Penguins Circle the Wagons, Stave Off Blackhawks, 5-3

No, it wasn’t pretty. At times it felt like General Custer and his troops circling the wagons in an attempt to hold off the Sioux Nation at Little Big Horn. But the results? Sheer beauty.

Indeed, thanks to a scrambly 5-3 victory over Chicago last night, the Penguins closed out a challenging opening chapter to their season that included 13 of 19 games on the road and five sets of back-to-backs (with four away from PPG Paints Arena).

Not only did we survive, we finished on a mild upswing by sweeping our recent three-game road trip. Talk about rising to the occasion!

As for the game itself, it was clear from the outset both clubs had played the night before. In describing the action, the words sloppy, disjointed and sluggish come to mind. Although outshot by a 16-8 margin in the opening frame, the Pens grabbed the early lead on a slapper from the left dot by piping hot Brock McGinn just 64 seconds in.

At the opposite end of the ice, Casey DeSmith made the lead stand up with several key saves, including stops on Max Domi and ex-Pen Jack Johnson.

The Pens made it 2-0 at 2:27 of the second frame thanks to a great individual effort by Ryan Poehling. Taking full advantage of time and space, the big forward barreled into the Blackhawks’ zone and swung behind the net before slipping the puck to an onrushing Evgeni Malkin in the slot. Easy pickins’ for Geno.

One hundred ticks later we struck again. Moments after Rickard Rakell drilled a shot off the iron, Sidney Crosby found the talented winger drifting in the left circle, stick cocked. In a flash the puck was in the net.

Of course our boys never do things the easy way. With the game seemingly in the bag, our intensity waned and the downtrodden Hawks took full advantage. Midway through the period Colin Blackwell drew DeSmith out of his net, opening the door for a tap in by hulking Jujhar Khaira. At 16:36, Patrick Kane struck on a slick pass out of the corner by Jonathan Toews. An assist to Kris Letang for lax coverage.

The Hawks continued their charge in the third period. With just over four minutes to play Philipp Kurashev banked the puck in off DeSmith’s skate from a sharp angle to knot the score.

Just when it appeared we’d snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, Cap’n Crosby took charge. Following up his own rebound, Sid drove to the net and beat Arvid Soderblom with a crisp backhander to reclaim the lead for the Pens. Following some tense moments, Jeff Carter secured the two points with an empty-netter. In the process, putting the finishing touches on a very successful road trip.

Puckpourri

The Hawks had the edge in shot attempts (59-50) and shots on goal (32-25). The Pens held the high ground in scoring chances (29-27) and high-danger chances (14-10). We won 55 percent of the faceoffs.

The Crosby (60.71 Corsi) and Carter (66.67) lines drove possession, while the Malkin (31.82) and Teddy Blueger (41.18) lines were under water.

“Brock Star” McGinn has five goals in his past seven games.

Congrats to Geno on reaching the 1000-game plateau. Crosby paced the Pens with a four-point night (1+3), his second of the road trip, to earn top-star billing. Third star Rakell tallied a goal and an assist. GM Ron Hextall has drawn heat for some of his moves, but acquiring the big Swede was pure gold. Rakell’s the total package…big, strong, fast and creative…and he instantly makes his linemates better.

On the flip side (and not to pick on him) but Bryan Rust seems to have the opposite effect. He was a team-worst minus-two last night and the Malkin line has dipped, possession-wise, since he’s joined them.

Letang picked up two assists but continues to be an adventure in the defensive zone. With Brian Dumoulin’s regression, the lack of a true top-pairing defender to team with (and cover for) Tanger is an Achilles heel.

With four more kills, our penalty killing continues to perform a dazzling about-face. Following a porous October, we’re tops in the NHL this month. Wish we could say the same for our power(less) play.

On Tap

The Pens (9-7-3) enjoy a well-deserved break before taking on Calgary at PPG Paints Arena on Wednesday night.

Standings wise, we’re presently in fifth place in the Metro with 21 points, one point out of a playoff spot.