Outline · [ Standard ] · Linear+ The official Pittsburgh PenguiNS Thread!, GO PENS GO!

WE DID IT!!!
Division Champs for the First time in 10 years!!!

WOOHOO


Pittsburgh beat Philadelphia last night to clinch their 1st division title in 10 years!!!

PITTSBURGH (AP) -During a season in which numerous injuries to key players gave the Pittsburgh Penguins every reason to lose, they wound up as division champions. They might not be done yet, either, with the Eastern Conference title theirs to win, too.

Sidney Crosby scored twice and Evgeni Malkin netted the go-ahead goal for the Penguins, who clinched their first division title in 10 years with a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night.

The Penguins secured the Atlantic Division title only two years after they had the Eastern Conference's worst record and the NHL's second-worst mark. They also overtook idle Montreal for the East lead by two points. The Canadiens have two games remaining, at home Thursday against Buffalo, and Saturday against Toronto. Pittsburgh ends the regular season Sunday at Philadelphia.

"We ended up losing Crosby (for 28 games) and Marc-Andre Fleury (for three months) and so many other guys during the course of the season, and we were just trying to focus and maintain our position to make the playoffs," coach Michel Therrien said. "The guys surprised me with their commitment."

Pittsburgh hadn't won a division title since taking the Northeast in 1997-98, the season after Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux retired for the first time. The Penguins have 102 points to 97 for division rival New Jersey, which beat Boston 3-2 in a shootout but can finish with no more than 101 points.

"It's huge. To win at home and win the division against a rival, I'll bet everyone in here will say it's our best win of the season, and Sunday could even top that," defenseman Ryan Whitney said. "It's exciting in here right now."

The Penguins, winning their eighth in a row at home to assure themselves of no worse than the No. 2 seed in the conference playoffs, trailed 2-1 after the first before turning to their two stars for the game's two biggest goals.

All four Penguins goals came on the power play as they went 4-for-6 to Philadelphia's 1-for-5.

Only 19 seconds after Crosby drew a charging penalty from Scott Hartnell that put the Flyers down two men, Crosby took Sergei Gonchar's pass and beat goalie Martin Biron with a one-timer from a bad angle along the edge of the right circle. It was Crosby's first goal in four games since returning from a seven-game layoff due to a sprained ankle and his first at home since Jan. 3. He added the 24th of his injury-interrupted season late in the third.

"We knew going in it was going to be an emotional game, an intense game with them needing to play desperate hockey and us wanting to play well here down the stretch, with the division in mind," Crosby said. "For me personally, that's probably the most intense game we've played since I got back here the second time."

Gonchar scored Pittsburgh's first goal midway through the first and had two assists.

Malkin, chosen as the Penguins' MVP by the team, made it 3-2 later in the period when the Flyers apparently thought he was going to the bench after being on the ice for 1 1/2 minutes of a power play.

Instead, Malkin swooped in after two Flyers collided with Pittsburgh's Ryan Whitney near the top of the left circle, grabbed the puck and beat Biron with a hard wrist shot for his 47th goal, making it 3-2.

Crosby scored again by redirecting Sergei Gonchar's pass from the right point with 1:34 remaining.

"With the personnel they have on their power play, it's pretty hard to shut them down," Hartnell said. "This is as close as it's going to get to a playoff atmosphere."

It was a potentially costly loss for the Flyers, who began the night needing four points in their final three games to assure themselves of making the playoffs. They fell into eighth place in the conference, a point behind Boston and only one ahead of Washington, with home games remaining Friday against New Jersey and Sunday.

"We still hold our fate in our hands. If we win our next two we're in," forward Mike Richards said. "Two games at home is a good position to be in. ... This was like a playoff game, and in playoff games, specialty teams are the difference."

In a physical game filled with pushing and shoving and plenty of sticks to the midsection, there were two fights and three other skirmishes in the first period. The Flyers took a 2-1 lead on goals in that period by Hartnell and Jeff Carter, but Fleury allowed no others on the next 27 shots he faced.

"We didn't want the emotions to get too carried away," Penguins forward Ryan Malone said. "We all want to run around and put everyone through the boards, but you want to stay out of the box. I'm sure they'd like to have some of their penalties back. ... I thought we played smart hockey."

Notes: Philadelphia had been 5-0-1 since a 7-1 loss in Pittsburgh on March 16. ... The Penguins sold out all 41 home games for the first time in the franchise's 41-year history. ... Malkin is four points behind Washington's Alex Ovechkin in the scoring race, 110-106. ... The Flyers won the first four games of the season series by a combined score of 20-8, but the Penguins have won the last three by 15-6.


Associated Press
Three star selections:
1st:    SIDNEY CROSBY
2nd:    SERGEI GONCHAR
3rd:    EVGENI MALKIN


Winning Goaltender:
Marc-Andre Fleury

Losing Goaltender:
Martin Biron

WE DID IT!!!
Division Champs for the First time in 10 years!!!

WOOHOO
Pittsburgh beat Philadelphia last night to clinch their 1st division title in 10 years!!!

It's only the first step on the climb to the "top of the mountain."

Badger Bob Johnson is waiting there for Sidney to come get the Stanley Cup!

That was a great game yesterday. Crosby's deflection near the end was a really nice goal.

I was watching the game, then afterwards I was throwing darts at my Fathead of Scott Hartnell, and burning his cards.

Seriously though, it is only one step. Getting there is great, but winning there is tough.

It's only the first step on the climb to the "top of the mountain."

Understood, but you'll trip on the way if you don't take the first step

WOOHOO

The Penguins will open the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoff Conference Quarterfinal round at home on Wednesday against the Ottawa Senators at 7 p.m.

YEAH BABY!!!

PITTSBURGH (AP) -The Ottawa Senators must be wondering how many more times this can happen. They get to the playoffs, yet Gary Roberts finds a way to beat them. Again. And again.

Roberts and Petr Sykora scored in the first period and the favored Penguins, determined not to duplicate their awful postseason opener of a year ago, rode Marc-Andre Fleury's goaltending after that to a 4-0 victory over Ottawa in the Eastern Conference playoffs Wednesday night.

PENS lead the series 1 game to 0 and are up 1-0 after the first intermission in game two, which is one now!!!

GO PENS

Yeah baby!!!


The series is 2-0!!!

The Penguins are up 4-1 in game 3!!!!


WOOHOO this is about t be a 3-0 SERIES!!!!

we are one period from winning this series!!!!!!!!!!!!

How about them Penguins in Game 1!!!!

Came back form 3 goals down to win 5-4


Yeah Pens!!!!

How about them Penguins in Game 1!!!!

Came back form 3 goals down to win 5-4
Yeah Pens!!!!

Ya .. I'm pumped. You would think that there would be a little more Pens chatter here on TCC?

I guess the Crosby-come-latelies don't seem to care, just as long as those BV's go up .... lol.

WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO

Ya .. I'm pumped.  You would think that there would be a little more Pens chatter here on TCC?

Yeah, I don't get it. I guess there are not a lot of hockey or Penguins fans. I will admit it's hard to follow them when I can't watch all the games on TV

I wish I lived in Pittsburgh!

Yeah, I don't get it. I guess there are not a lot of hockey or Penguins fans. I will admit it's hard to follow them when I can't watch all the games on TV

I wish I lived in Pittsburgh!

Dude, I live in Memphis, TN which is not a hockey hotbed by any means and I don't miss a game.

It's called DirecTV and/or the NHL Center Ice package which can be found on most all cable providers.

I tell you what, I can't live without DirecTV down here; if I could not get the Center Ice package and NFL Sunday ticket for the Steelers I would go insane. I can't and won't live without it ... PERIOD!

LET'S GO PENS!

Hmmm...yeah but parents bay the bills....don't think they want to add that

When I move out sometime before September....I might consider it!

Hmmm...yeah but parents bay the bills....don't think they want to add that

When I move out sometime before September....I might consider it!

... and move to Pittsburgh while you are at it. Problem solved!

PS: I need to get my wife to do just that so I can take my own advice ... lol.

I'm gonna be back at school in Allentown... Pittsburgh to Allentown would be a 8 hour commute every day !

I'm gonna be back at school in Allentown... Pittsburgh to Allentown would be a 8 hour commute every day !

when are u starting school slim?

u still gonna trade with me right