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OTTAWA — The Stanley Cup doesn’t matter that much.

This was my only thought late Monday, when, after talking with one of the Trib editors, I learned of the devastation in Oklahoma.

Fifty-one people died on Monday. Their lives ended, and the lives of their loved ones were forever changed.

Let that simmer, as I did for about 15 minutes on Monday.

I learned of that news late in the day, but into the evening I was still getting emails from Penguins fans about the Game 3 loss to the Senators.

That makes sense. Sports are the distraction. Sports is my livelihood, so I’d be a hypocrite for knocking the people who take sports seriously, even too seriously.

Still, as I read an email early Monday evening from a reader who felt it necessary to use obscenities when sharing his fanatical opinions on Dan Bylsma and Evgeni Malkin, I could not help but wonder if maybe there are moments when sports should not be a distraction.

Maybe paying attention more to everything else would be good for all of us and serve as a necessary reminder that these games that are played, covered and obsessed over are, well, just games.

Life is a bigger, and it ended tragically for too many innocent people on Monday.

My thoughts and prayers are with everybody in Oklahoma – as I hope theirs would be if the situations were flipped, parts of Pittsburgh was in rubble, and the Thunder were only ahead 2-1 in an NBA playoff series.

Anyway, the #TribHKY links…

=   Josh Yohe offers an observation about Matt Cooke, specifically as it pertains to the noise that surrounds him in Canada’s capital city: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4050253-74/cooke-game-penguins#axzz2TvqTpdrB

= Dejan Kovacevic’s column dares to ask what so many have been thinking. Why exactly did the Penguins trade for Jarome Iginla only to use him like they have? http://triblive.com/sports/dejankovacevic/dejancolumns/4050274-74/iginla-penguins-neal#axzz2TvqTpdrB

= A breakdown of the The Breakdown that changed, temporarily, the narrative of this Penguins-Senators series: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4050259-74/penguins-alfredsson-senators#axzz2TvqTpdrB

= Difficult to mistake Monday was the Penguins’ collective resolve to not let Game 3 mean too much in the long run – at least, the result of Game 3: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4050259-74/penguins-alfredsson-senators#axzz2TvqTpdrB

= By the way, that was some big-time history that happened here on Sunday night. Blown leads like that in a situation like that just haven’t happened a lot in the NHL: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4054449-74/game-series-lost

= Senators players have found their mojo. Yeah, baby, yeah! http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4050305-74/senators-game-ottawa

= And, finally, notes about the Pens: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4050264-74/penguins-game-jokinen#axzz2TvqTpdrB

Notes about the Sens: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4050306-74/senators-ottawa-maclean#axzz2TvqTpdrB

That is all for this morning. Both clubs practice, starting with the Senators at noon.

Go vote. Hug somebody you love before and after. Pray for Oklahoma.

Cheers,

Rossi

OTTAWA — They don’t come easy.

Wins in the Stanley Cup playoffs, that is – if they come at all, they’re not easily scored.

Ask the Ottawa Senators, who finally broke through in this Round 2 series against the Penguins. All the Senators needed were a miracle shorthanded goal by their 40-year-old captain, Daniel Alfredsson, and 49 saves (a vast majority of them sparkling) by previously pulled goalie Craig Anderson.

Oh, and the Senators somehow provided a potent Penguins’ power play with six opportunities, including a two-man advantage, only to avoid any damage.

The Game 3 recap from your #TribHKY coverage is here: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/pensgalleries/4047953-74/penguins-game-senators#axzz2Tq10Tgfi

Look, a lot of people in Pittsburgh went to bed last night quite angry about the Penguins’ 2-1 double-overtime loss.

The guess here, from Canada’s capital city, is that people in Pittsburgh are still seething on this fine Monday.

(And get over yourselves, eh? Seething should be reserve for the guy who scrapped about 2,000 words over the course of an hour after Alfredsson’s goal. That guy was seething, mostly because he really liked his “Pens win” story – especially the final graf. Sigh. Moan.)

This is one of those spots where overreaction from fans is expected. There will be none, at least after some cooling off time, from the coaches and players for the Penguins.

The two days between games suddenly seems like more of an advantage for the Penguins than home ice. They will not practice Monday, instead opting for rest and film study. Also, they now look super smart to have stayed in Ottawa. Players can hole up inside their hotel, recuperate a bit, and prepare for a Tuesday practice.

The big-picture read here is that things aren’t so bad for your favorite club, even if the Penguins did let one slip away in Game 3.

= By the way, for those wondering about momentum: The Penguins lost OT games to the Capitals (2009) and Senators (2010) with a chance to close out series. They did close out those series in the next game, each time doing so on the road.

Biggest lesson I’ve learned from these 16 Stanley Cup playoff series I’ve covered is that momentum is as overrated as “Seinfeld.” (Sorry, the latter just hasn’t held up the way some people want to believe.)

= Columnist Dejan Kovacevic is right that the Penguins didn’t have to make Round 2 this hard: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4047964-74/minute-alfredsson-kunitz#axzz2Tq10Tgfi

= Josh Yohe reports on the re-emergence of THAT Craig Anderson for the Senators: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4047965-74/anderson-penguins-shots#axzz2Tq10Tgfi

= Jason Spezza was back for the Senators, but is he really the Spezza who has had his way with the Penguins in the past? http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4047968-74/spezza-senators-surgery#axzz2Tq10Tgfi

= News and notes from the Pens http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4047957-74/vitale-played-game#axzz2Tq10Tgfi and Sens http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4047970-74/pageau-senators-anderson#axzz2Tq10Tgfi

Ok, that is all for now. Enjoy the links while the #TribHKY team ties to find something open on this Victoria Day, which may not be knows that way in the future: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/05/19/victoria-day-rename.html

Cheers,

Rossi

A quick update after optional practices for the Penguins and Senators at Consol Energy Center on Wednesday:

= No injuries to report on the Penguins’ end – just bumps and bruises, coach Dan Bylsma noted.

= Ottawa coach Paul MacLean said that rookie defenseman Eric Gryba (upper-body injury) has not been ruled out for Game 2 on Friday night. Gryba did not finish Game 1after a collision with Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik.

= Center Jason Spezza (back) is skating in Ottawa, but MacLean said he is not likely to play in Game 2. Spezza has not played since having surgery in February.

= The Selke Trophy finalists are out, and in a switch for NHL Awards finalists season there is no Penguins among the three. Should there be, though? Read the Trib on Wednesday. The finalists: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=670684&navid=nhl:topheads

= The New York outdoor games – at Yankee Stadium during Super Bowl week – were made official by the NHL today: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=670867&navid=nhl:topheads

= As always, complete #TribHKY playoffs coverage can be found here: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/

Cheers,

Rossi

Well, everybody in Pittsburgh is breathing easier on this Monday, right?

Quite a scene that was in Uniondale, N.Y., on Saturday night; aside from the 2009 Cup Final, I’m not sure I’ve seen a Penguins squad of The Crosby Era so joyously celebrate a series win.

The New Your Islanders gave the East favorites everything they had, and the suspicion here is the Penguins were battling more than just the Islanders all along. They were given a mandate by management to win four games.

“Then go form there,” general manager Ray Shero said after acquiring RW Jarome Iginla in March.

The Penguins had not won four playoff games in one postseason since April 2010.

Another way of looking at it: 37 months had passed since the Penguins had won a playoff series.

Yeah, there was pressure.

Of most intrigue now is how this deep and driven club plays in Round 2 with that gorilla having been shoved into its cage.

The Senators will be a different kind of challenge, and here is your first scouting report on the East semifinal: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4005798-74/senators-penguins-round#axzz2TBAwnw2D

By the way, there is no start date yet for the series because the rest of the East is still playing. The Capitals host the Rangers in Game 7 tonight, while the Bruins will try to fend off the Maple Leafs in another Game 7.

So, if you’re like me and fearing an unnecessary twist in the Robin-Barney saga on the season finale of “How I Met Your Mother,” there is some fine elimination puck action to keep you distracted.

= Evgeni Malkin shared some honest, earnest thoughts on his play with me after Game 6. The story: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4005794-74/malkin-penguins-game#axzz2TBAwnw2D

= Columnist Dejan Kovacevic joins the Great Goalie Debate: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4005032-74/vokoun-game-anderson#axzz2TBAwnw2D

= Josh Yohe checks in with another local product getting set to take the NHL by storm: http://triblive.com/sports/nhl/4005949-74/trocheck-season-nhl#axzz2TBAwnw2D

= The #TribHKY review of Round 1: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4005801-74/penguins-scored-period#axzz2TBAwnw2D

OK, dear readers, the club returns to practicing today; but somebody is set for a super-fun MRI of his own ailing shoulder.

Josh will lead coverage. Maybe Matt Cooke will be a story? (Hmmm…)

Cheers,

Rossi

If, as I’ve believed since their first players’ organized workout during the NHL lockout, these Penguins are on a Redemption Song quest – as a whole, for the Stanley Cup; individually, for their previous reputations as big-game players – then it was only fitting that Tyler Kennedy played a pivotal role in their pivotal playoff game so far.

Kennedy, never a star, has been a part of this nucleus that reached those Cup Final heights what seems like so long ago.

He was a regular on the 2008 and 2009 Final clubs, and a big reason the Penguins won that latter year.  In the 2009 Final, captain Sidney Crosby was tasked with skating Detroit’s top line into exhaustion, and Evgeni Malkin essentially became the player the Red Wings’ had to prevent from taking over that series.

It was subtle genius from coach Dan Bylsma to have Crosby essentially become the ultimate decoy, because with Henrik Zetterberg and Nicklas Lidstrom so focused on Crosby and his line, the series became about depth – and the Penguins had it all over the Red Wings in that one category.

Bylsma knew then that the Red Wings could not match his third line, and that played out as the series dragged on. Malkin had his moments. His Game 3 that series was among his all-time best, and even in Game 6 the Red Wings were unable to prevent him from dictating in the offensive zone.

The Penguins’ third line, though, was off the charts – especially in Games 4 and 6, the crucial ones they needed to win to pull even with Detroit.

Detroit was overwhelmed by the Matt Cooke-Jordan Staal-Tyler Kennedy line, which lived up to its “Nightmare Line” moniker. The Red Wings were punished physically and mentally by Cooke, worked over by Staal and flat out-skated by Kennedy, who scored goals in Games 4 and 6.

The Penguins won the Cup, and two years later, when Crosby and Malkin were hurt and Kennedy took a top-six role and turned it into a 20-goal season, it appeared he was ready to become a bigger player for this franchise.

It hasn’t worked out that way for him since, though – and Kennedy, for the first time, began this postseason as a healthy scratch.

But, oh, was he working hard in practice these past few weeks.

There were drills, especially in a session Monday between Games 3 and 4, when Kennedy was hunting pucks, winning races, and firing hard, high shots at look-at-that speed. Once these were hallmarks of his game, but those elements had disappeared as his confidence waned this season.

Kennedy looked Monday like the player he once was, somebody ready to provide a spark, some energy, and maybe a big goal.

Then, on Thursday, this: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/pensgalleries/3972478-74/penguins-kennedy-goal#axzz2StZLyFpS

= The Hart Trophy finalists are announced Friday, and expect Crosby to be one of them.

A record number of writers voted on the NHL Awards this season. The Hart is probably the crown jewel of the Awards we determine. The Pittsburgh chapter had six votes for the Awards. Here is my Hart ballot:

HART TROPHY (“to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team”) — Five selections.

1. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh
2. Patrick Kane, Chicago
3. JohnTavares, NY Islanders
4. Alex Ovechkin, Washington
5. Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit

= Josh Yohe on the coolness of Tomas Vokoun in Game 5: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3972483-74/vokoun-penguins-game#axzz2StZLyFpS

I ran into Vokoun and Marc-Andre Fleury at Consol Energy Center way after the Penguins’ victory. Fleury and he chatted for a while, along with Pascal Dupuis. The was no disharmony there at all. In fact, Fleury talked often about how well Vokoun played.

Never, ever, let it be said that Fleury is not a team-first guy. He is, even at this challenging time for him professionally.

By the way, smart money, based off what I hear, is that he’s back in net if the Penguins can close out the Islanders.

= Columnist Dejan Kovacevic looks at those foundation blocks for a big Penguins’ victory: http://triblive.com/sports/dejankovacevic/dejancolumns/3972468-74/period-crosby-game#axzz2StZLyFpS

= Kevin Gorman, who has been a big addition to #TribHKY this postseason, captured a Bronze Moment with his quick-turn look at Crosby’s mesmerizing goal: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3995261-74/goal-crosby-lemieux#axzz2StZLyFpS

= Jerry DiPaola, another big piece of our hockey coverage team, has been tasked with covering the Islanders. His latest: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3972480-74/macdonald-islanders-penguins#axzz2StZLyFpS

= The notes from each squad: Pens: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3972484-74/crosby-players-despres#axzz2StZLyFpS – Islanders: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3972491-74/islanders-penguins-capuano#axzz2StZLyFpS

= And, finally, some real good radio here between Tim Benz and Jeremy Roenick. Worth a listen while you’re on lunch break: http://www.1059thex.com/cc-common/podcast/single_page.html?more_page=1&podcast=interviews&selected_podcast=20130509084532_1368105636_25776.mp3

That is all for this Friday.

Game 6 is Saturday at Nassau Coliseum, 7 p.m. Root Sports Pittsburgh locally, NBCSports Network nationally.

If they win, a blood-feud showdown with Ottawa awaits the Penguins in Round 2.

Cheers,

Rossi

A gray, and potentially rainy Thursday in our fine ‘Burgh, and what pressure the Penguins face this evening for Game 5 of a Round 1 Stanley Cup playoff series that is tied, 2-2.

Some quick hits from Consol Energy Center:

= EARLY, EARLY word is that Game 6, Saturday at Nassau Coliseum, is likely to be played late in the afternoon, perhaps during the 4 p.m. hour. If so, a Game 7, if necessary on Sunday at Consol Energy Center, would be Sunday night.

All plans are pending, though.

= The Penguins’ goaltending situation is a hot topic, and it will be as long as the playoffs continue for this club.

Our Josh Yohe has a look at the latest, with Tomas Vokoun getting the call against the Islanders in Game 5: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3972439-74/fleury-vokoun-bylsma

Very good insight there from Josh, and a real good dose of perceptive here from columnist Joe Starkey, who correctly identifies what adversity would be: http://triblive.com/sports/joestarkey/3931113-74/penguins-game-iginla#axzz2SnehJjZn

= A bit of my own reporting on Wednesday leads me to suspect we’ve not seen the last of Marc-Andre Fleury if, say, the Penguins advance to Round 2. Something to think about, anyway, is that coach Dan Bylsma – breaking his own rule in naming a starter for Game 5 – did not name Vokoun the new starter, just the goalie for Game 5.

= Evgeni Malkin has had a polarizing postseason to date – take Game 4, when he was equally awesome early and sloppy late. He is puzzled by the up-and-down nature, too:

http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3971649-74/game-malkin-penguins#axzz2SnehJjZn

A lot of people are riding Malkin for his penalty and turnover in the third period of Game 4. To be sure, he would like those back. Still, Malkin has scored two goals and produced eight points in four games. This series being tied is not on him.

The notion, and it exists, that Malkin and Sidney Crosby, aren’t doing enough for the Penguins in recent postseasons – that notion is lousy.

Malkin and Crosby have combined to produce 10 goals and 30 points dating to last postseason. Those are numbers that would please Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr.

Now, that said, Lemieux or Jagr would have taken over a Game 5 at home in a series tied, 2-2, when he team was better. So, there’s that.

= The #TribHKY Insider examines the need for Bylsma to adjust: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3971642-74/penguins-islanders-pass#axzz2SnehJjZn

Cheers,

Rossi

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Kris Letang is my pick to win the Conn Smythe as Stanley Cup playoffs MVP.

That would be, perhaps, the ultimate feather in his cap.

Another one, though, could come Tuesday.

The NHL will announce its Norris Trophy finalists for best defensemen during the regular season, and Letang is a strong contender to snag his first nod.

Yep, he has never been a finalist.

Injuries have prevented him from finishing off what began as Norris-worthy campaigns the last two seasons.

Injuries probably will cost him the Norris this season, even though he finished tied for the scoring lead at his position despite missing a third of the 48 games.

There Norris is one of the NHL Awards voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, which had a record 178 members cast votes this year. There are 285 members of our organization, but not all are granted voting privileges.

The Pittsburgh chapter, of which I’m president, had six members vote, accounting for 3.4 percent.

The Trib’s Josh Yohe has been all over the emergency of Pittsburghers playing their way into NHL organizations for several years, so it should surprise nobody that he scored an exclusive local interview with Brandon Saad, a Pittsburgh native with the Blackhawks who is a Calder (top rookie) finalist:

“This means a lot to me,” Saad told the Tribune-Review on Monday. “It’s an honor to be mentioned in this. It really is excited to be a part of.”

Saad produced 10 goals and 27 points in 46 games with the Blackhawks. He started the season slowly but was terrific down the stretch. Saad produced 22 points during his final 25 games.

The rookie was also strong defensively, finishing with a plus-17 mark while also becoming a

He isn’t sure if skating on a line with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa will hurt his chances of claiming the award.

“That’s a tough question,” Saad said. “Either way, that’s for people to decide. It’s out of my control. I really am happy to be nominated.”

A look at my Calder Trophy ballot:

1 Justin Schultz, Oilers

2 Jonathan Huberdeau, Panthers

3 Brandon Saad, Blackhawks

4 Nail Yakupov, Oilers

5 Cory Goncaher, Senators

= There aren’t many defensemen like Brooks Orpik in the NHL, and the Penguins are missing him against the Islanders: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3970798-74/orpik-penguins-defenseman#axzz2SbevmG2O

= The #TribHKY Insider examines Dan Bylsma’s plan to play the regular season like it was a series of seven-game playoff series: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3970780-74/game-season-bylsma#axzz2SbevmG2O

= Columnist Dejan Kovacevic asks for the check, please, in Game 4: http://triblive.com/sports/dejankovacevic/dejancolumns/3970822-74/penguins-game-hit#axzz2SbevmG2O

= Tyler Kennedy knows what the Penguins coaches want from him: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3970786-74/kennedy-practice-penguins#axzz2SbevmG2O

= Meet this Travis Hamonic guy you’re probably starting to hate given his strong impact for the Islanders: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3970802-74/islanders-hamonic-penguins#axzz2SbevmG2O

= Matt Moulson is fine with his new line slot: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3970785-74/goals-moulson-capuano#axzz2SbevmG2O

Cheers,

Rossi

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – They’re winning.

That is the point, right?

That is the point the Penguins are trying to make, anyway.

They are ahead, 2-1, in this best-of-seven Round 1 against the New York Islanders.

A year ago, after as many games, they trailed Philadelphia, 3-0.

This year is different already, right?

Well…

Look, there is a lot to take in from Game 3, starting with the third chapter of this Penguins’ playoff story:

http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3932547-74/penguins-game-series#axzz2SW2CI2N3

Some #TribHKY chatter to chew on:

35.7 percent – That is the Penguins’ power-play over the last two postseasons. They are 15-for-42 in nine games.

Kyle Okposo’s shorthanded goal in Game 3 was the first for an Islanders player since Tom Fitzgerald in the 1993 playoffs. The Islanders beat the Penguins in the Patrick Division final that postseason. Fitzgerald is the assistant to the general manager for the Penguins.

Jarome Iginla, on the two-goal leads blown by his Penguins and the Islanders:

“Obviously, we did let momentum slip away at times. But so did they.”

—

= Columnist Dejan Kovacevic’s take is that the Penguins could be, uh, sharper:

http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3932545-74/islanders-penguins-sharp#axzz2SW2CI2N3

= Sidney Crosby’s brilliance is often that level he can reach, one that cannot be matched and is impossible to prevent from impacting a game. See his drawn penalty in OT:

http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3964334-74/crosby-kunitz-goal#axzz2SW2CI2N3

= Oh, by the way – these Islanders aren’t going away easily, and their stars are starting to shine:

http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3932555-74/tavares-islanders-okposo#axzz2SW2CI2N3

= Matt Cooke, Brandon Sutter and injury updates in the Pens notes:

http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3964331-74/game-matt-cooke#axzz2SW2CI2N3

= Oh, that Islanders’ PK, examined in the New York notes:

http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3964332-74/islanders-game-games#axzz2SW2CI2N3

Cheers,

Rossi

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The Real Deal really gave it a try Saturday.

James Neal skated on his own for about 10 minutes then tried to practice with the Penguins at Nassau Coliseum. However, he did not finish the session, departing early after about 10 minutes on the ice with teammates.

Neal, a right winger, was injured (right ankle) in Game 1 on Wednesday. He did not play in the Penguins’ loss in Game 2 on Friday. He had not skated since he was injured.

He is not expected to play when the Penguins’ resume their first-round playoff series against the New York Islanders with Game 3 on the road.

= D Brooks Orpik did not practice for a second straight day, and he was not visible at Nassau Coliseum.

Orpik has not played in Games 1 and 2, and he is not likely to play in Game 3.

A lower-body injury has prevented him from playing in four straight games dating to the regular-season.

The Penguins’ policy for the playoffs is not to provide updates on injured players.

= C Evgeni Malkin did not practice, though he did spend a couple of minutes on the ice before the session shooting a puck off the boards at Nassau Coliseum.

Malkin has been dealing with an injured-right shoulder for nearly two months, and coach Dan Bylsma, while not addressing Malkin specifically, did allow on Saturday that players could be given days off to rest during the playoffs.

= That is all for the news of the day. There will be more details in #TribHK online/print coverage to advance Game 3. Also, some really good stuff is coming Sunday from Josh Yohe and Dejan Kovacevic – each taking a look at a high-profile Penguins player.

–Rob Rossi

Sidney Crosby looked like a player Thursday.

For the Penguins’ practice at Consol Energy Center, Crosby took regular shifts with his usual linemates – LW Chris Kuntiz and RW Pascal Dupuis.

Crosby also worked with the first-team power play.

Crosby had done neither of those in previous practices since he was cleared medically.

The Penguins lead a first round playoff series with the New York Islanders, 1-0. Game 2 is Friday at home.

Crosby said he was not cleared medically to play in Game 1 on Wednesday night, but he skated Thursday morning and returned to join the Penguins after spending a brief amount or time in area where medical offices are located.

Crosby has not played a game since March 30 because of a broken jaw, which was surgically repaired the next day.

A look at the Penguins’ lines at practice:

Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis

Beau Bennett-Evgeni Malkin-Jarome Iginla

Brenden Morrow-Brandon Sutter- Matt Cooke

Tanner Glass-Jussi Jokinen-Craig Adams

RW James Neal did not practice Thursday. He did not finish Game 1 after taking a hit from Islanders D Travid Harmonic. Neal is believed to have a lower-body injury.

All other players practices for the Penguins, including D Brooks Orpik, who also did not play in Game 1. Orpik is out with a lower body injury.

–Rob Rossi