Good effort tonight. Same result.
The Pens got behind the eight ball in the first period... again. Travis Zajac started things on what can only be called a soft goal (though Sabourin was really good most of the night), beating Dany by going to the 5-hole.
On the PK later in the period, Mark Eaton slips on the crappy ice (it was bad all night), allowing Brian Gionta to walk straight towards the net. More importantly, Gionta had a pretty clear lane to pass across the ice to Zach Parise. Sabourin had no chance once the pass went though, though you'd like to see him poke-check the pass on it's way there.
The Pens couldn't seem to get anything going until the fourth line created some havoc. According to the score sheet, Ruutu had 4 hits and Laraque had 7. The momentum started to shift when Ruutu knocked Vishnevski (I think) into his own bench. That led to an extended shift in the offensive zone for the fourth line guys, eventually drawing a penalty.
The Pens didn't score on the ensuing power play, but Sidney Crosby did, just a few seconds after the power play ended on a beautiful move (go see the video at pittsburghpenguins.com).
In the third, the Pens managed to tie the game on a power play goal by Evgeni Malkin. He blasted the puck past Weekes, and you seemed to have the feeling that he blasted the Pens out of their frustration.
That lasted until Laraque threw an ill-advised centering pass that no one was able to reach. The Devils broke back three-on-two, and Elias buried a cross-ice pass on a terrific shot. He roofed it. Sabourin again had no chance. Game over.
Nice to see the lines worked out pretty well. The fourth liners, especially, were able to generate some consistent pressure.
It would be nice if someone other than Crosby or Malkin could score some goals.
Next up: The Isles visit the Igloo on Thursday.
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