Letang Returns…Penguins Nip Flyers, 3-2, in OT

The other day I waxed philosophical about what the Penguins’ future might look like without Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. I think last night’s 3-2 overtime win over Philadelphia spoke volumes about the latter’s worth.

A snakebitten team if there ever was one, the Pens entered the game without the services of six regulars. Sidney Crosby, Brian Dumoulin, Marcus Pettersson and Chad Ruhwedel are in Covid-19 protocol while Bryan Rust and Malkin remain out with injuries.

However, there was one important addition to the lineup. Letang. While it would be wrong to say he was the sole reason we won, there was no denying his impact.

Simply put, we were a different team with “Tanger” in the lineup. Even down three regular blueliners, we appeared much more settled than during the past few games. Letang was a huge reason why.

For starters, No. 58 logged a jaw-dropping 28:54 of ice time. To digress, I had Covid. And while I’m hardly a pro athlete, I work out every day and am in pretty decent shape for my age. But it took me weeks…weeks…to regain my energy.

Letang stepped back into a bulwark’s role like it was a walk in the park. Astounding. He wasn’t dead weight, either. The Montreal native registered four shots on goal…tops among defensemen…two hits and a blocked shot, along with a takeaway. Okay, he had three giveaways, too, but I’ll forgive those, especially since none led to an enemy goal.

When Philly knotted the score at 2-2 late in regulation play on a gaffe by defense partner Mike Matheson, Kris took it upon himself to win the game. And win it he did.

Working a give-and-go with Jeff Carter just under two minutes into the extra stanza, Letang fired the puck toward the net from the left circle. Although his initial shot deflected off Joel Farabee’s skate, Tanger would not be denied.

Swooping behind the net, he scooped up the loose biscuit and tried a wraparound at the far post. His initial effort thudded into Carter Hart’s extended left pad. But the quicksilver defender had both the skill and the wherewithal to take a second crack at the rubber. This time the puck slipped across the goal line by a fraction of an inch for the game winner. Earning Letang first-star honors and a huge win for the black and gold.

The Goals

Newcomer Brock McGinn staked us to a lead just 16 seconds after the opening draw on a deflection that would’ve done Patric Hornqvist and Jake Guentzel proud. Displaying marvelous sleight of hand and timing, No. 23 flashed in front of the Flyers’ net just as Matheson’s shot arrived and somehow managed to tip the puck between his own legs and under Hart’s glove.

Pretty goal.

Speaking of Guentzel, minutes after Philly knotted the score on a second-period power play tally by Penguin-killer Travis Konecny, Jake snapped a personal six-game goal scoring drought with a second-chance sweeper through traffic.

Vintage Guentzel.

Philly’s Scott Laughton tied the score with less than three minutes remaining following a bank-pass blunder by Matheson. Setting the stage for Letang’s OT winner.

Puckpourri

Philly outshot the Pens, 38-36, including a whopping 17-8 in the opening frame. The locals won 54 percent of the faceoffs and outhit the Flyers by a wide margin  (39-20). Zach-Aston Reese paced the good guys with eight hits, following by Juuso Riikola (five), including a solid first-period hip check on Laughton.

Tristan Jarry was strong again, blunting 36 of 38 shots to earn third-star honors. For the season, he’s posted a 2.12 goals against average and a sterling .930 save percentage.

Carter, Matheson and ZAR collected assists, along with John Marino and Danton Heinen. Heinen leads the Pens with seven points (4+3) and continues to be a pleasant surprise. Fellow newcomer McGinn is second on the scoring parade with six points (3+3).

Assistant Todd Reirden assumed the coaching reins from Mike Sullivan, who’s been diagnosed with Covid. Sully’s symptomatic to boot.

Make no mistake, this was a huge win. Not only did the triumph stem an ugly three-game skid, but it lifted us out of the Metro cellar. Given the highly competitive nature of the division, we can ill-afford an extended losing streak.

Next up, the Minnesota Wild at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday night.