Penguins stun the Canadiens 5 – 1

Fresh off the last strains of the Canadian national anthem which was no doubt still lingering in the memories of the Montreal faithful and with the applause that naturally follows the playing of the national anthems still echoing through the stands of Montreal’s Bell Centre Sidney Crosby struck a thundering blow to the home town team on the first shot of the game.

Crosby won the opening face-off and the Penguins tried to skate the puck into the Canadiens’ zone. Jordie Benn of the Canadiens corralled a loose puck and tried to clear it from his defensive zone but gave it away, just 19 seconds into the game. Jared McCann read the play perfectly and kept the play alive for the Black-n-Gold, passing the puck to Crosby in the top of the Left Wing (LW) circle. Crosby passed it quickly to Jake Guentzel in the high slot. Guentzel completed the give-and-go with a hard pass back to Crosby who redirected the pass past a goalie Carey Price, Montreal’s $10 million Goaltender (actually $10.5 million but at that point who is going to quibble over $500k), silencing the crowd.

Barely 4 minutes later, Evgeni Malkin scored what proved to be the game winner on only the Penguins’ 3rd shot of the game. With Canadiens’ Defenseman Jeff Petry in the penalty box the Penguins’ Big Three, Crosby, Malkin, and Phil Kessel got together and decided to make Montreal pay for their misdeed. Kessel dug the puck out of the Right Wing (RW) corner and slipped it up the boards to the half wall where Crosby was waiting. All 4 Canadiens’ defenders collapsed low to counter Kessel, Crosby and Patric Hornqvist, leaving Malkin wide open at the left point. Malkin took advantage of the room to skate in to top of the LW circle before drilling a slap shot past Price.

Roughly 4 minutes after Malkin’s marker, Crosby won a face-off in the offensive LW face-off circle back to Guentzel at the top of that circle and Guentzel ripped a shot on goal that Price did get a piece of but that still trickled past him. The Penguins were up 3 – 0 but had only taken 4 shots on goal.

Less than 6 ½ minutes into the 2nd period and only 9 shots later and Guentzel and Crosby collaborated again. Newly acquired Penguin, Eric Gudbranson started the attack from inside the Penguins’ defensive zone, cutting off a Canadien dump in. Gudbranson passed the puck back up the RW boards McCann deftly picked a Canadien allowing the puck to slide up ice to a waiting Guentzel. Guentzel then worked his voodoo magic with another give-and-go with Crosby. The pass to Crosby freed Guentzel up coming down his off wing. Guentzel took advantage of skating his off wing and ripped a laser over Price’s blocker on the far side.

To steal a quote from Adam Sandler in the movie Happy Gilmore, “The Price was wrong” in Montreal this night, as the 2nd winningest Goalie Canadien history ceded 4 goals on just 24 shots and was denied his chance to tie Jacques Plante in the top spot (313 wins to Plantes’ 314)

Brendan Gallagher tried to make the game interesting with a 26’-0” wrist shot about a minute after Guentzel’s 2nd tally but Penguin Goalie Matt Murray would have none of it. The Antarctic Avian’s net minder stoned Max Domi on one of just another of countless break away s he and fellow net minder Casey DeSmith have had to endure this season, on the way to rejecting 36 of 37 shots in the game.

Thank the Heaven’s for Matt Murray! If not for him this team would be in a world of hurt. That is right a big shout out to the teams under-appreciated Goaltender, under-appreciated by fans who have never had to stand between the pipes and face down vulcanized rubber, night after night. I never had to face NHL calibre shooters like you Mr. Murray but I did play goal, and I know what it is like to see shot after shot from the slot, or tipped at the last second by wide open forwards, or one on one on break away after break away. I can’t even imagine what it is like to face NHL calibre shooters, let alone in those situations. Kudos to you for standing tall!

Not to disparage the seasons Crosby and Guentzel are having but while other teams are trying to lock down defensively in preparation for the playoffs, the Penguins’ Defense is still AWOL, or as the Gunner used to say “On the noon balloon to Saskatoon”.

Since February 1st, Murray has faced an average of 35 shots per 60 minutes; of the 6 goalies at, or above Murray’s 0.921 Save Percentage Sv% during that time frame, only Dallas Stars‘ Goalie Anton Khodobin has faced more shots per 60 minutes (36.4). Seems to me that if anyone was really that silly as to look to replace Murray in Pittsburgh, Khodobin really is the only Goalie that may represent an upgrade. But then again Khodobin didn’t win two Stanley Cups before his rookie season was over, so is that really an upgrade?

Odds and Sods
Crosby’s opening goal last night moved him ahead of Jaromir Jagr into sole possession of 2nd place on the list of Penguins’ All Time Goal Scoring with 440. Only Mario Lemieux has scored more goals, 690. Congratulations Sidney Crosby!

Guentzel’s first goal last night was his 30th of the season, marking the 1st time the young Penguins’ sniper topped that plateau as he leads the team in that department. Congratulations Jake Guentzel!

Grudbranson earned his first point as a Penguin with the 2nd helper on Guentzel’s 2nd goal. McCann made a great play, taking a hit to keep Montreal from getting the puck, freeing it for Guentzel to start the give-and-go, but he never touched the puck, so the big Right Handed Defenseman made the score sheet for his new team. Welcome to the ‘burgh Erik Grudbranson! Oh and great hit on Gallagher!