"At least now I know there's no danger. It's just a matter of how much pain I can take."
Kimmo Timonen
Well that right there should be enough to conclude that we can expect Timonen in he lineup for Sunday. Doctors recently said the clot had dissipated enough to allow Tomonen to play. Coburn, however, will still remain a banged-up scratch.
People; and by people I mean non-Penguins fans, have been really hounding on the fact Malkin has remained scoreless since Game 1. When I started reading that I actually said out loud to myself in an empty house, "Really?" It's not that I find it hard to believe, it's that the Pittsburgh 3-1 series lead over Philly almost seems like the bigger point in the matter, not Malkin's lack of scoring.
Just like any player this time of year, when he's hot he's hot, when he's cold he's cold. This is hopefully not the start of a cold streak for Geno, who will ideally come shooting from the hip in Game 5 back in Pitt. Prime example: Johan Franzen. The guy was explosive in the first few games for Detroit; 21 goals in 21 games is just absurd. In the playoffs Franzen has tallied 12 goals, but has since been showing concussion-like symptoms that have left him as a scratch on the night. Today we'll find out if he's back in the lineup and if he's back to his normal self when the Stars and Wings play at 1:30.
In case you haven't heard by now, Gary Roberts is out with pneumonia. At least, that's what the first diagnosis would have you believe. That was quickly replaced by the diagnosis of potential, yet minor, e-coli. Regardless of his illness, it would seem Roberts will remain a scratch for the length of this series.
Richards took a slash and Crosby's ankle in the last few seconds of the game. Does anyone remember which ankle? Here's to hoping it doesn't re-aggravate any pains.
Case and point - Philly played their style in Game 4 and walked away the winners. Cheap shots at points (both sides I'll admit), hard hits and rough and tumble hockey. For Pitt to really take back what is theirs, they need to send out and pair up Big Georges and Jarkko Ruutu with the likes of Smith and Jones or Hartnell and Upshall. Staying physical, yet playing the Pitt game, will tilt the ice in favor of the Pens.
Most importantly - STAY OUT OF THE BOX.
PS - The game is at 3 p.m. tomorrow NOT 7:30 as originally planned by VS.