When Antti Niemi was signed this past off-season, there were many who groaned. There were people who said, “Give the kid a chance”, just because a player is a veteran doesn’t mean they are better than a Rookie. It’s a long season, there are still 55 games left to play, but Tristan Jarry stoned the Buffalo Sabres, 4 – 0. Welcome to the NHL!
Okay, so Buffalo is struggling, but the kid stood on head in the face of the usual defensive breakdowns surrendered by the Penguins Defensemen. Jarry flashed the leather on several occasions, en route to stopping 34 shots on goal. Buffalo missed the net an additional 9 times and the Penguins “team D” blocked 14 more, giving the Sabres 57 total shot attempts. If I had to pick a favorite save, it had to be the desperate pad save he made in the second period on, I believe, Sam Reinhart.
However, the story of the game tonight was more than just the stellar play from Jarry, who grabbed the number 1 star of the game, Sidney Crosby and Tom Kuhnhackl also had very strong games netting goals and the number 2 and 3 Stars of the Game. The game also so the return of Evgeni Malkin from injury and Ian Cole from press box banishment.
Kuhnhackl started the team rolling bursting into the Sabres zone forcing Sabres’ Defenseman Victor Antipin to hook him, giving Kuhnhackl a Penalty Shot. Personally, I hope Mike Sullivan watched that Penalty Shot and returns Kuhnhackl back to Right Wing. Like a lot of Europeans, Kuhnhackl likes to skate his off-wing. On the Penalty Shot, Kuhnhackl drove to his right as he started the Penalty shot then cut back through the slot causing Robin Lehner, the Sabres’ Goalie to follow him across the crease, before ripping a wrist shot back against the grain over Lehner’s glove. Kuhnhackl credited Evgeni Malkin with giving him the idea of going high glove side but I can’t but think it may have been more related to comfort levels.
Because of the stellar play of Jarry, particularly in the second period, that Goal, was all our “Boys of Winter” needed. It was Kuhnhackl’s first goal of the season, the Game Winning Goal, and a Penalty Shot Goal.
Crosby, doubled the lead about 3 minutes later. Kuhnhackl didn’t get an assist on the play, but the pressure he put on Rasmus Ristolainen caused the Sabres Defenseman make a bad pass that Crosby picked off before following Kuhnhackl with a duplicate wrist shot over Lehner’s glove.
Malkin picked up an assist in his first game back from injury setting up Jake Guentzel for the Penguins‘ third goal. Guentzel sort of started the play himself, cleaning up his own end by picking up a big rebound that Jarry kicked up to his left face-off circle. Guentzel wheeled around quickly and found Malkin with a short pass, before speeding past “Geno” up the wing. Carrying the mail up the ice, Malkin returned the favor with a pass that Guentzel had to knock down before swooping behind the net and with the help of his extra-long stick beat Lehner to the far post and slipped a wrap-around goal into the net.
Ian Cole literally made his presence felt, dishing out 3 hits; just ask Evander Kane. With less than 3 minutes in the second period, the Sabres were set to break into the Penguins zone, but Cole stepped up, a la Ulf Samuelsson, and delivered a hard open ice hit on the Sabres’ tough guy.
Patric Hornqvist closed out the scoring thanks to the hard-work of Crosby and Conor Sheary. The mojo may be coming back to the bread-and-butter tandem. It appeared that the two of them had radar, cycling and passing the puck around below Lehner’s crease on his stick side. Finally, Sheary found Hornqvist skating down the slot (Another game with a Penguin barging his way into the dirty area of the slot, but then again, it was Hornqvist; that is his office!)
There is no time to rest. Our Penguins host the same Buffalo Sabres again, on the back end of back-to-back series number 8. Will Mike Sullivan give the kid, Jarry, the start to reward him on his shut-out or will Casey DeSmith get his first NHL start? Regardless of who starts, will the goalie be able to back-up the continual sloppy play in the defensive zone with incredible saves? The game got real chippy near the end, will Sullivan give Ryan Reaves more ice-time? Will Kane and/or Ristolainen come after the Penguins’ players?
Tune in next time.
Odds and Ends:
Josh Archibald was sent down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for conditioning. The under-used Right Winger picked up a Goal and an Assist in his first action down there to help the Baby Penguins beat the Milwaukee Admirals 5 – 4 in OT, tonight as well. Garrett Wilson, who seems all but forgotten down there, registered a Hat Trick to lead the way. J.S. Dea got the game winner from Lukas Bengtsson and Domink Simon. Despite the parent club raiding both of their starting goalies, Clark Donatelli kept the Baby Penguins winning behind Colin Stevens’ Goaltending.
Go Penguins!!!
It is good to be excited and positive about our team … It was only Buffalo we beat two games in back 2 back, let’s see how they play in the next three, against very tough and good Eastern contenders
Hey Phil,
Great Photo, getting the end of the save I mentioned!!
Thanks
Thanks!
Great stuff, Other Rick.
This is going to sound totally screwy. But I wonder if Murray’s injury…unfortunate as it is…might have a positive effect on our Pens. Kind of a “rally ’round the kid goalie” type of thing.
They simply weren’t finding their collective ‘on’ switch on their own. Understandable in a way, given all the reasons we’ve cited in previous posts (long Cup runs, etc.). But Murray going down may have finally provided them with a reason to dial in and galvanize around a common cause.
As an aside, great to see Sid scoring and producing again. Ditto Jake Guentzel. Kuhnhackl’s goal was, indeed, a thing of beauty. We’ve both noted on numerous occasions that he seems to possess some underrated skills…they’re just not on display as often as we’d like.
I was very pleased to see Cole back in the lineup, even if it was at Ruhwedel’s expense. Not to jinx us, but injuries do occur, and I’m sure we’ll need ’em both before all is said and done.
In the meantime, I’m very happy to have Ian back in the lineup. He’s a warrior.
Rick
PS–Following a quick start with the Baby Pens, Daniel Sprong’s numbers have dipped. After notching seven goals and 10 points in his first five games, he’s a minus-2 with two goals and four points in his last 12.
Sounds like he’s still got some kinks to iron out at the pro level. Glad the Pens didn’t take my advice and call him up.
Hey Rick,
I agree, I am a big Murray fan, but his injury may end up helping the team on several levels; as you note this team, under Sullivan, seems to thrive on adversity, and seems to be rallying themselves to the Kid, but on another level, imagine if Jarry really turns out to be as good as Murray and DeSmith comes in and plays a couple of games and and shows he can do it at the NHL level, and the Pens still have Gustavsson over in Europe and D’Orio in the system, they now could have a significant trade chip to possibly start getting some draft picks and kids in to rebuild the gutted farm system.
Crosby, has really become the personification of a leader; he works so hard that eventually good things will happen. The team still isn’t really getting enough scoring from the bottom 6, but if Crosby and Malkin both are hitting on all cylinders then opponents need to be afraid, very afraid and Guentzel, Kessel, Hornqvist, and Sheary will be smiling like butcher’s dogs.
I still don’t think Sheahan is the long term answer to the third line Center, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Kuhnhackl get bumped to RW on the 3rd line and Rust to LW, it may not workout, but I kind of wonder what that will look like, but for now, they may not be scoring a lot of goals, but the third line as it is, is doing a solid job wearing down the other team.
I too am glad to have Cole back in the line up. He really is the best Penguins defensive D-man and the only one that really has shown the ability to disrupt and slow down entry into our defensive zone, stepping up and delivering open ice hits. Pretty much everyone else waits until the puck is on the boards to deliver hits. Personally, I still think Hunwick needs to sit and Ruhwedel needs to be in there. Although the team may have forward more comfortable on their opposite wings, their “D” is not that good to begin with, but when asked to skate on their opposite side are much worse. Hunwick did play a couple of good games on his natural L side, but that delay of game penalty was definitely because he was on the wrong side and trying to move the puck on his back-hand.
With Sprong, I am not so sure that he still needs some work on anything other than maybe his morale; after posting such a good start and watching the the parent team struggle scoring goals, it has to be disheartening to not get the call up. I really do fear that the team will yo-yo him around until he never realizes his full potential. As I said about Jarry above, putting veterans out there just because they are veterans is wrong; what I stopped short of saying but will say now is it can have negative affects that sometimes reverberate through many levels and years.
Let’s hope the team starts building on this streak.
Anyone remember my post when everyone was calling for
a major shake up – Pen’s are fine – they know better than
anyone that its a long season and there’s an art to pacing
yourself and winning games.
JR needs to stay the course – if there’s a move to be made
its has to be for a 3rd line center.
I do remember your stay-the-course comments, Mike.
Looks like you were right, although I’d like to see the Pens continue this run for a little while before I’m completely sold.
I’d still like to see at least some production from the bottom six, although I like the mix better without McKegg. Nothing against the kid…he certainly didn’t hurt us…but he didn’t add a whole lot, either.
I like the way Rowney’s played since he returned, forceful and aggressive. If we can get a goal from him and Kuhnhackl now and then, I’d be pleased.
Rick
Hey Mike,
I remember as well. It’s hard to say if the team made a turnaround or they are just playing softer competition. I had thought the teams only problem before was lack of competitive attitude. If they can beat the low lying fruit and win a few against the good teams I believe they will be fine.
I also would have no trouble if a good looking trade came in. I would rather not have it include Ian Cole though, he really shows up around playoff time.
I was sort of questioning the Cole trade talk. The game before he was benched he was elbowed in the jaw behind the play. That same jaw that he had just injured. I was wondering if they mentioned trade so other teams wouldn’t know he was resting a soft jaw, so after some rest teams wouldn’t keep taking shots at it.
Well, that and get him to come down a bit in his asking price for a contract extension.
Like Phil and Rick,
I remember your comments but like above, I won’t be completely sold until the Pens can continue their play against both NYs, Tor, and some of the better teams in the conference. Let’s face it, they reason Jarry looked so good was that there were breakdowns on “D” giving Buffalo great opportunities. That save Jarry had to make on Reinhart could only happen because Letang and his Partner watched Reinhart skate laterally thru their own slot. If Niemi, and I hate to pick on him since he is no longer here, but if Niemi was in net last night, Buffalo may be thinking they were about ready to turn it around after pummeling the Pens and forcing the Pens play catch up hockey not the other way around.
Well thought and well expressed on all counts.
I really don’t have anything to add.
Rick