Neal was placed on Team New York with the likes of Brad Richards of the New York Rangers, Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks and Henrik Lundqvist of the Rangers. The team was coached by reality television star Vinny Guadagnino of Jersey Shore.

April 3, 2012; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing James Neal (18) takes a shot on goal during the first period against the Boston Bruins at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

Neal, who scored 40 goals and tallied 81 points total last season for the Penguins, and his team defeated Team New Jersey 10-6 Saturday.

Team New Jersey was captained by Scott Hartnell of the Philadelphia Flyers. The team also had the likes of Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils and Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The game gave die-hard hockey fans something to root for over the weekend as NHLPA and NHL labor disputes still wage on. Today marks the 72nd day of the lockout and games have been cancelled through Dec. 14. The league also announced the cancellation of the Winter Classic and the All-Star game.

April 20, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) and defenseman Brooks Orpik (44) defend the goal against Philadelphia Flyers center Danny Briere (48) and left wing Scott Hartnell (19) during the first period in game five of the 2012 Eastern Conference quarterfinals at CONSOL Energy Center. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

Since the Penguins were unable to acquire a high-impact free agent over the summer, the current roster has me questioning the team’s ability to overcome obvious weaknesses that appeared last season.  Actually, take a look back at the past few years and you’ll notice a number of deficiencies which have come to light in the playoffs, consequentially leading to the team’s downfall.  Lucky for the Pens, their speed, skill, and superstars can carry them through a regular season with ease, but that is not what management or fans play for in this town.  Postseason hockey is a different animal with unique characteristics, such as the physical intensity, overall congestion on the ice, and necessity of a simplified offensive approach; it is these attributes which have exposed Pittsburgh’s flaws.  I have identified four areas of concern.

Power-Winger:

Playoff games are always played much tighter which causes congestion all over the ice.  When a team is in the offensive zone, defenses crowd lanes in front of the net to block shots and create difficult shooting angles.  Even with Pittsburgh’s dynamic talent, sometimes it is best to have some scrappy big-men to plant in front of the net.  Having Sidney Crosby back on the ice will help to an extent, as we’ve all seen how dangerous he can be around the crease, but his medical history does not lend itself to the punishment taken earlier in his career.  I also imagine he will be more cautious since signing his mega-deal.

So who could fill this role? That is to be determined.  The bigger guys on our roster are more skilled, perimeter scorers.  James Neal has too good a shot to stick in there, and it doesn’t suit the rest of his game.  If no moves are made, Eric Tangradi seems to be a lock to begin the season on the roster, although this will certainly be his final chance to impress.  He might actually have the hands to make an impact there and his skating ability is hardly a strong suit.

Could he be a new Ryan Malone or Gary Roberts?  I’d have to see a lot more.  Those guys were both hard-nosed bad asses, and it takes one to man the front of the net.

You can look at Kunitz, Cooke, and Vitale who all very tough dudes-Kunitz being the most skilled of the group-but they aren’t big enough to anchor themselves in spots where a defense doesn’t want them.  I’m interested to see Tanner Glass, as his numbers are bound to go up with more skill around him, but he and Tangradi will need to prove themselves or Ray Shero should think about looking elsewhere at the trade deadline.

If you look at both trips to the Stanley Cup finals, Malone and Roberts were able to jam pucks passed the goalie when a wall of traffic surrounded the net.  That comes in handy when you aren’t playing the Philadelphia Flyers in some bizarre ‘every man for themselves’ series where goalies go to die and defensemen are left-out to dry.

Shutdown, Net-Clearing Defenseman:

As much as I’d like to reincarnate Gary Roberts, there is a tremendous need for a big-ogre to clear bodies away from Fleury.  Hal Gill was as good as anybody, despite skating in slow motion.  Deryk Engelland and Brooks Orpik do a decent job, but they often have trouble with big forwards.  Seeing the opposition’s forwards completely screen our goalies and run into very little resistance on loose pucks around the net has been a reoccurring them.  It is an absolute dagger when a fantastic save by Marc-Andre goes by the way-side after rebounds get flicked in behind him.  Most of the time, at least one defenseman was pushed out of position or missed their assignment, something a true stay-at-home beast could prevent.  Unless some of our highly touted prospects are NHL ready by lockout’s end, this is a problem that can only be solved with an external acquisition.

Winger for Crosby, Defensive Upgrade:

I lumped both of these categories together because they could be solved by satisfying the previously mentioned needs.  Strengthening Crosby’s line is far from, however I am not a fan of Tyler Kennedy filling it out.  The last thing Coach Bylsma should do is break apart the Kunitz-Malkin-Neal line; it’s a sure-fire, top-scoring unit for years to come.  Sadly, the leftovers are not intriguing especially after they let Steve Sullivan go.

Pascal Dupuis and Sid are great together, and the speed is deadly, but adding Kennedy will expose their weaknesses.  They would be physically overmatched on practically every shift, and have almost identical games that only vary in skill.  You may not think it is a big deal on offense-a discussion for another day- but they will be a defensive liability every time they are on the ice.  I have liked Joe Vitale for a while and he brings a physicality similar to Kunitz(again, less skill), yet he is far from a fix.  I’d use him over Cooke but that’s only because I know Matty’s ceiling, and you never know what would happen with a guy like Vitale or Tanner Glass getting fed pucks from “The KiD”.  The options above are truly a sorry excuse when filling the vacant wingman position at Crosby’s side, but those are the immediate internal options.

Realistically, they will need to acquire the next James Neal or a different dynamic stud(preferably Bobby Ryan!) to achieve true superiority on the Captain’s line.  I’d like to see a talented power-forward with average/above average speed brought in for the spot.  A guy similar to Boston’s Milan Lucic, and they would solve two of their biggest problems.  Winger Beau Bennett is an impact talent who has impressed management with his vision and play-making ability, and is a very exciting internal option in the near future.  Many believe he will be a perfect complement to Crosby, and processes the game as quickly as the prolific center. [check out link for more]

To upgrade the defense, Penguins’ management is going to have to work some magic.  Paul Martin is underwhelming in Bylsma’s speed-based puck retrieval system.  The rest of his situational abilities are nothing to brag about, and he’s cashing a bangin’ check with the $5M/yr deal he signed.  They’ve been trying to rid the books of his contract since the season ended, and based on the interest generated, I don’t see it happening any time soon.  Simon Despres should be an upgrade over Martin if not a few other blue liners, but his game is still a work in progress along with his decision making.  His play resembles that of Kris Letang and bodes well for the system.  The dilemma will be maneuvering Martin’s contract and which player is decidedly replaced.

I’m finishing up a piece on the supremely talented defensive prospects currently moving through the organizational ranks, and will more closely examine the internal fixes then.  I’ll leave you with the fact that most of them will not be NHL ready this year, if any, but the future is overwhelmingly bright.  Joe Morrow, Brian Dumoulin, Olli Maatta, and Derrick Pouliot are enormous talents, and oh yes, Dumoulin is that net-front monster we’ve all been waiting for.  Check this detailed list of Prospects out!

Disagree with me? Leave me a piece of your mind below…

Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Pascal Dupuis (center) wears a Pittsburgh Steelers helmet during practice the day before the 2011 Winter Classic against the Washington Capitals at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

The season has been put on hold, a lockout is in place, and exhibition games are being cancelled, but Sidney Crosby and teammates aren’t hanging out on “Flower’s” couch, gamin’ hard on some Call of Duty.  Instead, a group of ten to twenty Penguins have been meeting at the Southpointe Ice-o-Plex for their own preseason workouts.

They’ve been paying out of pocket for the rented surface, and are making the effort to self-evaluate their performance and progression.  One leader will take the reigns on a given day and run the selected drill or scenario as a self-appointed coach.  A number of the guys have also admitted to working out together outside these ‘players-only’ meetings.  Recently amongst a group of 17 skaters were the likes of Crosby, Letang, Kunitz, Cooke, Neal, Kennedy, and Dupuis.  They finished their session with a friendly scrimmage and left after two-plus hours of work.

Knowing the misery our boys’ endured following their self-destruction in the playoffs, I’d bet these pick-up practices will continue into the near future.  It’s great being a Penguins fan and we’re lucky to have such a devoted organization, from top to bottom.  I can tell ya now there are tons of guys clubbing for days on end, and feel like they are on vacation with the lockout in place.  It goes for most sports, not just hockey, but Sid and the gang are in the minority.  Hopefully we benefit from it once the season begins.  Just keep in mind that every last guy on that ice has an overwhelming dedication to the game, not to mention GM Ray Shero, Mario, and Ron Burkle.  That’s a whole lot more than most NHL franchises can account for; a group that Pirates’ Management and their blasphemous agenda should be  identified with.

I’d have a hard time not being in that ‘majority’, and a million in the bank might drive me to a back-water alley in China, holed-up in a dumpster with a necrotic hangover and screaming, “Bangkok’s Got Me NOW”… Woah, good thing I’m writing this, bank account is still empty, dog asleep next to me, funny dream…

Yeah, far from original, I know.  But damn, aren’t we lucky?!