Takeaways: Penguins Deliver Complete Effort In 2-1 Shootout Win Over Dallas Stars To Snap Three-Game Skid

The Pittsburgh Penguins knew they needed to notch a win Saturday against the Dallas Stars in the second game of a back-to-back.

They had three straight losses, and they weren't just losses, they were ugly ones. Nothing was going right for them, there was no cohesion, and they were fresh off a 3-2 shootout loss Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets that left a sour taste in their mouths. 

And they put together the exact kind of response game they needed.

The Penguins defeated the Stars, 2-1, in a shootout effort that saw three Penguins put the puck in the back of the net. Arturs Silovs, the goaltender of record for the Penguins, made some huge saves late in the game and on the penalty kill, stopping 24 of 25 Dallas shots and delivering a nice follow-up to a 43-save performance by Sergei Murashov Friday.

The game was very low-event. But, given, how things had gone recently, that was probably the best thing for this team. 

"The game last night was a little tough on everybody," defenseman Sam Girard said. "Playing in your zone, it's not fun and makes us a little more tired as well. But, it's the past, and I feel like we played our game tonight. And we still have some stuff to build from the game tonight."

The first 40 minutes came and went with no score, and both teams - aside from a defensive miscue that turned into a breakaway opportunity by Wyatt Johnston right at the beginnning of the game - were up to the task defensively.

But, in the back half of the second period, the Penguins started to get some offensive momentum. They began the third period with a 50-29 advantage in shot attempts, and two minutes in, they finally broke through on the scoresheet.

Pittsburgh's fourth line was breaking into the offensive zone, and Connor Dewar was the mail carrier. He opted to carry the puck across the slot, and he snuck a backhand that somehow went top-shelf and found its way over Stars' netminder Jake Oettinger to give the home team a 1-0 lead.

The Penguins had the better of the play for the majority of the rest of the game, but with Oettinger pulled and with just 30 seconds left in regulation, Tyler Seguin deflected a Jason Robertson shot from the left point to tie the game. Pittsburgh controlled the puck for almost the entire overtime period, too, but they couldn't convert, and it forced a shootout.

Ben Kindel kicked things off and beat Oettinger for his third shootout goal in four career attempts. Robertson missed for Dallas, then Sidney Crosby - who was left out of the shootout lineup Friday - netted one to give Pittsburgh the two-point advantage. 

However, two consecutive tallies by Seguin and Johnston - and a post by Egor Chinakhov - knotted it up. Pittsburgh's fourth shooter, Rickard Rakell, put one top-shelf to best Oettinger, and Silovs made a save on Mikko Rantanen to end it and send the Penguins home with the win. 

After a disastrous game against the Blue Jackets, it sure felt good for them to put together the all-around effort they did Saturday against a top team in the league. 

"We knew we needed to respond," head coach Dan Muse said. "It’s an emotional game, and so, it is a quick turnaround. In one sense, you're excited that you get to be playing again the next night, especially coming off a game that you know there's a lot we knew we could be better at. But it's a credit to them. It's not always the case.

"It shows where this group is that we can come together and find a way to just dig in and play a better brand of hockey, which is what I thought we did today."

Here are some thoughts from this one:

- I'll start with the one glaring negative from this game since there was far more positive and much more to talk about on that end.

I don't know what is going on with Rakell right now, but whatever it is, it isn't good. In fact, it's borderline unplayable. He's mishandling passes, he's passing pucks right to opposing players, he can't get his shot off properly, and it's plain to see he's overthinking just about every decision he's making out there.

Rakell has always been a slow starter, so this is nothing new. And he tends to stick out like a sore thumb when he isn't playing well. Honestly, I thought he was the only Penguins' player who was still noticeably off his game against Dallas.

If this continues, I don't think dropping him in the lineup to take some of the pressure off would be the worst thing. Nick Robertson can easily bump up, and he could have the opportunity to slot alongside Ben Kindel, who has been excellent and probably would benefit from having a true goal-scorer on his line. 

- Speaking of, what an effort this was from Pittsburgh's fourth line of Dewar, Blake Lizotte, and Robertson. 

I still believe that Robertson should probably be playing higher in the lineup, but there's no denying that he complements that line well and brings a more offensive element to it, especially in terms of puck skills. And that, combined with Dewar and Lizotte's tenacity as well as his own, made for a dominant recipe.

Despite taking no offensive zone draws in comparison to six in the defensive zone and two in the neutral zone, that line outchanced Dallas 14-to-7 when it was on the ice. 

And that speaks to what they bring as a unit. When asked what Robertson specifically brings to that line, Muse's answer was simple.

"I think basically the same thing the other two guys do," he smiled. "Just relentless work ethic, detailed defensively. They make it really hard on whoever they're playing against, and they just don't quit. Like, they don't quit on like plays, they don't quit on anything. As soon as a puck does turn over, they're right above it all the time. They just play the game with detail and tenacity. The line was awesome tonight. They were really good."

He also addressed how impressive their work was despite the defensive zone starts.

"It is a lot of D-zone starts, and sometimes if it's an O-zone faceoff, I'm taking them off the ice, and that's tough," Muse said. "They worked hard to get us there, but that also just shows these guys are selfless, and I think they take a lot of pride in what they do.

"So, for them to have that impact on the defensive side, and then also contribute offensively, which they had a number of chances – these guys, they're skilled players as well. It was great to see them get rewarded. I thought that line was awesome tonight."

That they were. They were the Penguins' best line Saturday.

- Elmer Soderblom slotted in for Ville Koivunen in this game, and I thought he made a difference. He's very good with the puck and excels along the walls, which is something the Penguins have been missing on their forecheck. 

I think he earned a stay in the lineup with his play. I'd probably put Koivunen back in for Hendrix Lapierre when the Penguins play the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday to kick off a four-game Western road swing - as I think Koivunen has earned playing time - but Soderblom should remain.

He's literally such a large human that he can just overpower guys in puck battles and around the net. I think the Penguins could use more of that. 

- The penalty kill continues to be excellent for the Penguins. They have allowed just one goal on 17 opportunities so far this season, which is good for a 94.1 percent rate and second in the league. 

Special teams was a strength for the Penguins last season, and the power play still needs to catch up to the PK in terms of efficiency. But, right now, they're gelling as a unit. 

"I feel like everybody's on the same page, everybody's ready to sacrifice their body to block some shots and be in the lanes," Girard said. "A lot of games are decided on the power play or on the PK in the NHL, so we're going to have to keep going like we've been doing and make sure we're blocking some shots, we're in the lane and we get the puck out."

- Defenseman Spencer Stastney, who was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday for forward Filip Hallander, suited up for the first time with Pittsburgh in place of veteran Trevor van Riemsdyk. 

And, honestly, it was a good first showing for him. He can certainly move out there, and he seems to have pretty good instincts on both sides of the puck. He also paired well with Kris Letang.

Stastney, 26, was in and out of the lineup and up and down between the NHL and AHL in Edmonton. He's just happy to get a chance to play in Pittsburgh, and for a first showing, it was largely good things.

“It’s always a matter of fighting to stay in and try to do my best," Stastney said. "So, no matter what, I’m just going to keep a smile on my face and keep working. I’m just happy to be in."

I'm curious to see how the Penguins handle their defensive rotation moving forward. They are paying van Riemsdyk $4 million for each of the next two years, so I imagine he'll still play in a good chunk of games, at least to start.

- Good on Silovs for following up Murashov's performance from Friday.

There is a lot of talk, already, about Murashov being the real deal. And, by the looks of things, he just might be. But Silovs tends to put together games like these when he knows there's a target on his back, and he earned himself more starts with his performance against the Stars, just like Murashov did.

We'll see how this rotation shakes out over the long-term. For now, I won't be surprised to see Muse go exactly 50/50 until one of them truly separates himself over a larger sample size.

- Finally, I want to shout out Evgeni Malkin. Because, man, was he shot out of a cannon Saturday.

In the past couple of seasons, Malkin has had his legs early. That's been the case again so far this season. His line outchanced Dallas 11-to-5 and skated circles around the offensive zone on a few occasions. They're also so dangerous on the rush, and Egor Chinakhov had himself a nice performance, too, despite not showing up on the scoresheet.

But Malkin's defensive play so far this season - and dating back to last season - is truly something else. And, I mean that literally, because it's not something we saw much from him earlier on in his career. 

There was a play in the third period around the eight-minute mark when Dallas appeared to have an odd-man break. Roope Hintz saw Jamie Benn breaking down the right side all alone, and he attempted a pass. Malkin came out of nowhere on the backcheck to disrupt the pass with his stick, thwarting a golden opportunity for Benn.

The 40-year-old who far too many in the 412 area code didn't want back has been one of their best players so far this season, as he is the team's co-leader in goals (3) and points (5). And I've never seen Malkin give so much effort in all three zones.

This guy is out there to prove something, and he's proving that he still very much belongs on this team and playing the game of hockey for a 21st NHL season. Shifting to the wing has done wonders for his game. 

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!