The Pittsburgh Penguins won their first game in Salt Lake City, with Sidney Crosby scoring an overtime winner against the Utah Hockey Club.
Just when it seemed that the Pittsburgh Penguins would finish up their most extended road trip in decades on a sour note in Salt Lake City, captain Sidney Crosby powered his team to a much-needed 3-2 overtime win.
After failing to score more than one goal in the past two games, the Penguins found two goals to get to a fourth period, where Crosby lit the lamp in his 43rd arena to become the game's active leader in that statistic.
Penguins Overcome Early Adversity
In an all-too-familiar storyline, the Penguins fell behind 1-0 when Utah scored on a first-period power-play tally from Mikhail Sergachev. Considering how much trouble the visitors have had scoring lately, a one-goal deficit felt as daunting as climbing the Rocky Mountains unprepared.
Pittsburgh was dominated in shots 12-4 but flipped the script in the middle period with a game-tying goal from an unlikely source: Marcus Pettersson. Despite outshooting Utah 15-7, the home team found another goal, a breakaway lamplighter from Michael Carcone.
The two teams played competitively in the third before Erik Karlsson tied things with an unassisted goal. Crosby ended the game with a classic backhand tally, sending the boys home happy.
Nedeljkovic Finishes the Job
Alex Nedeljkovic began the seven-game road trip by scoring a goalie goal in Buffalo. As the bona-fide number one in Pittsburgh, it wasn't surprising to see him earn back-to-back starts to finish the trip.
Considering the pressure on the team and their goalies to scrape together two points to help their slim playoff odds, Nedeljkovic was up to the task after a recent loss to the San Jose Sharks on Monday.
He finished the night with 27 saves for a .931 SV%, the third-best total on the trip, where he finished 3-2-0 with 11 goals against. Since being trusted into the leading role, he's given up more than two goals in only one contest, producing a .930 SV% and 2.20 GAA.
Not Out of the Woods Yet
The Penguins return home with a 21-24-8 record after 53 games, meaning there are 29 games left to salvage the season. Despite sitting last in the Metro Division, there's still hope for a wildcard spot, as they are only five points out.
According to MoneyPuck, the Penguins' odds of clinching a playoff spot at 1.7% are much lower than their 7% winning the upcoming NHL Draft Lottery.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQD0wSmzAfY[/embed]
Unfortunately, their upcoming schedule may not do them any favors. Seven out of their next eight games, with the 4 Nations Face-off break wedged in between, are against the Metro Division.
As many fans know, Pittsburgh has lost every time it has faced a rival. This season, they have a 3-7-3 record within the division.
Like this seven-game road trip, February will make or break the season. How the next eight games go could dictate how the team responds to the NHL deadline on Mar. 8.
