Well, the good news is that the Penguins are tied atop the
Atlantic Division with the New Jersey Devils and the Philadelphia
Flyers. The bad news is that is has taken four ties and zero
wins at home to do it.
The Penguins remain the only team left in the Eastern Conference
that has not been able to put a W on the board at home. Their
record at home is a dismal 0-1-3, but 5-3-4 overall, which is
good enough for a share of first.
I know what you're thinking: "They've only lost once on home
ice." Well, I got news for you, Sparky, after last season when
the Pens managed to not win or lose 18 times, 10 of which were at
home, it makes it difficult for fans here to spend upwards around
$85-$100 for a ticket.
Saturday's game was a prime example. The Pens and the Bruins
each walked away with a point, however, neither team managed a
single goal. Final score: Pittsburgh 0 Boston 0. BORING! It
wasn't like goaltenders Jean-Sebastien Aubin and Byron Dafoe were
outstanding; it was pretty much a game of going through the
motions.
I know I'm being hard on the Penguins, but this season doesn't
have the excitement of the past. I don't know if it's because of
the money trouble and the talk that owner Roger Marino would like
to move the team out of Pittsburgh, or maybe it's that last
season sucked so bad that I just haven't been able to get into
this one yet. We shall wait and see.
All's not lost, though. There is some good news coming from the
Igloo. First, as I stated earlier, rookie goalie Jean-Sebastien
Aubin has done a good job replacing both Tom Barrasso and Peter
Skudra, who have both gone down with injuries. Aubin has posted
a 1-1-1 record with a GAA of 2.35. Not too shabby. He also
recorded his first NHL shutout Saturday against the Boston Bruins
proving that he will be able to be an adequate replacement for
the time being.
As far as Tommy B. is concerned, he was dressed for Saturday's
game and could have played if needed. He'll probably be starting
by the time you read this.
The biggest news of the week was the return of Darius
Kasparaitis. Good ol' Darius had missed the beginning of the
season with what is thought to be a torn ACL. He hit everything
that moved Tuesday night as the Pens TIED the flyers 4-4.
Surprise. It's just like Father's Day here with all the ties
recently.
I like soup.
Peace.
