Penguins Win Second Straight Game, Staying Strong in Playoff Race
The Pittsburgh Penguins took yet another important win and avoided a season sweep from the Detroit Red Wings.
A Saturday afternoon bout against the Detroit Red Wings was more than just a regular game for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
With time running out on the season, the Penguins are still fighting for their playoff lives and they needed to desperately avoid a season sweep of the Red Wings.
Tristan Jarry was given the start in goal for the third straight game and was looking to bring back-to-back victories for the fist time in almost a month.
The last time the Penguins won two consecutive games was March 11 and 12.
The Penguins knew they needed to bring urgency and desperation, and they got off to the proper start.
Alex Nylander was recalled again on an emergency basis and this time slotting into the lineup in place of Drew O’Connor.
In his seventh game at the NHL level in the 2022-23 season, Nylander finally broke through for his first goal of the season.
It was a relatively dull period from both teams until the final seconds when Sidney Crosby took full advantage of a loose puck in front of the Detroit net.
Crosby’s tally with two seconds remaining gave the Penguins a two-goal lead heading into the first intermission.
The second period started with another boring start, but the Penguins continued to build their lead.
Danton Heinen swatted a Crosby rebound to put the Penguins up by three goals.
It was Heinen’s first goal in 15 games, but the Red Wings answered back immediately with their first of the game.
The Penguins held off the Red Wings for the remainder of the period and took another two-goal lead into intermission.
Crosby was held off of the score sheet in the two previous games, but made his presence noticeable against the Red Wings.
A power play goal early in the third period gave Crosby his third point of the night and 1,500th of his career.
Evgeni Malkin has always played extremely well against the Red Wings, and that continued with an insurance goal in the closing minutes.
The Penguins closed out an important 5-1 victory and held the Red Wings to only 20 total shots on goal.
With the Penguins winning, they apply pressure to both the New York Islanders and Florida Panthers who are also in the fight for the Eastern Conference wild card.
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