-Some jersey sightings. Wow. A Brett Sterling:

-Jimerson:

17:19: In the neutral zone, Aarron Asham and Cody McLeod cross paths and drop the gloves. They wrestle along the boards in front of the Penguins' bench at first. Asham wiggles free and lands a couple of rights. McLeods lands a right before he slips with Asham on top. McLeod heads to the box with a gash on his forehead. Give that one to Asham. You might remember McLeod from a playoff game a few years ago with the Red Wings where he threatened the Red Wings with an octopus and chucked it down the ramp to the visiting locker room at Joe Louis Arena:

15:57: New Avalanche captain Milan Hejduck takes a pass in the left circle, cuts inside Letang and snaps off a low wrister. Fleury boots it out with a "thud."

15:36: On a three on two, Chris Kunitz deals a pass from the slot to Pascal Dupuis in the right circle. Dupuis stops it with his skate and chops the puck on net. Varlamov boots it out.

13:58: Landeskog, the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft, hustles up the left wing and chucks a wrister on net. Fleury squares up and fights it off.

13:20: Hejduk controls the puck behind the Penguins net. Brooks Orpik has him lined up but Hejduk avoids the hit and Orpik smacks nothing but boards.

13:10: Jan Hejda golfs a slapper on net from the left point. Fleury boots it out.

12:15: Orpik recovers a loose puck behind the Penguins' net but fumbles it. He reaches back for hit and is hit from behind by T.J. Galiardi. Galiardi kind of got Orpik's left arm and forced him to hit the boards face first. Orpik is stunned a bit. He recovers to his skates and gives Galiardi the business. Officials break it up. Galiardi heads to the penalty box for boarding. The Penguins will have a five on three for 51 seconds. Malkin, Kunitz, Neal, Sullivan and Letang take the ice.

11:06: Staal takes a pass on the right wing and chucks a heavy wrister on net. Varlamov knocks it down. There's a rebound. Cooke charges in for the rebound but O'Byrne clips him with the stick. The Penguisn Cooke appears to sell it a bit. O'Byrne heads to the box for tripping. Malkin, Neal, Kunitz, Sullivan and Letang get the call.

10:47: Whoa. A rebound hops out to Malkin above the left circle. He booms a one-timer which hits a body or two then deflects off Sullivan's helmet and on net. Sullivan looked like he ducked his head to intentionally deflects it in. Either way, it doesn't go in the net.

10:15: The Galiardi minor is killed. The Penguins still have 1:09 of a one-man advantage.

9:34: Galiardi picks up a loose puck in the defensive zone, blows by Malkin at the left point, hustles up the left wing and gains the offensive zone, He' tries a curl and drag move in the left circle. Letang slides down and strips the puck with a stick on puck. Nice defensive play.

9:06: The O'Byrne minor is killed. That's a missed opportunity for the Penguins.

8:06: Kennedy grip and rips a wrister from the right circle. Varlamov kicks it out.

5:09: After a few stagnant minutes, we get a goal. ThHeduk chucks a seemingly innocent wrister on net from the right circle. Fleury kicks it out. Jay McClement is there with Sullivan on his back. He ignores a check from Sullivan and chops the rebound in net. A nice, dirty, greasy goal. Hejduk and Erik Johnson get assists. Avalanche 1-0.

2:36: Paul Stastny beats Letang man on man to a puck in the left wing corner of the Penguins' zone. Stastny deals a pas to Matt Duchene in the slot. Duchene jukes Orpik out with a dazzling move between his leg and flips a backhander by a swimming Fleury. What an effort by Stastny and Duchene. Stastny and Quincey get assists. Avalanche 2-0.

1:27: Welcome back the old third line. Kennedy controls the puck down low behind the net and taps a little backhanded pass to Staal in the left circle. Staal chops a wrister behind Varlamov. Cooke was in front creating traffic. The band is back together. Kennedy and Deryk Engelland get assists. The "Hey Song" is played. Avalanche 2-1.

0:15: This game has really opened up. David Jones challenges Martin one-on-one on the right wing. Martin tries to go stick on puck but Jones avoids it and whips a wrister on net from the left circle. Fleury makes the inital save. Jones follows up on the rebound and punches it in. Martin was abused there. McClement and Galiardi get assists. Avalanche 3-1.

0:00: End of period. Avalanche 3, Penguins 1.

FIRST INTERMISSION

-The Penguins sleepwalked through that period. They just didn't seem sharp whatsoever. Frankly, they're lucky to be down by only two goals.

-The Avalanche players went to the net and got dirty for their goals. The Penguins didn't make life nearly hard enough for the Avalanche around their own net.

-Not scoring on the power play was a killer. They were way too fancy with that extended opportunity.L

-Fleury has not been sharp.

-Orpik has had better periods.

-The Avalanche has a 12-10 lead in shots.

-Jones leads the game with three.

-Dupuis, Staal and Letang each lead the Penguins with two.

-Letang leads the game with 8:08.

-Malkin is right behind him with 8:06.

-Quincey leads the Avalanche with 7:48.

-The Penguins have a 9-8 edge in faceoffs (53 percent).

-Stastny is 5 for 5 (100 percent).

-Malkin is 3 for 5 (60 percent).

-Engelland leads the game with three blocked shots.

-None of the Avalanche players has more than one.

SECOND PERIOD

19:20: Fleury has been horrible with his puck handling tonight. He fumbles a dump in behind the cage and leaves it for Duchene. Duchene plays it to the crease. Letang tries to clear it but instead taps it right to Hejduk. Hejduk hurries the shot and fires it wide.

19:12: Malkin releases a wrister from the right circle. Varlamov eats it up.

17:23: The Penguins get a chance to get back in this as Staal is tripped up behind the net by O'Byrne. A piece of glass is knocked loose. There's a delay to fix it. Even with the delay, the Penguins keep the "jayvee" power play on the ice with Cooke, Kennedy, Staal, Niskanen and Martin take the ice.

16:51: Kennedy winds up and pumps a slapper from the top of the slot. It hits a body in front.

16:26: After the Avalanche clears the puck, the "varsity" power play takes th eice.

15:21: Just as the power play expires, Malkin spins and whips a wrister above the cage.

14:39: Kennedy circles from behind the net and whips a wrister from the left circl WAAAY over the cage.

13:42 After a turnover by Niskanen in his own zone, Jones winds up and cranks a slapper from the left circle. Alexandre Picard drops down and blocks it.

11:24: McLeod digs a puck out from behind the Penguins net and whips it the cage from along the right wing goal line. Fleury says no. During a stoppage, Jimi Hendrix's VooDoo Child is played

10:52: Neal steals a puck in the neutral zone and leads a rush up the left wing. He gains the offensive zone and centers to Malkin. Malkin moves in down the slot and gets tripped up by O'Byren. Malkin crashes into the cage. Neal follows up on the rebound but falls into the cage too dislodging it.

10:28: Kennedy makes a neat move by Hejduk in the slot and whips a wrister on net. Varlamov eats it up.

8:59: What'a bizarre game. Asham pumps a slapper on net from the right wing. Varlamov makes the save but allows a rebound. Adams crashes in for the rebound but can't get it by Varlamov. Dupuis sneaks in a pokes the loose rebound into the open cage. Just a bizarre garbage goal. The "Woo-Hoo" Song is played. Avalanche 3-2.

8:33: Malkin and Neal each ahve a chance in tight but no dice.

7:59: The Avalanche gets its first power play of the night as Neal is sent off for tripping Hejda. The best power play in the NHL faces the best penalty kill. Dupuis, Martin, Adams and Orpik take the ice.

7:42: Quincey has a shot from the right point blocked by Adams.

6:47: Staal coast up the left wing against Quincey. He gains the offensive zone and chips a pass into the slot. Cooke is there. He settles the puck and backhands it over the cage.

5:59: The Neal minor is killed. Excellent effort by the Penguins.

5:24: Attendance is announced as 18,483. It is the team's 218th consecutive sellout.

4:06: Duchene snaps off a wrister from the left circle. Fleury hugs the near post and fights it off.

3:48: Sullivan has a chance in tight but can't punch a backhander by Varlamov's right pad.

2:48: Cooke swats a shot on net from the left circle. Varlamov kicks it out. Dupuis jumps on the rebound behind Quinckey and chops it on net. Varlamov traps the puck between his legs.

1:51: Asham clunks Hejda into the boards in the Avalanche zone with a near boarding hit.

105 Kunitz motors up the left wing and pumps a slapper from the left circle. Varlamov kicks it out to the opposite boards.

0:00: End of period. Penguins 3, Avalanche 2.

SECOND INTERMISSION

-The Penguins had a slightly stronger effort that period. They were a little less sloppy. Their biggest problem that period was capitalizing on their chances. They created plenty of scoring opportunities but just didn't cash in.

-Fleury has looked shaky at times tonight. Ditto Varlamov. This isn't a great display of goaltending tonight.

-Malkin, Neal and Sullivan need to come through with a goal here. They have the chances.

-Duchene has had a strong. He's been been creating a lot of things offensively.

-The Avalanche has a 24-21 lead in shots.

-Duchene leads the game with six.

-Dupuis leads the Penguins with four.

-Malkin leads the game with 15:47.

-Hejda leads the Avalanche with 14:56.

-The Avalanche has a 19-17 edge in faceoffs (53 percent).

-Stastny is 8 for 12 (67 percent).

-Richard Park is 4 for 6 (67 percent).

-Engelland leads the game with three blocked shots.

-Shane O'Brien, Erik Johnson and Jan Hejda each lead the Avalanche with two blocked shots.

-EN Reader @e_man41 spotted a Dave "Tiger" Williams Canucks jersey:

15:15: One No. 2 undresses another No. 2. Neal leaves a drop pass in the right circle for Malkin. Malkin, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2004 draft, dekes it through the legs of Landeskog, the No. 2 pick of this year's draft, cuts in front of the crease, avoids a poke check from Varlamov and tucks it by the left pad of Varlamov. What an effort. Malkin created that all by forcing Quincey into a turnover behind the Avalanche net. Neal gets the only assist. The Avalanche calls a timout. The "Hey Song" double shifts. That Hulk Hogan "Malkamania" video joins in. Penguins 4-3.

13:44: Galiardi has a chance in the slot but he's robbed by Fleury's right knee.

13:24: Cooke slams Quincey into the left wing corner boards and steals the puck.

13:19: Galiardi is called for holding Cooke. The Penguins could end this here.  Sullivan, Neal, Letang, Malkin and Kunitz take the ice.

12:43: And the Penguins might have just ended it. Sullivan takes a pass on the left half wall, backpeddles, backpeddles, backpeddles and then snaps a wrister into the crease. It hits a body in front and trickles in the crease. Neal is there and slams it into the open cage. Sullivan and Letang get assists. The "Hey Song" is gassed. Penguins 5-3.

12:34: The Penguisn get another power. It's O'Byrne again, this time for roughing. It's his third minor of the night. Letang, Sullivan, Kunitz, Malkin and Neal are back on the ice.

10:50: Martin winds up and chops a slapper from above the left point. It hits Cooke in front and deflects out of play.

10:15: Dupuis has a one-timer from the right circle blocked by Ryan Wilson.

9:30: Whoa!!! Where did that come from. Letang picks up a puck int he neutral zone, flies into the offensive zone with speed, goes outside on O'Byrne in the left circle and gets Varlamov to overplay the puck. he flips a backhander by the blocker of Varlamov who is WAAAAAY out of place. What an effort by Letang. Staal and Vitale get assists. The "Woo-Hoo" Song will get a maintenance day tomorrow. Penguins 6-3.

8:03: The Avalanche are in a full-out meltdown. Chuck Kobasew is called for hooking Malkin. Sullivan, Neal, Letang, Kunitz and Malkin take the ice.

6:53: Staal pushes the puck up deep on the right wing, turns and deals a pass to Malkin streaking up the slot. Malkin takes the pass and flips a backhander waaay high of the cage.

6:03: The Kobasew minor is killed. The Penguins didn't press the issue much there.

3:12: Malkin deals a backhanded pass to Neal in the left circle. Neal snaps off a wrister which hits an Avalanche player. Varlamov covers the rebound.

2:25 The Avalanche is called for too many men on the ice. O'Brien will serve the minor. Martni, Staal, Niskanen, Coke and Malkin take the ice.

1:50: From the top of the slot, Malkin deals a pass to Niskanen above the left circle. Niskanen cranks a one-timer which hits something in front and deflects out of play.

0:31: Kennedy snaps off a wrister from the right wing. Varlamov kicks it out with his right foot.

0:25: The Avalanche minor is killed.

0:09: Niskane is called for cross checking.

0:00: End of game. Mike Lange informs us of Elvis' whereabouts. That lame "PITTTTSBURRRGGGH" song is played. Penguins 6, Avalanche 3.

POSTGAME