Good evening Pens fans!
What a game! The Penguins came out and took another game for their third straight win to get back to .500 on the season.
This is the View From Where I Sat on the Pens third win in a row...
The Game in Review
They came out and were very sloppy with the puck. By the midway mark of the first, the Pens had already committed six turnovers that led to chances for Florida. Luckily, Marc-Andre Fleury was on his game. The Flower made several good stops, before his captain took control of the game.
Lookout NHL, Sidney Crosby has arrived. The Pens got a power play at the 10:07 mark, looking for their first goal on the man-advantage of the season. They would only have to wait 57 seconds. Crosby received a pass from Malkin and snapped home a goal top shelf. Crosby's first goal of the year was assisted my Malkin and Letang at the 11 minute mark. Crosby was a man on a mission for the rest of the period, attempting seven shots and getting four on goal in the first. The Pens went into the intermission with the lead.
The Panthers responded and played a better full period in the second than the Penguins. Each side got several chances, but no one was able to beat the two solid goaltenders. The Pens took a penalty at 16:24 when Nick Bonino was called for hooking, but nothing came of it or the period. It remained 1-0 Penguins after two.
The third would have a ton of action. Early in the period, it appeared Reilly Smith scored on a re-direct goal from the point to tie it. However, after further review, the War Room in Toronto deemed the puck was played with a high stick and the goal was disallowed. The Penguins took advantage of the situation just minutes later when Phil Kessel got his first goal in front of the home crowd at the 3:17 mark. Kessel wristed one past Luongo right on his doorstep. Kessel's second of the season was assisted by Rob Scuderi and Crosby. Florida would fight back however and force the Penguins into an extra frame.
The Panthers' fourth line came up big in the final ten minutes of the period. First, Quinton Howden cut the lead in half when he scored at the 11:04 mark. Connor Brickley and Erik Gudbranson assisted. Just over two minutes later, Derek MacKenzie tied the game when he snapped home a pass from Brickley and Howden. Each side would get their chances, but the game would go to overtime. However, just before the end of the period, Florida winger Jon Huberdeau was called for cross-checking Brian Dumoulin into the boards from behind. The Penguins would have to wait for their first 3-on-3 overtime.
The Penguins power play carried over into the overtime, causing them to go 4-on-3 against the Panthers for the first 90 seconds of the period. The Penguins wouldn't need more than 80 seconds to end it however. Evgeni Malkin received a pass of a Letang shot fake and Malkin one-timed it home. Elvis left the building and the Penguins won their third straight game.
My 3 Stars
2. Evgeni Malkin: Another great game from Malkin, as I called in my Pregame for tonight. He assisted on Crosby's power play goal in the first and netted the game-winner in overtime. While he was a minus-1 and only won 33% of his faceoffs on the night, Malkin created several chances was very good on the power play. The Penguins go as far as their two big stars take them and with more nights like this, the Penguins can go far.
3. Phil Kessel: This was a tough choice but I ultimately went with Kessel. He scored his first goal in front of the home crowd in the third and had several solid scoring chances throughout the game. He was a little sloppy, getting pegged with two turnovers but overall played a good game.
Making the Grade
Olli Maatta (B-): A solid night for Maatta. He didn't do anything to standout in a good or bad way. I'd love to see him play more minutes and have a bigger role, but the staff seems hell-bent on getting him back in slowly after missing most of last season.
Rob Scuderi (B): The Piece was actually very solid tonight. He assisted on the Kessel goal, his second point in as many games, and was very good in his own end. He had three blocks and was a plus on the night. Still doesn't fit this system but he was good in this one.
Matt Cullen (B-): Another solid night from the veteran. He had a shot a hit and won 50% of his faceoffs. Can't ask for much more than that.
Brian Dumoulin (B): I love the way Dumoulin played tonight and over the last five games. This kid is very good. Tonight, you got to see just how good a skater he is. He played over 19 minutes tonight and continues to get better and better every game.
Kevin Porter (C+): I feel like I didn't see him out there tonight. He is credited with 3 hits and a blocked shot, but other than that didn't do much. Porter has been a good stop-gap until Fehr and Dupuis come back. He has frankly overachieved in many of the games, but you take what you can get from your extra forwards.
Ben Lovejoy (C): I was not impressed by the Reverend tonight. Though not officially given two giveaways in the stat sheet, he was guilty of several in the first period and was less than spectacular the rest of the night in my opinion. He was credited with four hits and two shots, but again, the turnovers could have really cost the Pens had it not been for Fleury.
Nick Bonino (B-): I thought Bonino was solid tonight. He took a penalty, but he had a good scoring chance in the second period right on Luongo's doorstep. He continues to be an outstanding faceoff winner, taking 62% of his faceoffs on this night.
Chris Kunitz (B): I thought this was Kunitz's best game of the season. He got a goal called off that shouldn't have been, but regardless he had 5 more hits tonight and registered three shots on goal. He was very good in front of Luongo and made some nifty passing plays that almost led to goals.
Bryan Rust (B+): I was going to have Rust as my third star but went with Kessel in the end. However, that shouldn't detract from Rust's performance. He had three shots on goal, but created numerous chances throughout the game. Rust was also very good on the defensive end; stopping several odd-man rushes of the Panthers in the neutral zone and just played a solid overall game. I was very impressed by the Notre Dame standout.
Bobby Farnham (C+): Farnham was solid tonight. He had four hits which is what you expect from him and had a shot on goal as well. While that's all well and good, just 6:34 on the night is ridiculous. I know he's no offensive stud, but playing someone just 6 minutes a game is a waste of a dressed player.
Ian Cole (C+): The top pairing was far from good tonight. While Cole was not as guilty as his partner, he wasn't up to his usual level of play. He had two more blocks and two shots on goal, but was a minus-2 on the evening. A down night, but nothing to lose sleep over.
David Perron (B-): I thought Perron was average tonight. I love the five hits, but he didn't accomplish much else on the night.
Kris Letang (C+): If Letang didn't have the two assists, Id have given him a lower grade to be honest. I was not impressed by his defensive game tonight. Both of his giveaways led to Florida goals and he just wasn't on his game. Don't get me wrong, I love Letang and think this was just a down defensive game, but that doesn't excuse him from costing the team two goals and almost the win.
Sergei Plotnikov (C+): I thought Plotnikov was good tonight, but still not the same guy we saw in the preseason. He took another penalty, which I don't like, but he also should have drawn another one that the refs didn't call. He had a hit and blocked shot to add to the score sheet.
Evgeni Malkin (A): See above.
Patric Hornqvist (B-): A down night for Horny tonight. He had four hits, but he wasn't the bulldog in front of Luongo that I would have liked to see. Hornqvist was still solid, but down from his other games.
Phil Kessel (B+): See above.
Sidney Crosby (A+): See above
Final Thoughts
Let me start with the power play tonight. Wow! Two goals?!?! TWO!?!?! I'd have been tickled pink with one. The power play looked much better tonight. It generated a lot of chances even when it didn't score and they got the goals from both Malkin and Crosby. I thought Mark Madden made an excellent point on his show today when he said that having Malkin on the left half wall and Crosby on the right will stop PKs from cheating to one side. He was certainly right. It opened up the ice more to allow for more space and ultimately the two goals. Glad to see them get off the schnide.
Speaking of getting of the schnide, I was pumped Sid had a huge night. He certainly needed it. While there was a lot of uproar over the Elliot Friedman article yesterday about Sid and his mannerisms after the Toronto game, he wasn't wrong. Sid was definitely struggling and showing it. However, tonight he came out and we saw a whole different guy than we'd seen all season. He was creating chances, firing the puck and generating outstanding chances for himself and his linemates. I think Sid has finally arrived for the season, and here's to hoping there are more 3-point nights for the Captain on the horizon.
The third line, even without Sprong and Bennett, was great tonight. I really liked what I saw from the trio of Bonino, Plotnikov and Rust. They generated scoring chances, played solid defense and were fun to watch. Bonino is the real deal, and though I liked Sutter, he is a clear upgrade on the third line.
I am really impressed with the progression Brian Dumoullin has made this season. I had a lot of questions about the defense coming into the season, and while some remain, I'm far less concerned than I thought I'd be at this point. A lot of that has to do with Dumoulin's play. He is good and only getting better. His skating is very undervalued and he runs the breakout well too. He has developed into a capable top four defenseman and I think he will only continue to get better.
Alright, I think that will do it for me tonight.
I would like to thank you all for stopping by for the post game and pregame tonight. Your support continues to humble me at every turn. Thanks again for clicking the links, tweeting the tweets and liking the posts on Facebook.
I will be back Thursday with a Pregame show and I should be on afterwards with another View From Where I Sat.
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Good night everyone and LETS GO PENS!!!