entertaining game. we can do this. we somehow stopped their lord and savior, so it's possible.

5/18/2009 10:30:20 PM

Our shots from the point were incredibly weak tonight. Seidenberg hesitated far too long and was really predictable at the point. He could barely get shots to the net. Overall I thought we played a great game, and Fleury was in an unconscious zone which won't last. I feel really good about game 2.

5/18/2009 10:32:13 PM

Few thoughts about the game...

I definitely didn't think we were outplayed. I think we need to settle it down more and grind it out rather than trade rushes with the penguins. I, too, feel pretty good about the series. We were out shot, but I feel as if we had more quality scoring chances.

The Cole hit on Orpik was pretty sweet

The Cole injury made me cringe a little...I think a penalty should've been called, I haven't seen a replay, but I thought it was knee-to-knee, and late. It seemed as if Matt Cooke (I think it was him) went straight for the leg. I highly doubt the league will do anything. Again, I haven't seen a replay, so it might not be as bad as it seems to me right now.

And those announcers sucked...it seemed as if I was watching the Penguin feed, not a nationally televised, neutral announcing crew. When Orpik and Cole were on the ice one time they said something along the lines of this:

"...and Orpik was the one who hit Cole so hard a few years ago he missed the rest of the regular season and most of the playoffs

I kept waiting for them to explain that it was from behind and Orpik was suspended, but that never came.

This will likely be the last Canes game I watch for the season. I'm heading up to the mountains on Wednesday for my summer job, and will be deep in the boonies with little internet or TV time.

[Edited on May 18, 2009 at 11:03 PM. Reason : .]

5/18/2009 11:02:48 PM

Cam needs to tighten up, but he wasn't getting a lot of offensive help.

Fleury was on point.

5/18/2009 11:13:44 PM

that first goal wasn't really his fault either, D was very much out of place. but yeah i didn't think that 3rd one looked too hard.

overall i think we had good shots, just needed some of them to go, and i think they will.

5/18/2009 11:22:07 PM

Quote :

" I'm so sick of Daryl Reaugh brown nosing Crosby and the Pens, his nose and breathe must wreak of hell."

5/18/2009 11:32:29 PM

Mellon Arena... What a shithole. There was a column to my right, an aisle to my left, and a staircase behind me. That's right, I was in one single seat off by myself. No one even acknowledged my presence in the seating bowl even when I was standing and cheering after the goals, but on the concourse and outside after the game everyone was a total douchebag. I am proud of how nice and hospitible our fans are, but sometimes I wish we weren't because I would love for some of these assholes to come down here and get treated like shit. Anyway, I'm not too panicked about the game, but I hope Ruutu will be ok. Got a laugh out of the local sports radio guy here after the game talking about how 3-2 was misleading and not evident of how bad Pittsburgh beat us, and that the series may be over in 4 or 5.

5/18/2009 11:40:32 PM

Good game. Canes had their chances, MAF stood on his head, and Ward let in a couple softies. Hopefully Ruutu and Cole aren't hurt that badly. Canes can win Game 2 for sure, this isn't nearly the talent mismatch that the Boston series was.

5/18/2009 11:52:33 PM

We certainly have a chance to win this series. Shit, we haven't won a game 1 yet, but this was our best game 1 so far.

Staal is going to get going. Too bad he didn't realize that pass was coming right at the end, he could have buried that.

Giving up a breakaway to Satan was a crime.

5/18/2009 11:55:58 PM

a sin

5/19/2009 12:01:05 AM

I mean, I'm sure we have our share of retard drunken unhospitable fans as well.

5/19/2009 12:01:16 AM

a lot of us are state fans, we can't be that nice right?

5/19/2009 12:03:51 AM

Anyone have any updates on Ruutu or Cole?

5/19/2009 12:07:17 AM

hopefully they're both ready to go by thursday and Eric Cole is pissed.

5/19/2009 12:13:40 AM

come on guys.

its eric staal and erik cole. keep seeing people doing it WRONG. we should know this by now.

5/19/2009 12:19:20 AM

I feel good about this series

5/19/2009 12:34:55 AM

glad i slept through this

5/19/2009 2:04:22 AM

Quote :

"I am proud of how nice and hospitible our fans are, but sometimes I wish we weren't because I would love for some of these assholes to come down here and get treated like shit."

Hate to break it to you, but our fans aren't so nice. I wore my Messier jersey to a Canes v Rangers game once and I was given hell...even though the Rangers won...

5/19/2009 4:28:57 AM

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/michael_farber/05/18/pens.canes.game.1/index.html?eref=T1

good article

5/19/2009 8:14:02 AM

So is it a penalty to sweep away a stick that's sitting under your skates on the ice?

5/19/2009 8:20:44 AM

^don't know the exact rule, but I'm pretty sure what Staal did was legal. I think the announcer was just a little bit of a 'Burgh homer IMO

5/19/2009 8:26:00 AM

THE BIGGEST THING THAT IRRITATED ME LAST NIGHT WAS THE PATHETIC ANNOUNCERS. AND IM GOING TO TYPE IN CAPS TO EXPRESS MY DISDAIN FOR THOSE TERRIBLE EXCUSES FOR BROADCASTERS.

GIVE ME FORSLUND OR GIVE ME DEATH

[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 8:34 AM. Reason : .]

5/19/2009 8:34:04 AM

The bitching about that play was reminiscent of the New Jersey guys bitching about Brodeur running into Jokinen.

5/19/2009 8:39:39 AM

From the SI article above:

Quote :

"either Cole clearly doesn't know his own strength or Gill is a remarkably delicate flower for a man who stands 6'7" and weighs almost as much as the legal briefs in the Phoenix Coyotes bankruptcy case"

ha!

5/19/2009 9:16:46 AM

That was kind of my thought about that penalty. I mean, I guess there's no way the refs could have let that slide with no call, but it really was a pretty weak bit of interference.

5/19/2009 9:29:39 AM

yeah.

i tend to think the same thing about scott walker's penalty in the first. players always get together and battle going for the puck, it just looked like the penguin (can't remember who) wasn't ready and fell down.

[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 9:35 AM. Reason : maybe i'm just a bit biased though. ]

5/19/2009 9:34:55 AM

any updates on ruutu's injury?

5/19/2009 9:38:31 AM

^^Eaton again with the weak fall. So he takes out Ruutu and gets them a power play.

I can honestly say after watching this game I feel great about our chances against Pittsburgh. Other than a few brainfarts and we're down 2-0 and lack of raising the puck on Fleury we win that game. I'm sick of Daryl Reaugh's "Happy Hands Samsonov" maybe he should watch "Happy Feet Fleury" who when he goes across the crease is kicking away. Fleury you shoot high on, not low like you had to do with Thomas to score as he is a textbook butterfly goalie. Fleury's "amazing saves" were never more than a foot off the ice. The Cam Ward save on Bill Guerin was far more amazing than the ones that were shot into Fleury's legs/glove on top of his leg/etc.

I know the NHL won't suspend Cooke because of the Ovechkin incident, even though it should since Cooke has a history of dirty hits. However, instead of getting even with dirtiness, the 'Canes need to hit them where it hurts more which is the scoreboard (unless its Gonchar who they should be throwing everything at since his knee is clearly bothering him beyond belief). Fleury leaves a lot of rebounds and they just need to shoot high and this series is ours. However, if a game ever gets out of hand in favor of the Pens I have no problem with us taking runs at any of their players.

5/19/2009 11:15:01 AM

here's cole's interference




[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 11:34 AM. Reason : or, a split second after the interference, at least.]

5/19/2009 11:23:24 AM

^When did Coach K start coaching hockey?

5/19/2009 11:29:41 AM

Ruutu hoping to play in Game 2. Cole still questionable.

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/canes/ruutu-hopes-to-play-game-2

5/19/2009 12:33:02 PM

Quote :

" Hate to break it to you, but our fans aren't so nice. I wore my Messier jersey to a Canes v Rangers game once and I was given hell...even though the Rangers won..."

Our fans are known throughout the league as being very hospitable and respectful to the visiting team fans. You can't use your isolated incident to judge the entire fanbase.

5/19/2009 2:46:42 PM

no offense to you guys, but i wonder how it is that state fans are so ruthless, but canes fans are so hospitable, since it's probably the same group of people

[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 3:01 PM. Reason : damn nazis]

5/19/2009 2:52:39 PM

Offense taken!!!

5/19/2009 2:56:41 PM

Quote :

"since it's probably mostly the same group of people"

its not as much probably mostly the same group of people as you may think

5/19/2009 2:58:35 PM

^that sentence is giving me a headache

5/19/2009 3:00:11 PM

the announcing last night was the worst i had ever heard.

they talked more about patrick roy than anything involving the game. They literally never even said a word about the interference call that led to a pens powerplay and took the goal away from LaRose.

garbage call, and even worse announcing. I can't stand it when they don't take situations that change the game and analyze them. Versus should be ashamed of themselves for that game, it was literally a couple of bozos talking over video of the hockey game, as opposed to broadcasting and announcing the game.

5/19/2009 3:27:48 PM

that guy said "even strength, 5 on 5" at least 6 times when there wasn't even a power play within the last few minutes. it was like he assumed the average viewer was a moron and couldn't count

5/19/2009 3:33:11 PM

^ THAT pissed me off more than anything

5/19/2009 3:39:10 PM

anybody see the end of the game on the post game show when that asshole was like

"If the rest of the series is anything like this first game I'm going to need some more anti perspirant !"

and the other two analysts looked at him like wtf

5/19/2009 3:41:25 PM

This is the part of the season I wish I had TSN or CBC

5/19/2009 3:43:46 PM

We didn't get outplayed in the slightest. We played pretty soft in our own zone and had some turnover issues that led to a good amount of chances for the Pens, but Fleury was absolutely stone-cold brilliant.

5/19/2009 5:34:08 PM

Can someone clarify the interference call? They said it was just regular interference, which occurred before the puck was hit, so there's no goal. I get that much. But I don't understand how it's interference if Gill is nowhere near the puck. If this had happened 2 feet to their right and Fleury was never hit, would it still be interference? What exactly is he interfering Gill from doing? Setting up in front of the net?

5/19/2009 8:24:14 PM

As shitty as Mellon Arena was, this was badass and they should do it here: http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=29935

5/19/2009 8:34:01 PM

hahaha Yinz Cam

fuckin' pittsburghese

5/19/2009 8:35:53 PM

^^^I thought it was goalie interference because Gill was hit into Fleury, kinda like dominos, except the last domino getting hit isnt allowed to be moved

[Edited on May 19, 2009 at 8:37 PM. Reason : asdf]

5/19/2009 8:37:25 PM

yeah goalie interference i'm pretty sure

i would hope cam would never dive like a girl though

5/19/2009 8:39:29 PM

Quote :

" Mayor Meeker placed 10 pounds of The Pit’s Carolina chopped barbecue and a case of Big Boss Raleigh-brewed beer that the Carolina Hurricanes will wrest the Prince of Wales Cup from the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins are the 2008 Eastern Conference champions. Mayor Ravenstahl countered with five pounds of Isaly’s chipped chopped ham, three dozen pierogies and a case of Iron City beer."

We put a quality brew like Big Boss on the line and they put up the piss water that is Iron City? Cmon.

5/19/2009 8:44:11 PM

well we put up barbecue and they put up chipped chopped ham, gross

5/19/2009 8:47:09 PM

Quote :

"I don't understand how it's interference if Gill is nowhere near the puck. "

Um, that's what interference is...contact away from the puck.

5/19/2009 8:54:05 PM