What team will Pittsburgh beat for their first win.

[Iced Tea]

No one here could predict that the Penguins would suck the big biscuit when the season started. With Mario, Big Syd, Palffy, Recchi, Leclair, Gonchar, etc., one would think that the Penguins would fly out of the gate. But no, they've screwed the pooch so far.

Well, the Penguins play the Thrashers next, and the Thrashers have been struggling a bit. Could this be it, could the Penguins get a regulation win and snap the losing streak? Who knows, the NHL is wacky.

The Penguins next 5 games are:

1. Oct 27 Thrashers
2. Oct 29 Hurricanes
3. Nov 1 Devils
4. Nov 3 Islanders
5. Nov 5 Bruins

I figure the Penguins have a chance against the Thrashers. The Hurricanes are currently on a 2 game winning streak and beat the Sens. Penguins won't beat the Devils. The Penguins have a chance against the Islanders and the Bruins.

[Mel]

Of those 5 teams their best bet is definitely the Thrashers.

[bluemeanie]

Win over Thrashers, Devils.

[Madferret]

Leafs.

:D

[bluemeanie]

Leafs.

:D

You guys are the one's that are on the losing streak right now... =]

[Madferret]

You guys are the one's that are on the losing streak right now... =]

True. Carolina 'rocked' us the other night. Right Maxy?

[Max Power]

Yah we got rocked
I?ll go with the Thrashers and if not the Isle

[TimmyTabasco]

The Thrashers

[butterfly_style]

I voted Thrashers. . . but I was looking for the "I've told all my single female friends about the Tea Man" button

[Iced Tea]

TSN.ca (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?slug=TP-RECAP-NHL-5844&hubname=) says
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Mario Lemieux scored two goals and had three assists for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who claimed their first victory of the year with a 7-5 win over the Atlanta Thrashers at Mellon Arena.

Pittsburgh allowed Atlanta to jump out to a 4-0 first-period lead, but responded with six straight tallies to snap a nine-game losing streak.

Sergei Gonchar scored a pair of goals and added an assist for the Penguins, and John LeClair also scored twice.

Goaltender Sebastien Caron made 30 saves in net for Pittsburgh, which tied a franchise record with six power-play goals.

Ilya Kovalchuck led the Thrashers with one goal and three assists, and Niclas Havelid chipped in with a goal and an assist. Steve Shields allowed seven goals on 30 shots for Atlanta, which has dropped six of its last seven.

"I thought he stood his ground well," said Atlanta head coach Bob Hartley of Shields. "They have some real class skaters, and they scored some great goals."

The Thrashers stormed out to a 4-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the game.

Kovalchuck got things started, one-timing a cross-ice pass into the left circle from Marc Savard at the 3:18 mark. Patrik Stefan made it 2-0 on a goal from the right slot, and the Thrashers struck again on a power-play goal just 28 seconds later. Peter Bondra muscled his way toward the net with a defender on his back, and was still able to flick the puck over Caron.

Havelid completed the four-goal surge, ripping a slapshot from the top of the left circle through a screen and into the back of the net with 10:10 remaining in the first.

Behind consecutive scores from their superstar, however, the Penguins stormed back to score six unanswered goals and assume a 6-4 lead.

Lemieux lit the lamp on a rebound backhander to put the put the Penguins on the board 18 seconds after Havelid's goal, then scored on a one-timer from the left circle to make it 4-2 after the opening period.

Gonchar then scored back-to-back goals to lead off a four-goal second period for Pittsburgh, going top shelf with a slapshot from the left side before finishing off a Sidney Crosby feed at the 14:50 mark to tie the game.

"I thought he played much better, that he is getting involved and has started to get more comfortable over the last couple of games," said Penguins head coach Eddie Olczyk of Gonchar.

LeClair netted his second goal of the season on a rebound to give the Penguins the lead, and Ric Jackman slammed home a one-timer from the right slot to put Pittsburgh up by two.

LeClair secured the Penguins first win with a rebound goal with 5:50 remaining in the contest.

Vyacheslav Kozlov cut the lead to 7-5 with a shot from the left circle that slipped under Caron's arm at the 15:43 mark, but the Thrashers were unable to get any closer.

GAME NOTES:
The Penguins entered Thursday having allowed the most goals in the league. They have now given up 48 tallies in 10 games...Atlanta is 1-4-0 in five road games this season...This was Lemieux's 37th career five-point game. He now has 688 career goals...Kovalchuk reached the 100-assist mark.Could this be the break the Pens need and the start of a roll or will this be an abberation and the Pens will go on another losing streak?

The Thrashers were playing with their 5th string goalie so I kind of think this was the latter and the Pens will lose again next game.

[bluemeanie]

Win over Thrashers, Devils.

Just tootin' my horn here, don't mind me.