The Daily Bongo
October 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010 -- Evening
Pens Win
Brent Johnson was in goal for the start of the Pens West Coast run with the Carolina Hurricanes. Pascal Dupuis got a goal for the Pens four minutes into the game and a second goal in the third period. Max Talbot got a goal in the second period to give the Pens a 3-0 win. Sidney Crosby had assists on both of Dupuis's goals, but so far this season, he and Evgeni Malkin have been performing below standards. At least the Pens get another two points.
Friday, October 29, 2010 -- Evening
Fleury is Jinxed
Poor Marc-Andre Fleury has been having a rough time this season. He was in goal for the Pens in tonight's game against the Flyers, and although he had a good performance in net, the Pens still lost with a final score of 3-2. It seems that Fleury is just having issues with stopping the puck in all situations. Of course, it doesn't help that the offense has not been producing and the penalty killing team has done nothing but give up short handed goals. Also, our power play sucks and couldn't score if a grandmother was in the net. Of course, I think that George McFly sucks, but no one else seems to agree with me. Evgeni Malkin, slouch, might have gotten a boo-boo in the game. I say that because it didn't seem as if he really had an strong hit to hurt him. Personally, I think that he's a lazy, sissy boy.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010 -- Evening
Pens Lose
The Pens finished up their road trip against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Marc-Andre Fleury gave up a goal on the first shot against him, and that wasn't looking too good. However, Mike Smith, the Lightning goalie, was a sieve, and let in three goals in seven shots, two coming on the first three shots. Smith was pulled half way through the first period in favor of Dan Ellis. A highlight came when Fleury stopped Sean Bergenheim on a penalty shot. The score was tied at 3-3 when the game went into the third period. Unfortunately, the Lightning went on to score a goal in the third and an open net goal in the final minute of the game to get a 5-3 win. Poor Fleury probably won't be back in the net in the next game, and I think that the lack of playing is affecting him too.
Saturday, October 23, 2010 -- Evening
Blues for the Pens
The Pens and St. Louis Blues game this evening was a goalie battle. Brent Johnson was in goal for the Pens, and Jaroslav Halak for the Blues. Halak was stellar in the outing, making several great saves. I can only imagine what the Montreal Canadiens fans are thinking as the watch Halak's performance this year. Regulation ended in a scoreless tie. Erik Johnson put the puck behind our Brent Johnson 50 seconds into overtime. The Blues win with a final score of 1-0.
Thursday, October 21, 2010 -- Evening
Fleury Back in the Net
Marc-Andre Fleury was in goal for the Pens game against the Nashville Predators. Things were not looking good for Fleury when the Predators scored on their first shot, 53 seconds into the game. Fleury composed himself and came back to play a decent game. Will George McFly continue to play him? We'll have to see. As for the Pens, Evgeni Malkin scored 54 seconds into the second period. The Pens and Predators traded goals, and they were tied at the end of regulation with a score of 3-3. With only a little over a minute left in overtime, Kris Letang shot a bruiser at Pekka Rinne, the Predators' goalie, and got the win for the Pens. You would have thought that they won a playoff game with the way the team started face washing Letang. Fleury gave Letang several pats on the head to thank him for getting the win. Pens win 4-3, and the next game will be Saturday in St. Louis.
Monday, October 18, 2010 -- Evening
Another Win
The Pens seem to be on a roll with Brent Johnson, as they welcomed Sergei Gonchar and the Ottawa Senators to Console Energy Center. The Pens got goals from Mark Letestu, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin in the first period. Midway through the second period, Pascal Dupuis and Kris Letang got goals which lead to the exit of the goalie, Brian Elliot. Robin Lehner came into goal for the Senators. After the goalie switch, the Pens' scoring spree was shut down. The Senators got another goal in the third, but the Pens held them off to win with a final score of Pens 5 - Senators 2.
Saturday, October 16, 2010 -- Evening
Another Win
The Pens played again this evening, this time against the Philadelphia Flyers. Brent Johnson was back in goal, which doesn't bode well for Marc-Andre Fleury. I don't know how George McFly hopes that Fleury will get better if he doesn't play, but then I never thought much of McFly's coaching ability. For the second night, though, the Pens did get a win. Kris Letang played this evening because the NHL rescinded the major penalty over yesterday's hit over Comeau, because it wasn't a shoulder to head hit. The Flyers scored first in tonight's game, but the Pens didn't let it get to them. Chris Kunitz got a goal in the middle of the first period, and Mark Letestu got a goal in the second period. The big news was Sidney Crosby finally getting his act together and getting two power point goal within 90 seconds of each other in the third period. The Pens won with a final score of 5-1. Both Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have to start producing if the Pens are going to win consistently.
Friday, October 15, 2010 -- Evening
Finally!
The Pens played the New York Islanders this evening at Console Arena. The game seemed to be jinxed from the beginning with the Pens wearing their third jersey, the blue that they usually lose in at home. The first period was disappointing with the Pens getting only eight shots on goal. The fans were so frustrated with the Pens that they started to boo the team, especially when the Pens power play wasn't productive. Things picked up in the second period, when Mike Rupp scored to be followed shortly by an Eric Tangradi goal. Unfortunately, the Pens just as quickly gave up the advantage to let the Islanders tie things up. Kris Letang got an illegal check to the head call. It looked like it might have been shoulder to shoulder, but when you see the helmet whip off of Blake Comeau's head, you have to wonder. When the third period started, Letang got a game misconduct and was out for the rest of the game. Matt Cooke continued to take stupid penalties, including running over Rick DiPietro in the crease. The fans at the game booed DiPietro as if he took a dive, but it was blatantly obvious that Cooke acted the goon per usual and ran into the goalie. I am NOT a Cooke fan. I think the guy takes too many really stupid penalties and tries to intentionally hurt people. The Pens managed to prevent the Islanders from scoring in the third period, and the game went into overtime. The Pens were extremely lucky to get their first win at Console with a goal by Alex Goligoski. Final score: Pens 3 - Islanders 2.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010 -- Evening
Jinxed?
The Pens were back in town to play the Toronto Maple Leafs. I've started to wonder if there is a jinx on Console Arena. The Pens won in New Jersey on Monday with Brent Johnson, but the need a win in Pittsburgh. Things were looking up when the Pens took a 2-1 lead in the first period with goals by Chris Kunitz and Max Talbot. Unfortunately, the second period was not so good for the Pens. The Maple Leafs scored three points to take a 4-2 lead. Finally in the final minutes of the second period, George McFly put Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on the same line. Malkin got a penalty shot out of it. Unfortunately, Malkin sucks at the penalty shot because he goes at the net in slow motion, and gives the goalie plenty of looks at his move. With only 44 seconds in the period, Crosby finally got his first goal of the season to bring the Pens within one of the Maple Leafs. The third period was scoreless for both teams, so it was yet another loss for the Pens. I suppose we shouldn't get too worried about the season, but it does make me wonder what the problem is. So far, Crosby and Malkin have been no-shows, and Fleury cannot seem to stop a puck for the life of him. Final score: Pens 3 - Maple Leafs 4.
Monday, October 11, 2010 -- Evening
Pens Win
The Pens played a late afternoon game today against the New Jersey Devils. I hate those early games because the majority of us work, even on Columbus Day. I missed most of the game, but having Brent Johnson in goal was a good thing for the Pens because they finally won. The score was Pens 3 - Devils 1. It makes me wonder what the deal is with Marc-Andre Fleury. Obviously, he seems jinxed this year. Brooks Orpik was out with some undisclosed injury or illness today.
Saturday, October 9, 2010 -- Evening
Montreal in Town
The Montreal Canadiens were in town this evening to play the Pens. It will be interesting to see how Carey Price does in this game. He got booed in Montreal during the pre-season when he left in his first goal, but that was just sour grapes over the trade of Jaroslav Halak. Unfortunately, the Canadiens were the first to score towards the end of the first period. Evgeni Malkin got his first goal of the year in the second period to tie things up. Mark Letestu got a goal in the third period to give the Pens a one goal lead. Letestu's goal was a pretty one, a five hole on Carey Price. But Montreal made two quick goals in the waning minutes of the third period to get the win. Final score was Montreal 3 - Pens 2.
Friday, October 8, 2010 -- Evening
Coriander
We finally have an Indian restaurant in Squirrel Hill. Coriander opened at the beginning of the month, and I went to sample its fare this evening. The restaurant is located on the corner of Phillips and Murray, where Rhoda's Deli, later Kazansky's, was for so many years. The current owners made some changes to the interior, knocking out some walls to make the dining area larger. As we were seated, one of the waiters brought out some chips and various spicy dips. The chips were heavenly. It was a good thing that we were supplied with some food because the wait for our order, and service in general, was extremely lengthy. After watching Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, I know that the sheer size of the menu has to be a problem. I would say that over 50 items are on the list. When we finally got our food, chicken tikka marsala, aloo/chana marsala, and garlic nana, we were pleased. The food was tasty, but the service was very minimal and lacking. We waited at least 20 minutes for an ice tea refill. The 20 minute clock started when the waiter asked if we wanted more tea and stopped when our glasses were finally filled. I will probably go back, but I doubt that it will be soon. I think that the owners need to whip their staff into shape before it becomes an enjoyable experience.
Thursday, October 7, 2010 -- Evening
Here We Go Again
Finally, it's that time of the year. The start of the Pens season. Many think that they will do well this season, especially since they had a good pre-season, winning five of the six games. It will be an interesting season since we won't have Sergei Gonchar, and we picked up Mike Comrie, who is married to Hillary Duff.
First Game Results
The first game of the season was against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Pens had a huge ceremony, having the players walk into the arena on a red carpet. Then Mario Lemieux went out on the ice and poured water from melted Mellon Arena ice on the new ice. All very nice, but unfortunately, the Flyers were on top in this game. Starting with two goals in the second period, the Flyers took a lead that they never relinquished. I was disappointed in the Pens' performance, and it makes me wonder if they left some of their game on the ice in the pre-season. We'll have to see how the rest of the season goes.