Hey everyone, I was at the game last night so here are a few of my notes on it...

-Good showing here in PHX by you Pens fans, though they went home sad they at least started the game with a few Go Pens GO cheers... Apperently Boston fans like to show up at Pens-Yotes games and get smashed. Saw a couple get tossed by Glendale PD. Always in for a treat when the Bs fans show up... Yay!

On with the game summary!

1st Period - I didn't even notice until about 12 minutes in that the Pens hadn't registered a shot yet, mostly I noticed they were getting out played for the puck and looked like they were on the PK for a good chunk of the period. Phoenix was able to get shots on the board, but your guys were able to make sure that none of them were good enough to really be a challenge and Fleury had no problems squaring up and easily blocking them. Pens were only able to get 2 shots all period with the first coming with about 6 minutes left.

2nd Period - Somebody definitely lit a fire under the Pens during the intermission because they certainly didn't take long to start firing the puck. By the end of the period they were equal with the Coyotes in shots for the game so they were able to make up for the lack of them in the first at least. All of the goals this period were the results of power plays for the teams, while the Jokinen goal might not be recorded as such it may as well have been because Orpik got the door open and then the goal was in. The Satan goal was very nice, as he slapped the puck out of the air and in. Both Phoenix goals were the result of nice passing across the crease to the open side of the net with no one really getting a stick near them. I don't think anyone noticed that Crosby was out, there wasn't any big deal made about it and there wasn't any play that looked like it could have hurt him all that bad.

3rd Period - The Pens started with some of the fire they had found from the second, but just couldn't get anything going. Phoenix took a silly penalty for too many men on the ice when Martin Hanzal was still trying get to the bench. Pens couldn't get anything going on that one though. Pens went on the power play again later in the period when Carcillo got called for boarding Sykora. It wasn't anything vicious, but Sykora had his head down looking at the puck and started slipping as Carcillo came in to check the puck away. It was boarding, but nothing intentional. A few seconds later Sauer got called for delay of game as he sent the puck into the stands while trying to clear. Pens would have had 1:50 of 5-3 hockey, but weren't aggressive with the puck, and even on the 5-3 the Coyotes were. Because of it Satan got called for the hook on Hanzal which looked like a frustration penalty and then got a 10 minute misconduct for mouthing off to the refs. That pretty much took all the air out of the Pens who then gave up a goal to Kevin Porter for his first NHL goal and and Empty-netter to Doan.

All in all a good game for me, a Yotes fan, lots of things that didn't really look like the Pens, but were. I don't know if it was because of the injuries or the constant line juggling by Therien, but they didn't look like the playoff Pens that everyone paid extra to see.(Congrats, now you're like the Red Wings)  Hopefully they get it figured out against St. Louis otherwise it's gonna be a long flight home...