I will not gloat…I refuse to do so. While a win is very satisfying (very very satisfying) its usually only a goal or two away from a loss…(unless you’re the Flyers, in which case its more like 5 or 6 goals away from a loss) and its always a good idea to remember – for every “up” there is a equally as dramatic “down” that is just waiting in the wings…
That being said…I think its important to realize here that the Penguins battled their little diving hearts out (sorry I had to) for the Stanley Cup itself only a short 5 months ago…what I want to know is, what happened during those 5 months? Did the team hang out at Chuck E. Cheese instead of going to the gym? Did they follow Hannah Montana on tour instead of attending Training Camp? I do not have the answers to these questions…but I do know, the team that played tonight against the Sharks at HP Pavilion probably would have lost a battle for a Dixie Cup.
Now, like I said, I’m not gloating…in fact its quite the opposite – I’m sitting here wondering what the Pens were doing/thinking all night. I was really looking forward to a hard fought, rough and tumble game…instead this is what we got:
Shelley and Goddard doing the waltz… Well, thats what it looked like anyway. I think Jody was even disappointed with the lack of “fight” that Goddard put up. Maybe that Jody Shelley Halloween video opener really scared him…I don’t know.
Pavs picking up a Shorty…and no I’m not talking a “ghetto booty girl”…but really, is there anything better…anything, than scoring shorthanded? If you’re asking me (and I think you are) then I’m going to answer that “No!”. There is nothing better than scoring shorthanded (ask Jeff Carter or Patty Marleau)…especially when its your team’s fifth of the season so far. And don’t forget – but if you already did, I’m going to say it again – Joe Pavelski is going to have a stellar season. Mark. My. Words. I was really waiting for Milan Michalek to score the big one tonight as he had sooo many chances…but try as he might he just couldn’t do it…let it be said though, Milan was the one who initiated the breakaway on the shorthanded goal. Pavs simply put it away after the rebound…hey – gotta give props where props be needed. Speaking of props…
A Baby Shark Making His NHL Debut…well I hate to say “baby” Shark, but regardless, Jamie McGinn was recalled from Worcester and played his very first NHL game tonight and in my opinion, held his own with the best of them. He stayed on the puck, kept the puck in the offensive zone and wasn’t afraid to get in the corners. There were a few times I thought for sure he was primed for an assist as he did well passing and setting up the puck. But depending upon how long McLellan keeps him around, I definitely see much more coming from McGinn…I for one, cheered every time he stepped onto the ice. Stay tuned for more on that next week.
Sharks Break a Record…ok, so when I said I wouldn’t gloat I meant it…save this one little tidbit…a record was broken tonight…and given the team that it was broken against, I feel quite proud right about now. Tonight we broke a franchise record of least amount of shots on goal allowed in a single game. Final SOG tally – Sharks 34, Pens 11. And now while I know that SOG is sometimes a misleading statistic, the fact that the Pens only got 11 shots off speaks volumes about both teams on the ice tonight…the Sharks defense system is up and running again…quite the well-oiled machine I might add…and the Pens offensive line (arguably one of the best in the league) is seriously missing something. Yeah, I know all about “players being hurt” but you’ve got to work through it. It can’t be an excuse. Not for the Pens…the Lightning maybe, but not the Pens…but hey, at least the Lightning won right?
Also, the Sharks are 13-0-1 at home since Valentines day this past year and 5-0-0 at home, this season so far…an impressive statistic that I believe says a lot about the atmosphere at the Tank.
So the gloating wasn’t that bad, was it? There were tons of other things I could be writing here as well…like how JennaTee is a BAMF to the 33rd degree (yes, I threw that in there for our beloved and grouchy little back up boy) and how I met yet another amazing Connector tonight and how I’ve never heard a crowd boo like the boo’s I heard when Sid cried his little eyes out all the way to the sin bin…
But no, I’m not, nor will I ever gloat…not my style.
Anyway, stay tuned for next week’s AHL REPORT blog, as I will be traveling all the way to see our AHL Affiliate team the Worcester Sharks play the Manchester Monarchs on Saturday the 1st. It will be a blast and I can’t wait (although I’m sure you all can) to introduce you to the boys…
I’m sorry, did this blog come off gloat-esque?
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