The news is not good regarding the lower body injury that Geno Malkin suffered in the Pens 3-2 win over Buffalo Friday night. Malkin has a torn ACL and MCL, and he will be lost to his team for the rest of the season. GINORMOUS loss for Dan Bylsma's team.
Trailing 2-0, at the end of the first period, Malkin collided with Buffalo Dman, Tyler Myers. Malkin crumpled to the ice in obvious difficulty and did not return to the game. ThMRi revealed tears in the right ACL and MCL.
Friday night marked Malkin's first game back since sustaining a left knee injury in mid January. He missed five games, then, returned last night. Did he come back too soon?
This puts Pittsburgh in a dubiously deep divot, as Crosby and Malkin, are out of the lineup heading down the back stretch.
Crosby is back home with his family as he rests and recovers from the concussion that he suffered during the Winter Classic. There is no timetable for 87's return. Youngblood Letestu was injured this week and will miss the next 4-6 weeks. Right now, Jordan Staal and Dustin Jeffrey are the two centremen in Pittsburgh. Perhaps they are interested in Tim Connolly or Jochen Hecht, two UFAs to be.
Ray Shero will be a busy GM between now and trade deadline day on 2/28.
Optional skate in Buffalo this morning, as the Sabres charter from Blitzburgh touched down in the wee hours of the morning. Tough loss last night. I loved the way that the Buffalo forechecker sucked the oxygen out of the building from the drop of the puck to the end of the first twenty minutes. It was all Buffalo. They won every shift, and controlled the puck for the entire first period. 2-0 leads are hard to hold onto in today's NHL. It gets even harder when you are charged with the task of holding down a talented and tenacious Penguins team. Marc Andre Fleury tightened up in the second priod, and he made the necessary saves to keep his team buoyant. Three unanswrered Blitzburgh goals left Buffalo reeling after 40. I like the compete level of both teams in the thrd period. That effort will bode well for Buffalo tonight against Tronna.
The sabres need these two points in a bad way, if they have any intentions of catching the Thrashers and Canes for eighth place. two points in regulation will keep Buffalo in the draft, just off the rear spoiler of the cars in front of them on the track. Their goal is to draft themselves to the front of the pack. Can't blow a tire now. ATL and CAR meet head to head in Raleigh tonight.
It will be Miller vs. Reimer tonight.
Lets go racin'!
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I want to send out a hearty 'Thank You" to guest blogger, Jessie Pegula, for sharing her thoughts on the Sabres and Pens game.
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