I have watched or observed a # of games lately with next-to-no power plays. They have been entertaining but those of us who invest heavily in PP specialists are paying the price i think. Last night in the first two games of evening i counted four total PPs. The other day i watched the Pens vs Habs and the Pens had a single PP. I've noticed this for a while but i don't know of a site that can easily tell us how many total minor penalties have been called to date this year vs last 2-3 seasons to this point.

I'd read earlier in season that PP scoring is up. I am not suggesting the league has necessarily told refs to cool it, though that's possible, but i am wondering if -- especially with goons being weeded out of the league -- coaches are telling players that minor penalties are too costly and they absolutely have to be more disciplined. Certainly that would be the case vs the Pens. How often does that team score 4 goals and Crosby doesn't get a sniff? I'd be tempted to slightly downgrade expectations for the Pens' top 10 for rest of year based on what I'm observing.