Slow Start - Penguins 4, Lightning 2

So what happened?

After a (very) slow start, this was a much better overall effort by the Pens as compared to their last game against the Jets.

The first period was a little bit worrisome.  The Pens allowed two quick goals by Steve Downie, only 11 seconds apart, to fall behind 2-0.  They didn't play particularly well in the first period either.  They were redeemed by getting a power play goal from Geno on a nice pass from Letang in the middle of the ice.

Once the second period started, the Pens were able to "get to their game" in a big way.  Brent Johnson had to make a few key saves, but he didn't see that much in the way of sustained pressure as the Pens simply dominated the possession of the puck.

If the Bolts were trapping, it was impossible to tell as the Pens were able to enter the offensive zone easily.  Once there, they set up shop and stayed.  They were in there long enough that vendors started selling popcorn to make money off of the visitors.

Great way to earn two points and continue to (hopefully) get the monkey off of their back where the Lightning are concerned.

Who scored?

Malkin (31, 32), Kunitz (16), Letang (8)

The Good?

• PFC Downie converted twice by being in the right place at the right time.  Good for him.  I didn't see much nonsense from him either.
• The top line (and power play) provided all of the offense today.  That tells you the Bolts don't really have a shut-down defender that can control the game.
• Matt Niskanen played almost 20 minutes, including a team-leading 18:48 at even strength.

The Bad?

• Those Downie goals... the first one should not have gone in - either Martin needs to block it or Johnson needs to make the save.  The second one - the pass can't go all the way across.
• Paul Martin played only 17:12, good for fifth among the defense.  He was, however, playing good minutes in the third period (6:30).

The Ugly?

• Root Sports - they missed several penalty calls.  A few times they didn't notice that the Pens were on the penalty kill.  They also didn't announce the Too Many Men penalty on the Bolts.

Any Surprises?

• I was surprised that they were able to come back from a 2-0 deficit again.  Teams usually don't recover from starting out that way.  The Pens need to fix the slow start issue, or it will burn them come playoff time.

What's their record now?

The Pens are 32-19-5.

Who's next?

Quack!  Quack!  Quack!  The Ducks are coming to Consol on Wednesday