Another Lead Slips Away, Penguins Bow to Bruins in Classic

I have a confession to make. My work at Wright’s Gym kept me otherwise detained, so I didn’t watch the Winter Classic at historic Fenway Park yesterday afternoon.

Occasionally I’d glance at the big-screen TV behind the front desk to check the score, which for a good portion of the afternoon was 1-0 in our favor. At one point during the third period, I paused to glimpse the action. Noting a Bruin was about to crank up a slap shot and fearing I’d jinx us, I decided that it was better that I not watch.

It didn’t matter. We lost anyway, 2-1.

Judging by the score and the stat line (a combined 56 shots on goal) a fairly low-event game. At least on paper.

Actually, there were some fairly significant developments. Most of the no bueno variety.

• Tristan Jarry exited at 15:30 of the first period with what appeared to be a lower body injury. Yikes.
• Despite copious amounts of ice time, the Sidney Crosby line has gone stone cold. Over the past five games, Sid and wingers Rickard Rakell and Jake Guentzel have combined for a goal and two assists to go with a collective minus-15. While better, Evgeni Malkin’s unit ain’t exactly on fire either over that span (four goals and six points but a minus-12). No wonder we’re in the midst of a 0-3-2 slide.
• Mike Sullivan’s decisions continue to baffle. Although he scored our lone goal, Kasperi Kapanen saw only 7:21 of ice time. Practically a repeat of the recent Detroit debacle, when he set up our first two goals but played only 7:20.
• Sully elected to go with seven defensemen and 11 forwards yesterday, dressing Chad Ruhwedel while keeping Drew O’Connor manacled to the press box. O’Connor’s sin? Apparently scoring a goal in his last game.
• Don’t know what our coach thinks loading up on Sid and Geno’s ice time mid-season is going to do for us down the stretch. Robbing Peter to pay Paul and then some.
• Former Cup hero Brian Dumoulin continues to struggle…and mightily. He was on the ice for both Bruins goals, and took a pratfall on the sequence leading to the game winner. While I truly feel for him, enough is enough. Dumo needs to be parked in the press box instead of getting prime ice time.

The Goals

The Pens grabbed the lead at 8:40 of the second period thanks to an aggressive forecheck by the fourth line. Ex-Bruin Danton Heinen (5:07 TOI) won a puck battle along the end boards and slipped the rubber to Jeff Carter, who returned the favor. Heinen alertly fed Kapanen below the left circle. Kappy dropped to a knee and buried it for his sixth goal of the campaign.

Jake DeBrusk notched both Bruins goals. At 7:46 of the third period, seconds after a tripping penalty to Dumoulin expired, DeBrusk swept the puck past Casey DeSmith from the doorstep to knot the score. On the game-winner at 17:36, the Pens had four men back but still collapsed like a house of cards, allowing DeBrusk unfettered access to the net. Inept doesn’t begin to describe it.

I did like our uniforms, an ode to our original NHL team, the Pirates.

Puckpourri

The Pens held a slight edge in shot attempts (57-56) and dominated the faceoff circle (56 percent). The Bruins held serve in shots on goal (29-27), scoring chances (27-24) and a whopping 14-6 advantage in high-danger chances.

DeSmith stopped 19 of 21 shots in relief of Jarry.

Still nursing a lower-body injury, Kris Letang traveled to Montreal to be with his family in the wake of his father’s passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Tanger.

Ryan Poehling missed the game with a recurrence of an upper-body injury.

On Tap

The Pens (19-12-6, 44 points) travel to Vegas to take on the Golden Knights (26-12-2, 54 points) on Thursday evening. We’re presently tied for fifth place in the Metro (and the last Eastern Conference playoff slot) with the Islanders.

A final thought. Our Stanley Cup window arguably opened with a 2-1 win over Buffalo in the 2008 Winter Classic. It’s quite possible…and perhaps altogether fitting…that the window officially closed with yesterday’s 2-1 loss.

Sure feels like it.