In an upside down, left-is-right-and-vice-versa type of season where nothing seems to have quite gone according to plan, the Penguins pulled yet another surprise from their bag of tricks yesterday afternoon at American Airlines Arena.
Their victims? The Dallas Stars, winners of seven in a row and solid Stanley Cup contenders. In hindsight, they didn’t stand a chance.
After spotting the Stars a 2-1 lead after two periods, our Pens came roaring back on the strength of a 17-shot, four-goal, third-period onslaught to whup our hosts, 5-3.
That makes three remarkably strong games in a row against tough opponents since the decision was made to summon top forward prospects Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen from the Baby Pens. Who knew that adding a couple of choice kids to the mix would make such a difference?
I sure as heck didn’t.
McGroarty, who plays a remarkably mature all-around game, doesn’t look the least bit out of place skating next to franchise icon Sidney Crosby. While Koivunen didn’t crack the scoresheet, he produced some terrific underlying stats (Corsi 68.97, xGF% 64.62) and continues to drive play whenever he’s on the ice.
Each drew a penalty as well.
Perhaps just as important, their presence has enabled coach Mike Sullivan to flesh out four reasonably solid lines. Statistically speaking, all were in the pink (or black if you prefer) yesterday afternoon.
The Pens struck first on the power play four minutes into the first period, with Crosby converting a pass from Evgeni Malkin off the end boards originally intended for McGroarty. The Stars rallied on a pair of markers by Evgenni Dadonov, who like No. 87 would go on to register a hat trick before all was said and done.
Thanks to a strong forecheck, the Pens knotted the score on the opening shift of the final period. Bryan Rust hounded former Pen Cody Ceci into a turnover and the puck popped loose to McGroarty, who immediately fed Sid in the slot for the game-tying tally.
When Dadonov completed his hat trick three minutes later to reclaim the lead for the Stars, it looked like business as usual for our boys. But Rust took full advantage of a blown tire by Ilya Lyubushkin to beat old friend Casey DeSmith on a backhander to knot the score at 3-all.
As the game clock ticked down under two minutes we appeared to be heading to overtime. However, in a play that can only be described as Penguin-esque, Thomas Harley ran smack into defense partner Ceci as he attempted to skate the puck out of the Stars’ zone. Danton Heinen pounced on the gift turnover and fed Blake Lizotte, who had DeSmith at his mercy.
With 75 seconds left and the Stars applying heat in front of our net, Sid split the uprights with a straight-as-a-string, 190-foot empty-netter. Securing both the victory and his hatty in one fell swoop.
Super Sid
Obviously all eyes in the hockey world are on Caps great Alex Ovechkin as he seeks to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal scoring record, and rightfully so. In my mind, Gretzky’s mark of 894 career goals was unassailable, much like Babe Ruth’s since eclipsed record of 714 home runs in baseball.
But my word, has Sid been playing some HOCKEY. I can’t help but think he’s using Ovi’s run to the record as inspiration. As if to say in his own understated yet forceful way, don’t forget about me.
Yesterday’s four-point effort gives him 86 points on the season. Jaw-dropping when you consider his age (37) and the overall state of the team (i.e., not very good).
Much like the finest of wines, Sid seems to get better with age. Indeed, he’s reached the 30-goal plateau four seasons running and for the 13th time in his illustrious career. During his recent 12-game points streak, he’s produced 11 goals and 20 points. As a refresher, our captain closed with a rush last season as well with nine goals and 25 points in his last 13 games.
I mean, who does that sort of thing at his age? Or any age, for that matter?
Super Sid, that’s who.
And he makes it all look so effortless, so routine, when in reality his exemplary performance is the result of an incredible amount of dedication, discipline and hard work.
Did I mention he’s third in the NHL with 55 5v5 points? Only three behind Nikita Kucherov and two ahead of fellow Tim Hortons trainee and league scoring leader Nathan MacKinnon.
Incredible doesn’t begin to describe him.
Puckpourri
If I didn’t know better I’d swear the teams switched defensive corps yesterday. Indeed, the Stars’ defensive largesse rivaled that of the black and gold, with Ceci (minus-2) the leading practitioner.
Then again, it wasn’t his fault. I’d complimented Cody and DeSmith in an article only a few days before. Yes, the dreaded PenguinPoop curse is alive and well…lol.
Rust tied career highs with his 28th goal and 58th point. Nice to see Malkin and Kris Letang pick up assists yesterday. Geno needs three points to reach 50 on the season, Tanger a point to register 30. Pulling for them both to get there.
Speaking of milestones, the Pens need to win four of their last five, or something along those lines, to reach hockey .500. We’re presently 31-34-12.
Since the trade deadline, we’re 7-3-2. Makes you wonder what might have been had we not fallen into a 1-7-1 trough leading up to the deadline.
Is it just me? Or does a successful retool-on-the-fly suddenly not seem so farfetched?
This afternoon, the Blackhawks in the Windy City.
