the lead to 3-1 Stars. The Pens aren’t going to roll over easily as a great breakout from Pittsburgh started by Kris Letang allows Crosby to find Chris Kunitz who fires a shot by the glove of Lehtonen to narrow the gap to 3-2. Perhaps the Pens tally gave Fleury some inspiration as he makes a magnificent stop diving back in front of an open net to deny Richards of a sure goal. An absolutely fantabulous play from Letang on the forecheck running over Richards and taking the puck to deliver a gorgeous pass to DuPuis who directs it by Lehtonen to draw the Penguins even again at 3-3.

The goaltenders haven’t had much time to catch their breath here in this period with two goals per side in about nine minutes of game action, but Fleury appears to be settling into his crease making a solid glove save of James Neal. Pittsburgh has been focused on going to the net in this game as Alex Goligoski gets a puck to the pads of Lehtonen and Crosby nearly pokes home the rebound by being in position at the top of the goal crease. The hard work pays off for the Pens as some continuous puck movement in the zone nets the lead for Pittsburgh as Crosby circles the net and catches Lehtonen out of position with a wraparound score making it 4-3 Penguins. Some animosity has been brewing for a while after the whistle and Craig Adams drops the gloves with Steve Ott as the two take part in a spirited bout leaving both of their sweaters spattered with blood.

The Pens are forced to take a penalty as the Stars storm into the zone and Pittsburgh’s best penalty killer Staal heads to the sin bin for hooking Mike Modano.

On the kill before the period expires Sergei Gonchar takes a high sticking penalty to give the Stars a two man advantage for nearly a minute to begin the 3rd period. This early part of the final stanza is going to be vital for the Penguins in trying to get their third straight win since returning from the Olympic break as the kill begins. A broken stick bails the Pens out on the early portion of the kill and the latter half proves to be the downfall of the Stars. After Staal is freed from the box, he and Crosby move into the Dallas zone shorthanded on a break and Staal feeds the league’s leading goal scorer for yet another goal as he beats Lehtonen to move the score to 5-3. Pittsburgh had a chance to all but ice this game as Trevor Daley is penalized for high sticking, but despite an abundance of pressure from the Pens, Dallas frees Daley from the box. The teams continue to exchange penalties as Letang heads to the box for a cross check, but Fleury is really seeing the puck well here in the critical stages of this one as Pittsburgh kills off another penalty. This game isn’t going to be easy as the Penguins continue to shoot themselves in the foot with Ruslan Fedotenko taking an interference call to give the Stars their sixth power play of the game. The goal post is your friend if you are a Pens fan as Dallas connects with nothing but iron on that man advantage before Fedotenko is set free. Pittsburgh will be on the power play as Brendan Morrow is sent to the box for slashing and the newest member of the Penguins finds the twine in his first game as Ponikarovsky cleans up a puck off of the end boards by lofting it over Lehtonen moving the margin to 6-3. A scrap erupts immediately following the goal as Rupp drops the gloves with Krys Barch and just hammers away on the back of his head during their bout.

After the fighting penalties are assessed, Neal trips down Mark Eaton and goes to the box giving Pittsburgh another opportunity with the extra man. Dallas survives that penalty, but the game still ends in favor of the Pens with their third consecutive win following the Olympics.

The Boston Bruins will visit Mellon Arena tomorrow before the Pens depart on a five game road stretch that will go a long way in defining their position among the Eastern Conference’s elite. The Penguins have been solid away from home this year and their road success will need to show itself during this trip if they hope to maintain their advantage over the New Jersey Devils in the Atlantic Division. Boston will be a stern test as both sides will be playing in a back to back situation this weekend with the Bruins taking on the New York Islanders simultaneous to this Pens contest. After a rocky start to this game and some suspect play of late, Fleury really took control midway through period two after that highway robbery of Richards on the doorstep. Hopefully he can continue to build on his sparkling effort between the pipes for the Pens in this one.

Lundqvist will be the goalkeeper for this one though as he takes on fellow Olympian Marc-Andre Fleury who will try to shake the rust of zero game action in nearly three weeks after not logging one second on the ice with team Canada. One guy that Fleury will be on the lookout for will be forward Ryan Callahan who had a nice showing with team USA in Vancouver and carried that momentum into Tuesday night scoring two goals in that one for New York. The puck has been dropped at Madison Square Garden and an arch nemisis of the Penguins shows up in the early going as Artem Anisimov soars down the left wing on an odd man rush for the Rangers and uncorks a wrist shot that is perfectly placed over the glove of Fleury into the top corner of the net to give New York a 1-0 lead. If you remember back to the other meetings this season between these two clubs, there is some bad blood and that comes to light after Sidney Crosby is interfered with by Marc Staal and taken to the ice. Lundqvist gives him a little lip about diving before Sid confronts him and more blue shirts come to the aid of their netminder and some kind words are exchanged surely. After its all sorted out the Pens earn a power play and then they double down when Jordan Staal is slashed by Michal Rozsival giving Pittsburgh some five on three time. Before the first penalty can expire, Chris Kunitz picks up the trash on the door step poking a puck by Lundqvist on a rebound chance to even the game at 1-1. The Pens have a decsided shot advantage in the game near the midway point of the opening period as Staal throws a puck into the slot where it deflects off of bodies and by the stick of Lundqvist to put Pittsburgh in front 2-1. The chippyness continues to show between whistles as well as during game play as Brooks Orpik trips a Ranger and heads to the sin bin giving New York a power play on which Chris Drury makes an outstanding play to level this game at 2-2 scoring from his knees in front of the goal on a spin-o-rama style of shot.

There has been a lot of extra curricular activity going on including as the horn sounds to end the opening period as Malkin and Callahan whack one another in a tussle along the boards. Expect that to continue with a tight score as the 2nd period gets underway with Malkin and Callahan in the box and immediately upon their penalties expiring Rozsival scores yet another gorgeous goal for the Rangers going upstairs over the glove hand on Fleury to the short side to make it 3-2 Rangers. The Pens come back with some resiliency after the goal possessing the puck for an extended period of time in the Rangers zone getting a number of pucks to Lundqvist’s gear before New York can clear. Sticks continue to be weilded by both sides as this game reaches its midway point with several whacks being exchanged by either side away from the play. The animosity continues to ratchet up as the crowd at MSG erupts when Crosby is called for a high stick on Rozsival giving the Rangers the man advantage on which they capitalize as Brandon Dubinsky rings the post beside Fleury and the biscuit bounces off of his number 29 and over the goal line to make it 4-2 New York. Brent Johnson is brought in to relieve Fleury who just hasn’t been sharp from the drop of the puck tonight so hopefully this change switches the momentum a bit. Sure enough, Crosby makes a great play at the blue to stay onside before feeding Michael Rupp who finishes beating Lundqvist to the stick side narrowing the gap to 4-3. Rupp’s strong play continues on in this period as he is finishing his checks and really bringing a high level of energy to the ice for Pittsburgh envigorating this lineup. Johnson has been astoundingly sharp for coming in cold in the middle of the 2nd period as he makes a great stop on the doorstep on Brandon Prust to keep the game even heading into the intermission.

Of course Pittsburgh would like to be ahead moving into the final twenty minutes of play, but they have controlled the pace of play in this one with a 32 to 15 advantage in shots through two periods. More pressure into the Rangers zone and a high level of effort should bode well for the Pens carrying the momentum of that late goal into the final stanza as the puck is on the ice and they immediately get to their game with Malkin dropping off a pass to Pascal DuPuis who fires a shot into the webbing of Lundqvist’s glove. Back and forth action from end to end for both teams as the wide open nature of this has turned into a track meet with some fierce skating in transition as the Pens threaten to even things up. Lundqvist is going to be the deciding factor of this game if the Rangers are to hold on in this contest as he has already stopped 8 shots in the first four minutes of this 3rd period. A usual suspect in the after whistle action comes to the forefront as notorious tough guy Sean Avery mixes it up with Maxime Talbot and the two go to the box for roughing making way for some four on four action. The next goal was going to be incredibly important and a ridiculous angle on a shot by Alex Goligoski gets a friendly Pens bounce and riccochets into the net trying this one at 4-4 as the Pens have yet to allow a shot in the 3rd period. Pittsburgh’s penalty kill has really struggled in this game, but they will need a big kill here as Matt Cooke goes to the box for tripping. Jordan Staal leads the way on the huge kill for Pittsburgh as the Rangers finally register their first shot of the period under the five minute mark. The ice has really tilted in the closing moments of regulation, but Lundqvist has kept the Rangers alive every step of the way denying a number of chances with the Penguins swarming around the net until time expires.

Pittsburgh continues these dramatic comebacks as overtime will decide this game and the Pens begin extra time by peppering Lundqvist with more shots before a ginormous penalty call is made on Wayne Redden for hooking. This four on three chance will give the Pens plenty of ice to work with and they begin with Malkin ringing the post and Lundqvist making a sick glove save on Geno to keep New York alive. Finally Malkin is able to get one by the near impenetrable Lundqvist as the puck movement and skill shown by the Pens gets the better of the Rangers playing down a skater.

This was definitely a hard earned 5-4 overtime win after trailing by two goals in the final period again a goaltender the caliber of Lundqvist. Of the 55 shots he faced on the evening, Lundqvist denied 50 of them which is an incredible showing under constant furious pressure from Pittsburgh. The Pens on the other hand can’t be all that happy with what they saw in goal with Fleury looking a bit shaky in his first game action in forever allowing 4 goals on 14 shots before making way for Johnson to take over. On the other hand, Johnson looked amazing after entering only facing a handful of shots, but making some clutch saves to hold the fort and allow the Pens the opportunity to make a comeback. The Pens had back to Pittsburgh for a weekend homestand against the Dallas Stars on Saturday and Boston Bruins Sunday before a five game road trip so the stretch run has officially begun and the Pens have gotten all 4 points available to them since the Olympic break. This win tonight puts them in front of the New Jersey Devils for the first time in a long time, but the Pens will be hungry to stay there and maintain that number two seed in the Eastern Conference.

With 20 games left in the regular season, this final quarter of the year will be vital in the Penguins quest to repeat as Stanley Cup champions as they try to acquire as high of seed as possible heading into the postseason. The Penguins did make an under the radar personnel move to help strengthen their defensive unit as General Manager Ray Shero traded a second round pick in 2010 for Jordan Leopold of the Florida Panthers on Monday. Leopold is a puck moving defenseman that does a great job of feeding the forwards in the transition game to help things flow seamlessly. Of the thinking behind the move, Penguins Head Coach Dan Bylsma said: “His coaches played him against the other teams’ top lines this year. A guy who skates like he skates, supporting and joining the rush, going back for pucks, and a guy who has the ability to move the puck like he moves it, it’s a unique opportunity to be able to add him to your team.” Leopold will be a free agent after the season ends on July 1 so this move is likely a short term one for Pittsburgh to make a push at defending their Stanley Cup Champions title. The league’s trade deadline will be Wednesday at 3pm and Shero is not ruling out making another move prior to that as he said: “From our meetings and talking to our coaches, our first priority was to try to add a defenseman, and probably since Saturday I’ve been active trying to do that. Now we’ll just continue to make calls and just see what’s out there. Maybe it’s a minor league deal, maybe it’s no deal at all, but just be in the mix of things and see what’s out there.” It’s always exciting to hear that sort of desire from the team’s front office and tonight will be good chance to get a look at the newly configured Penguins lineup as Jay McKee will be a healthy scratch in favor of dressing the newly acquired Leopold.

This game gets going with some positive action for Pittsburgh as Evgeni Malkin finds Pascal DuPuis skating into the zone who fires a shot on net but Lalime hugs the post to make the stop directing the biscuit to the boards. Paul Gaustad gets a big shot on the Penguins net from the high slot testing Johnson for the first time on the night. The Pens have established a great forecheck in the early going of this game not allowing the Sabres any viable avenues to escape their own zone. Very few whistles in the first half of the game’s opening period as the pace of play has been extremely quick with both sides trying to force mistakes by the opposition as they pursue on the forecheck. A bit of animosity is sparked as Crosby and Craig Rivet both take a few whacks at one another and are each penalized for roughing setting up two minutes of four on four action. Malkin is skating with some extra juice here in the early going as he weaves through the Sabres defense getting a quality shot into the paraphernalia of Lalime. Maxime Talbot gets shaken up after a bit of a cheap shot from Tim Kennedy as he is driven face first into the end boards and Kennedy receives a penalty to give the Pens the game’s first power play. Pittsburgh’s special teams look as good as ever as the power play unit cycles around the Buffalo zone before Sergei Gonchar shoots his patented slapper from the blue line by the pad of Lalime to open the scoring at 1-0 Pens. Buffalo has blocked a number of shots in the 1st period or the shot total could be even more lopsided as Pittsburgh has outshot the Sabres 12-4 with a few minutes left in the frame.

Kris Letang takes a holding penalty just before the end of the opening period that will carryover into the second stanza as the Pens carry their 1-0 advantage into the dressing room for the first intermission. Pittsburgh has had a ton of energy early on in this contest which is really exciting to see their desire to resume their push to the playoffs on a positive note. The 2nd period gets going with the Penguins killing off the remainder of the Letang minor before Brooks Orpik gets in on the offensive act blasting two challenging shots to the net fought off by the blocker of Lalime. A gorgeous pass from down below the goal line by Ruslan Fedotenko slides through the goal crease and onto the stick of DuPuis who one times the puck into the half open net to push the Pens advantage to 2-0. Following the goal, Crosby puts on a show for the packed house at Mellon Arena after getting knocked down to his knees and stick handling the puck for a number of seconds in the Buffalo end. The Sabres get on the scoreboard with a counter rush of their own as Patrick Kaleta drops a pass for Toni Lydman who fires a blast from the point that finds its way through traffic and behind Johnson to narrow the gap to 2-1 Pens. Some physical play begins to pick up as Malkin is dropped with a heavy hit from the shoulder of the goal scorer Lydman in the Buffalo end receiving a small cut on the bridge of his nose in the process. The Pens have used a lot of bodies in this game evenly distributing the ice time of nearly everyone on their bench in an effort to smooth the transition after more than two weeks away from game action. An odd man break for Buffalo leads to a Penguins penalty as Orpik is called for hooking to give the Sabres their second power play chance of the night.

The Pens survive the penalty to maintain their 2-1 lead heading into the second intermission killing off the Orpik minor. Just twenty more minutes of solid tight checking stand between the Pens and a great start to the final 20 games of their season after a defensive minded second frame. Period three gets started with the Pens drawing a penalty on Buffalo as Chris Kunitz makes a takeway in the neutral zone and skates in free on Lalime before being hooked by Thomas Vanek giving the Pens an early chance to widen their lead. Immediately after their penalty is killed off, Pittsburgh commits an infraction of their own as Fedotenko takes an undisciplined high sticking penalty to give Buffalo the extra skater. On the ensuing kill, Matt Cooke nearly scores a shorthanded tally forcing Lalime to make two sprawling saves before the penalty time expires. A bit of anger boils over as Mike Rupp and Gaustad tango near the Penguins net with Rupp ending up beating the Sabre into submission after a number of right hands to his head connect.

Gonchar commits an interference penalty when the action resumes as he pushes Tim Connolly into the end boards and the Pens will need a crucial penalty kill. Pittsburgh comes through on the kill as Leopold has really shown off what he has to offer to this Penguins team with his outstanding transitional passing as well as some solid physical play in this game. A set play off of the faceoff allows the Pens to increase their lead as Fedotenko finds the puck on his stick in the high slot as he zings a patented wrist shot by the glove of Lalime to move the score to 3-1 Pens. Buffalo isn’t going to roll over in this one as Derek Roy lofts a backhander that appears to go in under the crossbar behind Johnson but is ruled no goal on the ice. Upon further review, the officials find that Roy did in fact score as the puck came flying back out of the net after crossing the line and the Sabres are within one down only 3-2. Buffalo has come storming back in this game to actually take the lead in shots on goal as they are hungry to find the game tying tally.

Despite some tenuous closing moments for the Pens after the Sabres pulled Lalime in favor of an extra attacker, Pittsburgh begins their stretch run with a victory. With a defensive rotation now boasting a bit more depth, the Pens will be a team to be reckoned with as the days left in the season are whittled down quickly. Late word after the final whistle of the game is made that the Pens have made another deal just before the deadline trading farm hands Luca Caputi and Martin Skoula to the Toronto Maple Leafs for winger Alexei Ponikarovsky. The flexibility to deal a defenseman was afforded by the newly acquired Leopold and now adding Ponikarovsky’s talent to presumably Jordan Staal’s line will make the Pens that much more dangerous heading forward.

As is often the case in a hockey game, goaltenders would be in focus for this matchup with the Canadian Luongo staring down perhaps the hottest goalie going in team USA’s Ryan Miller in this one. Miller has been sparkling throughout the entire tournament and the United States would need that to continue for them to have a chance at claiming gold in this game. The feeling out process in the opening period began with a heavy forecheck from the United States stifling team Canada and forcing them out of the comfort zone trying to make things happen through the neutral zone. When either side was able to gain the zone of their opponents in the first half of the period guys were sacrificing their bodies time after time to block shots before the game really was able to open up a little bit. Penguins fans saw a familiar sight as defenseman Brooks Orpik sent Dany Heatley into the bench area with a punishing hit in the neutral zone drawing a bit of a negative reaction from the partisan Canadian crowd. Orpik’s physicality seemed to open the flood gates for some chippy play as scrums began breaking out after whistles from that point on as the animosity ratcheted up a notch. The scoring chances were a dead heat until Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks got the scoring going on a second chance opportunity after team Canada lost a draw near Ryan Miller and their fierce forecheck turned the puck over to set him up for a shot a point plant range that he lofted over Miller’s shoulder to put Canada in front.

The United States put forward an effort quite even with that of the Canadians in the 1st period only they were unable to find the back of the net in the first twenty minutes. Penalties weren’t really a part of the first frame, but the teams exchanged power plays to begin the 2nd period neither of which yielded any scoring. Corey Perry was Johnny on the spot to light the lamp for Canada following their penalty kill though which created some palpable momentum for the home country as they pushed their advantage to 2-0. Luongo wasn’t called on much in the early portion of the period, but he showed off some skills in net midway through the middle period when Jack Johnson drug the puck to the net and created a quality chance for the Americans on the doorstep. America’s energy all tournament came from Patrick Kane and his shot thrown toward the net was redirected by Ryan Kesler past Luongo on the blocker side to pull the Americans within one. That goal really lifted the spirits of team USA who really surged with tremendous fury to close the middle period with Patrick Kane leading the red, white, and blue’s charge in the Canadians end of the ice. The frenetic, energized action from both nations before the horn sounded to end the 2nd period really allowed for a carryover of some outstanding hockey in the game’s final stanza.

Canada would carry their one goal advantage into the final period where drama surely awaited with podium positions on the line in the closing twenty minutes of play. Two strikes of iron added to the suspense as team Canada rung both posts on either side of Miller in the first two minutes of the final period, but the United States skated on unscathed. Both sides skated with incredible energy bringing ferocious forechecks making it difficult to have an orchestrated breakout of any kind to start the 3rd period. As he did all tournament long, some phenomenal goaltending from Miller kept the United States in shouting distance as he held his post to make a pad save on Heatley. The tense nature of the game had everyone teetering on the edge of their seats as with each opportunity created by the United States there was an audible collective exhale from the Canadian biased audience in attendance during the middle stretch of the final frame. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was fairly quiet all game until the closing minutes of the final period when he took the puck away from the United States and had a breakaway storming in on Miller. but the backcheck from Kane poke checked the puck off of his stick blade. With the goaltender on the bench, the USA made their final push and with the extra skater on the ice. The Americans buzzed around the net and their persistence proved to be too much for Luongo as a familiar suspect for team USA, Zach Parise, got the biscuit over the goal line on a mad scramble in front of the net with just 24 seconds left in the Olympics. Or so everyone thought…

Overtime would only add further intrigue to this game already oozing with drama as team USA looked to carry its determined play into the extra time after winning the battles down low to finish out regulation. Olympic overtime is similar to that of the NHL only with 15 additional minutes in the four on four play. A shootout would determine the winner after that if the game were still a stalemate. Some cautious play from both sides started the extra time as everyone on the ice seemed careful not to make an epic mistake. After his breakaway opportunity brought him out of hiding near the end of regulation, Crosby made a second appearance in the overtime period as well. Always the flair for the dramatic, Sid received a pass from Jarome Iginla down near the corner boards and just turned a low quick shot on net that snuck by Miller on the short side between his skate and the post to end the game and decide the flavor of medal to go around the necks of each country.

The NHL is great, but there is just something extra special about Olympic hockey that is difficult to put into words. Perhaps it is condensing all of the NHL’s best talent onto a just a handful of rosters and seeing how things pan out as a smaller scale, more skilled version of hockey just brings out the best in everyone. After nearly every event billed as one of the biggest things since sliced bread there is a bit of a letdown when things don’t pan out quite as they were planned, but this one just made the chorus of voices clamoring prior to this game sound like mere whispers. The equivalent to a walk-off homerun in the World Series game 7, maybe a buzzer beater in the national championship game, or a touchdown as time expires in the Super Bowl, Crosby’s tally was just poetry in motion for the game of hockey. Perhaps the one distinguishing characteristic of the Olympic hockey tournament is that rather than just lifting up a single city an entire country joins together in cheering on its athletes.

Now the big question for the Penguins has to be just what will be the affect of this lengthy break on team chemistry when they reconvene and return to the ice on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres. At least for the sake of the Pens they will have Monday to get in a bit of work together and get reacquainted after the extended vacation from one another. Dan Bylsma will welcome his guys back with open arms as the Pens now have some Olympic medals to hang on their Stanley Cup from less than a calendar year ago. What a memorable experience for each of these individuals.

The dream matchup for the media in this continent at least is still alive for the gold medal contest on Sunday as both the United States and Canada made it to Friday’s semifinal action without much resistance. To have made it this deep into the tournament however, the teams that they would see in these games should provide a stiffer test than their previous opponents. Both team USA and team Canada have looked very fresh coming down to crunch time in this event which is most likely attributable to the youth infusion into their respective lineups. Both sides boast players who will likely be perennial all-stars in the NHL for years to come in the Penguins Sidney Crosby and Columbus Blue Jackets Rick Nash for Canada countered by Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane and New Jersey Devils scorer Zach Parise for team USA. Their fresh legs will prove to be beneficial down the stretch run toward the medals in these Olympic games.

Team red, white, and blue hit the ice first for their semifinal action and they didn’t waste any time asserting their dominance against team Finland. Early momentum again played a pivotal role for the USA as a giveaway 20 feet from his net crease by Finnish goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff to former Penguin Ryan Malone resulted in the game’s opening tally less than two minutes into the contest. Finland really began to fade quickly after that opening miscue by Kiprusoff took place as the United States would score six 1st period goals in a span of 5:24 of game time. Carrying that 6-0 lead into the final forty minutes of play, all the USA would look to do from that point on is bleed the clock dry in order to earn their much anticipated gold medal game appearance. Goaltender Ryan Miller was yanked with ten minutes remaining in the 3rd period with his clean sheet still intact for precautionary reasons and sadly backup Tim Thomas allowed one goal late to the Fins.

A 6-1 win for the Americans really didn’t require much in the way of stout defensive play as they jumped out to such a large lead that it was near impossible to squander it away. Nonetheless, to hold a team with as much firepower as Finland scoreless for more than fifty minutes of game time took some exceptional defensive play. That effort on defense was led by none other than Penguins heavy hitter Brooks Orpik who logged a relatively large amount of ice time in comparison to his average in the tournament with 18:51 and of course he dealt out his fair share of crushing blows along the boards as well. The only thing left to do for the Americans then was to wait and see who they would be meeting in the gold medal game.

Pre-tournament favorites Canada may have saved their best for last in these Olympics after struggling a bit in the preliminary rounds, but clicking on all cylinders in their last contest against an underwhelming Russian team. With the United States already through and sixty minutes away from the ultimate prize for your country, Canada would need to show just how hungry they were to equal the intensity of team USA. The Canadians charged out of the box with a similarly quick start to that of the Americans as they immediately got the puck deep into the Slovakian end and sustained pressure on netminder Jaroslav Halak. Much in the same fashion of the United States team, Canada came flying out of the locker room dealing blow after blow to their opponents. Before anyone in Vancouver could catch their breath Canada was taking a 3-0 lead into the 1st intermission and feeling very confident about their performance. The 2nd period would prove to be a stalemate as the 3-0 margin would be taken to the final twenty minutes for the host country. Slovakia was held to just 8 shots in the first two periods combined, but they dug deep and found some fire in the final frame. The Slovaks closed the gap to 3-2 before a chance on the doorstep for the team’s star of the tournament Pavel Demitra had a potential game tier on the blade of his stick, but lofted the biscuit just over the crossbar allowing the Canadians to survive a late period scare.

For sure all 30 million residents of Canada were on pins and needles during the late surge from team Slovakia, but sixty minutes on Sunday now is all that separates Canada from becoming the first host nation to win gold in the hockey competition in the history of the winter Olympics. A revenge factor will certainly provide extra motivation if any is even necessary for Canada in their rematch with the United States. They have to be thrilled with the opportunity to avenge a tough loss earlier in preliminary play. For the United States, you can bet that they didn’t want to see this Canadian team again as toppling the Canadians once was a tall enough task, but needing to do it twice in as many weeks to win the ultimate prize is going to be a Mt. Everest esque ask of the Americans.

One thing is for sure from these Olympics, there will be a gold medalist on the Penguins roster as either Orpik’s United States team or Crosby’s Canadian squad will be the recipients of one of the game’s ultimate prizes less than a calendar year after hoisting the Stanley Cup. These two are obviously integral parts on the Pens roster and equally as important in the success of their respective countries as well. With the variety of nationalities on the Penguins roster, the locker room will likely be an entertaining scene when all of the Pens Olympians return to Pittsburgh after Sunday’s showdown. Allegiances will be held and a great deal of ragging will definitely be done on whichever side finishes on the short end of Sunday’s game.

During the broadcast of the games for NBC, Mike Milbury channeled his inner Don Cherry when he proclaimed the Russians effort against Canada to be a ‘Eurotrash’ effort. Of course around hockey this may be a relatively common thing to hear as often times the European style of hockey is less physical than the approach taken here in North America. At least Milbury was on the right track even though his comments were a bit questionable for national television as both the gold and silver medals will reside in North American countries for the next four years.

Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby will be hungry to simply advance his country deeper into the tournament, but the fact that it would come at the expense of one of his most fierce rivals in Washington Capitals all-purpose superstar Alexander Ovechkin is just an added bonus. As evidenced from their playoff series last year and their meeting earlier in this calendar year, these two don’t really care for one another all that much. Both of these nations had pre-tournament aspirations of the gold medal and the final game this Sunday, but when the best of the best suit up for their respective countries, anything can happen. Canadian national team and Detroit Red Wings Head Coach Mike Babcock said prior to Wednesday’s game: “I thought we were going to have the opportunity to play them; we never knew it was going to be this early. It should be a lot of fun.” It definitely is going to be an enjoyable experience for all of the spectators across the globe with a view of this one.

Not to be outdone in this Olympics, the United States team that toppled the host nation favorite Canadian team with Penguin defenseman Brooks Orpik patrolling the blue line did battle with a game Switzerland squad who pressed the USA team in their opening preliminary contest. Swiss netminder Jonas Hiller is the primary reason that team Switzerland still remains in the draw as he has been one of the best goalkeepers in the tournament. Speaking of best keepers in the Olympics, United States and Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller has been spectular for team USA giving the team a chance to win night after night with sparkling performances between the pipes. This youthful, invigorated lineup that the USA has been skating onto the ice has really generated some excitement for hockey in the States.

First on center stage chronologically on the day would be the Americans who had already faced this Swiss team and seen just how their tight defensive style can put the clamps on even the most high powered of offenses. Strong defensive minutes from Brooks Orpik logged in the early going when the United States was under substantial pressure from the Swiss offense really proved beneficial for the stars and stripes as the only Penguin on the American team showed why he was worthy of an Olympic roster spot by containing the majority of the Swiss attack to the boards. Neutral zone congestion by the Swiss team thoroughly frustrated the United States for the first two periods of play in this game just as it did in the first meeting between these two as their style of play is very New Jersey Devils esque. Orpik showed some of his patented heavy hitting early in the 3rd period when he sent a Swiss player airborne landing in the USA bench area. Hiller is the only reason this game was even close as the first goal and only goal that he allowed came early in the 3rd. It was the first goal he allowed in more than 72 minutes of action during Olympic action for the Swiss. An empty netter was added by the first goal scorer Zach Parise giving him two on the day and making the final margin 2-0 in favor of the United States.

Orpik’s stat line for the game was modest, but as always his contributions don’t often show up in the box score as he logged 15:19 in ice time and dealt out some powerful hits in what was a very close checking contest. The next opponent for the United States will be team Finland who emerged victorious over the Czech Republic 2-0 later in the evening. That throwdown will be one of large consequences as the winner moves on to the gold medal game on Sunday. The game against the Fins will be on Friday giving the Americans a much needed day off before taking to the ice once again.

The primetime showdown with Canada and Russia would obviously be the main attraction for the viewing audience and they didn’t waste any time getting things started up. Canada lit up their side of the board just two and a half minutes into the game. A raucous home crowd only fueled the almost palpable fire burning within the Canadaians as they only poured on more misery from there. The difficulties continued for Malkin with the puck on his stick with an ill-advised turnover leading to a two on one breakout for the Canadians to push the lead to 3-0 when Rick Nash cashed in as thing really began to look bleak for Russia from that point with the arena absolutely rocking. Even though Russia would get on the board before the period expired, the Canadians added another tally as well to maintain their three goal advantage after one period at 4-1. Canada’s buzzsaw was only enhanced by the energy from the crowd which seemed to dictate the game with their intensity. The goalfest continued with the resumption of play in period two as Canada added two more marks before Evgeni Nabokov was given the hook perhaps a bit too late for the Russians hopes down 6-1.Puck after puck continued to find its way behind the netminders in this game as Gonchar recorded his first goal in the Olympics for the Russians third of the contest to Canada’s seven midway into the 2nd period. Canada would nurse their lead into the clubhouse form there as neither side would draw any blood for the remainder of the game and things did get a bit chippy in the closing moments of action.

Canada pulled through when it mattered most and this is yet another case where Sid gets the better of Ovi. In this particular scenario however, this squad also dismissed two Pittsburgh teammates in Malkin and Gonchar from the Russian side of things. All will be forgiven surely was the team reconvenes next week to continue their push toward the Cup. For Sid and the Canadian national team however, the dream is still alive for a golf medal as they prepare to meet the Slovakian team on Friday after the Slovaks defeated Henrik Lundqvist and the Swedish team 4-3 later Wednesday evening. Lundqvist had his first bad outing of the Olympics and the erratic nature of goaltending shows just how vital a solid performance between the pipes is in one and done competition.

The stats were not pretty on the Russian side of things as Malkin recorded a -2 even with an assist and Gonchar a -1 despite scoring a goal in the contest. Geno’s 19:14 in ice time was just as inconsequential as Gonchar’s 20:18 as the individuals on team Russia will now shift their focus back to their NHL teams and the push to the playoffs. For Crosby and Canada, the stats were obviously more upbeat as Sid himself didn’t score any points on the night, but his 17:34 of ice time still provided his usual ferocious backchecking and ever improving two-way game that he brings to the table. It will be great to get these guys back in Mellon Arena less than a week from now when the Pens reconvene to do battle with the Sabres. For both Crosby and Orpik however, there is still unfinished business in Vancouver so here’s to hoping that a Penguin has a gold medal when they return to action next week.

Sunday played the role of the most important day of Olympic competition as far as hockey is concerned in the 2010 games. Rivalries were rekindled during a day of showdowns from early afternoon to late night in Vancouver. All of Pittsburgh’s Olympians were involved in Sunday’s games which made for a great watch for Penguins fans this weekend. In the final day of preliminary action, this would be the final chance for teams to make any necessary adjustments moving forward to calibrate their lineups just right for a medal push.

The day’s first tilt between the Czech Republic and Russian Federation featured an incredible assortment of talent on the ice from both sides as they could likely produce a lineup comparable to that of an NHL all-star game. Penguins star center iceman Evgeni Malkin scored the game’s first tally on the power play and that wasn’t the end of his stellar day for his country. Geno also added another mark in the 3rd period off of a feed from Alexander Ovechkin before assisting on the game clincher with a pass to Pavel Datsyuk to secure the first round bye for the Russian Federation. Despite committing a handful of costly turnover in his own zone, Pens defenseman Sergei Gonchar put in 16:50 of ice time with a +2 plus/minus rating. Malkin’s 18:43 time on ice and +2 rating complemented Gonchar’s work as both played quite the instrumental role in Russia’s 4-2 win.

Then it was on to the primetime slate of action which of course featured the home nation Canada against their next door neighbors in the United States. On paper the talent level certainly went to the Canadian squad in this showdown, but fortunately for the stars and stripes the game’s are played on ice, not paper. Even with all of the hype leading into this game, Canada and the USA arguably exceeded expectations as a back and forth tussle with multiple ties and lead changes came down to the two in net. If that had been said prior to the start of the game, perhaps one would be inclined to side with Canada’s seasoned veteran Martin Brodeur over the USA’s Ryan Miller, but Miller was outstanding in goal fighting off 42 of 45 shots. It wasn’t quite the caliber of a miracle on ice, but the USA prevailed over team Canada 5-3 and immediately following the game Canada announced that Roberto Luongo would take Brodeur’s place during medal play.

For the Penguins portion of this game, obviously Canada’s national hero Sidney Crosby was the main attraction and he was caught on the ice for a number of tough situations for his home country. On two of the five tallies for the USA Crosby could be seen scrambling around the top of the goal crease trying to make defensive plays, but Sid’s stick actually redirected one of the pucks by his own keeper in the process. Crosby did manage to score a goal late in the 3rd period, but his plus/minus rating was an abysmal -3 in this one even with that goal. Marc-Andre Fleury again found himself planted on the end of the bench never sniffing the ice, but with this new revelation between the pipes and Brodeur struggling, the odds are increasing that the Pens netminder might yet see some time in these Olympics. Brooks Orpik contributed more of his traditional heavy checking play in this contest as expected logging 20:57 of ice time while playing sound defensive hockey.

Who could forget the finale to such a magnificent day of hockey as even though no Penguins suited up for either side, the gold medal rematch from Torino in 2006 between Sweden and Finland was still some must watch television. The Swedes certainly flexed their collective muscle in this one against the arch rival Fins as goaltender Henrik Lundqvist looked unbeatable stopping all 20 shots fired in his direction with Sweden prevailing in a dominant performance by a margin of 3-0.

With all of preliminary action in the books, the real meat of the competition gets underway on Tuesday when the eight teams forced to compete in the play-in rounds will do battle for the right to move on to Wednesday’s games with the four most powerful squads record-wise thus far. For the United States team, Switzerland and Belarus will battle for the right to move on in the brackets and do battle with the red, white, and blue squad. In the other half of their bracket, the ever-dangerous Czech Republic team is lurking poised to face off against Latvia and the winner will meet Finland. On the other side of the draw, Slovakia and Norway meet and the winner will face reigning gold medalists Sweden. Opposite them the Russian Federation awaits the winner of pre-tournament favorites Canada and rather benign German team. All of these brackets can be found at this link if you are interested in delving deeper into the Olympic action.

This portion of the Olympics in the do or die scenarios now facing each of these teams is where the real drama unfolds and inevitably heartbreak will ensue for all countries but one. It’s a bit of an unfair comparison to liken the 1980 Miracle on Ice to this year’s USA squad as there is no Cold War or political tensions between any of these nations. That being said, this group really has no big standout superstars like the majority of the other countries and they are young much like the 1980 version of team USA. With Ryan Miller in net, team USA might be poised to make a deep run in this bracket.

One thing is for sure with one week remaining in the 2010 Olympics, goaltending is going to play a huge role in the medal rounds. The United States has to feel confident that they are settled between the pipes unlike Canada who is scrambling to make changes and possibly destroying some team chemistry in the process. Names that are going to be heard over this next week of competition include Tomas Vokoun of the Czech Republic, Evgeni Nabakov for the Russian Federation, the aforementioned Miller for the USA, a big question mark for Canada between Brodeur, Luongo, and Fleury, and the Swedish keeper Lundqvist who already has one gold around his neck. The push for the gold will largely depend on the success of heavily padded individuals guarding the four by six cage for their respective countries.

Things began with the United States taking on a feisty Norway team that plays a style much like the Swiss team that team USA grinded out a win against on Tuesday. Unfortunately for the Norwegians they don’t have a goalkeeper the caliber of Jonas Hiller guarding their four by six. The Americans recorded a hard fought 6-1 win over Norway on Thursday and Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik again contributed some quality minutes skating for 16:04 in the game. His numbers were a but uncharacteristically offensive minded as Orpik found himself with a +2 plus/minus rating after the day’s game logging some additional solid defensive play as well. Former Penguin and Pittsburgh native Ryan Malone is quickly becoming a star for team USA after he had only 10:59 in ice time, but another goal and an assist with a +3 which tied for the best performance on the entire team. Another resounding victory for the red, white, and blue as their defensive play is what continues to propel them on in this competition.

As for the hands down, already have the medals around their necks, favorites of the competition team Canada, they were forced to call upon some heroic measures. The Canadians found themselves in an unexpected dog fight against Switzerland in action on Thursday as Swiss netminder Jonas Hiller was absolutely magnificent fighting off 44 pucks and holding the fort between the pipes. Canadian netminder Martin Brodeur looked a bit rusty in his debut for the 2010 Olympics giving up two tallies on 23 shots as the game went beyond regulation and into penalty shootouts. After three shooters from each side (including Sidney Crosby) were turned away by the goalkeepers, the Penguins Captain was called upon again in a game deciding moment and who would expect anything less than a clutch performance from Sid. His game deciding tally in the fourth round of the shootout allowed the entire country of Canada a large exhale as they nibbled their collective nails down to the quick. This game featured all of the dramatic elements that make the Olympics one of the greatest stages for hockey in the world with arguably the world’s greatest talent coming through in the most critical of moments to allow Canada a 3-2 shootout escape. The other member of the Penguins, Marc-Andre Fleury again rode the pine in this contest as Brodeur was given his warm up game of the tournament. After seeing less than stellar work from the all-time shutouts leader, Canada’s showdown with the United States on Sunday may just have Fleury in the crease for the first time.

Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar played the late night game in Vancouver on Thursday and that contest did not lack for drama either. Goaltending always takes center stage in large scale international competitions, but this game was just a goaltending clinic from both sides as Jaroslav Halak of Slovakia and Ilya Bryzgalov for the Russian Federation each turned away more than 30 shots during the course of this contest. Throughout the course of the game, Malkin was on the ice on the ice for 20:02 second on the team only to his Pittsburgh teammate Gonchar who skated for 20:46 on the night. Malkin took 7 shots on the night while Gonchar had 2, but neither of them found the back of the net as Halak was standing on his head all night for the Slovakian team. After a shootout nailbiter for the Canadians, it would only be fitting that the Russians had to endure a similar state of restlessness as this contest went seven rounds deep into a shootout before Malkin’s effort was turned away by Halak and Slovakia’s Pavel Demitra beat Byyzgalov to take down one of the goliaths in international hockey giving the Slovaks the 2-1 shootout win.

This unexpected loss for team Russia puts them in a waiting game as if the Czech Republic win their game on Friday, Russia versus the Czechs on Sunday could very easily be an elimination game that might dismiss one of the odds on favorites very early. Slovakia’s masterful job of limiting the number of quality scoring chances for Russia coupled with extremely solid goaltending from Halak made them look like a force to be reckoned with in these Olympics. Their offensive firepower of Marian Hossa and Marian Gaborik is only slightly behind the names on the Canadian and Russian rosters. Along with Sweden and the United States, these five teams stand alone as the cream of the crop. The game for Russia showed the world and Canada nearly did as well that any team can be win on a given night and once the knockout stages begin next week and the competition really gets heated up, there may be a number of surprises to come in these Olympics.

Sunday is a can’t miss day of competition for hockey fans with wall to wall hockey from noon until midnight as these three countries with Penguins personnel will again be in action along with a much anticipated Sweden and Finland showdown for the bye into the second round of the knockout stages from Group C. As this competition wears on, that bye early next week will prove to be highly beneficial for the four teams that are fortunate enough to have a game off. The recipients of the byes will have until Wednesday to prepare for their competition while those without the day off will be forced into a back to back scenario in Tuesday’s play-in games and Wednesday’s quarterfinals. The drama is ramping up into a crescendo as Sunday will be a vital day for deciding which countries have the easy road to the finals and which will be struggling to stay afloat.

It could be argued that curling steals the show at the Winter Olympics, but for the purposes of the Pens curling isn’t a real topic of conversation. Five members of the Penguins have traded in their black and gold sweaters for those representing their respective countries over the next two weeks as the Olympic hockey competition gets into full swing. Both Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury will be in action for the host nation of Canada, Sergei Gonchar and Evgeni Malkin will skate for their native Russia, and heavy hitter Brooks Orpik will be on the blue line for the United States.

All five Penguins players took part in the opening day of action on Tuesday beginning in the afternoon with the United States triumph over Switzerland 3-1. Orpik logged 15:44 of ice time recording a +1 in the plus/minus category in his Olympic debut. Orpik also brought his patented enforcer attitude to the ice for the United States team laying the lumber a handful of times in their opening contest. Former Penguin and native Pittsburgh player Ryan Malone scored the third goal in the victory for the red, white, and blue in an all around impressive effort for a team that has only spent a little over 24 hours together. Their next scheduled game will be on Thursday against Norway in their final tune up before the highly anticipated showdown with team Canada on Sunday.

Speaking of the Canadians, Sid led his country to a win as well later in the day when Canada pulled away from Norway with a 8-0 win. Crosby assisted on the game’s first goal setting up Jerome Iginla for a blast from the high slot that burned the goaltender from Norway. He would later record another assist playing on the star-studded line with the aforementioned Iginla and Rick Nash as the three worked a gorgeous tic-tac-toe play to light the lamp in the runaway over the Norwegians. Crosby’s ice time total was 15:30 in Canada’s opener as he logged a +2 in the plus/minus. Fleury was present for the win, but spent the game on the pine as Roberto Luongo got the start in net for the team. It’s going to be tough for Fleury to get much time in net when battling with an all-time great in Martin Brodeur and the already mentioned Luongo during his experience with the national team this year. Canada will face the Swiss team that the United States battled earlier in the day on Thursday as the two squads swap opponents in preparation for that marquee matchup between the U.S. and Canada to close out the weekend.

The final game of the day featured the last two Pens in the Olympics when Russia took the ice with Malkin and Gonchar getting their Olympic effort off on the right foot as well. Russia prevailed over Latvia 8-2 with each of their big three cashing in as Malkin scored a goal and registered an assist as well while Ilya Kovalchuk matched his score sheet. Alexander Ovechkin was as electric as he has been built up to be in these Olympics blistering two pucks into the twine for a similar two point effort as his linemates. The other Penguin in action on this squad was Sergei Gonchar and he had a typically sound effort logging 14:51 in ice time and getting two shots on goal for the Russian Federation. Malkin’s ice time was slightly higher at 15:38 as the Russians got their feet wet in these Olympic Winter games in a similar fashion to the other tournament favorites on the first day of competition. Russia will continue their tuning for Sunday’s big tilt against the Czech Republic on Thursday when they faceoff with a game Slovakia team that will be playing their second game in as many nights when that game begins.

After just one day of action, the Canadians made a strong statement as to just why the host nation will play the role of the favorites in this tournament. Although they got off to a slow start with a 0-0 1st period of play, it didn’t take long for the lines to gel and the home crowd to increase the volume of their boisterous support for their country. Many are already hanging the gold around the necks of the Canadian player and claiming that the remaining countries are simply in a race for silver, but the Swedish team is a dark horse in this thing as well as the defending champions and that means something. Sweden begins their play on Wednesday in a matchup with Germany so there shouldn’t be any overzealous victory parades scheduled just yet in the host nation.

The three divisions of competition in this preliminary round are divided as:
Group A: Canada, United States, Switzerland, Norway
Group B: Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia
Group C: Sweden, Finland, Germany, Belarus

The way that these pods have been broken down was determined by the world rankings with Russia at number one, Canada a close second, followed by Sweden and Finland to round out the top four. Points are awarded similar to the system in the NHL as a win is worth three points, an overtime loss is worth one point, and regulation losses gain zero points. The top four teams in terms of points will receive byes when medal play begins and the teams are reseeded 1-12. Once the first round is completed, every team will be back in action in a single elimination style tournament until the medals are decided.

For the Pens, they have represented themselves well in the sixty minutes of action that each have participated in to this point. Of course the stars are going to shine in these Olympic games with Malkin and Crosby leading the way in the intensity of the luminescence from a Penguins perspective. Keep up to date with just how these Pens are doing for their individual countries by checking back here after each of their contests.