Penguins Update: Back from the Brink

I believe it was Mark Twain who once said, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

Much like the noted writer and humorist, the Penguins, too, have come back from the brink. A loss to Columbus last night would’ve placed our boys in a precarious spot in the chase for a playoff berth, with one skate squarely in the grave and the other perched on a banana peel.

However, after digging themselves an early two-goal hole in a game they simply had to win, the Pens rediscovered the resilience and moxie that made them back-to-back champions.

Powered by huge third-period goals from Phil Kessel, Evgeni Malkin and Jake Guentzel, the Pens rallied in dramatic fashion to force overtime. Twenty-three seconds into OT, Sidney Crosby culminated an amazing comeback with an apparent game-winner.

Or so it seemed. While Sid was mobbed by his teammates, the league office in Toronto called for a review. Quicker than you can say ‘Jesse James’, the tally was disallowed due to goalie interference. A gut-punch of a call that stunned the delirious crowd at PPG Paints Arena and doused a frenzied victory celebration.

I confess. It felt like the Steelers-Patriots all over again, when an overturned touchdown transformed certain victory into heartbreaking defeat. I can only imagine the mood of the 18,652 fans in attendance. They probably felt as if Santa Claus had shimmied back down the chimney in a fiendish reversal of form to reclaim their Christmas presents at the height of their holiday revelry.

It’s been that kind of season.

With the fates cranked full bore against them, the Pens were socked with even more adversity in the form of a high-sticking penalty to Guentzel. If ever our guys were primed for a Steelers-sized letdown, this was it.

Remarkably, Matt Murray and the penalty killers stood firm, holding the Blue Jackets to a single shot on goal. In the shootout, Malkin and Sidney Crosby reclaimed our victory, not to mention the all-important second point, beating a suddenly vulnerable Sergei Bobrovsky through the five-hole. At the opposite end of the ice, Murray atoned for a rocky outing with stops on Blue Jackets rookie Pierre-Luc Dubois and sniper Artemi Panarin, who’d victimized him earlier for two goals.

“It was a real character win,” said Pens coach Mike Sullivan. “I thought it was the most resilient that this group has been all year long. Just kind of a never-say-die attitude.”

Indeed, with their backs to the wall, the Pens finally seemed to mine the enormous reserve of pride, spirit and competitive fire that has lain mostly dormant through a miserable first half. Even better, the big players scored big goals in a big game.

Maybe, just maybe, there’s hope for this season yet.

Oh, speaking of demises? The Penguins’ brass may want to rethink their all-but-stated intention to trade defenseman Ian Cole. Next to Malkin, I thought he was our best player. Harkening back to his gritty playoff performances, the Notre Dame grad logged a team-high 4:23 of shorthanded ice time and was instrumental in killing off the penalty to Guentzel in overtime.

Puckpourri

Malkin paced the Pens with a goal and two assists to earn the game’s first star. Crosby, who collected an assist and a shootout tally, earned the No. 3 star. Kessel (1+1) and Patric Hornqvist (two assists) each finished with two points on the evening.

Conor Sheary opened the scoring for the locals, beating Bobrovsky at 5:57 of the second period off the rush. It was his 10th goal of the season and first since December 5.

Forward Bryan Rust and defenseman Chad Ruhwedel exited the game early with undisclosed injuries. In Ruhwedel’s absence, the five remaining d-men each logged 20-plus minutes of ice time, with Brian Dumoulin leading the way (24:12).

Kris Letang missed last night’s game with a lower-body injury. He’s listed as day-to-day. The Penguins have recalled defenseman Frank Corrado from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

They Said It

“Once you saw the replay, I don’t know what the hell they were arguing about after. It’s goalie interference.”—Columbus coach John Tortorella

“Instant replay is ruining pro sports.”—Penguins studio analyst Jay Caufield