The Pittsburgh Penguins had no problems scoring whatsoever in game four of the Eastern Conference semi-final against the Ottawa Senators Wednesday evening.
The Penguins score seven times past the two Senators goalies of Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner en route to a convincing 7-3 victory to take a 3-1 series lead.
Defenceman Kris Letang led the Penguins offensive attack with four assists. James Neal was a force with two goals on nine shots, and an assist. While Jarome Iginla, Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis also had multi-point games, with two points each.
The Senators meanwhile do not seem to have any confidence. Captain Daniel Alfredsson stated afterwards, he didn’t think the Senators would be able to put together three wins in a row and come back and win the series. He later stated his words were taken out of context. That backtrack however does not seem all that believable.
Over the last few months there hasn’t been a lot to separate the top three prospects in the 2013 National Hockey League Entry Draft. The consensus has been that defenceman Seth Jones of the Portland Winterhawks would be drafted number one, followed by Halifax Mooseheads forwards Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin.
Last night in Saskatoon during the Memorial Cup, was actually a scout’s dream, as the top three prospects were on the ice together at once.
And the player that shoned the most was MacKinnon. The native of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia (ironically the same as NHL superstar Sidney Crosby) registered three goals and an assist in a convincing 7-4 Halifax win over Portland in the first game of the Memorial Cup for both teams.
It was the second straight night that a WHL team lost as the Saskatoon Blades lost 3-2 to the London Knights in the opening game of the tournment on Friday.
Wayne Gretzky is the greatest hockey player of all-time. Heck, he is also the greatest athlete of all-time. But I think it is safe to say that right now Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins is the best hockey player in the world right now.
On Friday night, Crosby showed just why he is so great. In a dominating performance, Crosby had a hat trick by the early portion of the second period in a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators in game two of the Eastern Conference semi-final that put the Penguins up 2-0 in the best-out-of-seven series.
Crosby will now have the opportunity to showcase his skills north of the border this weekend as Pittsburgh travels to Ottawa for game three of the Eastern Conference semi-final (Sunday, CBC, 5:30 p.m.). I know the Penguins are loaded with talent that includes Evgeni Malkin and Jarome Iginla, but the bottom line is when healthy Pittsburgh is Crosby’s team.
Here are the other events I’ll be watching:
Saturday–MLB–New York Mets @ Chicago Cubs–WPIX–11:00 a.m.–Two teams in fourth place in their divisions play today at Wrigley Field. The Cubs are 17-24 in the National League Central, while the Mets are 16-23 in the National League East. First baseman Anthony Rizzo, who represented Italy at the World Baseball Classic, with nine home runs, 29 runs batted in and a .522 slugging percentage. While so far this season, the Mets have been led by third baseman David Wright, who leads the team with a .312 batting average, .418 on base percentage and a .536 slugging percentage.
This week on 15MOF we look at the up-and-down Edmonton Oilers as they flirt with a playoff spot, the NHL’s Winter Classic announcement and we make our NCAA national championship predictions.
In the GABBYs: Traded NHLers, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Prince Fielder, Mike Rice, Vuvuzela attacks and the Blue Jays. The Punchline this week is the LA Lakers!
The 2013 Scotties Tournament of Hearts starts today from Kingston, Ontario. For the first time since 1999 Team Canada is from Alberta.
Edmonton’s Heather Nedohin will be wearing the Canadian colours this week and will be participating field. Her first opponent this weekend is New Brunswick’s Andrea Crawford (formerly Kelly), a six-time provincial champion, an impressive statistic when you realize Crawford is only 27. The opening draw is on TSN Saturday at noon mountain time.
This week on the show we’re talking NHL CBA talks, players speaking out about the situation, GSP’s triumphant return at UFC 154, an exciting week for the Toronto Blue Jays and we make our Grey Cup predictions!
In the GABBYs: Stanford basketball, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Buster Posey, Miguel Cabrera, Nik Lewis, Drew Tate and Draymond Green. The Punchline this week is a basketball conspiracy theory in Minnesota!
This week on 15 Minutes of Fame we look at a disappointing effort & a gruesome looking injury from the Edmonton Eskimos East Semifinal loss over the weekend, a tough few days for NHL CBA talks and why 2013 might be the best year ever for big UFC fights.
In the GABBYs: Andrew Luck, Glasgow Celtic, Joakim Noah, soccer fans & Anderson Silva. The Punchline this week is the Washington Wizards!
This week on 15 Minutes of Fame we get into NHL lockout mode, discuss players heading off to Europe & the big contracts handed down pre-lockout and take a look at a disappointing loss by the Edmonton Eskimos on the weekend.
In the GABBYs: the Baltimore Orioles, Shannon Eastin, JJ Watt, Panama soccer, Napoli and the Denver Broncos. The Punchline this week is the Memphis Grizzlies!
Sidney Crosby will be a Pittsburgh Penguin for a very long time. Likewise with Jonathan Quick being a Los Angeles King.
On Thursday the Penguins re-signed Crosby to a 12 year contract worth $104.4 million, and the Kings re-signed Quick, the 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winner to a 10-year contract extension.
The Penguins made it clear that Crosby, and not Art Ross Trophy and Hart Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin, is their long term guy.
The Penguins had space to offer Crosby a huge contract when they traded Jordan Staal to Carolina.
But even though Crosby is considered an elite player in the league, he does have a history of concussions that simply cannot be ignored.
For Quick, the long term deal is also interesting. I know he just led the Kings to a Stanley Cup, but I also remember what happened when the New York Islanders signed Rick Dipietro to a massive contract. He ran into injury problems. And don’t forget, the Kings were only eighth in the Western Conference during the regular season and it was questionable at the beginning of the year if the long term goaltender in Los Angeles would be Quick or back-up goaltender Jonathan Bernier.
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks made a statement on Wednesday night. Don’t count them out yet.
Jordan Staal scored a hat trick as the Penguins scored eight unanswered goals en route to a 10-3 dismantling of the Philadelphia Flyers. The Penguins still trail in the series however 3-1 in the offensive minded series that is becoming more intriguing by the moment. Even more impressive was that the Penguins scored ten times without their top six forward James Neal in the lineup, who was suspended for game four following his antics in game three. Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Steve Sullivan also collected three points each.
Unlike the first three games in the series, the Flyers were the more undisciplined team in this one. In the second period, the Flyers took nine of a possible ten penalties.
This week on the show we start out with the topic that’s on everyone’s mind – the feud between the Pittsburgh Penguins & the Philadelphia Flyers (and to a lesser extent, the Pens & the Rangers). We also look at a couple of fines handed down to coaches this week (including Edmonton’s Tom Renney) and we run down the upcoming match-ups in the first round of the NHL playoffs.
In the GABBYs: Mike Smith, Ray Whitney, Joey Votto, Alistair Overeem, the Orlando Magic & fans of the University of Kentucky. The Punchline this week is the Baltimore Orioles!
This week on 15MOF we discuss the latest news surrounding Oilers forward Taylor Hall, as well as another story that has left the team a bit red in the face. Also on the show – we discuss whether the Toronto Maple Leafs will be the next NHL team to fire a GM and we look at the latest “bounty” news from the NFL.
In the GABBYs: the Norfolk Admirals, Jamie Moyer, Sidney Crosby, Colin Clark, Reebok & March Madness. The Punchline this week is Beach Volleyball!
This week on 15MOF: Sidney Crosby makes his long awaited return to action, Taylor Hall gets belted against the Flames and a couple of Oilers should be up for trophies this off season. As well: a handful of early “March Madness” upsets!
In the GABBYs: Teemu Selanne, Steven Stamkos, Ilya Bryzgalov, soccer fights, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees and Adriano. The Punchline this week is the Orlando Predators!
This week on 15 Minutes of Fame we’re discussing Marty Turco’s return to the NHL, the end of the line for Sean Avery, the latest on Sidney Crosby and a couple of interesting concussion notes from around the league. As well: Peyton Manning is no longer a Colt, so where will he end up?
In the GABBYs: Leo Messi, Hiroshi Hoketsu, David Beckham, Nicklas Grossmann, Fernando Torres and Jose Canseco. The Punchline this week is David Price and David Robertson!
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