Sunday, April 03, 2011

Penguins 4, Panthers 2

So what happened?
The Pens survived an inconsistent first period, highlighted by allowing two goals in 22 seconds, and came back to win with some solid hockey (and goaltending) in the second and third.

Brent Johnson was excellent, though I have to say I had my doubts after the two that went in during the later part of the first period.

The Pens even scored a de-facto power play goal (meaning, they scored on the delayed penalty with Johnson out of the net).

Overall, it was an excellent road game.

Who scored?
Dupuis (14), Kennedy (20), Michalek (4), Adams (4)

The Good?
  • Chris Conner, Max Talbot and Pascal Dupuis were excellent all night long. Conner in particular used his speed to great effect.
  • The team was able to turn the tide after the shock of allowing two quick goals.
  • More solid effort in getting to the front of the net. If Sid ever returns, that's going to pay huge dividends, because he can find the guys that are open for shots.
  • This was a true team effort. Everyone played at least 11 minutes and no one played more than 23. That has to be the first time that has happened all year.
The Bad?
  • Allowing the second goal so soon after the first was almost a knockout punch. Better teams will really do damage if the Pens don't bear down after allowing a goal.
The Ugly?
  • Nothing really - this was a solid effort.
Any Surprises?
  • I was surprised by the effectiveness of the Dupuis, Talbot, Conner line. Hopefully they can keep it up.
What's their record now? Any important move in the standings?
The Pens are now 46-25-8. The Lightning are three points behind the Pens for the fourth seed.

Who's next?
The final home game of the regular season on Tuesday against New Jersey.

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