STOP THE PRESS!!!! Ok, so nothing like sending your game day post to SSG only to have a major event 15 minutes later. News just dropped that Jarry is being placed on waivers, and I’m googling the proper spelling of Joel Blomqvist.
Tristan Jarry was the most divisive Penguins goalie since…well their last starter, Matt Murray. Jarry wasn’t good and the Penguins didn’t do him any favors up front. It’s hard being a goalie, and even as a low-level beer league player I know that lots of goals happen after 3-4 other things go horribly wrong. Bad passes, being out of position, and other gong show plays make scoring much easier for your opponent. That said: amusez-vous dans les ligues mineures, Tristan. Bon voyage. Triste is “sad” in French, so maybe the writing was on the wall this whole time.
Alright, now back to my original piece. If you’re still reading this, congratulations you are officially a die-hard fan. Or maybe you’re just a sadist who likes punishment. Either way, I’m damn glad you’re reading my TWOFER game day post!
The Pens currently sit at 18-20-8. They’re not mathematically out of it, but it’s hard to be even remotely excited at this point. They’re 2-5-3 in their last ten games and haven’t won back-to-back games in regulation since the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. The optimist in me says “in 2009, this organization was a dumpster fire in February and still won the Cup”. The realist in me says “check tee times for Royal Montreal Golf Club for your trip in late April and maybe we can bump into Kris Letang”.
The only thing consistent for the Penguins this season is their inconsistency. Again, if you’re still here reading gameday posts, you already know the details. Power play is much improved versus last season, but shaky defense and goaltending have made this season forgettable. I don’t recommend playing “take a shot every time the Pens give up an odd man rush”. Or maybe try it to see if it makes the game more tolerable.
Pens start a 7-game road trip with a back-to-back vs Buffalo and Washington. It’s a total cliché to say this stretch of games will make or break the season, but here we are and I’m going to do just that. Buffalo is not good; the Caps are having a somewhat surprising great season.
Friday Night Lights: Buffalo. Failure to secure 2 points in a winnable game would just make the mountain climb that much more difficult. The Sabres are in last place in the East, so a loss here would just be demoralizing. Could it be any worse? Yes, losing the Sabres would be worse. The Pens need to go into D.C. with confidence. Get the W and go celly with wings and Labatt’s.
Saturday Night Special: Stealing points from the Caps would be nice, but they are playing well right now and I wouldn’t bet on it. But hope springs eternal and the Penguins did beat them in D.C. earlier this season. Maybe my hate is blinding me, but I’m not completely sold on the Caps as an elite team just yet.
I’ve grown to respect Ovechkin over the last almost two decades and when he breaks Gretzky’s record I won’t be upset, I just really effing hope it doesn’t happen against the Penguins. This 7-game road trip is it lads and lassies. Get busy living or get busy dying. It starts with 2 opponents headed in different directions. Realistically I think the Penguins need to secure 10 points out of a possible 14 to have any chance to climb back into the wild card picture. That is certainly a tall order.
Maybe Blomqvist provides that much needed spark? We’ll know in the wee hours of January 30th if the Penguins are still chilling in the basement with the Sabres or making some playoff noise with the Capitals. Enjoy the ride, all while wondering why we let a professional ice hockey team dictate our mood. I can’t wait.
LGP