Crosby and Malkin - zero points combined. No problem! Of course, I'm passing over the fact that Crosby had the winner in the shootout, but that's almost as unlikely this year as the team winning when he doesn't score!
The supporting cast, if you will, picked up the slack tonight. Staal, Recchi, Ouellet and Christensen scored for the Pens. Maybe all of our worrying about the lack of scoring on the wing is a little premature. Staal has 20 and Recchi has 19. Each could finish with 30 goals. Not too shabby if you ask me.
Anyway, back to the game. Anyone else troubled by the Pens penalty kill? They let in two again tonight. This is going to have to be a point of emphasis, but maybe not until the off season.
The Pens took a 4-2 lead early in the third on goals that were 20 seconds apart The Flyers got an early one at 5:58 and then a late one with Nittymaki pulled. That hasn't happened too often to the Pens, so I can't get too wound up about it.
They went to the shootout, and that's where Fleury shined. He stopped all three shooters. He's really on a hot streak with stopping the guys on the shootout.
Crosby managed to score for the first time this year, and Fleury stopped Gagne. Game over.
Great win to get on the road.
Next up: at Toronto on Saturday. It only gets tougher.
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2 comments:
Say it with me:
7-0 against the Flyers
4th place in the East
Only 9 points behind the Devils
With that being said, the Pens still were lucky to come away with two points from this game (which had they not blown the 4-2 lead, they should have gotten cleanly in regulation). Special teams should be of emphasis at Toronto, since the Leafs have a pretty potent power play, but their PK has been marginally worse than the Pens' PK this season, so the Pens need to exploit this.
Let's hope the Pens can make mulch out of the Leafs.
Throw them in the composter! Go Pens!
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