Sidney Crosby and the Pens went to town on the Boston Bruins last night, almost.

The Pens took a commanding 4-0 lead into the second period.

Ty Conklin looked solid.

The Penguins out played Boston. A reunited Malkin and Crosby go ape-poop all over the B’s.

But wait!

Oh, just like LL Cool J once said, “Don’t call it a comeback.”

It was, though.

The Pens dropped 4 goals and the Bruins tied the game up.

Shootout: Christensen and Letang scored and Pens win.

Yo, now I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, but you can’t give up a point to Conference teams you are chasing in the standings. The Penguins had this game put away at 4-0, and let the Bruins come back. They let up, it’s as simple as that.

The penalty kill right now sucks. It let the Bruins get back into the game. They also scored a shortie off a faceoff. Ridiculous. The Bruins scored two powerplay goals and a shortie to get back into the game. This is bad.

All is well because the Pens won, of course. Yet, if they would have lost this game, I’d be hanging myself, as well as most other Pens fans.

After Mediocre game recap, I discuss Sidney Crosby.

Yes, Sidney Crosby got in his first NHL fight last night when he tangled with Andrew Ference. It was unexpected to say the least, and I like Andrew Ference. Part of me wishes he would pound somebody like Ilya Kovalchuk or Daniel Alfredsson. Oh well. Anyway, Crosby really shouldn’t be fighting. He gains nothing. His ultimate answer to those who job him should be to put the puck in the net, to put the biscuit in the basket.

Mario Lemieux got into a couple of fights. He won a couple, but Bobby Gould of the Washington Capitals broke his face and he was out for awhile. The Penguins cannot afford to have Sidney Crosby out of the line up for an extended period of time. No way.

Leave the fighting to the fighters, Crosby.

Has anyone noticed that the Penguins are fighting a lot more this year? Maybe it’s Laraque’s influence, but man. Malone’s been getting in on the action, Armstrong, and let’s not forget Gary Roberts beauty against Ben Eager last week, that effectively got Eager run out of Philly.

That being said, I’m against fighting. I do believe that it is part of the game, but a minor part. Fighting, believe it or not, does turn off some casual fans. Those who do not know the game well are usually confused as to why the players are fighting.

I have a solution to fighting. If players choose to fight, and they may do so freely, they each get a ten minute game misconduct. You can fight, yes, but you’ll be hurting your team if you do. Do it if you must, but be prepared to hit the showers.

The game needs to focus on its speed and skill, not cement heads like Ben Eager. If the game is to succeed, it has to be fast, with lots of goals, and good physical play. The big hit is still valuable.

The NHL can succeed, even if Middle America doesn’t give two craps. Listen to me, I have all the answers.