GAME DAY #80: Senators @ Penguins - 7:30 pm - Tuesday, April 5th 2016

The Sens continue their Pennsylvania home-and-home series hosting the Steel City Penguins, and their captain, Sid the Kid. The Penguins are without Malkin and Fleury but you know the old saying -- "Have Crosby, will travel". After a slow start through November, Sid has been the hottest player in the league since December, and the Penguins are on a roll. Meanwhile the Sens depth on defense will be really challenged as the bottom four of Wideman, Kostka, Claesson and Harpur have a combined 160 or so games. Cody Ceci with his 200 games is a grizzled veteran by comparison. This is going to be one of those games, isn't it? Stone has a touch of the flu to go with that massive head-shaped contusion in his chest, so Buddy Robinson has been brought up to take his place.

25 days till the balls tumble. #GoBallsGo

LOL at our lineup. A year ago we beat them in that dramatic OT game with Mark Stone. Sad to remember that and look where we're at now....

Congrats though to Dave Cameron on being named as an assistant to Team Canada at WC.

Michallica wrote:LOL at our lineup.  A year ago we beat them in that dramatic OT game with Mark Stone.  Sad to remember that and look where we're at now....

Congrats though to Dave Cameron on being named as an assistant to Team Canada at WC.

That was the last of the three-games that I got for my birthday. The first two they lost and I was seriously thinking of not going to that one. When they were down 3-0 I ran into my brother in law (he had season tickets in the 200s). He saw my daughter (who is not much into hockey) and thinking that she was disappointed (she wasn't, as she had no expectations) he said "Don't worry, I think they will come back." That game was such a huge rush, the tying goal and then the OT winner.

She's been to other games but likely does not remember much of before this one. Now, if you ask her about hockey, she says she is not really that much into it, but she says that watching it live can be very exciting. Yeah, I bet.

If we keep the goal differential under 5 tonight, it's actually a VICTORY!

Man that was a whirlwind game, I was driving home from work and usually I would watch the game on delay but couldn't contain my excitement and listened on the radio. 1-0 right off the bat. 2-0 oh god. 3-0....this can't be happening. Made it home in time to see all of the 3rd period + OT. Just insane.

Still unbelievable the sens stunk up the joint after THAT season....

Nice to see us cough up the 3-0 lead.

Basically they did to us what we did to them last year. Considering who we had missing from the lineup (our entire top line from last year, one D from *each* of the three regular pairings) I'd say this was to be expected. Plus how many posts did Hoffman hit? He could have had his 30 goals last night.

Buddy didn't really do much, did he? Not that he was expected to. I thought the minor he got for boarding was a bit of a weak call. It wasn't that hard of a hit and it wasn't directly from behind (plus the guy turned a bit). It was a bit late, maybe. But holy crap EK gets hit all the time 2-3 strides after he passes the puck off and that never gets called. Pet peeve of mine -- the purpose of a body check is to separate the man from the puck. The whole concept of "finishing the check" runs contrary to that rule. I understand that if you always do a flyby that eventually the puck carrier will just feint a pass then continue, so you have to keep coming but once that puck is released you do not need to *continue* driving into the player.

I didn't notice Harpur as much in this game. I guess that's a good thing. Or maybe I wasn't paying as much attention.

I think Buddy had one or two shifts in the 3rd period, so I guess Cameron didn't think much of his game.

Anyway, I don't even care. Is this season over yet?

Karlsson hitting 80 points for the first time since lidstrom was cool