The Penguins welcome the Buffalo Sabres for the second of back-to-back games.
A mere 24 hours after the Pittsburgh Penguins edged the Buffalo Sabres, the two teams will once again battle at PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins squeaked out a 4-3 win in Buffalo last night, and will try to take the season series with a win in Pittsburgh. Here’s three things to watch for in this Saturday night matchup.
1. Jeff Petry Stepping Up Beautifully
There’s no doubting how much the Penguins miss their hall of fame defenseman, Kris Letang. Recovering from a stroke, there is no time table for his return.
The Penguins have had to cover for Letang by committee, but the biggest increase in workload has fallen on Jeff Petry. In response, Petry has stepped up in all facets of his game. Most recently, his addition to the power play has been a big part of that unit’s resurgence. He has three points in the last five game, and 12 points on the season.
It’s clear that Petry has found his game in Pittsburgh after a few weeks of adjustments. Look out for Petry to play 25+ minutes again tonight against the Sabres.
2. Retaliation Looming?
Towards the end of the game between the Penguins and Sabres, an ugly situation broke out between Sabres forward Jeff Skinner and Jake Guentzel. After Guentzel poked the Sabres goaltender on a fly-by, Skinner went after Guentzel and delivered a dangerous cross check to the face of Guentzel. The play resulted in Skinner’s ejection and an automatic disciplinary hearing with the league.
With tempers flying high and these teams meeting for the second time in two days, this game is bound to be a little chippy and possibly boil over into something more.
3. DeSmith is X-Factor
While the Penguins are enjoying a run of excellence from goaltender Tristan Jarry, backup Casey DeSmith will get his first start since November 25th against the Sabres. DeSmith has had an inconsistent year backing up Jarry, with a few games of superb play and a few that were forgettable. He enters the contest with 3-5-1 record, a 3.00 goals against average, and a .908 save percentage.
The Penguins will need to insulate DeSmith and play solid defense in front of him. If they can provide that, DeSmith has an excellent chance to pick up his fourth win against the offensive powerhouse that is Buffalo.
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