PENS-FLYERS ON VERSUS TONIGHT

As per KDKA's Mike Zappone, Mad Mike Therrien is shaking up the lines for tonight's first 2008-09 matchup with the winless Philadelphia Flyers. The new combos are as follows:

DuPuis-Crosby-Satan
Staal-Malkin-Sykora
Fedotenko-Talbot-Kennedy

The game will be broadcast on the Versus Network, who's hopefully cut down on the amount of repetitive commercials since last year's playoffs. Petr Sykora is expected to suit up for the first time this season.

WHERE DO YOU WATCH THE PENS?

The Penguins' championship run is now 14 games old, with anywhere from four to seven games remaining. A fortunate few can have the privilege of watching game action from inside Mellon Arena, often at a hefty cost. But for the majority of Penguins fans, we're watching the game from somewhere else, be it outside the area, at home, at a Pittsburgh sports bar, or at an out-of-town establishment.

I'm pretty sure about 95% of you don't care for the Versus broadcasting team, and the reasons are well-documented. Not only did they appear to be Flyer cheerleaders/apologists (and for obvious reasons), but the broadcast pales in comparison to the excellence we've come to know from FSN Pittsburgh, who covered their assigned games from every conceivable angle and with a surplus of insight and analysis.

As Jim Krenn and Randy Baumann said on this morning's WDVE morning show, FSN's Dan Potash is like an embedded reporter in a war; he really injects the reader right into the action. And Potash should know - he's certainly paid his dues and spent a lot of time covering those pre-Crosby Penguin teams that history will soon forget.

When FSN broadcast their last Pens game, what followed was a lose-lose for everyone. Fans were forced to tune to Versus, and FSN (as of tonight) is broadcasting minor-league arena football between Reading and Baltimore. Quite a dropoff from Penguin playoff hockey indeed.

Despite your dislike for Versus, you're still tuning in; Game 2 of the Pens-Flyers series was the most-watched telecast (2,345,834 viewers) in the history of the network. And local TV ratings have beaten established TV titans like American Idol.

Ratings and opinions aside, the real point of this post was to discuss where you watch said Penguin broadcasts. I've fielded inquiries from readers wondering more about the outdoor Arena experience, about Penguin bars outside of the city, and even from readers who relocated who wanted to know where to watch a game in the city of Pittsburgh.

Given the fact that I watch the games from the cozy confines of home, I've had little data to share with said readers, other than what I've seen or heard. So Penguin fans, this one's up to you. Do your fellow Pittsburghers (at home and across the country) a favor and share your expertise for any or all of the following questions:

1. A loaded question: What's the best Penguin bar in or around the city of Pittsburgh?

2. If you've experienced a game outside the Arena on the big screen, is it (as I anticipate) worth the trip?

3. For out-of-towners: I know I've put this out there before with several responses, but I thought we'd consolidate it into one neat and tidy post right here...where are you planning on meeting to watch the Stanley Cup Finals?

Please, if you have any info to share, feel free to leave a comment for your Penguin brothers and sisters. I know many of you have gotten into the habit of emailing me directly, and while I certainly appreciate that, please take a second and create a Blogger account to drop some knowledge and share your opinion with the greater masses.

Koz: VENGEANCE SUNDAY

FLYERS 4

PENGUINS 2

by Koz
koz81@comcast.net

After tanking the first three games of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Philadelphia Flyers showed up to extend the series and the inevitable. Much like the Pens/Rangers series, after a few days rest, Game Five will be Sunday afternoon at the Igloo (on NBC).

There's been a lot of buzz around the Burgh that Versus is skewed toward the Flyers. I'm sure everyone feels that way today. Well, not me. The Flyers gave any broadcast crew plenty to talk about in Game Four. Look, if any team gets a lot of talk from the national announcers, it's the Penguins. Just because you're all used to the homer FSN announcers, doesn't mean the national guys are biased. Are they less entertaining to listen to? Yeah, definitely. Am I tired of Joe Beninati confusing #37 with #87? Absolutely! But please, stop with the conspiracy talk – you sound like Rangers fans.

So what went wrong in Game Four? The Pens missed a great opportunity to choke the life out of the old F.U. Center after the Richards breakaway miss when the puck turned right around to Hossa. Alas, it wasn't meant to be and not long after that, a slapper deflected off Hal Gill's stick initiated the orange scoring binge. Helping along the way were several undisciplined roughing penalties, no defensive clearing in front of the net and the absence of clutch Penguin setup man Steve Downie.

After a three-goal lead, the self-proclaimed “Most Intimidating Crowd in the NHL” finally mustered the energy to boo Crosby and Malkin. Yawn.

The game could have easily been out of hand if not for more than a few acrobatic saves by Fleury, including the most flamboyant one pictured below.

The bright spot was Jordan Staal's two goals in the third period and the gratuitous closeups of the most nervous “most intimidating” fans I've ever seen (and they still had the lead!). Jordan's been a steady force all playoffs and it was nice to see his energy especially in the wake of his grandfather's funeral (no pun intended... sheesh).

Anyway... get your cowbells ready for Game Five. I'm not sure whether cult hero Gary Roberts will be over pneumonia, so expect most of the faces to stay the same. On second thought, I expect Evgeni Malkin to return to the lineup after taking the last three games off.

Before I sign off, something is bugging me. Am I the only one wondering about the blue Edge Shave Gel?

We know the orange one unleashes an aloe and moisturizer foam party on your face, and the green one uncorks a rave of rocket-women in your nose, but why don't we ever hear about the blue? According to their website the blue one is called “Vault” and it has a “crisp woodsy scent.”

Sounds like the perfect gift if you know any Flyers fans. They'll need it Monday morning.