Penguins Stave Off Hungry Senators

Last night’s wild 6-4 victory over improving Ottawa represented the good, bad and ugly for our current batch of Penguins.

On the plus side of the ledger, our offense flourished. We ran up a 5-1 lead after two periods and struck for six goals in all. Enjoying a breakout game, No. 1 star Mike Matheson led the way with two goals and an assist. In all, a dozen Pens showed up on the score sheet. At the opposite end of the rink, Tristan Jarry made enough big saves to do a revival meeting proud.

Now for the bad. The Senators dictated the tempo for huge chunks of the game, especially in the first and third periods when they piled up a whopping 36-20 edge in shots on goal.

And the ugly? Our attention to detail and defensive-zone structure was practically non-existent. Or atrocious, whichever you prefer.

Perhaps play-by-play announcer Steve Mears summed it up best. “It’s like a ride on the Thunderbolt,” he gushed while describing the frenetic action.

Maybe it was appropriate that Dominik Simon opened the scoring in the zaniest of games. The light-scoring winger drove to the left circle and, despite being covered like a blanket by Nick Holden, ripped off a shot that went far post and in. No one was more surprised than Simon, who almost forgot to celebrate.

The Sens knotted the score midway through the period when Drake Batherson got behind our defense and beat Jarry with a second-chance backhander. The “got behind our defense” part would prove a harbinger of things to come.

We wasted little time in countering. A mere eighty-eight ticks later, Evgeni Malkin beat goalie Anton Forsberg thanks to a faceoff win by Kasperi Kapanen and a sharp, no-look shot/pass by Matheson from center point. The Pens nearly made it 3-1 moments later on the power play, again with Geno doing the honors. However, the Sens challenged, contending…rightfully so…that Kris Letang was offside on the play.

Unfazed, Matheson made it 3-1 for real at 15:59 on a second-chance poke between the pads of former Pens prospect Filip Gustavsson, who replaced Forsberg between the pipes.

In stark contrast to the opening 20 minutes, when we were outshot 22-12, our boys dominated the second period. Sidney Crosby cashed in on the power play at 11:32. Matheson made it 5-1, good guys, late in the frame with a rocket from the top of the left circle.

The game was in the bag, right? That’s probably what the Pens thought, too. Except it wasn’t. Not by a long shot. Or more accurately, three net-front tallies by the Sens, the first by Tim Stutzle and the next two by wunderkind Josh Norris, in just over eight minutes. Had Jarry not stoned Alex Formenton on a penalty shot at 7:27, the game may well have turned out differently.

Despite the onslaught, and with tons of time left in the game, our stumbling waterfowl managed to right themselves. At least long enough for Jake Guentzel to pot an empty-netter with 47 seconds remaining to finally seal the deal…and the all-important two points.

Fight Night

The Sens outhit us, 56-45, in a surprisingly chippy affair. It was a rare two-fight night for our guys. Brian Boyle answered the bell against Austin Watson after flattening Jacob Bernard-Docker with a booming open-ice hit in the first period. And John Marino showed some spunk by dropping the gloves with Brady Tkachuk…and eating a few hard lefts…late in the contest. The clubs combined for 38 penalty minutes in all.

Plea for E-Rod

Evan Rodrigues appears to be an unfortunate casualty of the team’s return to good health. With Malkin, Danton Heinen, Brock McGinn and Bryan Rust all rejoining to the lineup, E-Rod’s been squeezed off the top power play where he was deadly effective, as well as being shunted to right wing…his least effective position. The result? After piling up 11 points, including seven goals, over a six-game stretch, he’s pointless in his past six games.

While it’s probably akin to working out a human jigsaw puzzle, Mike Sullivan and his staff need to find a better way to utilize E-Rod.

Malkin to Blame?

After playing solid team defense over the first few months of the season, the Pens seem to be reverting to their old, undisciplined ways. Including last night’s contest, we’ve yielded over 40 shots on goal in three of our last five games. Which coincides with Malkin’s return.

Is Geno the culprit? After all, he’s never been a bastion of backchecking, and his free-wheeling style contributes to breakdowns on occasion.

Yes and no. On Norris’s first goal, he and his linemates were late to provide support down low. Nor was his line a paragon of possession. They yielded 10 5v5 shot attempts to only six for.

But the real culprit against the Sens appeared to be the Crosby line. Sid’s trio was on the ice for 20 5v5 shot attempts against and only nine for. On Norris’s second tally, Guentzel was late to provide net-front help while Crosby chased the point.

It should be noted that all four Sens goals came up close and personal from point-blank range. It’s a worrisome thread that will need to be addressed. Especially as we head into a busy part of our schedule.

Welcome Home

Although sidelined with a non-Covid related illness, two-time Cup winning goalie Matt Murray was treated to a video tribute and a warm ovation from the Pens partisans. He tapped his heart in appreciation.

Where We’re At

The Pens (24-10-5, 53 points) are presently tied for third place in the Metro with Washington, two points behind the Capitals and three points off the division lead. Next up…a short jaunt to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets tonight.