FanHouse Pittsburgh Penguins

The Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins meet for the second time this season Sunday afternoon on NBC. The Penguins hold a 1-0 advantage in the regular season Finals rematch series with a come from behind win on November 11th.

The two teams have had trouble since that game, but have found success in their recent games. Detroit won its third in a row Saturday with an 8-3 decision over Edmonton, and Pittsburgh has won its last two. Both teams will look to continue their respective turnarounds today. Hit the jump to read the discussion resident Pens guy Adam Gretz and I had on the game Saturday afternoon.

Each Friday throughout the season, I'll provide you with my predictions on whose stock is on the rise and whose is failing miserably like an American bank. It's a neat little segment entitled Buys and Sells. There are a few teams/players/issues to buy and a few to sell.

I hope everyone out there had a great holiday, whichever one you choose to celebrate. If it was Christmas, I hope you don't have too bad of an egg nog hangover this morning! Today in Buys and Sells we're going to take a look at which NHL teams are contending and which are pretending. We're nearing the midpoint of the season and the end of the year, so I think it's a great time to take a look at the first half surprises and decide who will be sticking around come playoff time and who will be heading home early. As you've probably surmised from the picture to the right, Jon Toews and the Hawks are the first topic of discussion today... Right after the jump. As always disagreements and your own picks are welcome in the comments.

If there's anything that I don't need to remind you of, it's that the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators don't like each other. They faced each other last year in the playoffs in what was a hard fought series and they're back at it again this year. Last night was Game 1 of the first round series between the Pens and Sens, and as you can see from the photo above, there has been no love lost.

That's Sens coach Bryan Murray who was in the spotlight earlier in the week for openly accusing the Penguins of tanking their game on Sunday against Philadelphia in order to obtain a more favorable first round matchup against the Sens. Pittsburgh, as you might imagine, wasn't all that happy about it. But this is what makes the spring so great. Rivalries, playoff feuds and oh yeah, playoff hockey. We've only had one night of games, but I'm loving it. This should be one heck of a ride to the finals!

Mike Lange, long-time Pittsburgh Penguins play-by-play guy, is one of hockey's most well-known announcers. His growly voice is distinct as are his catchphrases, such as "He smoked him like a bad cigar", and "Look out, Loretta!"

The Penguins broadcaster, FoxSports Pittsburgh, irked a lot of their fans, such as blogger Michael the Hockey Fanatic when they decided Lange wasn't "TV Friendly" enough, and demoted him to doing radio broadcasts.

Lange, obviously, felt jilted and may want to look elsewhere to get back in the TV spotlight.

"I do love Pittsburgh, but the scene has changed for me. There isn't any doubt about that. I've been turned aside from TV. I'm not their No. 1 guy anymore. I have to do what's best for me. I have to consider my career."

It can't be easy working for/with the same organization that has demoted you and no longer thinks you are worthy of the role you had for so many years.

Mr. Hockey Fanatic notes that the Phoenix Coyotes recently fired their play-by-play guy, and Lange might want to petition for that role, or perhaps a national role:

If Pittsburgh were to lose Mike Lange's talents, I would hope that perhaps a national broadcast team would pick him up. He would then be exposed to the rest of the hockey fans and they would get to enjoy his quirky-yet-endearing style.

Phoenix may want to get some 'young' blood in the booth, but they would be wise to pick up a good broadcaster with some personality. Lange's style doesn't appeal to everyone, but he's far more interesting and adept at calling a game than most talking heads these days. Phoenix would be smart to pick up Lange for their TV broadcasts.

For a nearly-complete list of "Lange-isms", check out this list at The Igloo Report.

The Pittsburgh Penguins' loss to the Senators in the first round showed how experience often triumphs over youth. While Sidney Crosby was great, the other youngsters, especially Marc-Andre Fleury and Evgeni Malkin, were not.

It's no wonder why the Penguins are eager to retain the services of old guys Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts for next season.

"(Penguins' GM) Ray (Shero) has had conversations with Gary and Mark Recchi, who's also a free agent, about coming back," says new Penguins' front office member Chuck Fletcher. "They feel as if the environment we created this season was very good, and Gary got swept up in it a little bit. He enjoyed playing with the young players and sees a bright future for the organization."

Gary Roberts was so hell-bent on not going anywhere but Toronto/Ottawa at the trading deadline before relenting on going to Pittsburgh. I'd be surprised if he was THAT swept up in the organization to choose them over returning 'home' to Ontario. Roberts is exactly the type of player Pittsburgh needs: gritty, battle-hardened, and experienced.

Roberts, for all of his positives, is 41 and has troubles staying healthy. If he's going to play any sort of hardball with negotiations, the Penguins ought not to bother.

Mark Recchi, on the other hand, purposely went back to Pittsburgh after his tenure with the Flyers, and seems to love playing there. Even at the age of 39, Recchi was still very productive (albeit thanks to Sidney Crosby being the fountain of assistful youth) with 68 points last year. I just worry about his defensive liability issues and the fact that his playoff performance (4 assists in 5 games) left something wanting.

If I were a betting man, I'd bet on Roberts playing elsewhere and Recchi coming back to the Penguins to finish his career.

Sidney Crosby has taken the hockey world by storm in winning the Art Ross trophy at the tender age of 19.

Now, it's time for him to step up and prove that he can perform at that same high level in the NHL playoffs.

TV Analyst Pierre McGuire says Sidney will be just fine ...

"I saw Sidney get absolutely mauled at the Memorial Cup in London, Ont., a few years ago, and he did just fine (winning the tournament scoring title)," McGuire said.

"You have to understand, Sidney and other great players have been targeted since they were 10 years old. They know how to deal with it."

"Crosby handles the rough stuff just fine," McGuire said. "All the great players do. Besides, Sidney usually plays with Recchi and Ryan Malone, or Staal."

Crosby will likely be shadowed by Mike Fisher and the defensive tandem of Phillips-Volchenkov, something The Kid is all too used to by now.

So, how have other legendary players fared in their first playoff tests in the past?

Wayne Gretzky
Age 19: 3GP 2-1-3PTS
Age 20: 9GP 7-14-21PTS

Mario Lemieux
Age 23: 11GP 12-7-19PTS

Steve Yzerman
Age 18: 4GP 3-3-6PTS

Joe Thornton
Age 19: 11GP 3-6-9PTS

Vincent Lecavalier
Age 23: 11GP 3-3-6PTS

By those standards, the great players do good things in the playoffs, regardless of age. Anything less than a point-a-game for Sidney would be a disappointment.