The Pittsburgh Penguins recorded a season-low 18 shots, but most of them looked dangerous. They just needed one play to fall their way and some more magic from Patric Hornqvist. Hornqvist scored with 3:16 left in overtime and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made 31 saves for his League-leading ninth shutout of the season in the Penguins' 1-0 win against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on Saturday. Hornqvist got the puck in the slot after Penguins defenseman Paul Martin freed it from Tyler Toffoli and Hornqvist beat goalie Jonathan Quick for his third goal in two games. Hornqvist scored twice in a 5-2 win against the Anaheim Sucks on Friday. The Penguins (38-18-9) are 2-1-0 on their four-game trip after a Southern California sweep. One night after a five-goal output against the Anaheim Sucks, Pittsburgh churned out a low-scoring win against the defending Stanley Cup champions. It was Fleury's 37th career shutout. Hornqvist has nine goals in 19 career games against the Kings, and 19 goals in 40 games against the Kings and Sucks. They took pride in being able to win different types of games against some of the best teams in the Western Conference. The Kings (31-21-13) got a point but are one behind the Calgary Flames in the Pacific Division for the third and final guaranteed spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Los Angeles perked up with several scoring chances in the third period but Fleury kept it scoreless with three quick saves in a goalmouth scramble and key saves against Dustin Brown and Kyle Clifford. Pittsburgh had six shots through the opening 34 minutes despite three power plays, but it seemed to have the better opportunities. The Penguins' fourth power play got three shots but Quick stopped them, including a deflection. Sidney Crosby made a highlight move around Kings defenseman Drew Doughty and shot the puck off the crossbar. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang was stopped by an outstretched Quick in the first period. Crosby said the 18 shots weren't representative of the Penguins' performance. Los Angeles is known for grinding out these games, but in this case it came down to one misstep in overtime. Sutter thought Martin surprised Toffoli, who tried to collect a pass from Jeff Carter in the high slot. The Kings had a goal disallowed early in the third because Brown interfered with Fleury. Evgeni Malkin had his seven-game point streak end. It was the longest active streak in the NHL.
Pens Quotes
Marc-Andre Fleury: "He's been pretty hot. Hopefully he keeps his stick for the next game. They're a big team too. They're big guys with some skills and speed. It feels good for the team. We want to get ready for the playoffs. They're coming pretty soon, so I think that was a good challenge."Patric Hornqvist: "L.A. is one of the toughest teams to play against. They're so big and strong and fast, and they always play the same way. They chip it in. They go hard at our [defensemen] and their [defensemen] are pinching. It's a really good win. We need to build on that. Now we know we can play with anyone."
Sidney Crosby: "I didn't feel like we lacked chances. Maybe we missed the net in the first, I don't know. I thought we had some good looks and didn't hit the net. Like I said, I think teams, when you're coming off a back-to-back night they're really going to try to wear you down early on and take away your time and space. Maybe that has something to do with it with the way they play. There's not a lot of room down there."
No comments:
Post a Comment