Penguins Shed 800-Pound Gorilla, Rip Canadiens 3-1

Thursday, May 3, 2018. It was an unseasonably warm spring day in the ‘Burgh, with mid-day temperatures reaching 84 degrees.

It was also the last time the Penguins won a playoff game until last night. Let that sink in for a moment.

It’s safe to say the black-and-gold shed an 800-pound gorilla, or at the very least a monkey from their collective backs, with a scintillating 3-1 Game 2 victory over the pesky but outmanned Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena.

In stark contrast to our series-opening loss, this game was about as close to playoff perfection as you can get. The Pens took the initiative from the outset and never took their foot off the gas pedal. Clearly the superior team in all facets of the game, they outshot the Habs 38-27—including a whopping 29-13 through 40 minutes—and controlled the faceoff circle, winning 54 percent of the draws.

When Montreal hung tough, the Pens didn’t flinch. They kept their composure and stuck with the plan and were duly rewarded with a delicious win. A team-building win.

Eschewing the perimeter game that led to their downfall in Game One, our guys were focused, involved and surprisingly physical if not downright ornery when the situation called for it. Their attention to detail was superb. They were…in a word…crisp.

To my eyes, it was our most complete 60-minute effort in God-knows-how-long, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Go down 2-0 in a five-game set, and you might as well start polishing your golf clubs.

Everyone contributed, from trade deadline acquisitions Jason Zucker and Conor Sheary (two assists, No. 1 star) to the worrisome third defensive pair (a collective plus-2).

I was particularly impressed with Zucker, who played with an edge all night long. At one juncture he stuck his nose in and stood up for teammate Justin Schultz, drawing a penalty in the process. To say nothing of his nifty game-winning redirect off a pretty feed from Sheary at 14:41 of the third period with the outcome still very much in doubt.

To no one’s surprise, Sidney Crosby set the tone. Just past the four-minute mark of the opening frame the Pens’ captain took a beautiful cross-ice feed from Jake Guentzel in stride and beat Carey Price through the five-hole with an ice-hugging bullet. It was a huge goal…arguably the biggest in recent Pens playoff history. Not only did it set the tone for the evening, but it proved to his teammates that Price was mortal after all.

Not to be outdone, Evgeni Malkin unleashed a game-high seven shots on goal and won 58 percent of his draws while providing his customary gristle and fire.

At the opposite end of the ice, Matt Murray rose to the occasion with a vintage performance that hearkened back to the Cup years. Well insulated by his teammates, who kept the speedy Habs in check for most of the evening, the Thunder Bay native seemed to gain confidence and poise as the game progressed. He came within two minutes and change of posting his first playoff shutout since blanking the Flyers some 27 months ago, while snapping a personal seven-game postseason losing streak.

While I’m passing out plaudits, give coach Mike Sullivan some well-deserved credit. Resisting the urge to panic as a certain blog writer who shall go nameless might’ve done, he stayed positive while making key adjustments such as returning Patric Hornqvist to the top power-play unit and sheltering much-maligned Jack Johnson (12:41 of ice time). Whatever message he gave his troops, they bought into it hook, line and sinker. To coin his favorite phrase, they played the right way.

I’ll finish with a tip of the hat to PenguinPoop commenter Mike. I didn’t think the Pens had it in ‘em to put forth this kind of effort, but you did. So Mike, this one’s for you.