Penguins and Oilers Dazzle

On a Tuesday evening in November when Presidential election results sent shockwaves reverberating through the nation, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers did a little bedazzling of their own before an appreciative throng of 18,576 patrons at PPG Paints Arena.

In a marquee matchup that pitted the world’s finest player, Sidney Crosby, against his likely successor, 19-year-old Connor McDavid, the Penguins prevailed thanks in large part to the remarkable resilience that’s become a trademark under coach Mike Sullivan. The 4-3 victory enabled the streaking Pens (9-2-2) to keep pace with the New York Rangers in the battle for Metropolitan Division supremacy.

Still, while the home team snatched a hard-earned two points from the jaws of apparent defeat, it’s fair to say McDavid (a game-high three assists) stole the show.

My word, is this kid special. Flashing a deadly combination of elite hand skills and vision—not to mention ultra-sonic speed—No. 97 literally took my breath away on numerous occasions. I’ve never seen anybody make the plays he does at such a high rate of speed. Not Sid. Not Geno. Not even Mario Lemieux.

A case in point. Minutes after setting up Edmonton’s first goal on a 2-on-1, McDavid blew through the neutral zone, transforming the very mobile Brian Dumoulin into a reasonable facsimile of a turnstile. Then he slipped linemate Patrick Maroon a picture-perfect pass for a tap in.

On the third Edmonton goal, McDavid left the Pens’ Carl Hagelin flailing in his vapor trail. The same Carl Hagelin who won the Fastest Skater Competition at the 2012 NHL All-Star Game.

Crosby was duly impressed.

“It’s one thing to kind of watch games and see it, but out there, you can tell he really needs no time and space at all,” marveled the Pens’ captain. “I mean, if you’re even with him, you’re in big trouble. You better make sure you’re a step ahead.”

Nor is it difficult to envision Edmonton winning a Stanley Cup (or two) in the very near future. Featuring the likes of McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Jordan Eberle and skilled defenseman Darnell Nurse, “The Oil” is young, gifted and oh so promising. In many ways reminiscent of our Penguins circa ’06-07, when the black and gold made a stunning 47-point leap in the standings to herald the arrival of a new NHL power.

Yet for all of the Oilers’ sparkle, the Penguins carried the day. Led by an intriguing blend of the old and the new, the Pens mounted yet another stirring comeback, this one from a sizeable 3-1 deficit. After Hagelin inched the Pens closer at 12:08 of the second period, Russian master Evgeni Malkin knotted the score at 3-3 early in the final frame with a sensational one-handed stroke worthy of Rachmaninoff. Setting the stage for Conor Sheary’s equally dramatic game winner (and second goal of the night) with just over 100 ticks left on the scoreboard clock.

Let’s not forget Matt Murray, iceberg cool between the pipes. The rangy goalie responded in typical bend-but-not-break fashion after the visitors forged a 3-1 lead.

Unlike our nation, the hockey world didn’t witness a changing of the guard.

Not yet, anyway.