Penguins Bedevil Jersey, 4-1

In their first game following the extended Olympic break, the Penguins beat the Devils last night at PPG Paints Arena by a 4-1 count.

Understandably, the Pens looked a bit rusty and disjointed out of the starting blocks, but still managed to grab the lead on a power-play redirect by Tommy Novak 69 seconds before the intermission.

The Devils pushed back during a sloppy second period that saw the locals take four trips to the sin bin. With a delayed penalty about to be called, Dougie Hamilton banked the puck in off Paul Cotter at 4:56 to even the score.

It was touch-and-go for a while as Olympic hero Jack Hughes began to assert himself, but goalie Arturs Silovs was razor-sharp between the pipes and made some big saves.

Then came the third period and a good, old-fashioned black-and-gold explosion. Ryan Shea unleashed a bomb from the top of the left circle at 6:30 that ricocheted off the crossbar and straight to Connor Clifton at the top of the right circle. “Cliffy” promptly fired off a laser that went bar-down and in.

Before you could say, 2-1 Pens, it was 3-1 Pens.

A scant 50 seconds later, Evgeni Malkin fed countryman Egor Chinakhov breaking over the Devils’ blue line. With a frightful burst of straight-ahead speed, the new father turned Brett Pesce into a lamp post and beat Jacob Markstrom five-hole with a dazzling backhand-forehand move.

An electric goal, one that pretty much took the starch out of the Devils.

However, Clifton got whistled for delay of game late to provide the Devils with a 6-on-4 power play. Like a snake lurking in the weeds, Blake Lizotte timed Hamilton’s attempted cross-ice feed perfectly and proceeded to beat the big defender up ice before burying an empty-netter and the Devils along with it.

Puckpourri

With his goal and game-high seven hits, Clifton earned top-star honors. Silovs nabbed the second star with a stellar performance. He turned aside 28 of 29 shots, good for a .966 save percentage. Chinakhov was named third star.

I wonder what CBJ GM Don Waddell was drinking when he agreed to trade “Chinny” to us for trinkets and baubles? Probably the same brand of firewater the Indians were nipping when they sold Manhattan to the Dutch.

Malkin woulda, coulda, shoulda have earned a star as well. The big guy was swooping around the ice like a giant bird of prey while collecting two assists. Still can’t get over how awesome he looks at age 39.

Speedy Avery Hayes didn’t show up on the scoresheet, but was most noticeable with his gritty, opportunistic play. Simply put, this kid’s a keeper.

Kudos to coach Dan Muse for leaving his bottom-three forward lines intact, opting to play Hayes with Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust.

Kris Letang (an assist) and newcomer Samuel Girard were on the ice for the lone Devils’ goal. Dear Lord, does the latter look small on the ice, like a little kid out there. I still think we’ll come to regret parting with ultra-steady Brett Kulak, but for the most part Girard did okay and seemed content to cover Letang’s backside.

The deal is done. Get over it, Buker.

Back to Silovs. I thought the kid was terrific. Great athleticism and glove. He’s registered a .900 save percentage or better in seven of his past eight starts and appears to be playing with a lot of confidence. Yet another Kyle Dubas roll of the dice that’s starting to pay dividends.

Standings-wise, the Pens (30-15-12, 72 points) maintain their hold on second place in the Metro, one point ahead of the pesky Islanders. Five up on the Caps, the team we must stay ahead of. Given the comparative strength of the Atlantic Division, garnering a wild-card spot could prove problematic.

Up next, Mike Sullivan’s Rangers at MSG tomorrow afternoon, followed by a matinee matchup with Vegas at home on Sunday.