Stars @ Penguins 2-6 - Thursday, December 01, 2016
A struggling Marc-Andre Fleury and surging Sidney Crosby had been going in opposite directions lately. Fleury made 33 saves for his first win in more than a month and Crosby scored his 16th goal in 18 games to help the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Dallas Stars 6-2 at PPG Paints Arena. It was Fleury's first win since Oct. 29. He was 0-3-2 allowing 22 goals in six appearances (five starts). With the score tied at 2-2 late in the second period, Crosby gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead by shooting off goalie Antti Niemi's back with 21.5 seconds remaining in the period. Crosby had three points (one goal, two assists). The Penguins (14-7-3) scored three goals in 1:33 to take a 6-2 lead. Conor Sheary scored with 3:38 remaining to make it 4-2 before Eric Fehr scored into an empty net to push it to 5-2 with 2:46 left and Nick Bonino scored to make it a four-goal lead with 2:05 remaining. The Penguins responded to a 5-3 loss to the New York Islanders on Wednesday when they allowed the game-winning goal in the final 30 seconds. The Stars (9-10-6) fell to 3-7-4 on the road. Ian Cole sent a snap shot high past Niemi to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead 8:47 into the first period. Stars forward Devin Shore tied it 1-1 with 8:35 remaining in the first. Stephen Johns shot from the right circle off Patrick Eaves and Shore before it trickled by Fleury and over the goal line. Pittsburgh took a 2-1 lead on a 5-on-3 goal from Patric Hornqvist 7:43 into the second period. Less than four minutes later, Jamie Benn sent a backhand shot wide of an open net, but Tyler Seguin answered with a power-play goal to tie the score 2-2 with 8:39 remaining in the second.
* After receiving a pass from Sheary behind the net, Crosby reached around the left post and shot off Niemi's glove and shoulder. Without allowing the puck to drop, Crosby batted it out of midair, off Niemi's back and in late in the second period.
* Fleury robbed defenseman Dan Hamhuis to keep it tied 4:42 into the second period. Jason Spezza carried the puck down the near wall and backhanded a cross-ice pass to Hamhuis gliding toward Fleury before Hamhuis went forehand-to-backhand, but shot into Fleury's glove.
* With a 3-2 lead midway through the third period, the Penguins scrambled, with Fleury out of position, to deny the Stars the tying goal before Fleury froze the puck with 9:20 remaining. Fleury's save on a wrist shot from Brett Ritchie at 10:27, Scott Wilson's block of a shot from Johns at 10:31 and Bonino's block of a shot from Radek Faksa at 10:34 highlighted the series.
* Penguins rookie forward Jake Guentzel was healthy scratched for the first time in his NHL career. Carl Hagelin replaced him on center Evgeni Malkin's line and Fehr re-entered the lineup. … The Stars dressed seven defensemen and scratched forwards Curtis McKenzie and Adam Cracknell.
"[November] was a rough month, that's for sure. I'm glad it's over, and I'm looking ahead now. I haven't had much fun playing hockey in the past few weeks, losing so much and giving up a lot of goals, so that was a fun game to play." Fleury said.
"Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don't. You're just trying to kind of get the puck between [Niemi] and the net, and hope for a good bounce. I got one there." Crosby said.
"I certainly understand the circumstance and Marc is a guy that's accustomed to playing every night. The reality is, we feel as though we have two No. 1 goalies here right now. We're making the most of it. I think [Fleury and goalie Matt Murray] are both doing a terrific job. … I thought [Fleury] was real good tonight." Mike Sullivan
"It's going to be tough to win. When you're scoring one or two goals a night, you're not going to win many games. We were pressing there late and it's a tight game, but we had three or four great opportunities." Lindy Ruff said.
"[November] was a rough month, that's for sure. I'm glad it's over, and I'm looking ahead now. I haven't had much fun playing hockey in the past few weeks, losing so much and giving up a lot of goals, so that was a fun game to play." Fleury said.
"Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don't. You're just trying to kind of get the puck between [Niemi] and the net, and hope for a good bounce. I got one there." Crosby said.
"I certainly understand the circumstance and Marc is a guy that's accustomed to playing every night. The reality is, we feel as though we have two No. 1 goalies here right now. We're making the most of it. I think [Fleury and goalie Matt Murray] are both doing a terrific job. … I thought [Fleury] was real good tonight." Mike Sullivan
"It's going to be tough to win. When you're scoring one or two goals a night, you're not going to win many games. We were pressing there late and it's a tight game, but we had three or four great opportunities." Lindy Ruff said.
Detroit Red Wings @ Penguins 3-5 - Thursday, December 05, 2016
The Pittsburgh Penguins would rather have the lead entering the third period, but even when they don't, things have tended to go their way. The Penguins scored four third-period goals to defeat the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 at PPG Paints Arena. It was Pittsburgh's fifth comeback win when trailing after two periods this season. Trailing 3-1 entering the third period, Penguins forward Nick Bonino and defenseman Justin Schultz scored to tie it 3-3. Bonino shot through traffic from the top of the right circle to make it 3-2 at 2:05 before Schultz scored 4:23 later. Phil Kessel's second goal of the game gave Pittsburgh a 4-3 lead with 9:06 remaining. Matt Cullen was given credit for an empty-net goal as he was tripped heading to the net to make it 5-3 with 40.9 seconds to play. The Penguins (15-7-3) won consecutive games for the first time since defeating the San Jose Sharks Nov. 5 and Edmonton Oilers Nov. 8. The Red Wings (11-11-3) lost in regulation for the first time in six games. Henrik Zetterberg backhanded a shot off Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's left arm and into the net for his fifth goal of the season with 6:29 remaining in the first period. Seven seconds after a Penguins power play expired, Frans Nielsen gave the Red Wings a 2-0 lead when he charged to the left circle and shot over Fleury's glove 8:00 into the second period. Three minutes later, Evgeni Malkin set up Kessel, who cut Detroit's lead to 2-1. Kessel one-timed a shot past goalie Jared Coreau, who made 32 saves in his NHL debut. Fleury made 28 saves for his second win in three days. Dylan Larkin gave Detroit a 3-1 lead on a one-timer with 1:46 remaining in the second.
* Kessel waited at the left post while Carl Hagelin wrapped a pass around Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser and through the crease. The puck found Kessel, and he was able to tap a shot inside the post for his second goal.
* Schultz tied it early in the third period when he sent a slap shot under Wilson, who jumped to avoid it. The puck deflected off the left post and past the goal line for his second goal in three games.
* Penguins forward Conor Sheary appeared to make it 5-3 at 14:41 of the third, but after the Red Wings challenged, it was ruled Patric Hornqvist interfered with Coreau before the puck crossed the goal line and the goal was disallowed.
"We preach to this team all the time that we have to be a team that can generate offense different ways. We can't just wait for a power play, or we can't just wait to get our chances off the rush."
"We obviously liked [Kessel's] game tonight. He was on the puck. He's a threat, you know? He's got such a great shot whether it's off the rush, underneath the hashmarks or as part of the cycle game." Sullivan said."You just have to stick with it in games like this. We did, and we got rewarded." Phil Kessel
"I thought we controlled the play for the majority of that game. … Some shifts it was like a power play when it was 5-on-5. Then we'd give them an odd-man rush or we'd turn the puck over. Just being able to clean that stuff up will certainly bode well for us going forward." Ian Cole
Ottawa Senators @ Penguins 5-8 - Monday, December 05, 2016
It's difficult to stand out when a team scores eight goals, but Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust did Monday. Rust scored his first NHL hat trick to help the Penguins defeat the Ottawa Senators 8-5 at PPG Paints Arena.
After Evgeni Malkin extended the Penguins' lead to 6-4 at 1:05 of the third period, Dion Phaneuf scored the Senators' third power-play goal to cut it to 6-5 at 6:17. Rust, who last scored a hat trick for Notre Dame in a 7-1 win against Alabama-Huntsville on Jan. 10, 2014, scored on a penalty shot for his second goal to make it 7-5 with 7:24 remaining before scoring a third time to push it to 8-5 with 2:28 remaining. Goalie Mike Condon replaced Craig Anderson, who made 36 saves on 43 shots, between Rust's third-period goals. Pittsburgh (16-7-3) has scored 19 goals in its past three games.
Ottawa (15-9-2) had won four consecutive road games since losing 3-1 to the Nashville Predators on Nov. 8. Trailing 4-2 midway through the second period, the Penguins scored three goals in 6:09 to take a 5-4 lead. Forward Matt Cullen scored a shorthanded goal with a backhanded shot on a breakaway to cut Ottawa's lead to 4-3 at 8:28. Phil Kessel tied it 4-4 with 5:47 remaining in the second and Justin Schultz scored 24 seconds later to give Pittsburgh a 5-4 lead.
* With the Penguins leading 5-4 early in the third period, Malkin extended the lead to two goals by splitting Stone and Borowiecki and backhanding a shot by Anderson.
"It was more about maybe just trying to change the mindset of the 18 skaters in front of [Fleury]. Sometimes when you get in those situations, you make that type of a change and maybe you can provide a spark for the group." Mike Sullivan
In a back-and-forth first period, Rust scored to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 1:45. Malkin passed through Senators forward Chris Kelly and defenseman Mark Borowiecki to Rust darting through the right circle, where he shot past Anderson. Kyle Turris tied it 1-1 at 8:18 of the first before Sidney Crosby scored his 17th goal in 20 games to make it 2-1 Penguins 27 seconds later. The period ended tied 2-2 after Erik Karlsson scored his sixth goal with 6:16 remaining. With Patric Hornqvist in the penalty box for slashing, Mark Stone gave the Senators a 3-2 lead 1:00 into the second period. Mike Hoffman scored the Senators' second power-play goal of the period to extend the lead to 4-2 at 7:08. Goalie Matt Murray replaced Fleury, who made 12 saves on 16 shots, following the goal. Boucher said forward Curtis Lazar is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury sustained on a hit from Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin.
* With the Penguins leading 5-4 early in the third period, Malkin extended the lead to two goals by splitting Stone and Borowiecki and backhanding a shot by Anderson.
* Turris set up Senators forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau with a chance to tie it 5-5 late in the second period. Pageau received the pass and skated in on Murray, but the goaltender closed his five-hole to deny Pageau's backhand shot with 3:00 left in the second.
* The Senators took a lead early in the second period when Karlsson took a slap shot off Phaneuf's stick that deflected over the goal and off the glass. The puck bounced back over the goal and behind Fleury, where Stone held off Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta to backhand it out of midair and into the net.
* Schultz took Pittsburgh's third penalty in 6:57 when he was called for interference 7:30 into the second period. With the Senators scoring on each of their previous two opportunities to take a 4-2 lead, surrendering a third power-play goal could have made the lead insurmountable. Instead, Cullen scored his shorthanded goal that helped fuel Pittsburgh's comeback.
* Anderson returned from a leave of absence taken Nov. 30 to be with his wife, Nicholle, who began cancer treatment. … Malkin had a goal and two assists to extend his point streak to six games (two goals, nine assists).
"I can't say I expected it. [The last time I scored a hat trick] was more of a blowout. The team wasn't as good. This game was just, find a way to get open in certain situations and I was lucky enough to get a penalty shot." Rust said.
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