RECAP. Awooooooooooooooooooooo. Pens LOSE

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What a horn and song combo.  Awooooooooooooooooooooooo

The Pens made their only trip to the beautiful Desert of Arizona last night to take on the Coyotes.  The Coyotes are a tough team to get a read on.  Lets look at their last 3 games.  LA.  Buffalo.  Pittsburgh.  3-0 Win against LA.  3-2 Loss against Buffalo.  3-1 win against Pittsburgh.  If the Coyotes could put together consistently good hockey like they did against LA and Pittsburgh they would be a really dangerous team but instead whenever they play a shitty team like the Sabres they play down to their opponents and lose.  The loss against Buffalo prompted Coyotes Captain Shane Doan to call out his team.  And they responded with a masterful performance.  What a captain.

The pace was quick to start the game.  Both teams were flying but the Pens were getting the better of the chances early.  Jussi Jokinen was everywhere.  He had unlimited chances but couldn't bury anything.  Mike Smith was in his mouth.  Brian Gibbons had a chance to make it 1-0 Pens but Mike Smith made one of the best saves of the season:

gif via The Pensblog

What a save.

The Coyotes eventually got a power play.  They couldn't do anything with it but just after it ended Mike Ribeiro ripped a wrister by Fleury to make it 1-0 Coyotes.  Elite screen by Antoine Vermette.

Former Penguin Zbynek Michalek almost made it 2-0 early in the 2nd but his shot hit a post.  He would cash in on another chance though.  He put a shot on goal from the point that found its way past Fleury to make it 2-0.  Elite screen from Mikkel Boedker on this goal.  This was Michalek's first goal since March 5th 2012 when Michalek was a Penguin.  He scored that goal against the Coyotes.

The Pens eventually found a way to get the puck past Mike Smith.  The 36-71-18 line was buzzing.  The puck made its way to Malkin and he got one by Smith who was trying to stack the pads.  2-1.

The Pens were buzzing trying to get a goal to tie the game.  They had unlimited chance but Mike Smith wasn't having any of it.  Then the Coyoted put a dagger in the Pens.  They had a bad turnover in the neutral zone and the Coyotes went the other way 2 on 1.  Radim Vrbata ripped a wrister by Fleury to make it 3-1.  Then the Pens came unglued.  First James Neal took a pretty embarrassing dive after being bumped by Vermette.  Both guys went to the box.  Then Matt Niskanen interfered with Martin Hanzal and Evgeni Malkin lost it.  He started yelling at the refs and took an unsportsmanlike penalty.  Coyotes had a power play but couldn't do anything with it.  Then Malkin decided he was going to be Floyd Mayweather.  First he checked Oliver Ekman Larsson from behing.  Ekman Larsson didn't like it and said something to Malkin.  Malkin proceeded to start swinging.

via The Pensblog

Yikes

That was pretty much the game.

1. Mike Smith

2. Mike Ribeiro

3. Zbynek Michalek

Stuff:

Normally this is where we would put some random facts or thoughts about the game.  Today we are changing it up because it was announced today that next season, for at least one game, the Coyotes will be wearing a throwback jersey.  The jersey will be like one of the ones they wore when they first came in to the league in 96.  Why is this a big deal to us you ask?  Well.  Because those jersey's were glorious:

When we heard this our only thought was:

Pens next game is Monday against Ottawa

Go Pens