If you had your Hockey Cliche Bingo Card out last night, you would’ve won a small fortune paid in full with grit.
After getting humiliated by the Jackets a day prior, Mike Sullivan wanted the Pens to get back to “playing the right way.” They did just that, dropping a deuce on the Devils and keeping pace with the Blue Jackets atop the league.
From start to finish, the Pens hammered the Devils in all phases of the game. At the end of the season, it’ll still go down as just 2 points, much as a 7-1 loss will, but it’s the way they respond after playing like shit that is the real gift this holiday season.
FIRST PERIOD
For the first 10 or so minutes, it felt like the 90s all over again. The Devils were blocking so many shots (10 in total) that they wouldn’t shit right for a week.
But with Malkin’s line swarming, Adam Henrique tripped up 71 to put the Pens on the PP. The movement was lethal and they started getting pucks through on Schneider. On their fifth shot of the game, Sid would score his 8th first goal of the year. 1-0
What a bomb. Give Schultz another assist too.
Fleury was largely untested, sitting back fixing sandwiches all period, having to make just 2 saves. Crosby, on the other hand, had more shots (3) than the entire Devils squad. Attempted shots were a staggering 27-4 Pens.
SECOND PERIOD
From the opening puck drop of the 2nd frame, the Pens continued to stuff the Devils’ stocking, force feeding them their man-made eggnog dripping from their firehose.
A little over 4 minutes into the period, there’d be another breakthrough. With the Devils pinned in their zone for an extended shift, they shit in one hand and wished in the other for the puck to get out. HCMS got fresh troops out in the form of the 4th line instead. Cullen made some unrealistic move in the slot to get it to the net. Bounced around a bit, but was given to Fehr. 2-0
Pens almost got themselves in some penalty trouble when Rust and Cole both went off to give the Devils a shortened 5v3, but Parenteau negated it by knocking MAF’s stick away from him. If not for Schneider, it’d have been 3-0 from the Pens abbreviated powerplay, but no dice.
Instead, the Devils got themselves on the board with 6:36 left. Taylor Hall would beat Schultz to a loose puck, peel off, and hit Moore with a deft little backhand dish. MAF was too busy trying to buy a goaltender interference call on Palmieri in front to worry about making the necessary saves, leaving Palmieri with a freebie. 2-1
https://gfycat.com/OldForsakenGrouse
Towards the end of the period, MAF would make some save and a scrum started in front of him. Some Wood dude went right at Steve Oleksy, who had no issues dropping the mitts for the second night in a row in another spirited bout. Nuclear warheads being launched.
Oleksy may be an actual insane person.
Shortly after that, Chad Ruhwedel, in the lineup in place of Derrick Pouliot, would net his first career NHL goal with 39 seconds left. It would be Kunitz this time chasing down a loose puck up the right wing. He stopped up and found Ruhwedel. Grip and rip. 3-1
THIRD PERIOD
4-1. Game.
RANDOM NOTES
- Great response game after the Columbus game. Pens leaders did exactly what you’d hope they’d do. Crosby with another goal and 7 shots. Malkin with 2 assists
- Near flawless game out of Fleury. Obviously the dive on the goal is the only negative, but he was noticeably solid.
- This was about the 7th or 8th good game in a row for Olli Maatta.
- Derrick Pouliot is a fucking baby
Derrick Pouliot, a healthy scratch tonight, just left the ice with about 4 minutes go in warmup. Everyone else still out. That ain't good.
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) December 23, 2016
- Pens outshot the Devils 39-24 on the night. At 5v5, they ended up with 62 attempted shots. Jersey had just 37. Even taking the lead into the 3rd, the Pens still threw 19 attempted shots at the cage. Ian Cole was on the ice for 26 of the 62, while only out there for 11 of the 37 against.
With the holiday break, the Pens aren’t back in action until Tuesday night when they travel to Jersey. Have a nice holiday, gang.
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