Pens end skid with de-clawing of Cats

The Penguins were in a rut.  Injuries have been plaguing them for the better part of the season, never seeming to catch a break.  The media had been swarming all over the team about the status of Crosby.  Ludicrous rumors swirled that certain players were suggesting the thought of a temporary captain.

Photo courtesy of  Jennifer - @PensPRLady

Then the Pens landed in Sunrise. They needed something to spark the team. Something to get out of the funk. Something....anything... Then they took to the ice for their morning skate, but with something noticeably different about them..  They were all sporting a taped "C" on their practice jerseys, signifying that they were "one" with their captain.  They were all Captain. That sprang a media frenzy into the social world where fans took to Twitter and Facebook like crazy all adapting a C on their shirts, jerseys, hell even some fans went as far to tape a C on their pets!!

That momentum surely came into the game against a division leading Panthers team.  Right from the start of the game you could tell this team was unified.. Handling the puck differently, more control, outshooting the Panthers 15-3 halfway through the first period.  Then the Penguins got a lead in the second from Steve Sullivan, and from some remarkable play by Geno went up 2-0 just as the second period ended. 

That carried over to the 3rd as Tyler Kennedy scored just 36 seconds into the frame to put the Pens up 3-0 and there was no looking back. They played a full 60 minutes of hockey, had some great play from the likes of Martin and Park and ultimately won the game 4-1 behind some of the best goaltending I've ever seen live in person.

I can only imagine what the atmosphere was like in the locker room after the win. If I had to guess I would say it was similar to the Capitals during the 24/7 filming last year.

This was just what the Penguins needed to turn things around and start the climb back into the top of the Eastern Conference.

Lets Go Pens

#C

Posted in: florida panthers,Sidney Crosby