There was a stoppage in play b/c a piece of plexiglass needed to be replaced.  Feds yakked the entire time--to Coach Tony, to Geno, to Sid...

I'm going to try to post more of my photos from the 11/14 game...

Penguins' Fedotenko is a boost to top line

OK, so I came here to complain that the friggen old chicks on the Geno Forum just.don't.get.it. They are so obsessed with Geno and their delirium day dreams about him that they don't even want to hear when people actually DO meet him. I mean, what the hell are they thinking? That he will magically appear in front of them saying how much he loves their stupidity with their gushing nonsense??? He is nto the type of guy/player who will even come to the fence and sign anything and yet these very fans are the fans who are putting him in his fancy Porsches and his Range Rovers not to mention his house on Blackburn Road. Feds signs for the fans and is more than willing to come over and do that. he is grateful for the fans. Is Geno? um. NO.

Sorry to vent but they also do nto need to say anything about Geno's lack of good wingers. On here, I should say that Ruslan and Dupers lack a centre who can make plays for them instead of just playing skate fairy. The announcers and analysts do nto say anything negative about the team so I don't know where THAT is coming from. All I know is that they were so annoyed that some anon rookie spoiled their whole dream filled morning by posting the truth. Wah wah wah. Let them cry all over their AARP cards.

Some nice words from Coach Bylsma...

12:28 PM:
Gonchar's absence on the Penguins' power play has caused a ripple effect for the team's two units. With Kris Letang elevated to the top power-play unit, taking his spot on the point for the second power play is.....Ruslan Fedotenko.

"I think (Fedotenko) has a certain amount of skill and reading of the play," head coach Dan Bylsma said. "He has shooting ability, definitely. I think on a lot of the teams that I have coached, both as an assistant coach and a head coach, we have looked to put a forward back there and offer a bit more skill than just working your way down the defensive core to put a guy back there. He played a little bit in the preseason in anticipation that he would probably get some time back there during the year. He shot the puck six times in the game he got back there and handled the puck well and handled the pressure. That is great to see."

Bylsma even hinted at the chance that Fedotenko will see action on the top power-play unit, rotating with Letang and Alex Goligoski.

"That is why we put him back there in the preseason because we anticipated (injuries) would come at some point during the year," Bylsma said. "It adds a little more skill and puck-moving play back there on the blue line. I anticipate him seeing time with the first group of guys. We kind of had a three-man rotation there with (Sergei) Gonchar there and now with Fedotenko, I would still anticipate him being not the fourth guy we use but a part of the three-man rotation."

And the rotation will be dictated upon how the opposing team executes its penalty killing scheme.

"Penalty kills would dictate that a lot," Byslma said. "When we face pressure units we may keep guys on their strong sides. If there is a more passive penalty-kill unit we would use them on their off-side. It’s easier to break pressure when you are on your strong side so that would be dictated by the penalty kill we would see. I expect to move them around a little bit, more than when Gonchar was there."
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I have to find the source for this, but a friend posted notes fromthe locker room, and thought people might find this interesting. Also, the Post Gazette says Feds may play on the second PP unit.

1:09 PM:
Here are a couple of interesting notes from Thursday's practice, which went for about an 1 1/2 hours:

<> Winger Ruslan Fedotenko took a few shifts at the point on Pittsburgh's power play. He logged some minutes in that spot during the preseason as well.

Ruslan Fedotenko
On possibly playing the point:
I don’t know if I will be. I was just practicing just in case a couple times. I was taking one-on-one drills to get used to it. It is different. You definitely need to skate backwards a little more. If we have some injuries and I need to fill in there I will be there. If not, it is not a big deal I will just play in my regular spot. It’s up to the coaches if it happens.
On being comfortable there:
Yeah. I played in training camp a little bit there so if I have to fill in that’s not a problem.
On his backwards skating:
It definitely can improve a little bit, especially when you try to take somebody like Sid one-on-one.

Rob Rossi and his picks.  I like what he writes, but I don't like watching him or listening to him b/c he's such a know-it-all...

http://blog.triblive.com/chipped-ice/2009/10/20/pens-blues-postgame-feeling-out-flower/