Tyler Kennedy

The arena, packed to the rafters with 20,545 rabid fans, pumped with anticipation. Moments before the Lightning took the ice—a 3D video projected on to the ice—firing up the crowd even more and it reached crescendo when their hockey team arrived on scene.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, playoff veterans, have seen this all before. The Lightning, boasting nine playoff newcomers, had not.

After last season, and for some, even this season, many Penguins fans were ready to write off center Tyler Kennedy.

Kennedy had put up just 25 points in 2009-10, a 10-point drop off from his 35-point total in 2008-09. He had a plus-10 rating as opposed to his plus-15 rating from the Stanley Cup championship year.

He also missed significant time with injuries for the second straight year, playing in just 64 games after playing in 67 in 2008-09.

Even before Jordan Staal's season debut was postponed indefinitely by multiple health setbacks, the Pittsburgh Penguins were planning on moving the 6'4" center from the third line to the second, alongside Evgeni Malkin.

Thus, the reign of Staal, Matt Cooke and Tyler Kennedy as perhaps the best third line in the National Hockey League had reached its end, but the Penguins have stumbled upon another trio that has played a surprisingly significant role in generating their NHL-best 20-8-2 record.

For the second time this offseason, the Pittsburgh Penguins made a signing when signings seemed no longer imminent.

The first signing was former Philadelphia Flyer and Atlantic Division junkie Arron Asham who signed for one year and $700,000. The second signing that occurred late this morning was former Edmonton Oiler Mike Comrie.

That's right, Pens fans, Lizzie McGuire is coming to the city of Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that Penguins center Jordan Staal is experiencing setbacks with his foot, injured in game one of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Montreal Canadiens.

Staal was diagnosed with a lacerated tendon after Montreal Canadiens call-up P.K. Subban landed the blade of his skate into Staal's foot.

When the Pittsburgh Penguins are being discussed in articles, on TV or any other media outlet the first forwards mentioned are inevitably Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal (usually in that order). There is very good reason for this to be the case.

Sidney Crosby is the face of the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise, as well as the NHL.

A few hours before Saturday night's game with the Boston Bruins, Dan Bylsma and the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that top-line left wing Chris Kunitz would miss two weeks with an always ridiculously specific "lower body injury."

Bylsma calmly explained to the media, "Chris [Kunitz] has been dealing with a lower-body injury for a while now. At this point in time, we're going to take two weeks off for a rest period to try and get him healthy."