SLAP SHOTS

Get in the fast lane, grandma, the bingo game is ready to roll! Your Pittsburgh Penguins begin their quest for the Cup tomorrow night versus the New Jersey Devils. Many pundits expect the Pens to make another run for Lord's Stanley's Cup. As always, there are questions to be answered as the boys of winter break out the skates. The Penguins haven't been to the Cup finals since they won it in 2009. Can Coach Dan Bylsma coax a Cup out of this year's model? Or should Mario & Co. have cut ties with Coach Disco after the conference finals loss to the Bruins in the spring? He'll have plenty of firepower in his arsenal as Captain Sidney Crosby and Evegeni Malkin are both healthy and fired up for the season. However, the team that lead the NHL with 165 goals last season is also the team that only managed 2 goals in the Eastern Conference Finals. D Kris Letang begins the season on IR, though it's not expected to be long-term. The Pens brought back a blast from their Stanley Cup past when they signed D Rob Scuderi. Can he help return the Pens to glory? Of course the big question is the goal situation. Has Marc-Andre Fleury recovered from last spring's meltdown? If he hasn't, who will back him up? Tomas Vokoun is out indefinitely due to a blood clot. Right now the Pens better count on scoring alot of goals until the defense/goalie dynamic works itself out. They have 82 games to get it right. Let's hope they do. Let's Go Pens!!!