I have a confession to make. Life, specifically dog sitting combined with an unfamiliar TV setup, kept me from watching last night’s Penguins-Canadiens tilt at PPG Paints Arena.
Instead, I occasionally checked the score on NHL.com. I was happy to see that we had a 3-2 lead in the third period, then understandably became discouraged when the Canadiens evened the score on a Noah Dobson backhander early in the frame.
Here we go again I thought. We’re either going to lose in regulation, overtime or the shootout.
Choose your poison.
I was especially sad when the match turned into a shootout. After all, Arthur Silov was in the net and had yielded an impressive eight shootouts after nine attempts. Talk about a loss waiting to happen!
Not to mention our top players, who repeatedly fire blanks in what amounts to a game-ending contest of skill.
You can only imagine my surprise and relief when the end result flashed on my phone… 4-3 penguins!
Hallelujah, the losing streak is dead! For this old Pens fan, Christmas came a few days early.
Maybe I should start doing doggy style more often.
Puckpourri
Aside from the win, that was the story of the night Sidney Crosby obscuring Mario Lemieux’s franchise record for most points (1,724). Super Sid tied Super Mario (and the game) with a redirection goal at 7:58 of the first period and outscored his former landlord minutes later with a second helper on by Rickard Rakell power play goal.
An incredible testament to Sid’s talent, passion, dedication, work ethic and astonishing consistency.
On a side note, I feel a little sorry for Lemieux. I know records are made to be broken, and I’m sure Le Magnifique will quickly agree.
But as anyone blessed enough to see Mario during his prime knows, he had no equal. If serious health problems hadn’t derailed his career twice, there’s no telling how many points No. 66 would have collected.
One of his achievements was a 46-game point streak when his back was so messed up that he couldn’t bend over to strap on his skates. Or the 51 points he scored in 19 games immediately after radiation for Hodgkin’s disease.
Mario was alien. May no one ever forget what he accomplished, not only on the ice but as an owner. He absolutely saved the franchise.
Back to the game.
Noel Acciari was the Pens’ other goal scorer. “Cookie” scored via a nice pass from Kris Letang at 11:51 of the second period, giving us a 3-2 lead. Speaking of Tangier, him and new partner Brett Ear enjoyed a particularly strong game, with fantastic statistics across the board. One from coach And Muse’s better adjustments.
Jack St Ivany re-entered the lineup and collided Connor Clifton to the press box. Him and partner Ryan Shea each ended with a minus-two. Rakell moved back to the top line, while Tommy Novak centered the second unit.
Kevin Hayes and Rakell scored in the shootout, while Silovs yielded just one marker in three Habs attempts. Arturs stopped 22 of 25 shots over 65 minutes to earn his first victory since November 6, a span of eight starts.
Not surprisingly, the losing streak cost the Pens (11-15-9) significant ground in the standings. We currently rank seventh in the Metro (or second to last) with 39 points, fourth fewest in the Eastern Conference. It is remarkable that we are only two points away from a wildcard spot.
We wrap up the pre-holiday schedule with a visit to Toronto on Tuesday evening. The Leafs are last in the Atlantic Division, but have given us fits.
It would certainly be nice for a supposed starter Stuart Skinner to take his first victory in the black and gold and send us into the holiday with a good feeling.
#Penguins #skid #Clip #Canadiens #shootout