Penguins Double Their Pleasure, Skewer Sabres

For some reason, last night’s 4-2 victory over Buffalo reminded me of the old Doublemint gum commercials from the 1980s. “A double pleasure’s waiting for you…”

It was, indeed, good to see our Penguins double-up in the win column following an extended slide, especially against a prickly foe like Buffalo. The Sabres had beaten us five out of six and made us look silly in the process.

We still appeared a bit shaky at times, like a young colt gamboling on wobbly legs. Especially during a forgettable second period when the speedy Sabres skated over, around and through us while piling up a 10-3 edge in shots on goal. But goalie Matt Murray came up big with a series of huge stops, none larger than a cool left-pad save on Jimmy Vesey on a 2-on-1 midway through the frame to preserve a one-goal edge.

I’m going to forego a more traditional game summary in a favor of a ramble. Kind of an expanded Puckpourri. Bear with me while I empty out my brain pan.

No Respect

It could be argued that Patric Hornqvist is the Rodney Dangerfield of Pens forwards. He don’t get no respect. Not from metrics mavens, or a coaching staff that tries to bury him in the bottom six, or opposing defensemen who routinely attempt to remove his cabeza during net-front scrums.

Yet Hornqvist is invaluable…the emotional power plant that keeps our engines revving. His forceful, aggressive play stands in stark contrast to many of his finesse-oriented teammates. And while “Horny” may not be the fastest skater in the world, he always makes his presence felt in the battle areas.

Last night was a prime example. The unsweetened Swede opened the scoring with a typical pretty/ugly goal, swatting the puck in on the backhand while turning and tumbling to the ice. Sort of a poor man’s Spin-o-rama.

When the Sabres threatened to make a game of it in the second period? Hornqvist steamed in from the right circle and ripped home a short feed from Evgeni Malkin for a clutch power-play goal and the ultimate game-winner.

Nobody does dirty better than Horny, not even Dirty Harry. For the record, he’s got 17 goals…fourth best on the team and a 28-goal pace over a full 82-game slate.

Murray Over Jarry?

Following two months of alternating starts, Murray appears to be pulling ahead of Tristan Jarry in the goaltending sweepstakes. He’s started two games in a row (both wins) and three out of the last four.

Is it merited? Since January 1, Murray’s posted a 2.60 goals against average and .911 save percentage to go with an 8-4-1 record. Over the same span, Jarry has a 2.84 goals against average and .907 save percentage, along with a record of 7-6-1. So statistically, a slight nod to Murray.

I’m with Mark Madden. Despite his recent struggles, I like Jarry best for the way he handles the puck and stands tall in the net.

Mike Sullivan and the coaching staff appear to feel otherwise. Understandable, given Murray’s Cup-winning pedigree.

Reverse the Curse

Was Conor Sheary an unseen factor in last night’s win? After all, the diminutive forward tortured us after being dealt to the Niagara frontier in the summer of 2018, tallying four goals and six points in five games against the black and gold. Four of them Sabres wins.

Maybe that’s why GM Jim Rutherford reacquired him at the trade deadline. A case of reversing the curse.

Trouble in Paradise

The dual returns of defensemen Brian Dumoulin and John Marino have contributed greatly to the Pens’ recent turnaround.  But all is not well in paradise…or on the blue line.

The new third pairing of Jack Johnson and Justin Schultz is struggling mightily, both individually and as a tandem. Johnson is a minus-8 in his past nine games and his 5-on-5 shot attempts differential has slipped to a team worst -111. He hasn’t been a plus in any game since January 14.

Schultz hasn’t been much better. After initially playing well upon his return from injury he, too, has slipped into a funk (minus-7 in his past eight games).

As a general rule, two wrongs don’t make a right. Let’s hope they eventually adjust to one another and solidify as a pair. Our Cup hopes could depend on it.

Healthy at Last?

When Nick Bjugstad rejoined the lineup last night, it marked the first time in months the Pens iced anything resembling a full team. Yet the injury bug continues to bite.

Rookie Anthony Angello is listed as week-to-week with an upper body injury suffered against Ottawa. He joins fellow forwards Zach Aston-Reese, Jake Guentzel and Dominik Simon on the injured list.

Around the Metro

Winners of eight straight, the Flyers are piping hot. The surprising Rangers are on a 10-4 run and have quietly crept back into the playoff picture with 76 points, one ahead of Carolina.

The ‘Canes have lost four in a row and are 3-5-2 in their past 10 games. The Islanders have gone one better (or worse)…losing five in a row. They’re 2-6-2 in their last 10. Hard-luck Columbus is 2-5-6 in their past 13.

What’s Ahead

The Pens square off against the blood-rival Caps at PPG Paints Arena at 1 o’clock on Saturday, followed by a matinee match-up with the Hurricanes on Sunday. The games could have a profound effect on both the Metro race and the Eastern Conference playoff picture.