NHL - Penguins - Round Up January 20-31, 2017

Penguins @ Carolina Hurricanes 7-1 - Friday, January 20, 2017
The Pittsburgh Penguins scored four times in the second period, and Matt Murray made 27 saves in a 7-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. Conor Sheary scored twice, and Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel each had a goal and an assist for the Penguins (29-11-5), who have scored 19 goals during a three-game winning streak. Carolina (21-17-7) has lost two in a row following a four-game winning streak. Carolina came out attacking, fueled by a Pittsburgh penalty on the first shift. Sebastian Aho and Joakim Nordstrom had good looks, but Murray held off the Hurricanes, who dominated the first seven minutes. The Penguins made it 1-0 on Trevor Daley's fourth of the season at 12:31 of the first period. After a long shift in the offensive zone, Daley gloved Teuvo Teravainen's clearing attempt, moved to the middle of the ice above the circles and shot past Cam Ward. Pittsburgh went ahead 2-0 when Carl Hagelin scored on a rebound at 6:59 of the second. Ward stopped Cameron Gaunce's shot from the blue line, but the puck fell in front of Ward and Hagelin had an easy finish. The Penguins scored two goals in 18 seconds to push the lead to 4-0. Sheary scored his 14th from the slot on the long rebound of Brian Rust's shot from the right point at 12:28. On the following shift, the Penguins' strong forecheck resulted in Chris Kunitz scoring his fifth at 12:46. After Eric Fehr put the puck on net from the hash marks, Kunitz found the rebound between Ward's legs and poked it in. It was Fehr's 200th NHL point. Kessel's power-play goal extended the lead to 5-0 at 17:29. With Jeff Skinner in the penalty box for unsportsmanlike conduct, Kessel made a long cross-ice pass to Malkin before pinching in for the return pass, where he finished from a sharp angle. Malkin extended the lead to 6-0 at 6:37 on a wraparound that appeared trapped at the post by Ward's skate before trickling in. Hurricanes forward Viktor Stalberg snapped a 20-game goalless drought when he scored shorthanded at 7:09, winning a race to a loose puck and beating Murray below the glove to make it 6-1. Sheary's second of the game put the Penguins up 7-1. He went to one knee to score on a behind-the-back pass from Crosby at 9:05.

* Sheary was on the receiving end of a setup from Crosby.
"I didn't even see him see me, but then when the pass came to me right on my tape I just had the whole net to shoot at," Sheary said. "It was a pretty incredible pass."

* Ward needed his glove and shoulder to fend off Crosby on a breakaway at 8:23 of the second period.

* Stalberg won a race at center ice then went to the back-side post with his forehand.

* Pittsburgh's forecheck limited Carolina's opportunities by winning puck battles and sustaining long shifts in the offensive zone.

* Kunitz tied Martin Straka for ninth place on Pittsburgh's goal-scoring list with 165. ... Thirteen Pittsburgh players scored at least one point and 16 had a positive plus-minus. ... Ward made his 21st straight start.

Pens Quotes

"I get to watch this group from the back end each night. We know we have a good group in here and we have a good team. When we play the way we can, we can take over a game like we did today." Murray said.

"We had to buckle down. Murray had to make some saves when they came out pretty hard. It forced us to collapse and play the [defensive] zone a little bit. Being able to hold off that early speed from them got us in the right mindset, and we were able to generate some offense after that." Sidney Crosby said.
"We always want to have a guy net-front, and when the puck is laying there we want to find them. Obviously, tonight we got a few that went our way." Sheary said."[Sheary] really has a nose for the net. He's an elusive guy. He's an undersized guy (5-foot-8, 175 pounds), but he plays with a ton of courage. He goes to the battle areas and he's in the traffic. He's not afraid to go there." Mike Sullivan

Boston Bruins @ Penguins 1-5 - Sunday, January 22, 2017

Matt Murray made 44 saves and Sidney Crosby had three points to help the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Boston Bruins 5-1 at PPG Paints Arena. Murray is 17-4-1 this season. He has allowed one goal in each of his past three starts since surrendering seven on 28 shots in an 8-7 overtime win against the Washington Capitals on Jan. 16. Pittsburgh (30-11-5) extended its winning streak to four games and Boston (23-21-6) lost its fourth straight (0-3-1). Conor Sheary scored twice and Bryan Rust also had three points for the Penguins. After a scoreless first period, the Penguins took 18 seconds to take a 1-0 lead in the second. Crosby led a 2-on-1 with Rust before passing under Zdeno Chara's stick. Rust one-timed a wrist shot past goalie Tuukka Rask's glove for his 12th goal. Crosby assisted on another goal when Sheary made it 2-0 with his first goal at 9:06 in the second. Sheary has four goals in his past two games and six in his past four.

Rask, who made 20 saves, left the game because of an illness during a stoppage with 8:12 remaining in the second period. Rookie goalie Zane McIntyre replaced Rask and allowed three goals on 14 shots. Bruins coach Claude Julien did not provide an update following the game. Rask said he experienced migraines, but could have returned if Pittsburgh hadn't scored three quick goals to take a 5-1 lead early in the third period. David Krejci cut Pittsburgh's lead to 2-1 on a slap shot with 6:11 remaining in the second. Patric Hornqvist pushed it to 3-1 when he backhanded a shot past McIntyre 1:40 into the third period and Sheary made it 4-1 with his 17th goal at 2:59. Crosby extended it to 5-1 on a power play with his NHL-leading 28th goal at 4:37.An unsavoury moment in the game, came when Jake Guentzel was harshly called for boarding after Bruins defenseman Krug moved his head down and slipped towards the boards even before the Pens youngster got to him. Guentzel, already committed to the check, could do nothing to stop his momentum and looked apologetically back to the oncoming Bruins goons who wanted to exact revenge on him. Defenseman McQuaid, was first to the scene and dropped his gloves in an attempt to attack the innocent Pens player. McQuaid's force sent Guentzel to the ice, and whilst prone under the two sets of grappling players, vile dwarf, Brad Marchand sneaked behind the back (his lack of height meaning he could slip under his team mates legs) and delivered a cross check to the back of Guentzel's neck, which could have caused serious injury not to mention paralysed him. Nothing was called on the vertically challenged imp, so once again the most disgusting player in the NHL got away with a disgraceful act.I have often wondered why Marchand has so much anger built up inside of him. Perhaps it is the fact Snow White prefers one of his brothers to him and that has what has turned him into being 'Grumpy'.
We have exclusive video footage of Marchand, taken from the Bruins' pre-game practice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc3bSBC9yXw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKY0UJjvhOA
* After Rust tipped a shot on Rask, Crosby whiffed on an attempted shot, which caused Rask to dive out of his crease. The puck bounced off the end boards to Sheary to the right, where he shot into an open net midway through the second period.

* Brad Marchand had a chance to cut Pittsburgh's lead to 5-2 late in the third period when he backhanded a shot toward a seemingly open right side of the net. Murray extended to make a glove save with 1:58 remaining.

* David Backes could have tied it 2-2 when he went on a breakaway late in the second period. He went forehand-to-backhand, but Murray used a blocker save to deny him with 4:49 left in the second.

* Forward Eric Fehr, who replaced Matt Cullen (foot) as Pittsburgh's fourth-line center, had a quietly affective game with six hits.

* Rask had never left a game early against the Penguins. He last lost to Pittsburgh in regulation on Oct. 30, 2013, when the Penguins won 3-2 at PPG Paints Arena. … Forward Scott Wilson played despite leaving Pittsburgh's game against the Carolina Hurricanes early with an undisclosed injury Friday. … Because of ice issues, the Penguins and Bruins took an early intermission with 6:26 remaining in the first period. They finished the first before taking a one-minute break, switching ends and playing the second period.

"I'm not going to sit here and suggest to you that I thought [Sheary would] have 17 goals halfway through the season, but I knew he could play in this League and I felt strongly that he could be a solid player." Mike Sullivan
 
"I'm a little bit happier with these last couple games. You're never really where you want to be. You're always looking to improve and you're always looking to move forward, and get better." Murray said.

Penguins @ Boston Bruins 3-4 - Thursday, January 26, 2017
Brad Marchand scored twice, and Patrice Bergeron scored the game-winning goal to help the Boston Bruins rally from two goals behind in the second period and defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 at TD Garden. The line of Marchand, Bergeron (one goal, one assist) and David Pastrnak (two assists) combined for six points. Riley Nash scored, and Tuukka Rask made 19 saves for the Bruins (25-21-6), who won consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 29 and 31.

Justin Schultz, Phil Kessel and Patric Hornqvist scored, and Matt Murray made 33 saves for the Penguins (30-13-5), who were without forward Evgeni Malkin because of a lower-body injury. Pittsburgh has lost its past two games after winning four in a row. The Penguins took a 1-0 lead at 7:37 of the first period. Schultz was credited with the goal when his pass in front was swept into the net by Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo. Kessel's power-play goal at 11:26 made it 2-0. Marchand's third shorthanded goal of the season brought the Bruins within 2-1 at 1:38 of the second period, and he tied it at 6:27 on a rebound of a Pastrnak shot. Marchand who should have been suspended from the game, had a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety earlier the same day. They fined him $10,000 for a dangerous trip against Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall on Tuesday. Nash's first goal in 10 games gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead at 10:25. Bergeron scored on the power play 51 seconds into the third period for a 4-2 lead. Hornqvist made it 4-3 at 10:35. It was the last game for each team prior to the 2017 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend.

* Pastrnak's shot rebounded to Bergeron, who flipped it into the top of the net.

* Rask blocked Pittsburgh defenseman Trevor Daley's one-timer from between the circles during a third-period penalty kill.

* Marchand's shorthanded goal from the left hash mark went through Murray's five-hole and started Boston's comeback.

* Bruins defensemen Zdeno Chara and Kevan Miller bailed out Rask during the second period. On the penalty kill, Chara blocked Conor Sheary's shot at 47 seconds with Rask out of the crease. Miller did the same to a Nick Bonino shot at 2:21.

* Marchand reached 20 goals for the sixth time in his NHL career. He has 21 this season. ... The Penguins called up forward Carter Rowney from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Thursday but he was a healthy scratch. ... Carlo sustained a lower-body injury in the third period and did not return.

"They played hard. They played hard in the second period. They won puck battles and as a result they controlled territory. When you don't win enough puck battles it's hard to control territory and establish the game you want to play." 
"For me, [Marchand's goal] was a freebie. We gave them that one. We need to have more awareness on the ice, knowing where people are on the rink. And it's hard to win games when you don't make it hard on your opponents to score goals, and I thought that one was a freebie." Mike Sullivan said. 

Nashville Predators @ Penguins Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Patric Hornqvist scored twice to help the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Nashville Predators 4-2 at PPG Paints Arena. After Chris Kunitz and Trevor Daley built a 2-1 lead for Pittsburgh early in the second period, Hornqvist pushed it to 4-1 to continue his recent surge. He has three goals in his past two games and four in his past four. With center Evgeni Malkin recovering from a lower-body injury, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan moved Hornqvist to first-line right wing with center Sidney Crosby. Pittsburgh (31-13-5) avoided a third straight loss.

Nashville (24-18-8) failed to extend its point streak to six games. Penguins goalie Matt Murray made 37 saves to respond from losing two straight in regulation for the first time in his NHL career. He is 10-1-1 at home this season.
Calle Jarnkrok gave Nashville a 1-0 lead with 5:56 remaining in the first period before Pittsburgh scored four straight. The flurry began on Kunitz's sixth goal of the season with 3:41 left in the first. Daley gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead 3:10 into the second period. The goal, which came on a slap shot shortly after a failed power play, was Daley's fifth of the season, second in five games. Hornqvist extended it to 3-1 when he snuck a wraparound between Pekka Rinne's right skate and the left post with 8:53 remaining in the second. Hornqvist scored again when Nick Bonino shot off Austin Watson to him in front of the crease, where he held off Matt Irwin and shot off Rinne's glove. Hornqvist's 14th goal made it 4-1 with 3:48 left in the second. Colin Wilson made it 4-2 with a power-play goal at 3:18 of the third period.

* Carl Hagelin chipped a pass off the far wall to Daley skating through the neutral zone. The defenseman drove toward Rinne and put a slap shot under his glove to give Pittsburgh the lead.

* Rinne temporarily prevented Pittsburgh from extending its lead to 3-1 early in the second period after Bonino found Phil Kessel at the top of the right circle. Kessel shot through traffic, but Rinne absorbed it to freeze the puck at 6:44.

* Crosby led a 2-on-1 with Kessel about 7:00 into the second period. After Crosby faked a slap shot that caused Mattias Ekholm to drop to the ice and slide by, he passed to Kessel near the right post. Kessel lifted his stick with the puck hitting off his skate, causing him to fall and miss the quality chance.
* Pittsburgh defenseman Olli Maatta, who failed to make a clear which led to Nashville's first goal, bounced back to block four shots and help the Penguins preserve their lead in the third period.
* Penguins defenseman Kris Letang returned from a lower-body injury sustained Jan. 14 against the Detroit Red Wings. He played 23:45, which led Pittsburgh. … Penguins forward Carter Rowney played 9:20 in his NHL debut. … Predators forward Mike Ribeiro was a healthy scratch for the second straight game.


"[Hornqvist's] annoying against me in practice. … He's good at getting under the opponents' skin." Matt Murray said.
"I think we [Crosby] play really well together. We know exactly where we are on the ice and I think we showed that tonight. We got some really good looks on the first shift. Almost had a tap-in on the back door. Just missed it a little bit. I think the other lines played really well too. It was a big team effort for us." Hornqvist said.
"It was a little bit of a mixed bag. Halfway through the game, I think we gave up 12 shots. So I think that aspect of the game we really liked. … The chances we gave up, they seemed to come in flurries. But a lot of the game, we certainly made a step in the right direction." Sullivan said.