Opening of the Books....Unfortunately, No Conspiracy to be found.

Its long been thought by many a yinzer that Bob Nutting is some nerdy combination of C. Montgomery Burns and Scrooge McDuck lining his pockets/bank vault with money that should be spent on his team's payroll. As good of a story as below would be, it appears it really isn't the case.

Instead of swimming in his money, Nutting and the Pirates seem to have some real revenue questions and not a lot of room for error in their never-ending quest to be a contender. But didn't we know that already? 

Here are some links to different perspectives/analysis.  

First the background of the story:

The original Post-Gazette article: For the most part, just a rehashing of what the Pirates presented to the media yesterday. 

The AP story that prompted the Pirates "getting out in front of the story:" Nothing really said here that wasn't said by the Pirates in Dejan's article. Just twisted differently.

The actual line by line financial statements for the Pirates and other teams that were leaked: A lot of interesting info here including the dramatic differences in gate and broadcasting revenues between teams. 

What does this all mean?

Bucs Dugout says the whole situation doesn't nicely fit the Bob Nutting is evil media narrative. A very good discussion in the comments here as well.

Pirates Prospects breaks the situation down a couple of different ways here and here. They have the same concern I do. How can the team consistently raise the payroll with these numbers? I would have much rather seen this leak of info show that Nutting was taking 50 million a year in profits like the conspiracy theorists have long thought. Instead it appears any "meaningful" increase in payroll is going to have to be offset by an increase in revenue or decrease in spending somewhere else (as it appears the team is not interested in losing money).

Pittsburgh Lumber Company takes issue with some of the "nonsense" in the AP article.

Where Have You Gone Andy Van Slyke comments on his changing perception of the Pirates' finances since Nutting/Coonelly/Huntington took over.

Rocco Demaro weighs in with a practical estimate on what the profits would have brought the Pirates if they spent every dime on the MLB payroll. Hint...it wouldn't have made much of a difference the last couple of years. Spending on the amateur draft and using the profit to pay down debt is a much better use of funds while rebuilding.

The Biz of Baseball compares and contracts financial info from all of the teams leaked on Deadspin. 

And Finally:

People have complained for years that the Pirates wouldn't open their books. They did (although not exactly voluntarily). The statements show that they made profits but not the significant profits critics had been claiming. 

So, critics need a new spin. I assume that spin will be the need to sell to Lemieux/Burkle cause they are "proven winners."

Of course, those same people conveniently forget the endless money troubles the Penguins had (before and with Mario as the owner) before they literally won the lottery with Sidney Crosby, had a hard salary cap implemented across the league, and leveraged potentially leaving the city (a lot more seriously than the Pirates or Steelers did in the late 90s) to get their new arena. Their just isn't enough in this market to spend anywhere near what other teams in places like NY do if there isn't a system of checks/balances in place. Baseball doesn't have that. Hockey now does. That (and the luck of the ping pong balls) is why the Pens have been successful. Not because Mario is a financial genius.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Penguins and everything that they have accomplished. The Consol Energy Center was actually the most practical and necessary of the three new facilities due to its extensive non-Penguin use.  However, lets not pretend Mario has always had the golden touch.  Before Crosby or Malkin arrived, 11,000 people went to the games to cheer on prospects like Rico Fata, the Pens had the lowest payroll in the league, and the ticket sales department I was working in didn't have enough budget to get us envelopes or pens. Besides the shortages of office supplies, doesn't that sound pretty familiar to the current Pirates situation? Actually, the Pirates young guys now are probably better than the Pens prospects in the early 2000s. 

The main difference? There is no Sidney Crosby coming via lottery to the Pirates immediately to get them out of the hole. But there is talent coming. It just takes time now that they are finally doing a proper rebuild.

Mid Week Thoughts....

Some of the things crossing my mind on this fine Wednesday evening....

-Neil Walker is off to a great start in his first week back in the majors. A game winning homer will do that. So far, he has put the attitude problems I ripped him for a couple weeks ago behind him and done what you were always told he was capable of (but he didn't do in the minors until 2010). Great to see and I hope he keeps it up. 

-Was it just me or did Ben Roethlisberger look to be about 25 lbs lighter than he normally is this time of year when he reported to OTAs yesterday? Did he start his yearly pre-training camp mma-esque weight cut down early? Or is he finally hanging out somewhere other than the bar in the offseason (like the treadmill)? Based on how things have gone so far, I am pretty convinced Lord Goddell will ultimately reduce his suspension to 4 games. Which brings him back just in time for the Browns.

-If you listen to 93.7 The Fan here in Pittsburgh, you have in the last couple days surely heard about the off the wall Allegheny County Councilman who is urging Pittsburghers to root for the Flyers in the Stanley Cup Finals. And if you don't listen to the station, just turn it on for a couple minutes and someone will mention the story. I promise. Its part of their every twenty minutes update somehow. Both yesterday and today, Seibel and Starkey would not stop laughing and carrying on about how dumb this guy is. They replayed their interview with him yesterday first thing today and then took calls about it. How is that anywhere near compelling radio? Yikes.

-Speaking of dumb things that have somehow become part of the news, how about the Pens testing of the toilets at the Consol Energy Center? Are local news outlet that hurting for stories these days? Actually, they are probably just taking any chance they get to make bad toilet/flush puns. Cause those are funny.

-I caught up on the TV show Flash Forward over the last couple of days. It was a good show but I wouldn't recommend making time for it if as it has a cliffhanger first season ending. That would normally be fine, but the show was cancelled. 

-Finally, the Pirates are in a rain delay right now. There has to be a better option than the programming they put on during rain delays. I usually change the channel, but still have seen the Mazeroski show they have on right now numerous times. And if it isn't this Mazeroski show, its "Inside Pirates Baseball" which is on about 15 times over the weekend anyway. Would it be so crazy to just keep it with the announcers and talk about the team, MLB, maybe even interview a guy a or two?

The Journey of Marian Hossa

Its been a strange and wild ride for Marian Hossa the last couple of years. Winning has followed him. To a point at least....

Early 2008: Marian Hossa is on a going nowhere Atlanta Thrashers team and viewed as a bit of a career underachiever based on his skill level. He is a hot commodity at the NHL trading deadline because some think he has just never been in the right situation and is the perfect "rent a player" for a team wanting to make a run at the Stanley Cup. The Penguins come out of seemingly nowhere to trade for him in the last seconds of the trading deadline. He plays great for the Penguins once healthy, shedding his playoff choker label by finishing 3rd in playoff scoring, and is a big factor as to why the Pens get to within two games of the Stanley Cup....

Summer 2008: Hossa spurns the Penguins' more lucrative multi-year offer for a one year contract with the Detroit Red Wings because he views them as a better bet to win the Stanley Cup.....

June 2009: Hossa prediction turns out to be wrong as his Red Wings lose to the Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals. He is for the most part a non-factor in the series. Pittsburghers mock him endlessly....Hossa says he does not regret his decision...

Summer 2009: A free agent once again, Hossa takes the big money, long term deal he passed on previously by signing a frontloaded, 12 year 62.8 million deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks are viewed as a team "on the cusp" but not necessarily a Cup contender. Most think Hossa just took the most money he could get after his close calls the previous two years.....

May 2010: The Blackhawks complete a four game sweep of the #1 seeded San Jose Sharks and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1992. They haven't won a Cup since 1961.  Hossa becomes the first player to play in 3 straight Cup finals for 3 different teams. The question remains if he will become the first guy to lose in the Cup finals 3 years in a row for 3 different teams....


I know he is still hated in Pittsburgh, but I hold no ill will towards Hossa. He came in 2008 and did his job very well. He was a rent-a-player to win in the playoffs. Ray Shero made the trade to try to win the Cup in 2008, not prepare for the long term.

Hossa didn't owe anything to the Penguins or the fans beyond that season. The outrage over him leaving is just insane. In fact if you take a step back, his not signing here was a blessing. There is a pretty good chance guys like Jordan Staal, Kris Letang, Max Talbot, Marc Andre Fleury and even Evgeni Malkin would not have been able to be resigned under the salary cap if Hossa signed a big multi year contract with the Pens. And who would you rather have for the next 5 years or so....Jordan Staal and Malkin and Letang and etc.. or Hossa? I think that is a no-brainer.

After the craziness he has gone through the last three years, I know I will be rooting for Hossa and the Blackhawks in the Cup finals....Anyone else?

Last Dance for the Mellon...Pens vs. Habs. Game 7

You just aren't going to win very many games spotting the other team four goals and only starting to play 28 minutes in.  Just a disaster of a game that you could sort of feel coming after Crosby took a real borderline boarding penalty 10 seconds in.

Kudos to Montreal for capitalizing on seemingly every single bounce/breakout they got all series. Thats what you need to do in the playoffs as an underdog and they did it to perfection. I would call them the favorites against either Philly or Boston.

I thought the Penguin defensemen could not play any worse than they did in game 6.  I was wrong.

Did the long seasons and short offseasons the last two years slowly catch up with the Pens as this year went on? Tough to say.

And that's enough of this painful game. Being a Pirate fan, its always fun to look to the future instead of the latest disappointment. So, let's take a knee-jerk look at who will stay and who will go....Remember the Pens are tight against the salary cap (and will be for years to come). They have to spend on free agents/role players very carefully:

Contract numbers/statuses courtesy of NHLnumbers.com


Goalies: No changes.

Defense: Thankfully there should be a good bit of turnover. Defensive Defensemen should be high on the shopping list.

-The only guys under contract are Orpik, Letang, and Goligoski.

-Gonchar would certainly have to take a paycut to stay. Not sure how much he has left at this point as he looked awfully slow most of the year while still being great on the powerplay. About 10% chance he stays.

-Mark Eaton/Jay McKee are 50/50 to come back. Mark Eaton is not worth 2 million a year in the Pen's cap situation. I think you could find similar players for closer to McKees salary.

-I think they try to keep Ben Lovejoy. He was very solid in limited chances this year.

-I keep Leopold if you can keep his salary in the same neighborhood. If not, he is gone.

Offense: Minimal but important changes. Basically, the revolving door of wingers continues. The faith (or lack of) in guys like Letestu, Tangradi, and Jeffrey will help dictate what route they go.

-I can't imagine the Pens have any interest in bringing Ponikarovsky or Fedotenko back.
-Guerin retires or comes back here. I lean toward retirement.
-Cooke is a guy that I would make a priority to resign, but I see some team making him "an offer he can't refuse" that the Pens can't match similar to what happened with Scuderi last year.

Will the Pens be back in the Stanley Cup hunt next year? With the right tweaking and a refreshed core, they absolutely should be......

Defense Optional....Pens vs. Habs Game 6

What a frustrating game.

Thoughts.....

-It is truly amazing the Penguins have gotten this far with a "defense" that is beyond sloppy. Do they really miss defensive defensemen like Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi that much? I think so. The only guy who turns the ball over in a game more than Kris Letang is JaMarcus Russell.  He was as bad as you can be while scoring a goal. Its also obvious that Jordan Leopold just hasn't been the same since the head injury. Maybe Jay McKee should be in for Game 7?

-At some point, Mike Cammalleri has to be stopped. He looks like Lemieux out there right now. Maybe the defense shouldn't just start backing away from him like he is on fire anytime he touches the puck.

-Malkin doesn't get a goal because of a quick whistle. There is no way in the world the referee can claim they lost sight of that puck, but not the one Saturday night (on Montreal's goal). Maybe this referee forgot his x-ray vision goggles.

-The inconsistent penalty calls are so frustrating. How many more penalties does Matt Cooke deserve just for being Matt Cooke? Whatever the number is...just give them to him before the game tomorrow even starts, just to get his time in the box out of the way. Even a couple of the calls on Montreal were awful. And then they let obvious ones like go. It has truly been a series officiated like it was 1999.

So now it comes down to one game where two opposite storylines are converging:

-Crosby has consistently "one-upped" Ovechkin in every big game scenario throughout their careers. Ovechkin and the Capitals just lost a game 7 to Montreal. That would point to a big game from Crosby and a Pens win.

-Throughout their history the Penguins have lost a couple of home game 7s to dramatically over matched teams. This Montreal team fits the mold of those 93 Islanders and 96 Panthers. That would point to a Montreal win.

Which storyline wins out?

The Airing of Grievances.....Pittsburgh Sports Media Edition

This is the first installment of what I hope is a semi-regular feature where I participate in everyone's favorite part of Festivus....

Pittsburgh has more than its fair share of sportswriters/sports personalities. Here are my thoughts on some of the major players (or at least the guys I read/listen to the most). This is based on no inside knowledge whatsoever, just my opinion based on what I read/listen to everyday.....


-Ed Bouchette (Post-Gazette Steeler Writer)...Ed is really knowledgable and reliable about the Steelers and always has the "scoop." Probably because he basically works for the Steelers. He is all but writing press releases for the team at this point. Objectivity does not appear to be in his repertoire anymore.

-Dejan Kovacevic (Post-Gazette Pirate Beat Writer)...The guy I read the most. He covers the Pirates better than anyone one else by far and enjoys it more than anyone covering the Pirates probably should. However on the negative side, he always hides behind the guise of "I am a beat reporter who reports the news, not opinion" when someone asks his opinion. That would be fine, but that statement is often made right after he has written a particularly opinionated game story or article, like the one linked here. For another example of his opinion writing, see his response to the article/comments in this link. Why would you have to defend something if it is totally factual? And I have never seen a reporter so attached to departed players...

-Rob Biertempel (Tribune-Review Pirate Beat Writer)...Has he ever broke a Pirate story? I can't think of one. Dejan seems to outwork him tremendously. Not to mention he seems annoyed to be covering the team half the time. I think the only reason I even know him is because I went searching for other local options when it was announced that Dejan's Pirate blog was going to the Post-Gazette's pay site PG-Plus.

-Rob Rossi (Tribune-Review Penguin Beat Writer)....Most of the time, he is alright besides talking about himself a little too much. Other times, he seems determined to protect Crosby at all costs and run down Malkin. See the rip on Malkin's english in his bio here. I think he eventually leads a charge to trade Malkin.

-Chuck Finder (Post-Gazette Pirate et al Writer)....Chuck tries to win a Pulitzer prize with every article he writes. Wordiness is putting it mildly. Just try reading something of his and I guarantee that by the end you will either have a headache or have no idea what you just read. I would link to his writing but I don't want to punish anyone.

-John Perrotto (Former Pirate Beat Writer, now editor of Baseball Prospectus)....John seems to have developed a personal agenda against the Pirate organization after being let go by the Pirate Report (owned by the Nuttings who own the team) last year. In fact, he now claims the Nuttings have spies in the press box listening for any bad words about the team (here, will have to scroll down a bit). Not mentioned by John -for his own safety I am sure - is that if the spies hear the wrong thing, the KGB comes and whisks that particular reporter off to Siberia.

-Bob Smizik (Blogger on Post-Gazette.com)....Bloggin Bob might be the first person to actually become a better writer after "retiring." He still spends most of the time writing as what we can call his "Grumpy Old Yinzer" character, but will throw in the occasional well-researched and thought out article that he never did before.

-Ron Cook (Post-Gazette Columnist, 93.7 The Fan Host).....No one brings the negative like Cook (except maybe Anthony). The pairing with Vinny on the radio is actually a very good Yin and Yang, postive vs negative combination. Assuming Vinny can avoid being sucked into the negative abyss by Cook.

-Bob Pompeani (KDKA TV)....Just take a look at his Twitter feed. I know Twitter is not the most formal of outlets but still....Would a period or capitalization somewhere be that much to ask?

There are obviously way more guys to talk about out there, but I figured I'd end this before you started comparing me to Chuck Finder.

Thoughts on these guys or ones I missed?

Happy Mother's Day....Saturday Night in the Burgh

First off and most importantly, Happy Mother's day to all mothers.

I didn't see the Penguin's victory live last night. My wife and I were at PNC Park in the Heinz Field-esque weather watching Jeff Karstens smoke & mirror his way to six shutout innings and a victory against the mighty St. Louis Cardinals.

Weather Tangent....Weather like last night is one of the downsides of buying a ticket package and picking your games ahead of time. Its actually the second of three games we have gone to that have been unseasonably cold but not raining. Its also further proof that Pittsburgh has the wackiest weather around. Wasn't it 75 and sunny for Thursday and Friday night's games? We were actually hoping for a rainout while driving in a downpour and especially while eating/drinking at the Bettis Grill. However, once we got in the park, we were prepared (bundled up) enough that the cold wasn't that bad. The wind had noticeably died down since 5:30 when we parked the car. Actually, if you take away the annoying clueless wackos behind us, I really have no complaints.

Anyway, the clearest sign it was the city of Pittsburgh's night? When Joel Hanrahan blew away Albert Pujols on strikes to end the eighth inning, stranding two runners on base and perserving the Pirates 1-0 lead (when I think everyone in the building expected a three run homer). It was like the Mighty Casey striking out in shock value. The Pirates added an insurance run in the ninth and Octavio Dotel struck out the last two hitters to end it just a minute or two after the Penguins had survived the Canadiens' last minute push.

I did watch the Penguins game via DVR. Its just not the same when you know the outcome though. I did pick up a couple things:

-Malkin dominated for shifts at a time. Its amazing he only had one assist.

-Fleury faced the most action he has faced in the series and responded accordingly (enjoyed the action actually). Its too bad he didn't get the shutout. I am not sure how the referee still "had sight of the puck" on the Montreal goal. Apparently he has x-ray vision.

-Crosby may have zero goals in the series, but is making a ton of little plays that make a difference. He has not let the goal scoring drought affect his backchecking/defensive effort in general. They will need at least more of the same (if not a goal) to finish Montreal off.

-I'll take Mark Letestu over Fedotenko or Ponikarovsky any day. Letestu is always around the puck and seems this close to scoring a goal. The other two seem bored to be to playing.

-Did Craig Adams have the hardest legal hit of the year at the end of the first? Wow.

-And again, great things happen when Kris Letang hits the net.

Will this frustrating series end on Monday? Or will the Canadiens find a way to send it back to Pittsburgh for potentially the final Mellon Arena showdown? Who knows at this point? Not me. I had this series over two games ago.

Bookcases and Links

A week and a half ago I ordered a bookcase. It came on Thursday (way before it was supposed to and with free shipping, so far so good) and I was all prepared to put it together and rearrange my basement room accordingly this afternoon.....I then open the box and see there are no instructions, no way to attach the various pieces together and neither of the two legs. Awesome and about as frustrating as listening to Anthony or Jim try to justify their ridiculous arguments.

I just emailed the company asking the missing parts be shipped out, and won't throw them under the bus yet. Its possible that stuff fell out of the box during the UPS process as they definitely weren't careful with the box. It was somewhat busted open at the one end.

So, instead of spending my afternoon building, I present to you some random links:

-Deadspin and Mondesi's House comment about the Ben Roethlisberger Sports Illustrated article and the media in general. I wanted to write something about this subject (mainly the revelation that KDKA withheld a Ben story more than once) but these guys sum up my opinion better than I could.

-Fangraphs sees some good signs from the Pirates offense. If only they could avoid having two guys tagged out at third base on one play...

-According to Empty Netters, Guerin should be back tonight and may replace Ponikarovsky. NHL trade that has worked out worse...Devils getting Kovalchuk or the Penguins getting Ponikarovsky?

-The always classy New England Patriots disappoint some middle school kids. I think someone should be suspended under the personal conduct policy.

-And America's Finest News Source has a different take on the Buccos and how to deal with the struggles.

He's on Fire!....Pens vs Habs Game 4

Taking a different approach for this game:

Its been well documented that a lot of pro athletes are big videogamers. In that vein, Game 4 reminded me of a bunch of old videogames. Most of which I dominated Anthony in....

-This game was played at an infinitely more entertaining pace than game 3. There was long stretches of continuous play without whistles ala NHL 94 on Genesis before you figured out how to score every time down the ice (Or when both people agreed to play "one-timers only" because of the ability to score by doing the same move every time). Not to mention the fact that Montreal's second goal was very similar to the wraparound that worked every time.

-I know it sounds cliche but Montreal got all the bounces while being severely outplayed most of the night. Like when you would play the computer in Madden, and they would have one or two drives a game (even in a blowout) where they were going to score a touchdown no matter what you did. Tipped balls that were interceptions earlier in the game go to the receiver, the quarterback breaks a bunch of tackles, etc.....Both scenarios are extremely frustrating.

-With the Pens domination but inability to "Finish Them," its pretty obvious none of the players were big Mortal Kombat fans growing up. Its too bad that unlike in Mortal Kombat, NHL teams don't just whither and go away whether you finish them or not.

-Halak was NBA Jam esque "on fire" all night. He made some tremendous sprawling saves and is without a doubt the reason the series is tied. All that was missing was the announcer yelling "Boom shaka laka!"

Basically, the Pens don't need to change anything they are doing on offense. Keep pushing forward and crashing the net. Goals will eventually start to go in like they did in game 1. And Montreal isn't going to get a Kris Letang "own goal" to win every night. Sure, the series is now going to go longer than most everyone predicted, but its still a best of 3 where they have two games at home. 

Their motto should be "Stay the Course."

Wake Me for the Third....Pens vs. Habs Game 3

I'll be honest. I barely made it through the first two periods last night. There are typically very few things more intense than a close NHL playoff game. Last night was an exception, at least for awhile.

Here are a couple of really boring things that are infinitely more entertaining than watching New Jersey Montreal sit back in a neutral zone trap style and wait for a mistake (and the Pens allowing them to do it):

-The NFL Draft Scouting Combine. The NFL Network actually airs college kids running 40 yard dashes and lifting weights. I watched for an hour one time and will regret it for the rest of my life.

-The MLB Draft. No way this should be televised, but it was last year for the first time. Most players aren't playing in the majors for at least 3 or 4 years. And over half the guys drafted won't even sign. And there are 50 rounds! Sign me up.

-Running on a treadmill. I just can't do it. I end up staring at the time left screen or miles traveled screen from about 30 seconds in on. There is not a thing in the world that makes time move slower for me than a treadmill. That half hour seems like 6 months.

However, the third period was much more fun to watch. Play opened up a bit as both teams realized somebody had to score to win. And when things open up, the Pens skill is usually going to win out....You had Malkin doing what he does on the power play, Fleury being dominant late when he needed to be (much better than "average" I would say), and a well deserving Pascal Dupuis throwing in an empty netter.

Two other notes:

-Expected better from the Montreal fans. Between expecting a penalty anytime a Canadien fell to the ice and chanting "Crosby Sucks" like the lovable Philly fans, they seemed to be the ones doing the whining that Sid gets accused of.

-Am I the only one that noticed Steigerwald's fascination with PK Subban? He seems to love just saying his full name. Sort of like when they play Fedor Tyutin. For the longest time, I had no idea that was his whole name. I thought his last name was Federtutin (who knows what I thought his first name was).


It was not a work of art by any means, but the Pens are back on track to take this series in five or six games.

Party like its 1999...Pens vs. Habs Game 2

First things first...there goes my sweep prediction--obviously.

I wouldn't have said the series would be a sweep if I would have known we were going back in time to the not so exciting world of the late 90's NHL. The time when clutching and grabbing was a way of life and Mario Lemieux called the NHL a "garage league" (Doesn't make sense--I know--but it seems like an insult, right?). This style of play was supposed to be eliminated after the lockout in an effort to make the game "exciting" and "reward skill players" again, but it's totally up to the referees to keep the clutching & grabbing in check by calling penalties. The referees today must have missed that memo.


I am typically not one to blame the referees. So, lets give Montreal some credit. One thing they do well is stick to their system and hold a lead like their lives depend on it. They know the only chance they have in the series is to somehow get ahead and then neutral zone trap and "Murphy Dump" their way to a victory. It leads to a ton of shots on goal for the Pens, but not very many good ones. The great chances the Pens were getting on Friday night were nowhere to be found today cause of their unwillingness to crash the net (still not sure why) and their decision to play like the Capitals in games 6 and 7 against Montreal. Halak will be the first to tell you he worked harder Friday facing 23 shots than he did today against 39.


The Penguins need to get back to the style of play that won them game 1. Or at least have the NHL remember it's 2010--not 1999.


Couple quick bullet points...


-Matt Cooke has been just awesome in the playoffs. Its like he is going to be a free agent and is playing for a big money contract (Oh wait...).


-Today wasn't one of Malkin's best games. Of course, it would help if his wingers ever -as the gentleman sitting next to us last week at the Arena so eloquently put it- "did something that doesn't suck."


-How bad are NBC's broadcasts? I love Sidney Crosby and all, but there are other guys on the team worth mentioning every once in a while.


I am not that worried about the Pens losing the series. Of course, I was the one who didn't believe the Habs would actually beat the Capitals till it happened......

Pens vs. Habs...Game 1

First off, what is a "Hab"?

After watching the Pens game last night, a handful of things stood out:

-It seems like all it took to beat Halak was moving the puck before shooting as opposed to just launching shot after shot at the net like Washington did.  Unlike the Capitals, the Pens are willing to adjust and aren't just determined to lead the league in shots. But hey, at least the Capitals have a President's Trophy banner to hang up. The 1993 Pens are remembered very fondly. I am sure the 2010 Caps will be as well.

-Speaking of Halak, how crazy is that announcer for wanting Carey Price to start that game because of Halak's previous struggles on short rest? Its the playoffs! Under his thinking, I think the Pens should sit Sidney Crosby on Sunday just to rest up for the rest of the series. Or maybe the Bulls should have rested Jordan after he pretty much singlehandedly won the Finals game while being deathly ill. Its just the right thing to do.

-A Jordan Staal injury is a long term problem. It might not matter in this series, but there is no better penalty killing forward in the league.

-Gonchar surely can't be the only reason the power play has been so much better in the second half of the season but it sure feels like it. Apparently, he is the John Stockton of the NHL. Bad comparison since Stockton never won anything...How about Magic Johnson?

Overall, I think this series is pretty comparable to the Carolina series from last year. Could and probably should be a sweep for the Pens.

At least these guys agree: