Tree of Life

13 Oct

Vick, Bell and Ben on win

published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday, October 13th, 2015 – 12:28 pm

Tim Benz and Ken Laird on the Steelers win. The call Tomlin made to go for a win, the pick six and turnovers and sacks created by the defense. The clock robbing the Steelers of time at the end of the game. Hear from Ben, Tomlin, Vick and Bell. Brought to you by Duffys Beer in Pleasant Hills and by Invisible Fence Brand.

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The Steelers take on the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, October 18, at Heinz Field. The game will be broadcast on FOX (locally WPGH-TV, channel 53). Thom Brennaman will be doing the play-by-play, Troy Aikman will be the analyst and Peter Schrager will be the sideline reporter. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.

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The Morning Sports Report on Triblive Radio is brought to you by Invisible Fence Brand creating happier homes where pets can safely play in the yard out of danger.

Guy Junker checks in with Ken from San Diego after covering the Steelers game. Plus Steelers beat writer Chris Adamski checks in from West Coast after covering game and talking to player

The Morning Show on TribLIVE Radio is brought to you by Duffy’s Beer and much more in Pleasant Hills! Your South Hills headquarters for beer, pop, snacks, vapes, home brewing supplies and all your party and tailgating needs for this week’s game!

Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers

 

13 Oct

Ike on Steelers win

published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday, October 13th, 2015 – 10:28 am

The Ike Taylor Show is brought to you by Dunkin Donuts, the Preferred Coffee of the Ike Taylor Show. Ike talks about the Steelers win over the Chargers on Monday Night Football, the young defense coming to play.

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• Pittsburgh improved to 3-2 overall and to 2-1 on the road in 2015.

• The Steelers are now 22-7 against the Chargers in regular season history, including 8-6 on the road.

• Pittsburgh improved to 2-1 against San Diego on Monday Night Football.

• The Steelers are now 9-1 against the Chargers in the month of October and 2-1 on the road in October at San Diego.

• Pittsburgh is now 43-24 all-time on Monday Night Football (18-19 on the road).

• The Steelers have won each of their three previous Monday Night Football games, dating back to Oct. 20, 2014.

• The Steelers are 426-273-2 during the regular season since 1970.

• Game kickoff temperature of 93 degrees marked the second-warmest game in Steelers history (94 degrees, at Phoenix, Oct. 9, 1988).

• Improved to 5-2 in games with a kickoff temperature of 90 degrees or higher.

Head Coach Mike Tomlin
• Is now 85-48 during the regular season, including 37-30 on the road.

• Improved to 3-1 all-time against San Diego in the regular season (1-0 on the road).

• Is now 10-2 on Monday Night Football with the Steelers, including a 5-2 mark on the road.

• Is now 23-9 in the month of October as the Steelers’ head coach and 10-6 on the road in October.

QB Mike Vick
• Made his 113th career start and second as a Steeler and completed 13-of-26 passing for 203 yards with a touchdown and an interception for a passer rating of 73.1.

• Improved to 60-52-1 as a starter during the regular season, to 2-1 vs. San Diego and to 6-4 on Monday Night Football.

• Connected with WR Markus Wheaton for a 72-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter – his longest completion of the season.

Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers

 

13 Oct

Bell’s Wildcat Walk off saves Steelers in San Diego by Brandon Walker

published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday, October 13th, 2015 – 9:41 am

The Pittsburgh Steelers get a huge conference win over the San Diego Chargers Monday Might 24-20 on a one yard Le’Veon Bell touchdown on a direct snap from the wildcat formation as the gun sounded. Michael Vick had a huge fourth quarter leading the Steelers on the tying touchdown at 17 after a pass to Markus Wheaton after having an interception and three and outs in their previous four second half drives. Josh Lambo of the Chargers then put the Chargers ahead with a 54 yard field goal with just under three minutes remaining. That is when vintage Vick showed up on the final 12 play 80 yard drive when he ran for 24 yards on 3rd and 6 and three plays later hit Heath Miller for 16 yards to the Chargers 1 to get up the game winning score.

Bell rushed for 111 yard on 21 carries with the touchdown, Vick went 13 for 26 203 yard with one touchdown and one interception. Phillip Rivers went 35 for 48 for 365 yards, two touchdowns and a momentum swinging pick six to Antonio Blake that put the Steelers ahead 10-7 in the third quarter.

All of the credit will go to Vick and Bell and that is due, but the heroes of this game for the Steelers had to be the defense. The Changers running game was nonexistent and Jarvis Jones and Bud Dupree put the heat on Phillip Rivers all night and despite the numbers that Rivers put up they gave the offense time to get in rhythm and what Coach Tomlin like to say “Get them out of the stadium”. Although San Diego was without Two of their starting offensive lineman King Dunlap (concussion) and Orlando Franklin (ankle) the Steelers controlled the line of scrimmage and made the necessary stops and got a couple of turnovers.

The Steelers won in San Diego (2-3) despite being outgained by the Chargers 406-349 and lost the time of possession battle 33:43-26:17, but they won the turnover battle and they had the ball last. I thought they needed to score a touchdown on that drive because if the game had gone into overtime and the Chargers had the ball they would have most likely have scored a touchdown and won the game in my opinion. The Chargers were starting to wear down the Steelers defense with the dink and dunk passing attack and the Steelers were fortunate because of penalties and poor execution on the part of the San Diego Chargers.

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I personally loved the play call on the final play, and the kicker was the Chargers saw it coming! They called a time out and got their proper personnel and Bell still grown maned that yard. This was a season saving yard for the Pittsburgh Steelers especially with their upcoming schedule. If they have lost they would be three games out of the Cincinnati Bengals lose out on a potential tiebreaker to a potential wild card contender. Now with this win they are only two games out with both meetings with the Bengals on the horizon (Week 8 at home and Week 14 away). Ben Roethlisberger is said to be on track to return of that November 1st matchup at Heinz Field.
Bottom line is the Steelers got outplayed, but they made the key plays when they matters on both sides of the ball and got out sunny California with a win and their goals still in front of them.

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Next:
Steelers: vs. Arizona Sunday 10/18 1:00 on FOX
Chargers: at Packers Sunday 10/18 4:25 on CBS

Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers

 

12 Oct

Pens not catering to offensive talent

published in category: College Sports, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, October 12th, 2015 – 2:19 pm

Pens are not a well constructed hockey team, not catering to the offensive players they have. Plus Pirates offseason and Steelers-Chargers.

Defensive Player of the Game brought to you by Frank Walker Law. Laird and Benz select the goalies that play against the Pens, Malkin talks about the early struggles.

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Brought to you by Duffys Beer in Pleasant Hills. The guys pick Steelers-Chargers against the spread. Guy Junker joins live from San Diego.

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Pitt Color Analyst and Former QB Pat Bostick joins Ken Laird and Tim Benz to talk about the great start for the Panthers and look ahead to possibly winning the next two games and starting 6-1, 4-0 in the ACC?

Ken Laird and Tim Benz on Pens starting 0-2, Pitt starting 2-0 in the ACC. Steelers-Chargers tonight, Bengals now 5-0, Penn State wins. NFL weekend, Pirates offseason.

Mondays on TribLIVE Radio are brought to you by Relax the Back solutions for pain. Feel Better, work better, live better.

The Morning Sports Report on Triblive Radio is brought to you by Invisible Fence Brand creating happier homes where pets can safely play in the yard out of danger.

The Morning Show on TribLIVE Radio is brought to you by Duffy’s Beer and much more in Pleasant Hills! Your South Hills headquarters for beer, pop, snacks, vapes, home brewing supplies and all your party and tailgating needs for this week’s game!

Posted in College Sports, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers

 

12 Oct

Pitt 2-0 in the ACC

published in category: College Sports on Monday, October 12th, 2015 – 9:33 am

Pitt beat Virginia, three key plays from the win. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The Panthers defense is now closing games out under Pat Narduzzi. Attendance issues at Heinz Field.

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• Owning a 4-1 overall record and 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference mark, Pitt hits the road for the fourth time in six games when it visits Georgia Tech. The Panthers are tied for first in the Coastal Division with Duke.
• Pitt is eyeing its first 5-1 start since 2009. The Panthers have not won their opening three league games since 2010 when they were in the Big East. Pitt is 2-0 in the ACC for the first time.
• Although the Yellow Jackets are 2-4, their losses are to teams with a combined 19-3 record. Georgia Tech lost at No. 6 Clemson, 43-24, last week. The Panthers are 0-2 against Georgia Tech since joining the ACC in 2013.
• It will be strength against strength when Pitt’s nationally ranked defense faces the Yellow Jackets’ prolific rushing attack. Pitt ranks sixth nationally in rushing defense, yielding just 84.8 yards per game. Georgia Tech is producing 271.7 yards on the ground to lead the ACC and rank ninth nationally.
• The Panthers lead the country in quarterback sacks with an average of 4.20 per contest. Pitt has collected 21 sacks in five games, already two more than it had in 13 games last season (19 sacks for an average of 1.46 per game).
• Pitt ranks seventh nationally in total defense, giving up just 264.6 yards per game. The Panthers surrendered an average of 359.8 yards last year.
• On the other side of the ball, Pitt features a viable All-America and ACC Offensive Player of the Year candidate in receiver Tyler Boyd. The junior leads the ACC in receptions (8.25 avg.) and is second in receiving yards (82.0 avg.). Boyd is the nation’s active career leader with 6.53 catches per contest.
• Tyler Boyd needs seven receptions to become the most prolific pass catcher in Pitt history. Boyd has 196 career receptions, second only to Devin Street, who had 202 for the Panthers from 2010-13.

SERIES NOTES
This is the 10th meeting between Pitt and Georgia Tech in a series that began in 1918…Pitt leads the overall series, 5-4, but has lost each of the past two games…the Panthers are 3-1 in games played in Pittsburgh and 2-1 at Georgia Tech…Pitt and Georgia Tech have twice met in bowl games with the Yellow Jackets winning each time…Georgia Tech defeated the Panthers in the Jan. 2, 1956 Sugar Bowl (7-0) and the Dec. 29, 1956 Gator Bowl (21-14)…the 2015 game marks the third Atlantic Coast Conference encounter between the two schools…in Pitt’s inaugural ACC campaign in 2013, the host Yellow Jackets defeated the Panthers, 21-10…in 2014, Georgia Tech won at Heinz Field, 56-28…last year’s game marked the Yellow Jackets’ first visit to Pittsburgh since 1920…in fact, the initial three games of the Pitt-Georgia Tech series from 1918-20 were all played in Pittsburgh…led by legendary coach Glenn “Pop” Warner, Pitt won each of those three contests by an aggregate score of 58-9…before the 2013 revival of the series, the two schools had not played since a pair of games at Georgia Tech in the 1970s…in 1976, Tony Dorsett scored three touchdowns as Pitt routed the host Yellow Jackets, 42-14…under the direction of Coach John Majors, Pitt would go 12-0 in 1976 and claim the national championship, while Dorsett would win the Heisman Trophy…the Panthers also defeated Georgia Tech, 27-17, during the 1974 season.

SERIES IN BRIEF
Series Began: 1918
Series Overall: Pitt leads 5-4
ACC Series: Georgia Tech leads 2-0
At Pittsburgh: Pitt leads 3-1
At Georgia Tech: Pitt leads 2-1
At Neutral Sites: Georgia Tech leads 2-0 (two bowl games)
Last Meeting: Oct. 25, 2014 (Georgia Tech 56, Pitt 28)
Last Meeting at Georgia Tech: Nov. 2, 2013 (Georgia Tech 21, Pitt 10)
Current Series Streak: Georgia Tech has won 2 (2013-14)
Longest Pitt Series Win Streak: 3 games (1918-20)
Longest Georgia Tech Series Win Streak: 2 games (twice, most recent: 2013-14)
Largest Pitt Victory Margin: 32 points (32-0, 1918)
Largest Georgia Tech Victory Margin: 28 points (56-28, 2014)

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television • ACC Network (WTAE, Channel 4, in Pittsburgh)
Tim Brant, play-by-play
Dave Archer, analyst
Roddy Jones, reporter
-by Pitt PR staff

Posted in College Sports

 

12 Oct

Summing up Pittsburgh Sports Scene in One Word by Tim Benz

published in category: College Sports, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, October 12th, 2015 – 8:29 am

I was part of the KDKA Sports Showdown on Sunday night. On a couple of occasions, our host (debonair, golden voiced, immaculately coifed) Bob Pompeani asked us to sum up a topic in a word or less.

Jesus, Bob, we’ve got a half hour to fill! Gimme some latitude.

But Bob got me thinking. We could do that with a lot of Pittsburgh Sports topics of late…

THE STEELERS GAME IN SAN DIEGO: “In a word…PIVOTAL.” I’ve had this game circled on the Steeler’s schedule since it was released and have said so on a quite a few occasions. Why? Well, I didn’t see the Steelers winning the AFC North back then. And without Ben Roethlisberger for 4-6 weeks, I sure as heck don’t see it happening now.

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Factor in that the Broncos, Patriots, and Bengals appear destined to win their divisions. And that the AFC South probably won’t get a wild card team in, and that the Ravens and Chiefs appear to be sinking fast, the Chargers and Steelers are likely going to be battling with one or two AFC East teams for the wild card spots. The head to head result of this single game may end up determining a tie breaker on week 17 between SD and PGH as these teams try to squeak into the playoffs against one another as was the case back in 2013.

THE AFC DIVISIONAL RACES: “In a word…OVER.” As referenced above, where’s the drama? If the Steelers lose, the Bengals will already have a three game lead in the North. If the Chargers lose, the Broncos will have a three game lead in the West. The Jets and Bills are playing well behind New England. But the Patriots are a machine. And even though the Colts are disappointing so far, they are the best club in that garbage South Division. The true intrigue of the AFC is which two teams grab wild cards.

THE 2015 PIRATE SEASON: “In a word…UNFULFILLED.” Actually, make this one two words. “UNFULFILLED” and “UNLUCKY”. It was unlucky because the Bucs accumulated 98 wins in a season when the best team in the Division had 100 and the third best had 97.

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It was unlucky because Pittsburgh got an irresistible force on the mound in the Wild Card Game for a second straight year (first Madison Bumgarner then Jake Arrieta). Unlucky in the sense that the MLB Wild Card rules stink. Unlucky in the sense that Jung Ho Kang got his leg chopped off at the knee in late July.

But it’s not all bad luck. It was bad play against the bottom of the NL Central. It was bad base-running and fielding. It was a bad start from your ace in the playoff game. It was an “overcooked” wild card line up from a manager that promised not to “overcook” his line up 24 hours earlier.

Too much bad luck and bad play from a team that was largely excellent throughout the year=”Unlucky” and “Unfulfilled”.
THE 2015-2016 PIRATE OFFSEASON: “In a word…IRREVERSIBLE.” Yes, the Pirates are making more money these days. They are in terms of revenue sharing and actual revenue from ticket sales, concessions, and merchandise. But it’s not as if they are a big market team that can buy itself out of bad roster decisions.

That being said there are a few tipping point moves this winter that could determine the club’s fate this season and in years to come.

If they sign J.A. Happ to a two year deal in excess of $20 million dollars, he better work out. If he doesn’t, Jeff Locke and Charlie Morton better improve and stay improved all season. And either way, Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon better be healthy and sharp by the time spring training ends.

If they deal Neil Walker or non-tender him, Jung Ho Kang better recapture his pre injury form. And Alen Hanson better be ready for the big leagues. If they deal or non tender Pedro Alvarez, they better get a capable lefty hitting compliment at 1B for Michael Morse. And if they deal or non tender Mark Melancon, Tony Watson better be able to handle the promotion to closer duties.

My best guess is that the Pirates move on from Alvarez, Happ, Walker, and Melancon. Not because they should. But because that’s how business is often done on the baseball landscape in Pittsburgh. Happ has the best chance to stay. But he’d have to sacrifice some money to do it.

Or maybe the Pirates should sacrifice some money to keep him…and a few of the other guys mentioned.

THE PENGUINS 0-2 START ON THE ROAD: “In a word…FAMILIAR.” A talented but underperforming power play. Defensemen giving away the zone too easily. A PK allowing two goals in the opener. Goalies having “the games of their lives.” An important injury to a forward in pre season affecting the team (Dupuis). Stars failing to score. Inopportune penalties in the third period while trying to catch up. Young players being sent down (Pouliot) or having their butts nailed to the bench (Sprong).

Yeah, sounds pretty familiar to me.

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THE BUY-IN on PITT FOOTBALL: “In a word…WORTHWHILE.” The defense is legit. Pitt has the third highest sack total in the country with 21. It is seventh best in yards per game allowed. And it’s #6 in rush yards allowed per game.

Their next two games at Georgia Tech and Syracuse are highly winnable. And their last two games they just won are contests that Panther teams in the past likely would have found a way to screw up.

I thought this team was a 6-or-7 win group to begin the year. It should wind up with 8-9 at this rate.

THIS POST: “In a word…DONE.” Cuz it’s late. And a long week is coming up.

Posted in College Sports, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers

 

10 Oct

Laird Log by Ken Laird

published in category: Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, October 10th, 2015 – 8:32 am

The Pirates 2015 loss in the Wildcard game is disappointing on several levels. Yes, the Bucs lost to the best post-All Star Game pitcher baseball has ever seen (Jake Arrieta’s 0.75 ERA over his final 15 starts is the lowest in history), but that doesn’t remove the sting of Pittsburgh being one-and-done after a 98-win season.

The biggest disappointments, in no particular order:

It’s now a growing body of work of the Pirates being Bengals-esque, i.e. playoff choke artists. And while Gerrit Cole isn’t Andy Dalton quite yet, he’s been out-‘aced’ in two of the last three postseasons just as Dalton has been out-‘elited’. To see Cole beaten by a rookie bat in Kyle Schwarber, talented though he may be, was troubling. It would have somehow felt better if a more established guy, like Anthony Rizzo, had done the RBI damage. Can the Pirates win the big ones? Can Cole?

The Pirates’ bullpen this season was the best we’ve ever seen it. Not just due to the team-record in saves (51) by Mark Melancon, but also the lowest collective bullpen ERA (2.64) in the majors this year. The Bucs were 36-17 in one-run games, also the best in baseball. Their margin for victory was small, and they need an elite ‘pen to win over one-third of the time. Can they keep this unit together? Melancon will likely be traded as he hits the final year of arbitration (this has become the Pirates’ way). Joakim Soria, Joe Blanton, and Antonio Bastardo are fee agents. Plus, the team only has control of Tony Watson for two more seasons. GM Neal Huntington has been a bullpen miracle worker for his entire reign, but every year I question if he can pull it off again.

The Pirates’ offense has scored one run in their last three win-and-advance chances at PNC Park in the playoffs, that coming on a Pedro Alvarez solo home-run off Michael Wacha in 2013 Game Four. They have a grand total of nine hits in those three losses. Wacha, Madison Bumgarner, and Arrieta are indeed the best-of-the-best, but that doesn’t excuse the complete ineptness at the dish.

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For my money, Starling Marte had the two worst at-bats of the loss to the Cubs on Wednesday. With Andrew McCutchen on first base in the first inning, Marte struck out on three pitches and chased out of the zone to do so. Yes, perhaps McCutchen should have attempted a steal, but thanks to Marte he didn’t have long to decide. Then, in the sixth inning with PNC Park erupting, Marte’s 6-4-3 double-play plugged the volcano. As Gary Sheffield said on TBS, Marte had to get the ball in the air in that situation; a strikeout would have been better than something on the ground, and you knew how Arrieta was going to pitch you (low). In all, Marte ended three innings on Wednesday night. He is not a cleanup hitter.

The Pirates need a number four hitter, plain and simple. Perhaps Jung Ho Kang is that guy, but his injury brings it all into question. Alvarez has the closer statistical profile, but he’s proven he can’t mentally hack it. Without proper protection, McCutchen can be avoided by opposing teams. Good cleanup hitters don’t grow on trees, but it’s Huntington’s job to find one. There are three years left in the McCutchen-era, and the clock is ticking. The home-grown plan isn’t working. It’s time to trade Neil Walker, Alvarez, Melancon and/or prospects to get one.

All that said, this year’s Pirates loss isn’t anywhere close to 1992-Cabrera level of devastating. That, of course, was Game 7 with the NL Pennant on the line. This was a coin-flip game, where having home field advantage seems to be a disadvantage for some reason. And the Bengals analogy probably isn’t great, either. Football is made for one-game settings. This is baseball. 162 games. Marathon. Your team is designed to win over the long haul. So why decide it all on one night? One NFL game is the equivalent of about 10 in MLB. It’ll never happen, but to stay true to the essence of baseball they really should scale back to eight total teams making the playoffs so everyone gets a long series.

Speaking of lack of offense, welcome back the Pittsburgh Penguins to our consciousness. Just in time for an Antti Niemi “on his game” performance. The Pens’ opener wasn’t without some good chances, and Phil Kessel looks good. However, Sergei Plotnikov (yes, it’s only one game) looked too slow to play on Evgeni Malkin’s line, Beau Bennett yet again looked better suited for the AHL, and Pascal Dupuis looked missed badly. Coupled with their defensive issues, it looks like Rick Tocchet’s power play might need to be the difference maker this year. This team needs to draw penalties, and bury their man-advantage chances when they get them. Or, get used to seeing the ‘three-headed-monster’ line scrambling late in third periods to try and dig out of two-goal deficits.

I, too, am confused as to why rookie Daniel Sprong basically didn’t play in the third period of Thursday night’s loss in Dallas. Was he being punished? I understand they had to kill four-third period penalties, and Sprong doesn’t play on the PK. But what about the other 12 minutes of action (actually, more like 14 minutes as Jamie Benn wasted no time in scoring on one man advantage)? If you’re not going to use one of your better offensive threats when trailing by multiple goals, why did you keep Sprong on the team?

But, like MLB, the NHL is a marathon sport. I am as guilty as any of overreacting to the season opener every year. Last year, the Penguins were an offensive juggernaut in a wild win over Anaheim. It meant absolutely nothing when the playoffs came around.

Except, given how close the 2014-15 standings were, that Anaheim win may have made the difference in making or not making the playoffs. But let’s not quibble.

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Ah, playoffs? Playoffs? How do you feel about the Steelers chances of heading to Jim Mora’s favorite place after their 2-2 start? Monday night’s game in San Diego just may be of the season-turning-point variety, and the win feels like it is there for the taking. The Chargers’ offensive line is a mess, and the Steelers defense is playing with growing confidence. Mike Vick has had a few extra days to prepare and Vick’s favorite preseason toy, wide receiver Martavis Bryant may return, lower body-soreness permitting. Le’Veon Bell is ready to roll in primetime. If they can steal one on the west coast, even packing a 3-4 record for Ben Roethlisberger’s return keeps them in the hunt. With Arizona and a road trip to Kansas City on the horizon, this Monday feels like Vick’s best chance to earn a W in Victober.

Posted in Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers

 

09 Oct

Pens shutout in season opener

published in category: Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, October 9th, 2015 – 2:31 pm

Pens Beat Writer Jonathan Bombulie in-studio with Ken Laird and Jason Mackey on the road with the team. Pens get shutout in first game. Changing around top lines already? Looking at division foes. 3 on 3 OT.

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Pens gets shutout in season opener. Has anything changed? Pens and Kessel had a lot of shots. Mike Johnston talks about the loss. More Pirates offseason talk.

Posted in Pittsburgh Penguins

 



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