Pens-Caps 1: Saturday notes

I’d love to be covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton-St. John’s series. Not only because of the alumni factor*, but they’re a couple of pretty good teams with the weapons to come at you a few different ways, as Jonathan talked about in his postgamer tonight on the WBS side. The Pens won Game 1 tonight on the Rock. The Conor Sheary kid scored again, ho hum. Tom Kostopoulos’ goal in the second gave Peter Mannino what he needed to withstand Andrew Gordon’s second. No rest: Back at it tomorrow for them.

It’ll be Russia (Anders Nilsson stopped 31 of 34) vs. Finland for the World Championship. We’re still, what, I think sixth. The IIHF approved some rules changes including standardizing a few rink-markings dimensions, allowing the North American rink standard, hybrid icing, and banning the spinorama in the shootout. (There were three too many words in that last clause.)

*-And the Tim Hortons factor**.
**-And the “You’re in St. John’s” factor***.
***-And the “You’re in Canada” factor****.
****-Wilkes-Barre’s fine, too.

Michael Fornabaio