Penguins Show Grit in OT Loss

At first blush, there wasn’t a whole lot in the Penguins’ 2-1 overtime loss to Columbus to write about. Indeed, the Pens’ lone goal occurred at 6:13 of the second period on a seemingly innocuous Ian Cole shot from the point that hugged the ice and somehow escaped the detection of Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

Sometimes you need to look deeper. That certainly was the case last night.

I thought our Penguins showed a ton of guts. Not to mention heart, determination and resilience.

Let’s face it—the NHL schedule makers weren’t exactly kind to the black and gold. In fact, you wonder if Attila the Hun, or perhaps more appropriately—the Marquis de Sade—was responsible for slating back-to-back games against two of the heavier teams in the league. Smack in the midst of the notorious February grind.

Turn the clock back 24 hours. While the Pens won the battle against Winnipeg on Thursday night, they arguably lost the war. The locals absorbed a savage physical beating from the brawny Jets, who rattled our guys to the tune of 49 hits, many of the Richter scale variety.

Defensemen Justin Schultz (concussion) and Olli Maatta (broken hand) went down within minutes of each other in a particularly gruesome second period, leaving the remaining four rearguards to log impossibly heavy workloads.

Don’t think the Blue Jackets didn’t notice. In the midst of a seven-game home stand and well-rested by comparison, John Tortorella’s crew came at the Penguins hard. Columbus villain Brandon Dubinsky established the tone with his customary mugging of Sidney Crosby during the opening moments. Josh Anderson and Seth Jones set upon Evgeni Malkin with malicious vigor during a goal-mouth tussle a short time later.

Feisty Steve Oleksy, recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton along with Cameron Gaunce to plug the dyke on the Pens’ crumbling defense, was keelhauled twice on a single shift by various and sundry Blue Jackets.

You get the picture. Our boys were in for another long night.

The pounding appeared to take its toll, especially in the second period. Establishing their trademark heavy forecheck, the Jackets rolled up a 15-6 edge in shots on goal. Had it not been for goalie Matt Murray, who continued to do a marvelous imitation of a brick wall, the game may well have gotten out of hand a la the 7-1 pasting we received from Columbus on December 22.

Then something remarkable occurred. Reaching deep into an extraordinary reserve of energy, the Pens—battered, bruised and weary—took over in the third period. Turning the tables on their hosts, they unleashed 18 shots on goal during the final 20 minutes. While we poured it on, Columbus, for the most part, looked stunned.

Frankly, so was I.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go our way in overtime. Crosby, Carl Hagelin and Kris Letang had opportunities during the opening shift but got a little too cute, seeking the perfect shot. The much-loathed Dubinsky fooled Trevor Daley with—as much as it pains me—a beautiful toe-drag move and beat Murray for the game winner.

No complaints. Sometimes you give your all and things don’t work out. That’s what our Penguins did last night. Gave it their all.

Rarely have I been prouder.

Ice Chips

Columbus out-hit the Pens, 25-16, and won 63 percent of the faceoffs. Each team registered 39 shots on goal.

Malkin recorded his 500th career assist on Cole’s goal.

Hagelin returned to the lineup after missing the past five games with a concussion. “Hags” logged 17:05 of ice time and unleashed a team-high five shots on goal (tied with Crosby).

Josh Archibald, Carter Rowney and Gaunce were healthy scratches.

Schultz was diagnosed with a concussion. No word on how long he’ll be out. Maatta underwent surgery yesterday. He’s expected to miss six weeks.