In a back-and-forth game that saw a total of 11 goals between the two teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins were able to pull out a 6-5 victory over the Boston Bruins on Jan. 4. The Penguins were led by strong play from captain Sidney Crosby and a few other veterans on the team. There are a few key takeaways from the “shootout” victory the team was able to pull out.
Rough Night for Ned
After a really strong showing in his last start in between the pipes for the Penguins, pulling off a 3-1 win over the New York Islanders on Dec. 31, Alex Nedeljkovic had a rough night for the team. While there were a couple of goals that could be deemed as not “his fault”, there were a couple that did get by him that he would want a second crack at.
While he did not look like the same goalie who stopped 37 shots against the Islanders, the blame can’t be put 100% on him. The amount of traffic that was allowed out in front of his crease by the team’s defense did not do him any favors, leading to some unfortunate bounces and re-deflections that led to goals that should not have happened. Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman suffered the same fate with a few of the goals that the Penguins were able to get by him as well.
But with all of that aside, when the team needed the offseason free-agent signee to step up and make some big saves to preserve their late-game lead, he was up to the task. He made several saves in the last few minutes of the game to help the team secure the victory. The hope is he can shake off the start of the game that he had and head into his next start (whenever that may be) with some momentum built off of how he finished the game against the Islanders.
Crosby Leads the Way
Playing in his 19th season, Sidney Crosby has been called upon and looked at to make big plays more times than people can probably count. Whether it be a big-time goal or a defensive play, he has seemingly done it all in his career and the captain of the Penguins continues to do so.
There were several times throughout the Penguins win that Crosby made big plays. On top of scoring the game-winning goal, which came off a play started by a faceoff win by the league’s leader in that category that ended up with the puck back on his stick in the slot while on the power play, came the fact that he showed the energy and drive to help preserve that lead in the final minutes of the game. He beat a Bruins defenseman on a play to negate an icing call that helped lead to more time being eaten off the clock and then blocked a shot attempt in the final moments.
With the captain leading the way, he continues to bring energy to the team while amazing fans with how he can continue the level of play he shows at this stage of his career.
Power Play Gets it Done When it Matters
After acquiring Erik Karlsson in the offseason, there were many expectations placed on the Norris Trophy winner. The season has not necessarily gone how the organization or Karlsson has hoped. He has been able to get his play back on track as of late for the most part though and played a solid game offensively, especially on the power play. The biggest play of the game that he made ended up being the pass to Crosby on the power play to give the Penguins the late lead.
Related: Penguins Power Play Gets an Upgrade with Karlsson Addition
While the power play was unable to get anything past Swayman on their first two chances of the game, they did look solid against a good penalty kill unit that the Bruins have. The puck movement has looked good as of late after struggling mightily early on in the season.
If the Penguins’ power play can continue to get the chances they have as of late, the goals will come and they very well could come in bunches.
What’s Next for the Pens
The Penguins return home to take on the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 6 before hitting the road once again when they travel to Philadelphia for a matchup against the Flyers on Jan. 8.
