Penguins Survive Storm Surge, Withstand Heavy-Weather Hurricanes

In the not-too-distant past, games between the Penguins and the equally speedy Hurricanes invariably morphed into track meets featuring plenty of skating and end-to-end action. Games the Pens tended to win due to their superior talent.

As Bob Dylan once famously sang, the times they are a changin.’ Contests between the Metro front runners have turned into knock-down-grind-’em-out affairs featuring a healthy dose of puck battles and physical play.

The shift is almost entirely due to the ‘Canes, who’ve transformed from an all-skate team (think Jeff Skinner) into a heavy, structured and skilled bunch built very much in coach Rod Brind’Amour’s image. I confess, in scanning their lineup, I’m not overly impressed. But they’re definitely a club where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. And, man, are they ever tough to play against.

Yesterday’s contest…make that slugging match…was no exception. For the most part we were soundly outplayed, as the ‘Canes 43-22 edge in shots on goal (and staggering 71-32 advantage in shot attempts) will attest. The fact that we prevailed, 4-2, was a testament to our will and grit, not to mention Tristan Jarry’s phenomenal play between the pipes.

The first period was probably our best and even then we were outmatched by the ‘Canes, playing their second game in a 24-hour span. Our first goal came as a direct result of having some functional size in the lineup. With 70 seconds left in the frame Brian Boyle flattened (interfered with, really) Teuvo Teravainen along the wall during a cycle in the ‘Canes end. Having eliminated his potential shadow, Boyle rambled to the net. Teddy Blueger spotted the big guy and delivered a backhand pass from behind the cage that would’ve done Wayne Gretzky proud. Boyle snapped the puck past Antti Raanta from point-blank range.

Not to cast aspersions, but if Dominik Simon is playing in place of Boyle, that goal doesn’t happen. Kudos to Mike Sullivan for making the adjustment.

The ‘Canes continued to muck it up in the second period, affording our boys precious little time and space to operate. Reduced to the unfamiliar role of counterpuncher, the Pens nonetheless remained opportunistic. Evan Rodrigues nearly scored on a wraparound at 8:29, but Raanta kept the puck from fully crossing the goal line by a whisker. At the opposite end of the ice Jarry, who made a slew of big saves on the day, stopped a breaking Jesperi Kotkaniemi from close range.

Then Evgeni Malkin flexed his muscles in what was arguably the play of the afternoon. The big Russian pounced on a loose puck, split two defenders and barreled past Brady Skjei along the wall before reversing the rubber to Rodrigues. E-Rod quickly fed Mike Matheson and the ginger defender snapped off a hard shot from the top of the right circle. Danton Heinen arrived as Johnny-on-the-spot in front of the net to deflect it home.

Entering the final period with a 2-0 lead, our guys had to feel good about their chances. But the ‘Canes completely took over, dominating the final frame to the tune of a stunning 20-4 advantage in shots on goal. At 4:40 their diligence paid off as Brett Pesce beat Jarry from the high slot to pare our lead to 2-1.

Jarry stiffened, making a huge save on Sebastien Aho from the doorstep. Raanta countered, stoning Kasperi Kapanen on a partial breakaway.

Finally, with Raanta pulled for an extra attacker and the ‘Canes applying heat, Sidney Crosby won a puck battle along the wall and split an empty net from 200 feet away. Extraordinary.

Still, the ‘Canes wouldn’t quit. A scant 14 seconds later Aho slipped in a Jordan Staal rebound on a wraparound to make it 3-2. The locals finally salted it away when Zach Aston-Reese notched a second empty netter with a dozen ticks left on the clock to win the war and secure two huge points.

Puckpourri

I’m not sure if dominant aptly describes the Hurricanes’ performance. In addition to the aforementioned shot totals, they had 28 scoring chances to our 16 and held an eye-popping 16-7 edge in high-danger chances. The difference was Jarry, who stopped 41 of 43 shots in a virtuoso performance that earned him the number two star.

We finished the season series at 1-1-1 against the ‘Canes and, frankly, were fortunate to earn three points. Simply stated, I would not want to play these guys in a seven-game series.

Winner of this season’s Conor Sheary Award signifying the ex-teammate who tortures us the most, Staal picked up an assist yesterday, giving him three goals and a helper against us. Hard to believe it’s been 10 years since he’s worn the black and gold. A lifetime ago.

Following an epic cold snap, our secondary scoring continued its revival. Boyle tallied a goal and an assist to earn top star honors. Heinen (his 13th) and ZAR bagged goals while Blueger, Jeff Carter and Rodrigues tallied a helper apiece. With points in two straight games, E-Rod’s been particularly effective on Malkin’s right flank.

Brian Dumoulin returned to the lineup following a one-game absence, but didn’t reclaim his spot on the top pairing. Instead, Sullivan kept the Kris Letang-Matheson tandem intact and slotted Dumo on the second pairing next to John Marino. In a surprise move, the Pens’ skipper scratched Marcus Pettersson and kept feisty Mark Friedman in the lineup.

Surprise number two…Valtteri Puustinen was sent back to the Baby Pens the day after his highly favorable debut. Radim Zohorna was recalled. Skating next to Carter and a resurgent Kapanen, Big Z was fairly nondescript. With two shots on goal and two takeaways, Kappy looked more like himself than at any time in recent memory.

A vital part of our penalty kill, Brock McGinn is out week-to-week with a hand/arm injury.

The Pens (36-15-9, 81 points) presently hold second place in the Metro, six back of division-leading Carolina and two up on the Rangers. Next up…we kick off a three-game road trip against Nashville tomorrow night in the Music City.