Coming back from a three day rest and one of the biggest holidays of the year, a sluggish game against the Carolina Hurricanes would have been the least surprising. After all, it was the Penguins who lost 3-1 last season against the Ottawa Senators the day after Christmas.
Different season. Different story.
The Penguins scored three goals in the third period to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2. Evgeni Malkin and James Neal extended their point streaks to 8 games with 2 points each, and Jordan Staal scored a goal to notch his 400th career point as the Penguins tallied three goals in the final period for the second straight game. It was a game in which the Penguins heavily out shot the Hurricanes 52-18 and needed all 52 shots to defeat backup goaltender, Justin Peters.
Despite being out shot 16-7 in the first period, it was the Hurricanes who struck first. Tim Gleason took advantage of a Zbynek Michalek turnover when he sent a slap-pass to former Penguin, Tim Brent, who tipped the puck in past Marc-Andre Fleury. The goal was especially frustrating for the Penguins who had been shut down by Justin Peters despite controlling most of the play.
The Pens evened the score in the second period when James Neal buried his 21st goal of the season. Chris Kunitz split the defense and took a shot while on a partial breakaway. The puck trickled past Peters and found Neal’s stick after defenseman Bryan Allen failed to clear the puck out of the crease. The Penguins finished the second period tied 1-1 while out shooting the Hurricanes 21-3. Through the first 40 minutes, it looked as though Justin Peters was going to steal the night as he’s seen his teammate, Cam Ward, do so many times. But, in the third period, the dam finally broke and the Penguins were able to claim victory for the fourth straight game.
While on the powerplay to start the third period, James Neal fed Steve Sullivan for a perfect one timer passed the outstretched left pad of Peters. Just 1:10 later, Pascal Dupuis tallied his 11th goal of the year during a 2 on 1 feed from Tyler Kennedy. As the game wore on, the Penguins took advantage of a tired Carolina team that had played the night before. Dupuis’ goal developed into a 2 on 1 after defenseman Justin Faulk fell down in the neutral zone. Jordan Staal scored on a 2 on 1 after Jay Harrison was caught pinching in the offensive zone. Staal picked a corner and sniped another wrist shot past the helpless Justin Peters for the 400th point of his career.
The Hurricanes got a goal from Tuomo Ruutu with under six minutes remaining but it was a mere formality as the Penguins continue to rebound after a rough stretch in mid-December. After defeating the Capitals and Hurricanes to start the month, the Penguins dropped 4 of their next 5 games while playing against some of the best teams in the league.
The worst loss, wasn’t a game but a player. After a rough loss to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins, the Penguins lost their captain, Sidney Crosby, due to concussion-like symptoms. Since then, Crosby has not returned but the team has found leadership due to the play of Evgeni Malkin and James Neal. After a horrible loss to the Ottawa Senators, the Penguins destroyed Buffalo 8-3 the following night thanks to a Malkin hat trick, then held on to defeat the vaunted Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on national television. The Penguins capped off their last two wins with three-goal third period rallies, the first of which against the Winnipeg Jets last Friday.
The Penguins will look to extend their win streak to five games on Thursday night when Jaromir Jagr and Max Talbot make their much-anticipated returns to Pittsburgh while playing for the hated Philadelphia Flyers.
Photo courtesy of tricityherald.com
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