Jordan Staal

The Penguins faced one of the hottest NHL teams on Friday night, the New York Rangers. After the Pens fell by a final score of 3-1, the loss wasn't the only dark cloud over Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Penguins center Jordan Staal's left knee collided with Mike Rupp late in the third period. Staal immediately went to the ice, writhing in pain. 

Pittsburgh sports fan are very passionate about their teams. However, sometimes this passion gets in the way of how they should actually view and criticize their team and the players that play for their team, especially when the Penguins lose.

Usually after a loss, Pens' goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury gets crushed by the fans because he's the easiest to blame. Other popular goats are Tyler Kennedy, Evgeni Malkin and Matt Cooke.

Nearly two NHL seasons have been completed since the Pens shocked the Red Wings in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Now, as the 2010 season is coming to a close, Pittsburgh's team is barely recognizable to casual fans. Trades, injuries, and suspensions have forced management to give the Penguins a new look in order to keep up in the playoff race.

I will be heading out to Pittsburgh this coming Sunday for my first visit to the new Consol Energy Center to watch the Pens play a pathetic Panthers team.

Turnaround stories and sports go hand and hand. Pittsburgh Penguins starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is having a great turnaround story himself this year. 

So if I were to tell you that the Pittsburgh Penguins would lose Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal, and Evgeni Malkin for a lengthy period of time, would you expect them to still be in fourth place in the Eastern Conference? I know I wouldn't. Yet somehow, someway, the flightless birds are in in fourth place in the East, and are just a couple of wins away from passing the Philadelphia Flyers for first place in the Atlantic Division. This is a remarkable feat.

The Colorado Avalanche showed something they have lacked during their eight-game slide: heart.

The Avalanche lost 3-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in OT by a tough angle shot from Tyler Kennedy. 

This marks the first point the Avalanche have picked up since the All-Star break.

The Penguins have not won in Denver since McNichols Arena in 1999. They won this time after a tough battle with the Avalanche.

Injuries breed adversity.  The Pittsburgh Penguins face the unfortunate issue of an injury-depleted lineup at the peak of the team's success.  Fortunately for the Penguins, they have faced adversity before and still have many of the same cogs turning the wheels of this Penguins squad. 

Injuries to role players such as Chris Kunitz, Dustin Jeffery, Eric Tangradi and Arron Asham afflect this Penguins team, as well as major injuries to the Penguins two superstars, Evgeni Malkin (Torn ACL) and Sidney Crosby (Concussion). 

This past weekend presented us with perhaps the strangest weekend so far in the Pittsburgh Penguins 20010-11 campaign. While the Penguins showed a toughness many people questioned they possessed, the key for a strong finish is simply to ignore what happened from a playing perspective and get ready for what may be a Crosby-less playoff chase.

The Los Angeles Kings took on the Pittsburgh Penguins in a cross-conference matchup yesterday at the Consol Energy Center.

The Penguins came into the game missing forwards Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Chris Kunitz to injury and Matt Cooke to a suspension. So, four players were recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate.

On Friday, Feb. 4, two things happened to Evgeni Malkin.

After missing five games, Geno made his return to the Pens lineup against the Buffalo Sabres. Malkin was eager to put the team on his shoulders until the return of Sidney Crosby.

But just after six minutes of ice time, Malkin went down to yet another injury. This time more serious than the last.

It turned out to be a torn ACL and after brief discussion with Pens coach Dan Bylsma, they team isn't expected to have their star center back this season.