Funny how things work sometimes. On Monday night, the Penguins received Grade-A goaltending from Arthur Silov to deal with substandard overall performance. On Tuesday evening we had a Grade A attempt but received shaky netmining from our hitherto Rock of Gibraltar, Stuart Skinner.
That’s the way the puck bounces, I guess.
Shame. Last night’s match was truly a joy to watch. It had the riveting intensity and feel of a play-off game. Other than a few erratic mistakes, I thought we were pretty much on the Islanders from start to finish. Unfortunately, the end result, a 5-4 overtime loss, felt all too familiar considering our checkered history against the Fish Sticks.
The Pens took the lead in red-hot fashion at 12:09 of the first period by Anthony Mantha 20e purpose of the campaign. Thanks to a slick setup with one hand on his stick Justin Brazeau.
It looked like we would continue that lead into the first intermission when BANG-BANG, our hosts, struck twice in the final 79 seconds. The starting signal of rookie sensation Matthew Schaefer on a long-range bomb, just four seconds before the horn.
The first indication that Skinner was off his game.
Unphased, the Pens came out guns blazing in the second period. Egor Chinachov beat Ilya Sorokin with an absolute laser from the left circle at 3:52 to tie the score at 2.
At 2:09 PM we took the lead after a goal by Bryan Rust that was part greasy, part WOW. Like making Mike Lange’s bulldozing a construction site, the gritty winger plowed his way along the boards before bouncing off a Schaefer check and settling near the net. Sidney Crosby followed the cycling suit and made a short pass to Rusty, who had the skill and cleverness to fire the puck from behind the goal line through the back of Sorokin’s glove.
Still, you had to know that those pesky islands wouldn’t disappear. To quote the former Pens tough guy Bob “Battleship” Kelly“they are like a disease that you cannot get rid of.” And so it was. Of Ilya Soloviev ensure a perfect and unhappy screen in the slot, Matt Barzal beat Skinner from downtown to tie the game at 3 apiece.
Once again our boys pushed back. Just over two minutes later, Brazeau came BIG again with a nifty redirection of one Brett Ear shot/pass.
As much as I hoped that would be enough, I had a feeling it wasn’t. Sure enough, with just under five minutes to go in regulation Ryan Pulock ran through a seam and beat Skinner from the top of the left circle.
Still, my prayers were answered (more or less) as we persevered to earn a point and force overtime. However, Kulak gambled and drove to the net, holding all three pins deep and sending Bo Horvat rumbling ice on an escape. To Kulak’s credit, he rushed like crazy to get back, but Horvat had too much of a lead. The husky Isles forward beat Skinner’s high glove for the OT winner.
Puckpourri
Speaking of which, after a stellar eight-game run, Big Stu showed his warts in his past two starts with a maximum of ten goals allowed on 43 shots. A Tristan Jarry-esque .767 save percentage.
Why Jarry-esque you ask? With a save percentage of 0.872 in the West, our former No. 1 has his own problems. Recently, the Edmonton native had the audacity to call out his teammates for not defending hard enough. Never a good look for a goalkeeper.
Maybe I should have been more somber and foreboding, but there was so much to like about our piece. We beat the Isles 35-23, which I think is a pretty fair representation of the action. We did everything we could except secure the second point.
The top line showed some jumps, thanks to Rusty’s return. We received contributions across the board, as nine skaters scored at least one point. The Big Line (minus one) was huge (pun intended). Our fourth line? Plague City, as usual.
And Chinachov? My goodness, this little boy is so impressive. Not just the world-class recording, but also the world-class speed. Eight goals in seventeen games says enough.
This is the first time I had a chance to focus on Soloviev. I have to say I was impressed with what I saw – at least up until the moment he took Skinner’s gaze away from the Islanders’ third goal. Good size, good stick, good skate. Physical to boot.
Despite the loss, the Pens (28-15-12, 68 points) remain in second place in the Metro, one point ahead of the Islanders with two games remaining. Watch out for the red-hot CBJ, who has won six straight under the new coach Rick Bowness. They are in fourth place with 63 points.
Thank the Lord we acquired Chinakhov before Bowness started working with him.
We wrap up our pre-Olympics on Thursday night against the vastly improved Sabers in Buffalo. Must be a barn burner. I still hope to reach the break with 70 points.
In memory
Jim Morrisonone of the first Pens, recently passed away at the age of 94. An all-star defenseman for Toronto in the 1950s, ‘Pappy’ toiled in the AHL as a mainstay for the Quebec Aces for nearly a decade before joining the Pens at age 38 for two seasons (’69-71).
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