Takeaways: Penguins Storm Back From Three-Goal Deficit, Beat Bruins In OT For Most Critical Win Of The Season

Midway through the second period on Sunday against the Boston Bruins, it appeared as the though the Pittsburgh Penguins were headed for their fourth consecutive loss. 

They were trailing, 3-0, and goaltender Arturs Silovs had just misplayed a puck behind the goal line to David Pastrnak, who made him pay. And it was a shame, too, because the Penguins were largely controlling play throughout the game up to that point. 

But instead of throwing in the towel, they showed fight. They drew a late power play - and then, a five-on-three - that ultimately turned the tide of the game and gave them the momentum to roar all the way back from a three-goal deficit and take an important two points in a 5-4 overtime win. 

The overtime hero was center Tommy Novak, who scored just 17 seconds in to complete what was the most impressive and important comeback win of the season for the Penguins, showcasing their resiliency while playing with a shorthanded, depleted lineup.

"That's kind of been our M.O. the whole year," Novak said. "All four lines contribute, and we roll them all. [The fourth line] played unbelievable tonight, they were buzzing around from the start. 

"I think it just speaks to the amount of good players we have in here, too, and how we can come wave after wave."

Boston opened the scoring midway through the first period on a Pavel Zacha power play goal, and Zacha added his second tally of the game just before the midway point of the second despite the Penguins getting the larger share of chances. The Pastrnak goal happened less than four minutes later, and it seemed like the Penguins were done for - especially considering that they had scored just two goals in their prior eight periods against the Bruins.

But the five-on-three changed everything. Egor Chinakhov - who is now part of the first power play unit - walked in and absolutely rifled a wrister past Boston goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to cut the Bruins' lead to 3-1. The goal gave them much-needed scoring momentum heading into the third period - arguably, their most impressive period of the season.

After posting 15 shots in the second period, the Penguins put up 14 in the third - and three found the back of the net. It all started when Connor Dewar took a long pass from Ryan Shea that banked off the end wall, and he gathered the puck and fired a backhander toward the net that beat Korpisalo to cut the deficit to one.

Then, just 33 seconds later, defenseman Ilya Solovyov - playing in his first game since Feb. 5 - made an outlet pass to Tommy Novak at the left wall in the neutral zone. Novak found Anthony Mantha breaking down the right side, and in all alone, Mantha found the five-hole and tied the game at 3-3. 

Unfortunately, Zacha responded with a hat trick goal less than two minutes later to give Boston back the lead. But the Penguins didn't quit. They just kept coming, and they were rewarded two and a half minutes after when Mantha put home his second of the game - and 23rd of the season - with a garbage goal at the net-front to tie things back up at 4-4. 

The Penguins killed off a late power play for the Bruins and fended off a late push by Boston to force OT, where Novak was, ultimately, able to play hero after a nice individual effort from Chinakhov at the net-front.

This was a huge response by the Penguins, who lost in the shootout to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. They took three out of four points on the weekend, and head coach Dan Muse is proud of his group for sticking with it.

"When you have a game where things haven't gone your way, and you just dig in during the third period and you keep staying with it, I think it's something that you - you want to carry that with you," Muse said. "You own it now. Like, you know you can be in these situations where you're down three at one point, and then there's hockey left.

"So, just focusing on that next shift, and stay with it. This was a great example of the guys, in the third period especially - even though there was still some back and forth - just the response that they continued to have. As a coach, you kind of feel it coming. There was a lot of belief on that bench and a lot of belief on our staff that, we didn't know how, but we were going to find a way tonight. And that's what the guys did."

Here are some takeaways from this big win:

- Chinakhov has completely changed the complexion of the first line. He, Rakell, and Rust have some very real chemistry. 

Something that Chinakhov does so well is that he always knows where to be situationally and in relation to the play unfolding. He knows when to offer puck support. He knows when to position himself for a feed. He knows when to engage in puck battles along the walls. He anticipates where others are going to be and sets himself up to make a play.

His offensive instincts remind me so much of Jake Guentzel's. He's just a smart player. Playing alongside Rakell and Rust has brought out the playmaking side of his game, as he's not always relied upon to be the trigger man on that line. And he's darn good at switching between both. 

"I think he's continuing to do a lot of what he's been doing since he got here," Muse said. "He's doing it now with some different linemates. He's made some nice plays here, too, you know, the shot's obvious - I think anybody that watches any of our games or any of our practices, it's pretty clear that release is pretty special, and you saw it again there tonight - but he's also making some plays with these guys, and they continue to play hard there at both ends.

"Anytime you get new linemates, it might look look a little bit different in terms of how those plays develop and where they're going. But, the guys, they've done a good job in these games."

Oh, and I'll never, ever tire of watching Chinakhov shoot a vulcanized piece of rubber into the back of the net only to watch it bounce back out as fast as it went in. What a snipe. Not sure why plugging him on the first power play unit took so long. 

What a hockey player he is. 

- I liked what I saw from Elmer Soderblom in his first game with the Penguins. 

Not only is he a big body - a VERY big one - he's good on the forecheck, he uses his reach to make plays, get shots off, and knock pucks out of danger. He seems to have pretty decent offensive instincts. 

"I felt good. I feel like I was trying to not think too much," Soderblom said. "You know, it's new systems and stuff like that. But I tried to just play my game, and I just don't think too much and just play."

His line struggled a bit defensively - Kindel had another rough game in his own zone, particularly - but for a first game with his new team, I thought he was solid. 

- Another guy who played an excellent game? Ville Koivunen. 

I think the biggest difference between Koivunen's earlier stints with the NHL club this season and now is that he looks comfortable. He looks a bit more up-to-speed. And he's not trying to force plays, instead being himself and playing to his strengths. 

Who knows when Sidney Crosby is going to make his comeback. I think it could be as early as Tuesday in Raleigh. But I thought he was outstanding today, along with the rest of the second line. 

- What a resurgent season this has been for Mantha. And, can we just talk about how impressive it is that he's doing what he's doing this season?

This guy had ACL surgery last season and played in just 13 games. That is not an easy injury to come back from, especially for a player north of 30. But his 23 goals and 47 points are just two and one shy of his career-highs, respectively, and he figures to shatter those numbers by the end of the season. 

Kyle Dubas was right not to deal this guy at the deadline. He is, essentially, the Penguins' own rental, and taking him out of the picture would have been a huge detriment to their playoff chances. 

What's he's doing is impressive, and it's fun to watch how well he's fit in with this group.

- The Sam Girard - Ilya Solovyov pairing was very good tonight. Solovyov was credited with a team-high three blocked shots, and I think there could have been a few more added to that total. Girard looked far more comfortable alongside a blueliner who plays a more stay-at-home style, even if Solovyov isn't exactly a classic stay-at-home defenseman. 

They played some minutes together during their time with the Colorado Avalanche, and Muse thinks that familiarity was good for both players in this game. I would tend to agree. They were both good in this one, but I thought Solovyov was particularly good. 

- There have been a lot of good wins for the Penguins. Big wins, too. 

This one takes the cake, though, as their biggest and most character win of the season.

A loss would have extended their losing streak to four games, putting them in a precarious position ahead of their upcoming five-game road trip - all of which are games against current playoff teams. They took advantage of one of their two games in hand to the New York Islanders and leapfrogged them to go back into second place in the Metro. They're eight points back of the Carolina Hurricanes, who they play twice on this road trip and one more time at the end of the month. 

Most of all, they did it without their two best players. They did it despite a large segment of fans lacking belief because of their predicament and because of the grind of their schedule.

This was a statement win in every sense of the word, and it brought to life what Dubas said he liked most about this team after the trade deadline: That they always respond after tough losses, never quit, and continue to play top-level hockey in the face of adversity.

And that resiliency - as well as the vote of confidence from their GM - means a lot to the players, and it has become part of their identity. 

"100 percent," Mantha said. "You have a little bit of everything. Some new guys, some older guys in this locker room, guys in the middle.

"Everyone plays a lot of hockey, everyone knows how to do it, and we showed exactly that tonight." 

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