Penguins 4, Devils 2

Great game tonight. The Pens put together a solid road effort.

Early on, Orpik looks like he's going to kill someone while playing wing. He's trying to line people up, and they seem to want no part of that.

Steigy no sooner tells us that Mike Rupp doesn't have a point in 57 games, than Mike Rupp scores. Thanks, Steigy. Of course, as soon as Rupp scores, Steigy tells us that it's his first goal in 36 games. Um... if he doesn't have a point in 57 games, how did he score.... never mind (Steigy would correct himself between the first and second periods).

Both Staal and Rupp manage completely lucky goals. Staal touches a puck near Brodeur that bounces off a few Devils and into the net. Rupp gets his second when he shoots the puck off of the body of Letang and into the net.

Crusher took a turnover and made Brodeur look stupid, alertly going forehand / backhand and tapping the puck past a hopeless Brodeur (check this one in the video highlights once they're available).

Less that two minutes later, the Pens work from behind the net again with Sykora handing a nice dish right out to Malone, who buried the chance.

Funny scene when Gionta boarded Taffe (that part wasn't funny) and was immediately surrounded by Orpik and Laraque. It looked pretty bad for Mighty Mouse at that moment. He was lucky they only wanted to chat. He was also lucky that Gary Roberts is hurt.

Going to the third, Steigy and Errey let us know the Pens are 20-1-1 when leading going into the third. Those things usually come back to bite us (see: Mike Rupp), but they didn't tonight.
The Pens add a power play goal in the third when Malone bats the puck in on his backhand, seemingly out of mid-air.

Errey gives us a phrase I've never heard before, when talking about Scuderi stopping a chance for Madden in front of the net, he said "he read that like a cheap book"

Not much else in the third. The Pens did what the Devils usually do - gum up the works and put the other team in the sleeper hold. It worked, and the Devils didn't generate any kind of serious offense.

Notes:

• Conklin didn't have to make many spectacular saves. He stopped the shots he needed to and gave the team a chance to win the game.
• Malone, Crusher, Talbot and Sykora all with two points tonight.
• Orpik played almost 7 minutes at left wing. He didn't look bad, and it was nice to see someone finishing a check in the offensive zone.
• Malone and Malkin both played about 24 minutes! Hope this doesn't come back to bite them tomorrow night.
• Nathan Smith didn't look out of place
• Malkin was bad a faceoffs - winning just 7 of 22
  

Next up: A return to Atlanta tomorrow night.