The weekend that was and a Malkin update...

The Pens had a so-so weekend in the terms of the preseason. The went 1-2 by beating the Flyers, for the second time this week, 2-1 yesterday and losing to the Sabers and Caps in OT. In all good things can be said about the Power Play and Even strength however the PK is still a problem which needs to be worked on. The fact that this problem is showing up in the preseason is a good thing because it let them know that they need to work on it a LOT more. The goaltending was pretty good except for Fluery who has struggled in his last two games. Therrien did not mix words when he said that he expects more out of him and that while he is the go-to goalie that might not last long at this rate.

The Pens have also cut down the roster to 27 with the first question answered of where Christensen would start the season and it will be with the Baby Pens. He has a less then stellar preseason going basically unnoticed in most of the games that he was a part of. The only questions left are about Staal, Welch, Talbot, and possibly Letang on who if any will make the team. Welch and Letang have the hardest task ahead of them because of the Pens 6 Defenseman on 1-way contracts. Staal might have an easier time making team if it is for just 9 games until Malkin hopefully returns.

Also what seems to be the only real story about the Pens for the past 8 months is Malkin. The second opinion on his shoulder was good news since it was revealed that he does not need surgery that would have put him out for at least 4 months. While the Pens did not have any time table on his return, he still could be back within the first few weeks of the season.

Injury Updates...

The latest on the injury front is that Malkin has a dislocated shoulder and Recchi has a broken cheek bone. There is no word on how long Malkin will be out of action but chances are slim that he will be ready for the opener that is two weeks away. Recchi however could play if this was the regular season but since it is not he will probably be out of action for a few preseason games.

Malkin Injured

Well in what has been a pretty uneventful preseason so far turned bad for the Pens when LeClair lost his footing and crashed into a skating Malkin behind the net. Malkin went face first into the ice. He had a cut on his face but the worry was that he was keeping his left shoulder quite low when leaving the ice. He went to the hospital as the rink they were playing at didn't have any equipment to X-Ray his shoulder. At last word he was back at the rink but no information was known.

Penguins will have an update after their preseason game...

UPDATE:

Well the update from the Pens was less then satisfying as they basically said we don't know. Shero said that he will be evaluated tomorrow so if I read into that correctly he wasn't hurt seriously and the X-Ray showed nothing so maybe it is just a sprained shoulder. Let hope so...

And it begins!!!...

The Penguins 5 month migration is almost over.

The Pens start their Preseason tomorrow against the Ottawa Senators. Crosby and Fluery will be playing but Malkin will not. Pens fans will be able to see the future the next night as both Crosby and Malkin will be in the lineup together against the Flyers.

From all the reading and viewing of the Pens I have done I must say I am pretty excited to watch this team. There is a lot to be excited about with the addition off Malkin. With Malkin centering the line with Malone and Recchi, the Pens now have the other scoring line to compliment Crosby's line which consists of Armstrong and Ekman. Malkin's line really looked to be in sync already in camp while Crosby line looks to still need work to recapture the chemistry they had last year.

The first two lines are set. The real decisions are going to be with the 3rd and 4th lines. LeClair, Ruutu, Moore, and Petrovicky are locks to be on those lines somewhere. The question come with Staal, Talbot, and Christensen with one of them not going to make it. Staal is the most likely one not to make it because he is only 18 and couldn't be hurt by another year in Juniors.

We will see how the preseason plays out...

Malkin signed...

The Penguins have announced that they have signed Malkin to the Rookie maximum deal and he will report with the other Penguin rookies on Thurs. Sept 7th.

Will the set of the Russians to finally start the legal battle they have promised or have they given up since they know it will probably futile?

Guess we will have to wait to see...