Now that I've got your attention, I am referring to the New Jersey Devils.  Those pesky New Jersey Devils have created major issues this year for the Pittsburgh Penguins.  The completed games are below:

Penguins 5       Devils 1

Devils 3             Penguins 1

Devils 3            Penguins 1

The Devils have been officially eliminated from playoff contention; however, the statistics remain almost identical.

Expect a low scoring game tonight with the Devils conquering the Penguins by the unlucky score of 3-1.  The Penguins will complete their regular season at home against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.

In 1980, Willie Nelson wrote the hit song, "On the Road Again."  The Penguins have their next three games on the road against opponents who are probably out of the playoff picture.  The up-and-coming schedule is below including each team's playoff ranking and head-to-head record against the Penguins.

Tue, April 9: CAROLINA HURRICANES #13 (0-1)

Thu, April 11: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING #14 (2-0)

Sat, April 13: FLORIDA PANTHERS #15  (1-1)

The injury list for the Penguins will be James Neal (Concussion), Sidney Crosby (Broken Jaw), Paul Martin (Broken Hand), Kris Letang (Broken Toe/IR).

The Penguins need to win 2 out of 3 to keep the momentum going into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  If the playoffs begin today, the Penguins would face the NY Islanders.

The Penguins need a much awaited 3 days off to rest and recooperate.  In the last three games, the Penguins have scored a dismal 1.3 goals per game average.

SABRES 4 PENGUINS 1

RANGERS 6 PENGUINS 1

PENGUINS 2 RANGERS 1 (SO)

Though the Penguins still ranked third in the NHL in goals per game with 3.2 goals, things have not looked good.  One of the issues I have seen is there is often too much passing which cancel scoring changes.  The more shots taken, then the more rebound changes the Penguins would have.  The Penguins should shoot the puck more, and this will alleviate some issues.

Another criticism is that the line-up is filled with so many stars that no one wants to step-up and shine.  Now with the addition of  Jussi Jokinen, the Penguins have a new line dilemma.   Where should each new acquisitions be put in the line-up?  By any means,  Jokinen is excited about the opportunity on Tuesday to gain revenge against the Carolina Hurricanes.  The last time the Penguins played the Hurricanes, the Canes dismantled them 4-1.

The Penguins need to get it together going into the playoffs.  Right now, if the playoffs began today, the Penguin would face the NY Rangers who they have been struggling with as of late.  There is also a chance that the New Jersey Devils could be an #8 seed.  If this is the case, the Penguins will be certain of an early exit.

The Penguins are going for their 16th win in a row, while the Sabres have lost four in a row.  The Penguins will be without "Sid the Kid"; however, they are riddled with superstars.  Although it may be a game time decision, Fleury is expected to play.  Is this a good decision, or should we go with the "hot hand" or Tomas Vokoun?  Vokoun is coming off  two shutout victories.  See the tale of the tape below:

Team Stat Comparison

Bill Withers wrote the song "Lean on Me," which was used in the 1989 movie about a crazy principal who used unorthodox methods to get a urban school to change.  In the song states:

Lean on me, when you're not strong 
And I'll be your friend 
I'll help you carry on 
For it won't be long 
'Til I'm gonna need 
Somebody to lean on

Who will the Penguins lean on now that Crosby is down?   With Sidney Crosby out indefinitely with a broken jaw, the Penguins will have to "lean on" Evgeni Malkin as their go to Center.  In the case of goal tending, Vokoun has been exceptional, coming off of two back-to-back shutouts (4-0 WIN, 2-0 NYI).

The Penguins (26-8) have their next match-up tomorrow night against the dangerous, Buffalo Sabres (13-17-6).  The Penguins will be trying for their 16th consecutive win.  This is one win away from tying the most wins in a row.  This streak was done by the 1992-1993 Pittsburgh Penguins.  That previous streak was made possible by Mario Lemieux.  The Penguins game tomorrow night will be nationally televised on the NBC Sports Network and ROOT.  Goals have been at a premium recently; therefore, take the Penguins to win and under 5.5 goals.

Tonight is an excellent match-up  as two divisional leaders go head-to-head.  The Panthers are coming off of a 1-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens, while the Jets are coming off a 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.    The comparisons are below:

Pittsburgh Penguins (26-8-0, 1st Atlantic Division)

• Goals Scored Per Game: 3.4 (1st raked in NHL)
• Goals Against Average: 2.5 ( 11th ranked in NHL)
• Power Play Success Percentage: 24.0 % (2nd ranked in NHL)
• Power Play Kill Percentage: 79.7 % (21st ranked in NHL)

Winnipeg Jets (18-14-2, 1st Southeast Division)

• Goals Scored Per Game: 2.6 (^18th ranked in NHL)
• Goals Against Average: 2.9 (21^th ranked in NHL)
• Power Play Success Percentage: 15 % (^26th ranked in NHL)
• Power Play Kill Percentage: 78.9% (24^th ranked)

The Penguins are looking to win 14 games in a row.  Can they do it?  The Miami Heat's streak came to a screeching halt last night losing to the Chicago Bulls.  Will the Pens share the same fate?  We have split the series against the Jets one game a piece, losing 4-2 and winning 3-1.  Based on these statistics, I am predicting a close match-up.  Choose the Penguins to win and under 5.5 goals.  Prediction: Penguins 2 Jets 1.

A "rental player" is usually a veteran who signs with a team who has a great shot of making it to the playoffs and winning the Stanley Cup.  Typically, these players' contracts would have ended at the season with their current team, and they probably would not have been re-signed.  Recently, Ray Shero, Penguins GM, has been on the move to gain great additions.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired a few rental players to carry them to the Stanley Cup.  See below:

• Brenden Morrow from Dallas Stars (March 24)
• Douglas Murray from San Jose Sharks (March 25)
• Jarome Iginla from Calgary Flames (March 28)

See  the proposed lineups below (courtesy of Daily Faceoff.com, 2013):

LW	C	RW
Chris Kunitz	Sidney Crosby	Pascal Dupuis
Brenden Morrow	Dustin Jeffrey	James Neal
Matt Cooke	Brandon Sutter	Tyler Kennedy
Beau Bennett	Tanner Glass	Craig Adams

There is a burning question that exists?  Where should we put the latest veteran signing, Jarome Iginla?  I would argue that putting him on the first line with Crosby may disrupt the flow.  Some people think, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."  I like how aggressive Shero has been, so we shall see?  I don't expect to see Iginla tonight against the Winnipeg  Jets; however, I do expect to see him make his Penguins debut on Saturday against the New York Islanders.

In the 1991, Tina Turner came out with a hit song, "Simply the Best."  She didn't know it then, but she was talking about the Pittsburgh Penguins.  After tonight's 1-0 shutout  victory over the Montreal  Canadiens, the Penguins have won 13 games in a row.   To top it off, we don't even have Evgeni Malkin in the lineup.  Wow!

Even ESPN has noticed the amazing streak.  When Barry Melrose was recently asked who the best team is in the NHL, he stated the the Penguins (26-8) have surpassed the Chicago Blackhawks (25-4-3) as the best team.  The Blackhawks are currently beating the Calgary Flames 1-0; however, they are coming off a 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.  See the Barry Melrose interview below:

Barry Melrose Interview

If you are from Pittsburgh and want to see the Penguins play, then you are in for a treat.  The Pens have 3 home games in row followed by a home and home season with the New York Rangers.

In the 1986, the band, Europe, released the hit song song, "The Final Countdown."  We are on the brink of the final countdown between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers.  Thus far, the advantage has gone to the road team.  However, this game will be much different because the Penguins are going for their twelfth win in a row.  See the 2013 history of these two teams below:

                PENGUINS (24-8)                               FLYERS (13-16-1)

GAME #1 (JAN 19th): PENGUINS 3           FLYERS 1

GAME #2 (FEB 20th): FLYERS 6                PENGUINS 5

GAME #3 (MAR 7th): PENGUINS 5         FLYERS 4

GAME #4 (MAR 24th): ????

The Flyers are will probably not make the playoffs this year; however, they are playing for pride.  Pittsburgh hates Philly, and Philly hates Pittsburgh.  Don't miss this exciting game.  The game will be nationally televised on the NBC Sports Network at 7:30 PM EST.

Prediction: All you Vegas watchers listen carefully.   Take the Penguins to win a close match-up and score over 6 combined goals.  Penguins 4 Flyers 3.

A streak is defined as a “zooming” or “flashing.”  Our Penguins (23-8) have flashed all the way to a 10 game winning streak.  Most recently, the Penguins had a 2-1 victory yesterday against those pesky Washington Capitals.   Interestingly enough, many of these victories occurred without Evgeni Malkin and, most recently,  Kris Letang.  The Penguins will now get a well- deserved break until Friday.  See the next three games for the Penguins.

Friday, March 24: Pittsburgh Penguins @ New York Islanders (13-13-3)

Sunday, March 26: Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins (13-16-1)

Tuesday, March 28: Montréal Canadians @ Pittsburgh Penguins (19-5-5)

The Penguins have winning records against all of these teams.  They are 1-1 against the Islanders, 2-1 against the Flyers, and 1-0 against the Canadians.  Hopefully, Malkin and Letang will return soon.  Expect to see high scores in each of these games.  I would not be surprised in the Flyers and Canadians games to see an over and under of 7 goals.  Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.  As much as I hate to admit it, the streak will end at home Philadelphia.