This one was a great game for the Pens. They scored all of their goals in special teams. Jordan
Staal continued to make a case for staying with the team, a case that will be strengthened with the injury to Ryan Malone (he broke a bone in his wrist). The Pens also improved to 4-3 and have a winning record!!
The few troubling spots (just so we don't have unabated glee around here):
- The Pens allowed two goals on the PK
- They also had to defend 11 power plays by Columbus
- Ryan Malone broke his wrist and is out about 6 weeks
- Kris Letang continues to look more like a power play specialist, playing only about 4-5 minutes at even strength (pretty low for a defensemen)
- The Pens are relying pretty heavily on a small group of players. Nils Eckman, in particular, has seen his playing time begin to drift downwards.
All in all, it was a great game that was fun to watch.
Malkin had a nice goal, and
Staal's penalty shot was one you don't see every day (it rang off the post, bounced off the goalie twice and went across the goal line - the ref initially waived it off and then, with replay, the allowed the goal).
Next up: another shot at New Jersey on Tuesday at the Igloo.
1 comment:
Good to see Gonchar off to a strong start, obviously something atypical of him - which is a good thing!
I hope Jordan Staal plays more than just the next three games; he is really turning into one of the league's best penalty killers... no one else has more shorthanded goals.
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