When we were kids growing up in suburban Bethel Park, my brother, Dan, would get so excited at the sight of presents under our family’s Christmas tree that he would scream and almost hyperventilate.
Well, last night when Penguins were rookies Avery Hayes shot past the Sabers defender Jacob Bryson with a shocking burst of speed before blowing the puck past Alex LyonI also let out a similar scream.
Totally involuntary.
And then it happened again 73 seconds before the first break. Again, from a play by Hayes. The courageous 5’10” 180-pounder drove through the neutral zone, dumped the puck in the Sabres’ end and crashed 6’4” 230-pound Mattias Samuelsson into the end boards as he battles for the puck. Then he cut the check and chased 6’6” 220 pounds Take Thompson into the wall, bumped into him and drove away That check and bolted to the net just in time to get a nifty backhand feed between the legs of Anthony Mantha.
Once again I felt something like a charge of electricity through me. Judging from their reaction, I think Avery’s teammates did too. But I digress.
Maybe I should start at the beginning. As much as I hoped for a win, I didn’t think one would happen. Not with Rickard Rakell, Noel Acciari And Blake Lizotte out for the game. Especially without the latter (1-5-3 without Lizzo going in).
The home Sabers also looked nothing like a pushover. Not with a stellar 21-4-2 record dating back to December 9.
Nothing that happened in the first nine minutes could sway my opinion. Especially after an old friend Jason Sugar scored off the rush at 1:48 on the very first shot on goal.
Then Hayes Lightning struck, completely changing the tenor of the game. Given the equivalent of a high shot of Jolt Cola by their rookie, the Pens, who had looked a little weak at the start, suddenly began to impose their will.
Not to be left behind, fellow rookie Ben Kindel was seen at the Ritz at 7:44 of the second period, to borrow from Mike Lange. Kindel took advantage of a blown tire, again by the hapless Bryson, scooped the puck along the boards and raced into the Sabres’ zone on a 2-on-1 with Justin Brazeau. The boy sold a pass with his eyes until he didn’t, firing the puck past Lyon from the left circle.
Three-one, great players, on the way to the final period.
Unfortunately, Evgeni Malkin was whistled for a phantom trip penalty in just 74 seconds (#$&! refs). The impossibly tall Thompson struck from an impossibly acute angle to cut our lead to 3-2.
It was pins and needles for pretty much the rest of the match. Happy, Arthur Silov was again beautiful between the pipes. And Thompson graciously fluffed a huge chance from the slot with about seven minutes to play.
A few minutes later, Tommy Novak struck from the threshold to make it 4-2, thanks to a masterful piece of puck ragging and a long shot/pass from Egor Chinachov.
Incredibly, Mantha was ejected for hooking with 89 seconds left (#$&! Refs Part 2), essentially giving the Sabers a 6-on-4 power play with plenty of time to boot. But Silovs and the Pens held firm and Kindel potted an empty-netter with 14 seconds to play to seal the deal.
Puckpourri
What a unbelievable debut from Hayes, who earned top stardom and was arguably the most dangerous player on the ice. The boy fired six shots on target, most of which were tied on pins with the OG Kid. Sidney Crosby. Avery joined in Jake Guentzel And Robbie Brown as the only players in franchise history to score a pair of goals in their black-and-gold debut.
Speaking of Hayes, as in Kevin, the veteran forward, who centers the fourth line for Avery and Rutger McGroarty had excellent numbers across the board in his first game action since January 11, including a Corsi of 80 and an xGF% of 97.89!
And what a tough game Bryan Rustwithout collecting a single point or shot on goal. With top penalty killers Acciari and Lizotte out, Rust returned to his early pro days as a bottom sixer and delivered a gritty, inspired performance, especially on the PK. His three blocked shots were a game-high.
Sabers forward Peyton Krebs inexplicably/unintentionally ran over Silovs at 10:33 of the third period, earning swift retaliation and some borderline justice from him Connor Clifton. In addition to scrutinizing Krebs, the rugged rearguard finished with a plus-3 with five goals, equalizing Parker Wotherspoon for most of the night.
“Spoon” seems to be playing with a burr under his saddle lately. I like it. He and Clifton provide a physical 1-2 punch to the backline that we haven’t used since the days of Brooks Orpik And Deryk Engelland.
Speaking of Silovs, he was once again great with 26 saves on 28 shots. Over his past seven starts, the acrobatic netminder has stopped 177 of 192 shots, good for a .922 save percentage. He seems to be developing as a solid NHL goaltender, just like Kyle Dubas had hoped.
Now that we are aiming for a position of organizational strength, it could afford our POHO/GM the luxury of having someone available for additional help at the deadline, should he choose.
Once again I paid close attention to the newcomer Ilya Soloviev. I had just made a mental note that I liked what I saw as Thompson undressed. Oh, the PenguinPoop the curse is alive and well.
The Pens (29-15-12, 70 points) maintain their second-place position in the Metro at the Olympic break, one point ahead of the Islanders and five points ahead of the fourth-place Blue Jackets and Capitals.
Time for a deep breath and some well deserved R ‘n’ R for most of the boys. Good luck to Sid, Silovs and Erik Karlssonwho will represent their respective countries at the upcoming Olympic Games.
Our prayers and best wishes for a full recovery for the former GM Craig Patrickwho suffered a stroke in late December. There simply isn’t a better or more stylish man in all of hockey. Truly a Hall-of-Famer in the front office and also as a person.
#Penguins #clash