Stars Outshine Valiant Penguins, 3-2

So close…and yet so far.

That’s the best way I can describe the Penguins’ 3-2 loss to the Stars last night at American Airlines Arena.

Coming hot on the heels of our scintillating triumph over Colorado, I really wasn’t expecting much. Not on such a tight turnaround. Not with our old legs. And not against a tough and talented team like the Stars.

Yet the Pens authored another gutty, gritty effort that in many ways was even more valiant than the previous night’s work given the wholly unfavorable circumstances.

Indeed, our guys emptied the tank, leaving nothing on the table. While I would love to have come away with at least a point for our efforts, that’s all you can really ask of a group of players. That they give their all.

Then again, it’s kind of hard not to when you see the example set by your captain. I don’t know if our Pens will make the playoffs…the deck seems stacked against us. But if Sidney Crosby has anything to do with it, we will.

There he was on the second night of back-to-backs, tracking all the way back on defense, diving on his belly to swat away loose pucks. In short, doing all the unglamorous but necessary things that make him such a complete player and unique talent. Anything he could do to lead us to victory he did.

When we trailed, 1-0, early in the second period, it was Sid who gave us life, converting a crisp, diagonal feed through traffic from Jake Guentzel for the game-tying goal. Fueling a dominant stretch where we attempted 16 shots to the Stars’ one.

At one point during the telecast, ESPN announcers Ray Ferraro and Steve Levy labelled Sid “underappreciated” and I wholeheartedly agree. He’s so consistent and he does so many things well, it’s all-too-easy to take him for granted.

Enjoy him while we’ve got him, folks. Once he’s gone, he’s gone, and we’ll never have another like him.

Back to the game. Remarkably, the Pens were having their way with the Central kingpins until the six-minute mark of the third period, when Pierre-Olivier Joseph drew a penalty for hooking Stars captain Jamie Benn. Our penalty killers rose to the occasion to keep the score knotted at 1-1.

Unfortunately, one of our recurring negatives reared its ugly head moments later. Almost every game it seems one of our guys commits a glaring mistake or pulls a bonehead move to cost us the game. And so it was last night.

Reprising his “goat” role (and I’m not talking greatest of all time) from our recent loss to Ottawa, Chad Ruhwedel was whistled for high-sticking at 8:55. A ghastly penalty to take at such a critical juncture. The Stars cashed in, as Joe Pavelski steered a long-range shot from Miro Heiskanen off the far post and in.

The camera panned from a dejected Ruhwedel returning to the Pens’ bench to Pavelski celebrating his goal. To borrow from the old ABC show Wide World of Sports, “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.”

Less than two minutes later Benn struck courtesy of a jarring rebound off Casey DeSmith’s mask to make it 3-1.

Down but not out, the Pens kept battlin.’ Taking full advantage of a chorus-line of traffic, Joseph walked down the slot and beat a heavily screened Jake Oettinger stick side to make it 3-2.

A late penalty to Jani Hakanpaa with just over a minute remaining gave us a 6-on-4 power play. The Pens poured five shots at Oettinger, including a dandy by Rickard Rakell with 42 seconds left, and attempted five more, but couldn’t score the equalizer.

On this night our guys deserved a better fate.

Puckpourri

Again the Pens controlled “the process.” According to Natural Stat Trick, we held the high ground in shot attempts (82-58), shots on goal (42-33), scoring chances (48-34) and high-danger chances (25-16).

DeSmith stopped 30 of 33 shots (.909 save percentage) in a typically gritty, workmanlike effort. Casey has a 2.28 goals against average and .923 save percentage in six appearances in March. A .918 save percentage since the All-Star break.

A good thing, because Casey may once again be required to shoulder the load. Tristan Jarry sustained a lower-body injury against Colorado. Dustin Tokarski’s been recalled from the Baby Pens.

Sid’s goal, his 31st of the campaign, was the first of his career in Dallas. He’s now scored at least one goal in every opposing team’s city.

Moments before Joseph’s penalty, Oettinger snuffed a Bryan Rust backhander from the doorstep, which would’ve given the Pens the lead.

All of our forward lines had a positive CORSI. The Crosby line dominated (23 shot attempts for and only 10 against). Sid launched a game-high seven shots on goal, Rust five.

Evgeni Malkin (three shots on goal) had several open looks from the right circle but couldn’t beat Oettinger. Although not for a lack of effort or effectiveness, Geno has only one goal in March to go with 11 assists.

Not to pick on him, but it wasn’t an especially good night for Ruhwedel. He got caught flatfooted at our blue line on the Stars’ first goal by Roope Hintz (the best name in hockey). Still, our patchwork defense is acquitting itself at least reasonably well. GM Ron Hextall doesn’t get much credit for anything, but he has provided some quality depth on defense, ex-Flyer Mark Friedman (an assist last night) in particular.

On Tap

The Pens (35-27-10, 80 points) return home to face the Capitals (34-31-8, 76 points) on Saturday night. The Caps still have a remote shot at a wild-card slot.

Speaking of, Florida got shelled by Toronto last night, 6-2. So they still trail our Pens by a point in the race for the last Eastern wild-card spot. Both teams have played 72 games.