Zucker’s Two-fer Propels Penguins Past Habs

It sure didn’t take too long for Jason Zucker to make Penguins GM Jim Rutherford look like a genius. Four nights after arriving in a blockbuster trade with Minnesota, the speedy newcomer tallied a pair of goals to pace the Pens to a scintillating 4-1 triumph over Montreal.

You might say the Habs were “plumb Zuckered out” from chasing him around the ice. (Yes, bad, I know.)

Indeed, the SoCal native did what he does best, using his speed to apply pressure and exploit openings. In contrast to a somewhat checkered black-and-gold debut against Tampa Bay on Tuesday, he displayed the finishing touch befitting a former 33-goal scorer.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have a guy named Sid centering for you. Speaking of No. 87, the Pens’ captain chipped in with three helpers and won 56 percent of his draws to earn the game’s second star.

Zucker’s first goal came at the 18-minute mark of the second period with the Pens nursing a 1-0 lead. Crosby scooped up a loose puck in the neutral zone courtesy of a nice defensive play by Dominik Simon and sped down the left side of the Canadiens’ zone, drawing the attention of defenseman Ben Chariot and forward Nick Suzuki.

Showing great anticipation, Zucker slipped through the back door with his stick on the ice, awaiting a pass from Crosby. Sid deftly slipped the puck between Chariot’s skates to No. 16 drifting low through the right circle. The newcomer made no mistake, unleashing a beautiful one-timer that zipped in off Carey Price’s glove. A pretty goal in anyone’s book.

His next marker was huge, arguably the turning point of the game. Thirty-six seconds after the Habs’ Tomas Tatar (another rumored trade target) closed the gap to 2-1 with a power-play goal, Zucker picked off an errant pass in the neutral zone.

After executing a give-and-go with Crosby at the Montreal line, Zucker drove the net and fought past defenseman Dan Petry, who attempted to hold him up. The speedy winger spun away from Petry just in time to receive a pass from Marcus Pettersson and chip the puck over Price’s glove hand. A goal that required touch, skill, timing, execution and awareness.

So much for the reports that say Zucker can’t finish. Plain and simple, that was a goal-scorer’s goal. One that earned Jason the game’s first star and established him as an instant folk hero with the 18,650 black-and-gold faithful in attendance.

Kudos from his coach, too.

“I thought [Zucker’s] speed was more noticeable tonight,” said Mike Sullivan. “You could see how good he is on the transition when the puck changes from defense to offense. Just his ability to create separation and jump into windows of opportunity. We’ve got some guys that can get him the puck, so I thought that was much more evident tonight.

“I just think Jason’s going to get more comfortable with every day that he’s here. You can see his ability to finish. He had two real good goals tonight. So we’re excited about having him.”

Puckpourri

Tristan Jarry made his first start in six days. He stopped 34 of 35 shots to earn the third star. Following a slight downturn, he’s been superb over his last four starts, posting a 3-1 record to go with a .938 save percentage and 2.00 goals against average.

Jarry’s currently tied for the league lead in save percentage (.930) with veteran Tuukka Rask of Boston and the Blue Jackets’ rookie sensation Elvis Merzlikins.

Matt Murray’s been hot, too. He’s 3-1-1 over his past five starts with a .927 save percentage and a 2.38 goals against average.

Montreal out-shot the Pens, 35-28. Over the past eight games, we’ve been out-shot by a margin of 267-211.

A cause for concern? Maybe. But it hasn’t affected our record. We’re 5-2-1 during that span against some stiff competition (Bruins, Flyers [2], Capitals, Lightning [2]).

Next up…the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday afternoon. GO PENS!