I have to be honest with you, I was really fearing a loss last night. Our Boys in Black-n-Gold were heavily outshot in the first 2 periods 22 – 11. The Dallas Stars were getting great zone time, tying up the puck in the Penguins’ zone for extended periods and the first 2 games of the road trip were littered with bad breaks. Although there were only 2 penalties called this game, they both were called against our favorite flightless fowl, while nothing was getting called against Dallas, even though they were taking liberties far outside the rules on our team Captain. And then finally, near the end of the 2nd Period, said Captain, Sidney Crosby was felled by the friendly fire.
Kris Letang launched a rising slap shot that hit Crosby in the helmet, causing the star Center to immediately head to the bench and the runway for the locker room. The Defenseman has injured other Penguin players already this season, with Evgeni Malkin heading that list, and I thought for sure Crosby was going to join him on Letang’s trophy wall. My fears seemed certain, when Crosby failed to come out to start the 3rd period. Lady Luck didn’t look like she was a “Lady” at that point.
However, Matt Murray, Dominic Kahun, and Bryan Rust (in his season debut) to name a few had other ideas.
Technically, Murray made his mark on the game in the first 2 periods, when he held the fort against the Stars assault. Murray, en route, to his 11 career Shut Out (SO) flashed the leather at 5:36 of the 1st Period when Denis Gurianov split Letang and partner Jack Johnson. At 17:55 of the 2nd Period, Jason Dickinson picked off a Nick Bjugstad clearing attempt, gloving down the puck to skate in behind the Penguins’ defense with a clean look at the net, but Murray made a pad save. Then at 6:38 Alexander Radulov beat Letang to a loose puck off of a blocked shot, but Murray sticked the shot to the corner. Murray was on top of his game all night, smothering shots or knocking rebounds to safe areas. Dallas had precious few re bound attempts.
When the 3rd period rolled around and the fear that Crosby was not going to be able to answer the call, our Locals came together again, woke from a lethargy that saw them only take 11 shots in the first 2 periods and took over the game.
If you ask me, I still say there are holes in this team’s line-up. There still are players getting ice time that are weighing the rest of the team down. However, they are looking a little like the Cup teams now, with their ability rise to the challenge of adversity (Crosby still in the locker room at the puck drop of the 3rd period).
When Crosby did return (about 3 minutes into the final frame), the team turned the heat up even more. They finished the 3rd with 16 shots, giving them 27 shots for the game.
Kahun in what 1 announcer dubbed a “night of firsts” picked a great time to convert his recent hard work into his 1st Penguins goal. Sam Lafferty dumped the puck in behind the Stars’ goal. Kahun raced in on the forecheck. The Stars’ Goalie, Ben Bishop, first hesitate for just a fraction of second, enough time for Kahun to close on him; then he fanned on his pass. Kahun picked up the loose puck as Bishop raced back in front of his net. Kahun tried to bounce the puck off of the scrambling Stars’ net minder. The puck slipped under Bishop as he dropped to the ice to do a snow angel. Lafferty had crashed the net, found the puck sliding in front of the net, and tried to tap it in. He missed. Instead the puck found its way back to Kahun who tickled the twine with a very bad angle shot.
About a minute and a half later, Rust double the lead with his 1st goal of the season, in his 1st game, after recovering from his hand injury. Patric Hornqvist helped win the FO back to John Marino who fired a slap shot that was redirected behind the net. Rust picked up the puck, swept to the other side of the cage for a wraparound attempt. The puck bounced off of a defenders skate and skidded under Bishops leg pad, into the net and the Penguins were up 2 – 0.
Brandon Tanev iced the game when he flicked a back hand shot from still on his side of the blue line that slowly and for Dallas excruciatingly trickled down the ice into an empty net. Jake Guentzel and Teddy Blueger picked up the helpers.
When the final buzzer rang, Kahun and Rust had their 1st goals of the season and Marino had his 1st NHL point. And the win, it salvaged a disappointing road trip that saw the team play well but come up empty at the front end of the trip. The 2 points also helped our Penguins stay in the 1st Wild Card spot. However, Tampa Bay, Florida, Montreal, Columbus, and Philadelphia all have games in hand on our Boys of Winter.
Speaking of Philadelphia, the Flyers are the Penguins next opponent, Tuesday night at 7:00 pm.
Odds and Sods
Add to the Penguins night of firsts; Jordy Bellerive collected his 1st professional Goal and Point last night as he scored to help the Wilkes Barre – Scranton farm club beat the San Antonio Rampage in AHL action; 5 – 4 in Over Time (OT). Casey DeSmith picked up the win.
