Penguins Burn Devils, 7-3, Win Fourth in a Row

Who in the heck are those guys who’ve been showing up clad in Penguins uniforms at PPG Paints Arena of late, and what have they done with the real Penguins? You know, the ones who were fast becoming Tankathon darlings.

Or, as Hedley Lamarr’s henchman, Taggart, exclaimed in the 1974 comedy classic, Blazing Saddles, “What in the wide, wide world of sports is a goin’ on here?”

My goodness, if we keep on winning like we did this afternoon against the Devils, not only will we have to kiss our dwindling chances of landing a lottery pick goodbye, we may actually have to resurrect those long abandoned playoff aspirations.

In the wake of the trade deadline, the Pens have looked and felt like a different team. Some guys are meant to lead while others are meant to follow. Without naming names or pointing fingers, going back to the Vancouver trade it feels like we’ve shed some passengers and added guys who are actually dipping their oars into the water and helping to row. Putting their backs into it, in an oarsman’s vernacular.

Front and center in that category are eleventh-hour trade deadline acquisitions Connor Dewar and Conor Timmins. A buzzsaw cut from the Blake Lizotte cloth, Dewar potted not one but two goals, giving him three in his past two games. This after scoring zero, zip, nada in 31 games for the Maple Leafs this season.

Timmins, who seems to be growing more comfortable and assertive with each game, tallied two assists to go with a plus-4. He’s a plus-7 over his past two games!

Better still, the newcomers have helped create a synergistic wave among the holdovers. Dewar’s presence seems to have revived Lizotte’s dormant offensive game. The duo have displayed great chemistry. Heck, Dewar even helped drag Noel Acciari onto the scoresheet (an assist).

Perhaps the greatest injection of hidden vigorish has come from Tristan Jarry. With his career teetering on the edge, he’s turned back the clock and rediscovered his all-star chops.

No, Tristan wasn’t perfect against the Devils (.889 save percentage). But he made the saves he had to the make. The ones that gave his team a chance to win.

That’s all you can ask of a goalie.

Puckpourri

Although the final score of 7-3 would indicate otherwise, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for our boys. Up 4-1 midway through the game and seemingly in complete command, we abruptly shifted into self-destruct mode, yielding a short-handed goal on a 2-on-0 that was mercifully nullified due to an offside.

Oblivious to the fact that we’d dodged a bullet, we promptly served up back-to-back power plays of the four-minute variety, courtesy of Acciari and Evgeni Malkin high sticks. Both led to Devils goals.

Fortunately, Erik Karlsson lasered home a power-play goal of his own from the high slot at 14:17 of the third period to reclaim our momentum.

Philip Tomasino (10^th) and Rickard Rakell (31^st) also scored for the Pens. Really like what I see from Tomasino. The kid’s shifty and has some serious skill. Plays with a little fire, too.

Kevin Hayes and Danton Heinen, who enjoyed a particularly strong game, chipped in on the score sheet as well. Sidney Crosby picked up his 50^th assist and now has 73 points in 67 games.

Amazing.

Malkin’s high-sticking penalty was particularly egregious given the situation. However, Geno at least partially redeemed himself with the primary assist on Karlsson’s goal. He finished a plus-3.

Emil Bemström at long last got off the point-scoring schnide with an assist on Hayes’ marker. It was his first point in 10 games with the big boys this season.

Since being dealt to the Devils at the deadline, Cody Glass has two goals and four points (to go with a plus-5) in four games.

As of this post, the Pens (28-31-10, 66 points) are six points out of a wild-card spot. Given that all of our competition have games in hand, a playoff berth is a pipe dream at best.

However, to quote Dumb and Dumber, “So you’re saying there’s a chance!”