Lessons Learned, Penguins Overwhelm Devils 5-1

Following Tuesday’s near two-point giveaway fiasco, coach Mike Sullivan gathered his troops at practice the following day. No, he didn’t read them the riot act as some might suspect. Rather, he used the time to address some issues from the night before and reinforce the way he wants the team to play.

Given last night’s results, I think it’s safe to say “Sully’s” message got through. Given a chance to redeem themselves, the Penguins snatched the early lead against New Jersey and proceeded to put the hammer down, piling up a 5-1 lead after 40 minutes of play.

Shades of the previous game. However, this time we protected the lead…and goalie Tristan Jarry…through a scoreless final period.

Lessons learned.

It didn’t hurt that fleet winger Kasperi Kapanen returned to the lineup after missing 13 games with a foot injury. “Kappy” provided a spark, collecting a goal and an assist while earning top-star honors. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Determined to make amends…and a statement…the Pens struck on the opening shift just 19 seconds in. Who else but Sidney Crosby got the goal, whipping the puck past Aaron Dell from the left faceoff dot. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Sid’s the best leader and all-around player in hockey…bar none.

The Devils enjoyed a brief moment in the sun when journeyman Matt Tennyson beat Jarry with a rocket from the right point at 12:34 to knot the score. But Cody Ceci returned the favor five minutes later, blasting the puck home from center point for his fourth goal of the campaign.

What a find this guy has been. More on him later.

The Pens were at their sharpshooting best in the second period, scoring on three of seven shots on goal and chasing Dell in the process. The first two, a pair of bang-bang goals by Bryan Rust and Kapanen 25 seconds apart. The capper, a shorthanded tally by Teddy Blueger at 15:59.

All three came off the rush. All three showcased our speed and quick-strike ability. A veritable blitzkrieg on ice.

On this night, the Devils had no chance.

Puckpourri

The visitors outshot the Pens, 31-23, including a 22-11 bulge over the final 40 minutes.

Jarry stopped 30 of 31 shots in a bounce-back performance.

Blueger, Crosby, Kapanen and Rust paced the attack. Each registered a goal and an assist. From the back end, Kris Letang garnered two assists. “Tanger,” Blueger and Brian Dumoulin all finished a plus-three.

Total-team efforts continue to be the norm, as 10 players tallied at least one point. Kapanen replaced Sam Lafferty.

A scary moment occurred in the second period when Crosby appeared to take a stick in the chops and went down in a heap. After staying on the ice for a looooong moment or two, he regained his skates, dusted himself off and finished the game. Only then did I exhale.

The victory vaults the Pens into a second-place tie with Islanders in the tightly packed MassMutual East. Both teams have 63 points, one behind the front-running Capitals and three ahead of streaking Boston.

Speaking of the Caps, Penguins washouts Conor Sheary (12) and Daniel Sprong (seven) have combined for 19 goals. Add in the eight tallied by Justin Schultz and Carl Hagelin? Ex-Pens have accounted for 16 percent of Washington’s goals.

The Blueshirts are Coming?

The Buker PenguinPoop curse is alive and well. No sooner do I express my deepest concerns about the Rangers then they drop two games in a row, leaving them a distant 11 points behind our Pens with nine games to play. Not an insurmountable mountain to climb, but darn near.

Let’s see, who should I compliment next? Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals? The Bruins “Perfection Line?” Lol.

Opinyinz

Wish we could find an upgrade over Marcus Pettersson on defense. Following two fairly solid seasons, he’s looked more and more like a guy we need to shelter.

Marcus often fails to move his feet while defending, relying solely on his wingspan and long stick. A cardinal sin. And while he tries to play a physical game, the gangly Swede’s frequently out-muscled, especially down low.

Although it’s a bit of a gamble at this stage, I’d be tempted to try Mark Friedman or Juuso Riikola in that spot. Or maybe even reprise Pierre-Olivier Joseph, who played so well for us early on.

It might cost us a point or two in the short run while they chip off the rust and get acclimated, but perhaps pay dividends down the road.

Speaking of defensemen, I continue to marvel at the play of Ceci. In my opinion, he’s been our most solid all-around defenseman (plus-15) this side of Dumoulin. Thanks in part to his steadiness and poise, partner Mike Matheson’s gone on a recent offensive tear.

With a pair of goals and 10 points in his past 13 games, Cody has, too.

While the Pens have a ton invested in their defensemen, I’d be tempted to make signing Ceci a priority. He’s been that good.