Here’s a stat for you: When the Penguins convert on 100% of their powerplays and kill 100% of their penalties on December 7th at home, they win 100% of those games.
As it turns out, being efficient and effective at the special teams side of the game of ice hockey can actually win you hockey games! Last night, if the penalty kill was a elegant cheese plate, the powerplay was that fine wine pairing you only get in the rolling hills of Oregon.
We always knew what the Pens powerplay was going to be this year. Me, you, us, your Uncle Ron who inexplicably only drinks Genny Light and talks about how this iteration (not his words, obviously) will “never be that good because they miss guys that play like Chris Tamer too much,” all knew this would be a top 3-5 powerplay in the league.
The PK was always going to have some kinks to work out with the offseason departures. Don’t look now, but it’s begun to climb out of that basement pit of despair it’s been residing most of the year. Over the last 10 games, the PK is clicking at 83.78%, allowing just 6 goals on 37 times shorthanded. That percentage is tied for 6th best over that span, moving them up to 17th overall in the league.
That upward swing was on full display in this one and saved the Pens bacon in the 2nd period, killing all 4 penalties levied against them, including 3 straight in the middle 20. That sort of efficiency isn’t sustainable, but boy, is it starting to look like they have their shit sorted out now.
LINEUP
Ready to battle the Dark Side. pic.twitter.com/fcV0Whm2In
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 7, 2017
Schultz’ injury and subsequently going on IR paved the way for Ruhwedel to return to the lineup. Apparently it was also Star Wars night at PPG for some fucking reason.
https://twitter.com/AnthraxJones/status/938920120663134208
FIRST PERIOD
Just 2:03 into the game, the Pens would have to kill off their first of 4 penalties with Malkin going to the box for some stupid cross-checking penalty on Baker Mayfield. Tristan Jarry was far and away the best penalty killer for the Pens on this one, putting together a big collection of saves on Anders Lee to keep everything level. As soon as Malkin was released from his cage, his line went back to establishing their dominance. The whole game, the Phil-Gene-Jake line were alpha AF every single time they jumped over the boards, individually accounting for a combined 8 of the Pens 27 scoring chances in the game, while being on ice for ~11 in total.
With 8:56 to play in the period, Anders Lee would trip Hornqvist up to put the Pens on their first of 2 powerplays of the night and almost conceded a shorty within seconds of the powerplay starting, but a great play from Letang broke up the 2v1 look. Phil took off the other way, gained the zone, and let Crosby get shit set up. Everything was going through 58 at the point, who wasn’t wasting any time firing shots at the net. After getting one stopped, Crosby and Malkin cleaned it up and got it back to Letang to half-clap one off Bake’s shaft to give him his 13th of the year. 1-0
https://gfycat.com/gifs/detail/WelcomeOrneryEquine
UPDATE (12/8/17, 11:50 AM): Apparently, the NHL reviewed the goal and determined it went off of Pelech’s stick, not Guentzel’s.
SCORING CHANGE: The @nhl announced today that the @penguins opening goal from last night vs. #NYI should now be credited to Kris Letang, his 2nd of the year. Assists go to Evgeni Malkin & Sidney Crosby. Letang had 1G-1A and Crosby 2A yesterday.
— Penguins PR (@PenguinsPR) December 8, 2017
Gave the Pens PPGs in 7 of their last 8 games. All Pens in the first, outshooting the Isles 15-6 and attempting 23 shots at even strength, allowing just 7.
SECOND PERIOD
On the first two shifts of the 2nd, the Pens could’ve gone up 2 or 3-0, but Halak was just dialed in as he always seems to be in games in Pittsburgh to turn aside Hornqvist on the doorstep and Phil on a breakaway.
https://gfycat.com/gifs/detail/ReliableTotalChimpanzee
Somehow, the Pens got called for too many men right after Halak’s save. Once again, the Pens would kill it off, but it wouldn’t be enough to keep the Isles from equalizing two minutes later. Somewhere along the line, Dumoulin lost his stick. Crosby gave his up to Dumo right before he took an incidental shot to the dome from Eberle . So effectively, the Pens were so shorthanded that they looked like they had no arms or legs.
Crosby stayed on the ice without his twig, but it was Matt Barzal putting on a goddamn show in the Pens zone before dropping it off to Nick Leddy at the point. He immediately got it to Ryan Pulock to go at and walk the stickless Crosby, combining with Eberle to get a shot on Jarry from in tight. Madness ensued and Eberle poked the loose puck home. ‘Tis but a scratch. 1-1
https://gfycat.com/gifs/detail/FineEnragedHammerheadshark
https://twitter.com/G_Off817/status/938944412582805504
Barzal would get himself another chance midway through the period on a 2v1 that was defended very well by Hunwick, who took away the pass and allowed Jarry to square up to the shot before the Pens would have to kill two more penalties (Hunwick for tripping, Grendel for slashing) to see the rest of the period out. It saw the Islanders outshoot the Pens 13-7 in total while attempting 19 shots at evens to the Pens 16.
THIRD PERIOD
About 7 minutes into the period, Bryan Rust drew his 18th penalty of the season to finally break the Pens streak of taking all of the penalties in this game. Instead of everything going through Letang this time around, it was going through Phil (as is tradition). He had a chance at a one timer but had Malkin’s pass hop over his stick. He instead gathered it up and put the team on his back, wiring a missile to the top corner so deadly that Kim Jong Un shit his pantsuit. 2-1
https://gfycat.com/gifs/detail/LargeGrandBluemorphobutterfly
Get all the way real with that shot. Absolutely insane to be able to get that much behind it while being flat-footed. What a player.
And the Penguins only needed one to temporarily open the flood gates. Just 32 seconds later, a simple what would’ve been an icing had it not been for Hagelin’s rocket skates, forced Halak to piss the puck away to allow Sheahan to find twine. 3-1
https://gfycat.com/gifs/detail/IncomparableEarnestIlsamochadegu
Good on Sheahan for getting his second goal as a Penguin, both of which have come with the goalie out of the net. They call that a trend, folks.
But the Islanders were not going away and with just under 5 to play, they pulled one back. After the Pens weren’t able to clear the zone, Mayfield and Cizikas were able to flip the script and hit the Pens back in a quick turnaround. Barzal took shit into his own hands and rightfully took the puck off Mayfield to smoke one behind Jarry. That kid is just nasty. 3-2
https://gfycat.com/gifs/detail/RingedUnhealthyBedlingtonterrier
We were in store for a wild last 5 minutes. Within a minute of Phil hitting the post on an abbreviated breakaway, the Isles got Halak out of the net with about 90 seconds to play for the extra skater. The Isles worked the Pens down low and had a shot blocked that had the Pens in sixes and sevens. By the time it looked like they had it organized, Brock Nelson was burying a rebound behind Jarry. 3-3
https://gfycat.com/gifs/detail/LonelyElaborateGoitered
OVERTIME
Overtime was fucking insane with both teams trading off unlimited chances from the sticks of the likes of Barzal and Letang and Malkin and Kessel, including Halak springing Bailey with a Malkinian feed from his own paint after making a yuge save. Jarry made himself a beaut of his own to turn it the other way with Hunwick leading the charge before slipping the puck to Rust after gaining the zone. BFR had some help from Hunwick going to the net to open up space for a slick power move to nearly convert his own chance. The puck just kinda sat there, asking for one last caress. Matt Hunwick, of all humanoids, obliged. 4-3
https://gfycat.com/gifs/detail/ShallowCriminalHogget
Game.
NOTES
- Another great game from the 59-71-81 line. Owned about 60% of the shot attempt share while on the ice again at evens.
- The Pens as a team ended up with a 53-43 edge in attempted shots at even strength. Scoring chances were a little closer at 27-25.
Pens have the penultimate game of this 5 game homestand by playing host to the October 2017 Stanley Cup Champion Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night. Go Pens.
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