NHL - Pens Round Up - December 21-31, 2017

Columbus Blue Jackets @ Pens 2-3 SO - Thursday, December 21, 2017
Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist scored on the power play in the third period to lift the Penguins to a 3-2 shootout victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets at PPG Paints Arena. Matt Murray made 30 saves for the Penguins (18-15-3), who had lost four of five games and five of seven.

"I think it's the best game in the last six or seven games," said Malkin, who has scored a goal in three straight games after he had two in his previous 12. "We understand that we need to play so much better. Tonight, we showed that it wasn't pretty, but we're hungry. We played 60 minutes. … Two points were very important."
Kris Letang scored the deciding goal in the fourth round of the shootout. Murray stopped Oliver Bjorkstrand in the bottom of the fourth round to end the shootout. Malkin and Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson scored in the first round. Sergei Bobrovsky made 39 saves for Columbus (21-13-2), which is 1-2-1 in its past four games after winning three of four.
Hornqvist tied it 1-1 at 2:25 of the third during a three-minute power play for the Penguins. Letang, Penguins center Sidney Crosby and Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones each was called for roughing at 20:00 of the second, and Columbus forward Boone Jenner was given a major penalty for cross-checking Jake Guentzel and a game misconduct. Malkin gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead at 15:03. After Artemi Panarin was called for a face-off violation at 14:46, Malkin batted the rebound of a Crosby shot out of midair. Panarin scored a power-play goal to tie it 2-2 at 16:14. He took a pass from Seth Jones above the right face-off circle, stickhandled and beat Murray past his glove through a screen from Pierre-Luc Dubois. Dubois gave Columbus its 1-0 lead at 7:09 of the second period after Murray allowed a rebound off a snap shot from Gabriel Carlsson four seconds earlier. Panarin had his shot blocked by Letang before passing to Dubois on the inner edge of the right circle, and Dubois beat Murray with a shot high over his glove.

The Penguins outshot the Blue Jackets 15-8 in the first period. Riley Sheahan jump-started a Pittsburgh flurry by tipping a shot on goal at 12:11, 10 seconds before Kessel skated in against Bobrovsky on a breakaway. Bobrovsky stopped Kessel's backhand shot with his pad at 12:21 and made the save on a slap shot from Matt Hunwick five seconds later. Murray has won two of three games since losing four in a row in regulation. He has allowed two or fewer goals in three of four starts since returning Dec. 14 after missing six games with a lower-body injury.

"It's a rivalry and these games are always extra competitive," Murray said. "I think we've been playing in a lot of competitive games. In the past, we've had a lot of games like that against Columbus. So, mark it up as just a good game for us."

"It was a competitive game out there. It was a hard-fought game. Sometimes emotions get high. But certainly, we liked, I thought, the energy and the emotion. That's as good as it's been this year." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan

Hornqvist, who missed a 4-2 loss at the Colorado Avalanche on Monday with an upper-body injury, ended a five-game goal drought. … The Penguins are 5-2-0 against the Metropolitan Division. Their .714 winning percentage in the Metropolitan is their best against any division. ... Columbus center Alexander Wennberg left the game with an undisclosed injury with 6:17 left in the third period.

Penalties
15:27 - Reaves hit Sedlak, then big hit on Hanikainen before destroying Sedlak with the 3 heavy punches. Both receive 2+2.
29:04 - Hornqvist gets involved (shoving) with Calvert and Foligno.
39:31 - Foligno lies on top of Malkin but the Russian delivers a great punch in the face
40:00 - Jones attacks Guentzel then Jenner joins in before Crosby punched Jenner in the face. Crosby and Jones then have a wrestling contest as Jenner receives a game misconduct and Letang also receives a roughing penalty.
3rd Period - Crosby & Reaves take care of Dubois.
Anderson delivers a cheap shot on Letang.

Anaheim Sucks @ Pens 4-0 - Saturday, December 23, 2017

John Gibson made 29 saves to help the Anaheim Ducks defeat the Penguins 4-0 at PPG Paints Arena. Gibson, a Pittsburgh native, got his first shutout of the season and his 13th in five NHL seasons. He was 1-3-0 with a 4.95 goals-against average and .859 save percentage in four previous starts against the Penguins. After allowing six goals in each of his two previous starts in Pittsburgh, Gibson enjoyed winning in his hometown for the first time.

"Obviously, it hasn't gone the best here the past few years," Gibson said. "So, it was nice. As long as we win, I'm happy. But I mean, yeah, it's definitely extra special when your family and stuff is in town. So, it was fun."
Ondrej Kase and Rickard Rakell scored in the first period, and Andrew Cogliano and Cam Fowler scored in the second.

Penguins goalie Matt Murray was pulled following Cogliano's goal at 3:42 of the second that made it 3-0. He made 10 saves on 13 shots before Tristan Jarry made nine saves on 10 shots in relief. Anaheim (16-13-8) won its second straight game and handed Pittsburgh (18-16-3) its fifth loss in seven games (2-5-0). The Ducks went 3-2-1 on a six-game road trip. Two takeaways led to the Ducks' two first-period goals.

Kris Letang turned the puck over along the blue line before Kase collected it and skated in on Murray. Kase went forehand to backhand to give Anaheim a 1-0 lead at 3:10.

"It's a slow start," Letang said. "We didn't get to the forecheck. We didn't get to our speed. It was kind of a game [where] everybody was kind of waiting. I think we have to initiate."
Jamie Oleksiak and Carter Rowney tangled sticks, leading to another turnover in Pittsburgh's zone. Rakell picked it up and put a backhand through Murray for a 2-0 lead at 10:35. The Penguins didn't have a shot until Oleksiak sent a wrist shot at Gibson at 8:12. Jake Guentzel had their best chance of the first period when Sidney Crosby set him up in front, but Gibson stopped his backhand at 17:18. With Anaheim defenseman Hampus Lindholm in the penalty box for cross-checking, Cogliano scored on a shorthanded breakaway. Fowler scored on the power play with 3.4 seconds remaining in the second to make it 4-0.
 "It's tough when you start the game the way we started. We spot them two goals. We all, as a group, and our coaching staff is included in that, we've got to do a better job of being prepared for the start of games and the drop of the puck. When you go down two goals the way we did early, it makes for an uphill battle." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan


Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf had an assist on Rakell's goal to extend his point streak to six games. He has nine points (one goal, eight assists) in that span. … Penguins defenseman Matt Hunwick did not play with an undisclosed illness. Ian Cole took his spot after being a healthy scratch against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Montour escaped punishment despite a dirty hit on Malkin.

Columbus Blue Jackets @ Pens 4-5 SO - Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Evgeni Malkin made sure the Penguins avoided another lopsided home loss. With the Penguins trailing by two goals late in the third period, Malkin scored before having a secondary assist on Jake Guentzel's tying goal. He then scored in the shootout to help Pittsburgh defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4 at PPG Paints Arena. After Artemi Panarin's second goal made it 4-2 at 10:02 of the third period, Malkin cut it to 4-3 with a power-play goal at 14:24, and Guentzel tied it 4-4 at 18:20. The Penguins scored three goals in the third period, including a power-play goal from Phil Kessel that cut the Blue Jackets lead to 3-2 at 3:34. Guentzel credited Malkin and Patric Hornqvist for setting up his goal. Malkin left the puck behind the net for Hornqvist to wrap around out front for a one-timer from Guentzel.

"Great play by [Malkin] and [Hornqvist]," Guentzel said. "I just tried to stay in front of the net there. Definitely happy to see that one go in. … Definitely a character win tonight. When you're down two in the third it's definitely going to be battle-tested. I thought we pushed to the end."

Malkin scored in the first round of the shootout and Sidney Crosby scored in the second. Matt Murray stopped Panarin in the second round for the win.
After criticizing his team's effort following a 4-0 home loss to the Anaheim Ducks, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan was proud of the response.

"That's one of the things we talked about after the game," Sullivan said. "It was a real character win. I thought it was the most resilient that this group has been all year long. Just the never-say-die attitude. … And just staying with it. 

"We were down two goals a couple of times in the game, but we just stayed with it. That's been part of the fabric of the identity of this group. It has become a strength of this group. It has to continue to be that way."
Crosby seemed to score the winning goal 23 seconds into overtime, but it was overturned following a review, where it was ruled Brian Dumoulin interfered with Sergei Bobrovsky. Pittsburgh (19-16-3) has defeated Columbus (22-14-2) in two of its past three games. The Penguins won 3-2 in a shootout Dec. 21.

Just as he was after that shootout loss, Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella was disappointed with Columbus' inability to hold a third-period lead, but was pleased with how his team performed, but who cares what he thinks the guy is a major douche.

Murray made 29 saves, and Bobrovsky made 33. Sonny Milano and Boone Jenner scored in the first period to give Columbus a 2-0 lead. Milano opened the scoring after Seth Jones' slap shot went off the glass behind Pittsburgh's net and bounced out front. Milano collected it and, with Murray turned around in his crease, shot past Jamie Oleksiak and into the net at 9:06.

Jenner made it 2-0 at 14:34 to end a 16-game goal drought. Conor Sheary cut it to 2-1 at 5:57 of the second period. He skated down the far wall to the right circle, where he shot under Bobrovsky's blocker before Panarin scored his first goal to make it 3-1 at 16:49. Penguins forward Bryan Rust and defenseman Chad Ruhwedel each left with an apparent injury during the third period. Sullivan did not update their status.

"We stuck with it and had some really good chances throughout the game, but they didn't go in. … I think we just stuck with it and found a way there at the end to get two points." -- Penguins captain Sidney Crosby


The Blue Jackets, whose power play went 0-for-3, failed to score a power-play goal for the first time in five games. They were 4-of-14 (28.6 percent) in their previous four games and 6-for-26 (23.1 percent) in their previous nine. … Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, did not play. He is last on the Penguins with a minus-15 rating.

Pens @ Carolina Hurricanes 1-2 - Friday, December 29, 2017

Derek Ryan and Sebastian Aho each scored in the second period, and Cam Ward made 27 saves to help the Carolina Hurricanes defeat the Penguins 2-1 at PNC Arena. The Hurricanes (18-12-7) have won four in a row and are 7-1-0 in their past eight games. Ward extended his winning streak to six with his 305th NHL victory to tie Billy Smith for 27th place on the all-time list. Tristan Jarry made 31 saves for the Penguins (19-17-3), who are 3-6-0 in their past nine games.

Brian Dumoulin gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 4:34 of the first period with his second goal of the season. Jake Guentzel carried the puck through the neutral zone and set up Dumoulin in the slot. Jarry had the secondary assist, his second point of the season.

"We get the first goal [so] we accomplished what we wanted in the first period," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. "But I thought there was a letdown in the second period. We spent a lot of time in our defensive zone."
The Hurricanes tied the game 1-1 on Ryan's eighth goal at 6:25 of the second. Elias Lindholm drew Jarry out of the crease before moving behind the net to set up Ryan for a short-side tap-in. Twenty-one seconds after the Hurricanes had Slavin's goal nullified for goaltender interference, Aho made it 2-1. Jarry turned away a shot that trickled through the slot, but the puck came to Aho, who scored at 18:05.

"We had to turn the table on them by spending time in the offensive zone, hanging onto pucks, forcing them to expend energy defending us. I don't think we were stiff enough on pucks in the offensive zone, and we needed to do a better job as a group handling their pressure." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan

Penguins forward Sidney Crosby was held to one shot on goal. He has had one shot or fewer in four of the past seven games. … The Penguins have not won back-to-back games since completing a four-game winning streak on Dec. 2 against the Buffalo Sabres... The Penguins played without five injured regulars: goaltender Matt Murray, defensemen Kris Letang, Justin Schultz and Chad Ruhwedel, and forward Bryan Rust. … After being held without a goal in his first 15 games, Aho has 11 in the past 22. … Ward has given up 11 goals during his six-game winning streak.

Pens @ Detroit Red Wings 1-4 - Sunday, December 31, 2017

Jimmy Howard made 37 saves, Gustav Nyquist scored twice to give him 100 NHL goals, and the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Penguins 4-1 at Little Caesars Arena.
"It was fun to hit that number, especially in front of a great crowd on New Year's Eve," said Nyquist, who reached the milestone in his 375th NHL game. "This was a fun game, and a big win."

Dylan Larkin and Frans Nielsen also scored for the Red Wings (15-16-7), who have won two in a row for the second time this season. Henrik Zetterberg and Tyler Bertuzzi each had two assists. Bertuzzi had his first multipoint game in his 12th NHL game.

The Penguins (19-18-3) have lost two in a row and three of four (1-3-0). Evgeni Malkin scored, and Matt Murray stopped 19 shots.

"It seemed like every mistake we made ended up in the net and we didn't get any reward for the good things that we did," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "It stings to keep losing like this, but we've got to learn from what we're going through."

The Penguins have scored one goal or fewer in five of their past nine games.

"We're working hard and we're creating chances, so it is disappointing that we're not getting anything to go in right now," Penguins forward Sidney Crosby said. "As tight as the standings are, we either need to score more goals or find a way to win 1-0 and 2-1."

Nyquist gave the Red Wings a 1-0 lead at 11:31 of the first period, taking a pass from Zetterberg and beating Murray with a wrist shot. Larkin made it 2-0 at 59 seconds of the second period, beating the defense down the right wing and cutting in to slip a forehand past Murray for his first even-strength goal in 18 games. Malkin scored a power-play goal at 8:04 to make it 2-1. Howard appeared to make a spectacular save, lunging to catch Malkin's shot, but a replay review showed his glove was behind the goal line.

Nielsen gave the Red Wings a 3-1 lead at 15:18, faking a slap shot from the left face-off circle before sliding the puck past Murray for his 10th goal. Nyquist knocked a rebound past Murray for his second goal of the game at 16:34 of the third period to make it 4-1. He has 12 goals, matching last season's total.

"We have to find a way to score more goals, especially at even strength. It isn't a matter of creating chances -- we had several point-blank opportunities tonight -- but we have to get them into the net. That's not happening." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan

Penguins forward Daniel Sprong had six shots on goal in his first NHL game since Dec. 16, 2015. … Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha missed a second straight game with an lower-body injury. … Zetterberg has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in his past nine games.