In the battle of exes yesterday afternoon at PNC Arena, our Penguins came up short. Minutes after former Hurricane Brock McGinn struck in the third period to give the black and gold a 2-1 lead, former Pens Cup hero Jordan Staal set up a goal and scored the game winner to pace the ‘Canes to a 3-2 victory.
The game itself was typical hard farming. The ‘Canes are disciplined, diligent, exceedingly well-coached by Rod Brind’Amour and just plain difficult to play against. They literally force you to earn every inch of ice and they never let up.
Such was the case yesterday. Our guys fought back from an early deficit to grab that 2-1 lead. Coach Mike Sullivan wisely employed a 1-2-2 to clog the neutral zone and limit the ‘Canes chances. Yet they found a way.
The Pens had the better of the play in the opening period, thanks in no small part to the fact that our hosts had played less than 24 hours earlier against Dallas. (Yet another stroke of genius by the NHL schedule-makers.) But ‘Canes goalie and rookie sensation Pyotr Kochetkov stoned Ryan Poehling from the doorstep to set the tone. Casey DeSmith countered with a big stop of his own on a between-the-legs attempt by Martin Necas from in tight to keep the game scoreless.
The ‘Canes grind line broke through at 3:25 of the second period. Another ex-Pen, Stefan Noesen (remember him?) destroyed Poehling with a reverse check along the boards, then made a straight-line power move to the net that would’ve done Gary Roberts proud, resulting in a goal by Derek Stepan.
DeSmith stopped Necas moments later from point-blank range, setting the stage for a Pens rally. With Jaccob Slavin serving a delay of game penalty, Kris Letang slipped the puck into Evgeni Malkin’s wheelhouse. Rickard Rakell got his stick on Geno’s ensuing rocket to knot the score.
Taking full advantage of a sloppy ‘Canes line change five minutes into the final period, Kasperi Kapanen burst up ice before making a Jagr-esque right-angle turn and feeding McGinn. The “Brock Star” swatted the puck home off Slavin’s stick to give us that 2-1 lead and what I hoped would be his fourth game winner of the season.
It was not to be.
At 8:17 Brady Skeij knotted the score with a blast from the left point, courtesy of wide-body traffic in front by Staal and Noesen. The Pens had a chance to retake the lead mid-period, but Kochetkov stopped Kapanen from the right circle and Jeff Carter missed the net on a follow-up try.
With less than six minutes remaining, Staal won a puck battle behind the net and initiated a puck-on-a-string passing play. While the Pens gave chase, Staal moved to the front of the net and drilled a return pass into a wide-open net.
Kochetkov coolly blunted a late Pens flurry, in the process snapping our seven-game winning streak.
Puckpourri
The game was fairly even, stats-wise, with the Pens holding the edge in shot attempts (52-50), scoring chances (27-22) and high-danger chances (16-9). The ‘Canes had the advantage in shots on goal (29-25) and faceoffs (54 percent).
Mercifully, Malkin played after taking a shot off his knee against Florida and appeared to be no worse for the wear. He’s currently on an eight-game points streak, longest among the black and gold this season.
Our defensive tandem of Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Chad Ruhwedel was outmuscled on the game-winner. POJ’s overreliance on stick-on-puck in close quarters continues to be a concern. Sometimes you gotta use the body.
After years of bouncing between the NHL and AHL, Noesen appears to have found a home in Carolina (five goals, 15 points in 30 games). He’s a big guy who keeps the game simple and goes to the net. The type of player we could use but so rarely procure.
Hard to believe this is Staal’s 11th season in Carolina. With four goals in his last six games against us, he’s evolved into a Penguin-killer.
The ‘Canes played without Sebastien Aho, the Pens sans Jeff Petry and Jason Zucker. Josh Archibald appeared to sustain an injury in the second period. No word on his status.
A silver lining…I thought Kapanen played a strong game. The flying Finn looked dynamic at times. Let’s hope he keeps it up.
On Tap
The Pens (18-9-4, 40 points) host the Rangers (18-10-5, 41 points) on Tuesday night in a battle for third place in the Metro. Winners of seven in a row, the Blueshirts are piping hot. Let’s hope we can do to them what the ‘Canes did to us.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, the previously unbeatable Devils have lost five in a row.
