GAME RECAP: Penguins Derail Ducks Win Streak With 2-0 Victory
The Pittsburgh Penguins put an end to the Anaheim Ducks six game win streak.
The Pittsburgh Penguins earned a bit of revenge on Tuesday night, taking down the Anaheim Ducks 2-0 at Honda Center. The Ducks entered the game on an NHL-high six-game winning streak and had just defeated the previously undefeated Vegas Golden Knights.
Tristan Jarry and Magnus Hellberg combined to shut out the Ducks and give the Penguins their second straight win in California.
Goal Recap
(PIT 1-0) Radim Zohorna (3): Lars Eller (4) & Erik Karlsson (7)
(PIT 2-0) Sidney Crosby (6): Jake Guentzel (10) & Kris Letang (7)
Three Stars
3. Lars Eller
This game was the model from which Lars Eller's performance should be judged from now on. Not only was he a force in the defensive zone and on the penalty kill in this one, but he was very significant on the offensive end. Eller set up Radim Zohorna's goal in the first period.
He created a similar opportunity in the second period but couldn't beat Ducks goaltender John Gibson. The Penguins' third line was the only line held off the scoresheet against the San Jose Sharks over the weekend, but they made sure to quiet that narrative early and often in Anaheim.
2. Kris Letang
Letang continues to stack impressive and understated performances for the Penguins. He led all players in ice time against the Ducks (26:28), yet he allowed zero high-danger chances at 5v5 and broke up multiple Anaheim odd-man rushes.
The 36-year-old defenseman has been a calming force on the blue line for the Penguins this season, a vast departure from his typical performance. Letang's offense has started to come around as well, scoring three points in the Penguins' last four games.
1. Tristan Jarry & Magnus Hellberg
Jarry & Hellberg stopped all 32 of Anaheim's shots en route to the team's third shutout victory this season. It is the fifth time in Penguins history that a goaltending tandem combined to shutout their opponent, with the most recent being ten years ago when Marc-Andre Fleury and Thomas Vokoun led the Penguins to a 1-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
Jarry left the game in the final minutes of the second period after a collision with Ducks' forward Adam Henrique. The Penguins are currently evaluating him for presumably an upper-body injury.
Final Thoughts
Something is off with Sidney Crosby. He left last night's game on multiple occasions for an equipment issue. Last night was not the first time Crosby has missed time during a game due to equipment malfunction this season.
Even when he was on the ice, something seemed off about Crosby's performance. He was noticeably slower and uncharacteristically lost several puck battles along the board on both ends of the ice. If this is because of a skate issue, the Penguins need to figure it out.
Crosby has performed well and produced at a high level this season, scoring 12 points (6G-6A) in 11 games, but he hasn't been his dominant self for most of the season. Despite those issues, he continues to find the scoresheet, racking off points in six straight thanks to a backhanded empty-net goal from center ice last night.
Next on the schedule, the Penguins will look to exercise some demons as they face the Los Angeles Kings in an arena they haven't won in since 2018.
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