Let the free agent frenzy begin! Sort of. There are reports surfacing out of Russia that KHL clubs Metallurg Magnitogorsk and Bary's Astana are interested in signing Pittsburgh Penguins free agents Petr Sykora and Miroslav Satan.
Any truth to the rumors? Not if you ask their agent, Allan Walsh, who denied the reports via his twitter feed (technology ... amazing).
The Pittsburgh Penguins ended a 17-year Stanley Cup drought on Friday night with a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings, giving the franchise its third championship. While current general manager Ray Shero will get his name on the cup for overseeing the hockey operations the past three seasons, former general manager Craig Patrick also had a hand in putting this team together.
After the jump, a player-by-player look at how the 2008-09 Penguins were built over the years.
When a trip to the Stanley Cup final is on the line, players tend to step up their games and do things they might not ordinarily do. Sometimes it's something simple, something they should already be doing like blocking a shot or backchecking ... or in the case of Miroslav Satan, something as extreme as fighting.
In the closing minutes of Pittsburgh's 7-4 win in Game 2 on Thursday night, a line brawl erupted behind the Penguins' goal that included Satan, a player that was banished to the minor leagues in March and had his effort and desire called into question by some Penguins observers during the regular season, exchanging punches with Carolina's Patrick Eaves. Video after the jump.
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals certainly didn't disappoint, as the Penguins and Hurricanes took part in an up-and-down track meet while both goalies put on a clinic in net. In the end, Marc-Andre Fleury was just a touch better than Cam Ward, while Phillipe Boucher's power play goal with just over eight minutes to play in regulation proved to be the game-winner in Pittsburgh's 3-2 win.
The Penguins came out smoking in the first period, overwhelming the Hurricanes with an offensive barrage that was highlighted by Miroslav Satan and Evgeni Malkin beating Ward just 80 seconds apart to stake the Penguins out to an early 2-0 lead. For Satan, it was his first goal in the NHL since March 1.
Penguins 3, Hurricanes 2: Recap | Box Score Penguins Lead Series 1-0
Well this is kind of a letdown. After watching the Penguins take on long-time rivals Philadelphia and Washington in the first two rounds of the Eastern Conference playoffs, they're now taking on the Carolina Hurricanes in the conference final. It's a match-up that offers nothing in the way of hatred, bitterness or rivalry. Hopefully the Staal brothers pull a Keith and Wayne Primeau and fight sometime in the first two games. You know, just to stir the pot a little bit.
Having said that, this is an interesting match-up when it comes to hockey and that, of course, is the most important thing. It should be an exciting series, and who knows, perhaps by the end of it both teams will end up hating each other anyway.
As a hockey fan, there are few things I enjoy more in sports than overtime in the playoffs. Actually, the only thing better than overtime hockey, for my money, is overtime hockey in a Game 7.
On Sunday, we were treated to a triple overtime thriller between the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings, which ended when Todd Marchant beat Chris Osgood with a perfectly placed shot under the crossbar, tying the Western Conference semifinal at one game apiece. If some folks in the NHL -- or the media -- had their way, it might have ended far earlier, robbing us of the brilliant goaltending performances of Osgood and Jonas Hiller, and the drama of a game ending in triple overtime.
After playing just eight minutes in Pittsburgh's 3-1 win on Tuesday night, Petr Sykora is expected to find himself in a suit and tie for game 5, as the Penguins will be welcoming Miroslav Satanback to the lineup according to Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
As we've already pointed out during this series, Sykora has been nonexistent since the beginning of March, and has struggled to produce in interim head coach Dan Bylsma's system. There's also the possibility that he's been playing injured, which also might be a factor in the decision to bench him for Thursday's game.
After struggling on Sunday, Marc-Andre Fleury rebounded with a sensational performance on Tuesday night, stopping 44-of-45 shots in Pittsburgh's 3-1 against Philadelphia in game 4 of its Eastern Conference Quarterfinal.
No question about it, the Penguins' 24-year-old netminder was their best player, standing on his head much of the game, giving them an opportunity to win. The Flyers were consistently swarming the front of the net -- and firing shots from every possible angle on each of their eight power plays -- as Fleury was there every single time to make the stops.
Nine months ago, Petr Sykora scored one of the most important goals in Pittsburgh Penguins playoff history, roofing a laser of a wrist shot behind Chris Osgood in the third overtime of game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, forcing a game 6 in Pittsburgh (in case you didn't know, Detroit won). Fast forward to this year's opening round playoff series with Philadelphia -- and the past month of the regular season -- and Sykora is nowhere to be found on the score sheet, or the ice, for that matter.
When the Pittsburgh Penguins needed a big save on Friday night, Marc-Andre Fleury was there to make it. When they needed a big save in Sunday's 6-3 loss in Philadelphia -- or any save, for that matter -- they didn't get it. Actually, they didn't get much of anything from any player, with the lone exception of Evgeni Malkin, as the Philadelphia Flyers thoroughly dominated game 3, setting the stage for what could be an epic game 4 on Tuesday night.
Let the free agent frenzy begin! Sort of. There are reports surfacing out of Russia that KHL clubs Metallurg Magnitogorsk and Bary's Astana are interested in signing Pittsburgh Penguins free agents Petr Sykora and Miroslav Satan. 
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals certainly didn't disappoint, as the Penguins and Hurricanes took part in an up-and-down track meet while both goalies put on a clinic in net. In the end, Marc-Andre Fleury was just a touch better than Cam Ward, while Phillipe Boucher's power play goal with just over eight minutes to play in regulation proved to be the game-winner in Pittsburgh's 3-2 win. 
Well this is kind of a letdown. After watching the Penguins take on long-time rivals Philadelphia and Washington in the first two rounds of the Eastern Conference playoffs, they're now taking on the Carolina Hurricanes in the conference final. It's a match-up that offers nothing in the way of hatred, bitterness or rivalry. Hopefully the Staal brothers pull a Keith and Wayne Primeau and fight sometime in the first two games. You know, just to stir the pot a little bit. 
As a hockey fan, there are few things I enjoy more in sports than overtime in the playoffs. Actually, the only thing better than overtime hockey, for my money, is overtime hockey in a Game 7. 
After playing just eight minutes in Pittsburgh's 3-1 win on Tuesday night, Petr Sykora is expected to find himself in a suit and tie for game 5, as the Penguins will be welcoming Miroslav Satan back to the lineup according to Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 
