The other day I confessed to PenguinPoop founding father Phil Krundle my nightmare scenario for this weekend in two-part detail. First, our Penguins play a competitive game against the Bruins but lose. And second, as a result the Pens come out dejected and drained in the second of back-to-backs against the Flyers and lose that one, too.
Nightmare on Centre Avenue Part I…check.
Following a rocky first period, our guys battled the Presidents’ Trophy winners hard, but in the end couldn’t quite get ‘er done. Or more important, earn a point or two.
Indeed, the 4-3 loss was a case of anything you can do, I can do at least a little better. In some cases, a lot better.
Bryan Rust scored two goals. B’s scoring machine David Pastrnak notched a hat trick. Boston backup Jeremy Swayman yielded three goals, our Tristan Jarry four. The Bruins’ power play went 2-for-3. Ours, an ugly 0-for-6.
No contest there.
Chad Ruhwedel set the tone for a dicey first period when he was whistled for roughing David Krejci just 4:21 into the frame. It took the Bruins nearly a full two minutes to cash in, but score they did, with Charlie McAvoy doing the honors on a wide-open, back-door play.
To our credit, our guys didn’t stay down long. Just 73 seconds later, Sidney Crosby slipped a pass through Dmitry Orlov’s wickets to Rust on the off wing. The Rusty Razor beat Swayman to knot the score and snap a personal 14-game goalless skein.
The remainder of the period featured the Pens alternately bumbling, then holding on for dear life as the Bruins ran up an incredible 28-8 edge in shot attempts. One of the chief bumblers of late, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, shot the puck over the glass at 14:35 even though he wasn’t pressured. We survived POJ’s faux pas, but not Evgeni Malkin’s costly trip with four seconds remaining in the period.
Following a failed clear by Ruhwedel, Pastrnak beat Jarry 1:41 into the second stanza on a brilliantly timed deflection to make it 2-1, bad guys.
Again, give our guys credit. Down but not out, they turned the tables and pressed hard for a tying goal. A goal that would come at 4:09 of the final period when Rust sped down the right side and beat Swayman, with a little help from a sliding McAvoy, who knocked both goalie and puck over the line.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t hold serve. Pastrnak beat Jarry with a scorching blast from the top of the right circle at 7:07 to reclaim the lead for the Bruins. Still, there was no quit in our Pens.
Jake Guentzel, robbed of sure goals earlier on two separate occasions, smoked Swayman like salmon with a bullet from the slot to knot the score at 3-3, courtesy of another artful setup by Brian Dumoulin and a screen by Crosby.
At this stage, I had high hopes we’d garner at least a point. But these are the Penguies. They taketh…and they giveth right back.
And so it was yesterday afternoon. Just past the 17-minute mark Kris Letang’s backhand clearing attempt hit a referee. The puck quickly transitioned from Pavel Zacha to Krejci to…you guessed it…Pastrnak in the high slot. Pasta blew a one-timer past Jarry.
Although the Pens had a 6-on-4 advantage in the closing minute, it was pretty much game, set and match. A disappointing end to an entertaining, but ultimately fruitless effort for our Pens.
Puckpourri
The Bruins had the edge in shot attempts (66-55) and shots on goal (35-24). The Pens, scoring chances (40-37) and high-danger chances (15-12).
Goodness, is Pastrnak a special player. It’s almost obscene to think he was a 25th overall pick. Pasta’s countryman, Zacha, assisted on three Bruins goals. Acquired from the Devils for journeyman Erik Haula in a steal of a deal, Zacha’s taking his game to new heights with the Bs. Kudos to Bruins GM Don Sweeney, who’s built a juggernaut in “The Hub.”
Rust paced the Pens with three points (2+1) to earn the second star. Good to see him get on the score sheet. Crosby incredibly snapped a seven-game assist drought and a three-game pointless streak.
Not to pick on guys, but I’d be remiss not to mention that it seems to be the same short list of culprits every game. Ruhwedel’s been mentioned far too much in a negative vein of late. And, my word, is POJ an adventure in his own zone, especially in tight quarters and along the boards. Right now, there’s way too much volatility in his game.
Speaking of culprits, if we miss the playoffs our not-so-special teams will have played a huge part in our demise. The PK has simply dissolved since Teddy Blueger and Brock McGinn were shipped out at the trade deadline and the power play is erratic at best. In many ways, a direct reflection of an up-and-down team.
On Tap
The Pens (37-29-10, 84 points) host the Flyers (29-33-13, 71 points) tonight. An absolute must-win game. Having backed themselves into a corner, there’s simply no margin for error…or letdown games.
That’s because the Panthers shelled the Blue Jackets, 7-0, last night to leap-frog into the second Eastern wild-card slot, one point ahead of us. We still have a game in hand.
Hey all,
I didn’t see this till after the fact. Radim Zohorna scored in his first game with Toronto on a quick shot from the top of the left circle.
Since departing the ‘Burgh, Big Z tallied 11 goals and 31 points in 46 AHL games split between the Calgary Wranglers and the Toronto Marlies. He was pointless in eight games with the Flames.
Toronto now has three ex-Penguin role players on their roster. Zach Aston-Reese and Sam Lafferty are the others.
Rick