Pens drop opener, Flyers still suck

By Jeff

OK, so at least one of my bold predictions for the Pittsburgh Penguins won't come true this season. I said they'd sweep the Philadelphia Flyers this season, and the Pens responded with a 3-2 loss to their cross state rivals. Oops.

It wasn't a pretty game. Lots of mistakes and turnovers by both teams. The ice also played a factor. Both teams looked slower than they usually do. The poor ice quality is disappointing. You spend more than $200 on a facility, you would think the ice, some will argue the most important component of a hockey arena, would be ready. Instead, viewers saw the ice hopping around and players falling for no reason.

He'll still have more points than any Flyer.

As big of a deal as opening the Consol Energy Center is (I always want to call it Consol Energy Arena), Pens shouldn't worry. There are still 81 games left and they still have two of the top players in the league in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Neither registered a point last night, probably causing Red Wings and Capitals fans to bust a collective nut. But it will be one of the few times this season that both players are held off the score sheet. They are going to pick it up and score 100 points apiece this season. Remember, it's just one game.

The Marc-Andrew Fleury haters around town (Way too many) will point to a rookie netminder outplaying him and say he is the weak link of the team. These people are silly. Fleury was bad last year, but he's still an elite goaltender. Two of the goals last night would have been quite a challenge for any goaltender. The defense didn't help him much either on the shorthanded goal. To the Fleury doubters out there, I would point to his save late in the third period. Jeff Carter had an open net to ice the game, but Fleury pulled one of his patented slides and kicked the puck away. Maybe fie goalies in the league make that save. He's going to be fine.

Recent additions Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek (I don't even have to look up how to spell his name anymore) looked fine in their Pens debut. They both notched assists, but neither did anything special. Martin was involved in the short handed debacle, but that was Kris Letang's fault not Martin's.

While a loss to the Flyers is never fun, especially in the home opener, it's not a big deal. This team is still going to the playoffs. It's a long way to April.

Phantom Planet - Do The Panic