Reilly Smith discusses the opportunity to join the Pittsburgh Penguins top power play unit and how he hopes his presence could turn it around. In the final match of a four-game home stand, the Pittsburgh Penguins looked to nab a win before hitting their California road-trip. Appropriately, the Penguins were facing off against the Anaheim Ducks, who they’ll see again on their run out west. Following an emotional tribute to Adam Johnson and a moment of applause, the puck was dropped. The Penguins power play has had a tough start to the season, but might be starting a good road back to normalcy. With an early man advantage opportunity, Erik Karlsson let go a blast from the point that gave the Penguins an early 1-0 lead. The Ducks answered back to knot the score after a mad scramble in front of Jarry and the Penguins net. In the closing seconds of the opening period, the Penguins looked like they were getting a good opportunity to take the lead into intermission. It looked like Sidney Crosby had a wide open net to work with, but Ducks goalie John Gibson managed to stretch his way back to make a last-second save. Gibson did not return to the goal for the Ducks as Lukas Dostal took over. The Ducks gave themselves a 2-1 lead with a power play goal from noted Penguin killer Frank Vatrano; in his 19th career game against the Penguins, this was his 10th goal. After it seemed like the Ducks took a 3-1 lead, the goal was immediately called off fro goalie interference; the Ducks challenged the call but failed resulting in a power play chance for the Penguins. Ducks head coach Greg Cronin was livid about the no-goal and was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for his actions. If the Penguins wanted any chance of staying in the game, they were going to need to capitalize on the ensuing 5-on-3 opportunity. With under a minute left in the period, Evgeni Malkin let go a huge blast of his own the beat Dostal to tie the game at two. The teams entered the second intermission with a tie score, and the Penguins still had some power play time to work with to start the third. The Penguins didn't capitalize on the remaining power play time, but Radim Zohorna did come up big to give Pittsburgh the lead. Zohorna banked home a loose puck after his linemates did some great work to keep the play alive. Their lead didn't last long as the Ducks answered right back on a failed clearing attempt. A good chunk of the third period was played at a 3-3 tie, just waiting for someone to break through for a leading goal. The Penguins killed off a late Ducks power play and were rewarded with an opportunity of their own with just over two minutes to play in regulation. The man-advantage was quickly turned into a 5-on-3 chance when the Ducks flipped the puck out of play. Dostal stood strong for the Ducks, and as their first power play was coming to an end, a loose puck found the player leaving the box who beat Jarry on a break away. The Ducks took an extremely late lead and sealed the deal for a regulation victory. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more. Penguins to Honor Adam Johnson [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/pittsburgh-penguins-honor-adam-johnson] Recently Departed Penguins Forward Finds New Contract [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/former-pittsburgh-penguins-danton-heinen-new-contract] Hockey Team Pay Tribute to Adam Johnson [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/players/hockey-teams-tribute-adam-johnson] Two Changes Could Fix Penguins Scoring Issues [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/podcasts/two-changes-fix-pittsburgh-penguins-scoring-issues] Former Penguins Teammates Share Thoughts on Adam Johnson [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/pittsburgh-penguins-share-thoughts-adam-johnson] * undefined * undefined
