PITTSBURGH (46-17-10) VS BROOKLYN (34-26-12)
THE PAINT CAN. PITTSBURGH, PA.
7:00 PM EST. NHLN
So now that you are nice and fired up from reading about the dirtiness that is Sidney the Slasher it is time to bring it down a notch and prepare for the Islanders. You know the Islanders as the “this is the year” team at the beginning of the season and the fighting for a wild card spot team at end of the season. Fortunately for the Islanders they finally parted ways with their High Times at Ridgemont High coach and have found a little bit of success afterwards. They are currently 2 points out of the final wild card spot with two games in hand to the Bruins, and happen to play Boston tomorrow night. Though the Islanders will be pushing for a win tonight you have to wonder if the worry of losing body parts to Sid the Ripper is in the back of their minds.
Which body part will go missing tonight? Will it be Hamonic’s hillbilly tooth? Will Crosby make Ho Sangs hoe sing? Will someone finally shave Clutterbuck’s handle bars? So many questions and only time will tell.
As you know the Penguins lost a heart breaker last night as they threw their season away to the feet of the Ottawa Senators. So much hard work and effort went in to the season and now it’s all gone. For those of you that don’t shit your pants every time the Penguins lose tonight is going to be a tough call for the team. With an injury list as long as Tiger Wood’s sex partners list the Penguins are going to have to rely on good ole’ grit to get by this one. As mentioned above the Islanders are in the thick of a playoff race and have a huge game tomorrow night against Boston. Knowing the Penguins are depleted and tired I would expect the Isles to come out with everything they have early on. Since the All-Star break the Penguins have been pretty solid defensively holding up a 2.28 GAA, and they will need to continue that tonight to hold any chance.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS:
The Penguins haven’t offered much in terms of injuries or strategies today with an optional skate so we will just assume the lines are similar to last night. Fleury is most likely the starter tonight unless something bizarre happens. Sullivan might replace Corrado with Gaunce but so far Corrado hasn’t deserved a benching and has played well as Pouliot’s replacement, not that that would take a lot. Lots of people are going to act like they give a shit about Ho Sang wearing the big 66 tonight. Lemieux himself said he doesn’t care because players wear Orr and Howe’s number (4 and 9) and they were also greats, but hey if it makes you feel good on a Friday boo your heart out. This is a feeble attempt at telling people not to boo considering it took the organization and most of the fans almost 2 decades to finally appreciate Jagr.
WHO TO WATCH:
FOR NEW YORK: JOSH HO SANG
You’re going to have to hear about the number thing anyways so you might as well watch the kid bring it. Ho Sang is one of those players that many of us on thepensblog staff like, he isn’t the cardboard cut out NHL player that bores you to death. A cocky player that backs up his talk is never going to be a bad thing for this league. So far Ho Sang has delivered flashy goals and flashier celebrations for the Islanders, the kid is going to be here for awhile and I’m excited for our first look.
FOR PITTSBURGH: SIDNEY CROSBY
Hard to believe this scumbag is even still in the NHL. Dirtiest player alive to be honest, makes Sestito look like a saint. Crosby has had an entertaining week as laid out here by Rich Miller, and will look to stir the pot more tonight. The new bad boy of the NHL is off the tracks crazy, might even pull a John Rocker and take a bite out of the puck with his fake teeth. It’s edge of your seat kind of stuff for Crosby, can’t wait to see how many missed calls happen tonight!
FINAL THOUGHTS:
As I mentioned earlier, the Islanders are going to want this game and are going to throw everything at the Penguins. Though the Pens are a better team it will take a complete team effort to pull this one out tonight, which most likely means the Pens win 7-1. I wouldn’t be too surprised to see a not so run of the mill interference call or something on Crosby in the first period as a weak attempt of the refs trying to show the league they call him for penalties. The fact of the matter is there is a superstar treatment in this league and Sidney Crosby isn’t the only one that gets it.
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