Penguins Start Strong After Losing Jake Guentzel
The Pittsburgh Penguins have a beat up lineup, but got a crucial win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins entered their contest against the Chicago Blackhawks riding a three-game losing streak, and things seemed to go from bad to worse before the puck drop. It was announced that Jake Guentzel would miss at least four weeks after being placed on long-term injured reserve. Without Guentzel, the Penguins recalled multiple players from the American Hockey League to fill the open spaces.
The Blackhawks continued to stack the deck in their favor by announcing the return of star rookie Connor Bedard. In the second half of a back-to-back, it didn’t matter that the Blackhawks were the worst team in the NHL, the Penguins would have their hands full.
First Period
Despite low expectations, it took Sidney Crosby and the Penguins 15 seconds to find the back of the net. A shot from Marcus Pettersson was popped by Crosby perfectly over the shoulder of Arvid Soderblom.
Reilly Smith has had his share of struggles over the past few months, but he found some luck with a perfectly placed backhand to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead. Started by a Drew O’Connor steal, he turned defense into offense with no issue.
The Penguins haven’t had many leads since their return from the All-Star break, but they carried their 2-0 lead into the first intermission.
Second Period
Carrying a lead is a good start for the Penguins, but they knew the Blackhawks wouldn’t go away without a fight. The Blackhawks cut the Penguins lead in half with a goal from Philip Kurashev on a feed from Bedard in his return.
The second period felt much lower-event than the first, and the Blackhawks were the only source of offense.
Third Period
With just a one-goal lead, the Penguins entered the final frame with a much closer game than they would have liked. They would need a quick goal to extend their lead and give themselves a calm finish.
With Guentzel out of the lineup, the Penguins needed someone to step up and keep them alive in the playoff hunt. Crosby showed why he will be the one to turn to with his second goal of the game.
Left alone along the side of the net, Rickard Rakell found Crosby wide-open to give his 30th goal of the season and the Penguins another two-goal lead.
The Penguins carried that advantage into the closing minutes of the period but gave the Blackhawks a power play chance in the final two minutes. With Rakell off for holding, the Blackhawks pulled their netminder looking for a two-man advantage.
With the goalie pulled, Bryan Rust fired a lengthy dump that found it's way to the empty cage. The goal extended the Penguins lead to 4-1 and help end their three-game losing streak.
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