As often as not, I tend to feel bad luck for our penguins. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve left the TV to talk to a gym member, only to hit the black-and-gold score at that moment.
Well, last night seemed to be the exception to the rule. Due to a lull in activity at Wright’s Gym, I was able to watch the first two periods of last night’s match in Toronto.
Needless to say, I was very impressed. Skating with a laser, north-south focus and WARP speed, we built a dazzling 55-20 advantage in shot attempts and an equally dazzling 25-8 advantage in shots on goal over 40 minutes. In the meantime, he methodically built a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 lead.
Total domination. Easily our most impressive hockey of the season.
With victory all but assured, I turned away from the reception TV early in the third period to do my final chores. Just as I did so, I heard the horn sound announcing a goal, accompanied by a loud cheer from the Maple Leaf partisans.
I looked over my shoulder in time to see a replay of it Auston Matthews’ goal.
Okay, 3-1, I thought. We still have this. We just have to stick to our game.
I left to do my chores. While I was in the weight room filling spray bottles and such, I glanced at one of the TVs.
Three-two. Oops, the situation is getting a little tighter.
I returned to reception just in time to catch up William Nylanders second goal of the match, bringing the score to 3. Only then did I get a knot the size of a grapefruit in my stomach. We could lose this thing.
A few minutes later my worst fears came true Bobby McManncalled by the coach Craig Berube earlier in the day he jumped on a rebound and drilled it past Tristan Jarry of the threshold to bring the Leafs completely out of obscurity. In the process, the epic collapse of the Pens is completed.
Puckpourri
The terrible finish overshadowed a great performance with two goals from Ben Kindel. Late in the first period, the hot rookie scored from a scramble to the net without actually shooting the puck. He saved that for his second goal of the night, which came on the power play at 11:50 of the second period. Taking a smooth diet of Evgeni Malkin on the edge of the left circle, the precocious rookie drifted through the circle to change the angle before ripping an absolute rocket from the side post and ripping inside.
My word, can Ben shoot the cookie?
Erik Karlsson scored our first goal (and his first of the season) at 13:08 of the first period on an equally bad snipe from the right circle, thanks to a cross-ice feed from Sidney Crosby. I’ve noted this before, but the EK65 is deadly from the circles.
Now the bad.
In the shadow of last season, Jarry was pinched for four goals on 20 shots. It’s hard to fault him for Matthews’ breakaway goal. The Leafs captain makes a lot of netminders look bad. But the others, especially Nylander’s long-range slammer that tied the score, were more suspect.
Not to pick on them (no pun intended), but PicNic’s defensive pair were on the ice for two of the Leafs’ goals. About the game winner, Owen Pickering lost a puck battle along the wall to the much smaller one Nick Robertsonwho then drove to the net with impunity.
The big boys weren’t waterproof either. Bryan Rust each finished with a minus-3, Sid and Geno minus-2.
Noel Acciari left after two shifts with an upper body injury, causing And Muse to juggle his lines. Speaking of which, the Pens coach judiciously called a timeout to calm the troops down after the Leafs second goal, but to no avail.
Justin Brazeau sat outside again. Philip Tomasino Once again he came on and picked up his first assist (and point) of the campaign, just as he did Ville Koivunen. Geno still leads the league with 16 assists.
With two defeats in a row, we can safely say that the setback came with a clear blow. It will be interesting to see how we respond.
Next, the Pens (8-4-2) return home to take on the Capitals (6-5-1) on Thursday night.
Oh, Harrison Brunicke played in his ninth game. One more and the first year of his entry-level contract will begin, a la Kindel.
#Maple #Leafs #stun #Penguins #late #rally