Pens @ Carolina Hurricanes 6-1 - Friday, February 23, 2018
The Penguins won their season-high sixth straight game and moved into first place in the Metropolitan Division with a 6-1 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. Phil Kessel had two goals and an assist, Evgeni Malkin and Jake Guentzel each had three points and Matt Murray made 27 saves for the Penguins (36-22-4), who moved one point ahead of the Washington Capitals atop the Metropolitan.
"I think we played really well from the first shift to the last," Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist said. "We were in their face. They're a fast team. Today we chipped it behind and went in to get it. We had a good game."
"The storyline is they outworked us and they showed they wanted it more tonight," Hurricanes forward Justin Williams said. "Our response was poor, very poor. That's frustrating because we've got to be better, and certainly I'm at the top of that list."
Guentzel started the scoring with his 20th of the season at 13:36 of the first period when Kessel moved into the slot and found Guentzel for an easy tap-in.
Olli Maatta scored his fifth of the season 46 seconds into the second period with a wrist shot inside the near post to make it 2-0. Teravainen cut the lead to 2-1 at 2:05. He stopped Elias Lindholm's shot from the high slot with his skate and shot it under the crossbar. Kessel scored two goals 2:14 apart to put the Penguins ahead 4-1. He scored his 25th goal when he took a cross-ice pass from Guentzel and sent a hard wrist shot from the left face-off circle at 6:11. Kessel then finished a short pass from Riley Sheahan at the front of the net that trickled over the goal line at 8:25.
"We had a really good second," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. "They come back with a weird goal; we thought it was going to be an icing. They had a big shift, but we held them off there and got two quick ones to get the momentum back. We just stuck with it after that."
The Penguins took a 5-1 lead on Crosby's power-play goal at 9:12 of the third period. With an assist on Crosby's goal, Kris Letang tied Paul Coffey for the most assists by a defenseman in Penguins history (332). Malkin extended the lead to 6-1 at 12:42.
* Guentzel's goal at 13:36 of the first period.* Kessel's three-point game was his fourth in the past 18 games. … The Penguins are 17-4-1 since the start of 2018. … Hurricanes co-captain Jordan Staal missed the game for personal reasons. … Teravainen 15th goal matches his NHL career-high, set last season. … Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin played his 200th consecutive game.
"I've played 12 years; I think Paul Coffey played three years (five) for the Penguins. It's fun to see your name up there. He is a special player. He's one of the greatest in the history of the game, so I don't compare myself to him." -- Penguins defenseman Kris Letang
"Tonight was a long night. This was a tough one. They were on us. They forechecked properly and you know you've got to move the puck to alleviate pressure. We did it at times, but at other times we just struggled." -- Hurricanes coach Bill Peters
Pens @ Florida Panthers 5-6 - Saturday, February 24, 2018"The storyline is they outworked us and they showed they wanted it more tonight," Hurricanes forward Justin Williams said. "Our response was poor, very poor. That's frustrating because we've got to be better, and certainly I'm at the top of that list."
Guentzel started the scoring with his 20th of the season at 13:36 of the first period when Kessel moved into the slot and found Guentzel for an easy tap-in.
Olli Maatta scored his fifth of the season 46 seconds into the second period with a wrist shot inside the near post to make it 2-0. Teravainen cut the lead to 2-1 at 2:05. He stopped Elias Lindholm's shot from the high slot with his skate and shot it under the crossbar. Kessel scored two goals 2:14 apart to put the Penguins ahead 4-1. He scored his 25th goal when he took a cross-ice pass from Guentzel and sent a hard wrist shot from the left face-off circle at 6:11. Kessel then finished a short pass from Riley Sheahan at the front of the net that trickled over the goal line at 8:25.
"We had a really good second," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. "They come back with a weird goal; we thought it was going to be an icing. They had a big shift, but we held them off there and got two quick ones to get the momentum back. We just stuck with it after that."
The Penguins took a 5-1 lead on Crosby's power-play goal at 9:12 of the third period. With an assist on Crosby's goal, Kris Letang tied Paul Coffey for the most assists by a defenseman in Penguins history (332). Malkin extended the lead to 6-1 at 12:42.
"I've played 12 years; I think Paul Coffey played three years (five) for the Penguins. It's fun to see your name up there. He is a special player. He's one of the greatest in the history of the game, so I don't compare myself to him." -- Penguins defenseman Kris Letang
"Tonight was a long night. This was a tough one. They were on us. They forechecked properly and you know you've got to move the puck to alleviate pressure. We did it at times, but at other times we just struggled." -- Hurricanes coach Bill Peters
Evgenii Dadonov completed a hat trick by scoring the game-winning goal with 1:53 remaining in the third period, and the Florida Panthers ended the Pittsburgh Penguins' six-game winning streak with a 6-5 victory at BB&T Center.
It was the first NHL hat trick for Dadonov, who played 55 games for the Panthers from 2009-12 before spending five seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League.
"He's an elite goal-scorer in this league and in this world," said Florida center Aleksander Barkov, who had three assists, all on Dadonov's goals. "He was scoring a lot of goals in Russia and it was just a matter of time when the puck started going in. He's been a dangerous player the whole year and now he just had those good chances, he put them in."
Vincent Trocheck, Jamie McGinn and Derek MacKenzie scored for the Panthers, who have won nine of their past 12 (9-3-0) games. Roberto Luongo made 32 saves. The Panthers (28-25-6) remained five points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference with three games in hand.
"We're confident in what we have in this locker room," Luongo said. "We've had some success lately and that builds a little more confidence in our group and the way we play. We feel that when we're playing well, we can beat anybody."
Evgeni Malkin had two goals and an assist for the Penguins, giving him 38 points (22 goals, 16 assists) in his past 21 games. Carl Hagelin and Bryan Rust each had a goal and an assist, and Patric Hornqvist scored. Tristan Jarry made 12 saves for Pittsburgh but was pulled after MacKenzie's goal gave Florida a 4-1 lead at 8:12 of the second period. Matt Murray made 12 saves in relief. The Penguins (36-23-4) dropped into a tie with the Philadelphia Flyers for second place in the Metropolitan Division, one point behind the Washington Capitals. Dadonov's third goal came when he took a centering pass from Barkov and waited before flicking a shot to Murray's blocker side from low in the right face-off circle. Florida led 5-3 before Pittsburgh tied it with two goals in 49 seconds. Hornqvist made it 5-4 at 14:21 with a power-play goal off his own rebound. Rust tied it 5-5 at 15:10 with a shot from a sharp angle.
"We said we were down two, but we've got the firepower to come back," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "We've done it time and time again and know we're capable. We don't have to open up. We just have to keep playing the game the right way and we'll score. And we did that. Unfortunately, we gave up that goal late. But I love the fight back in our guys and think we competed hard. We were fighting hard, but we didn't play as smart tonight as consistently as we should have."
Trocheck had made it 1-0 at 3:44 when he redirected Denis Malgin's pass on a 2-on-1. Hagelin tied it 1-1 at 13:40 when he one-timed Malkin's pass from behind the net. Dadonov gave Florida the lead again at 2-1 at 19:21 with a wrist shot high to the glove side. McGinn made it 3-1 at 2:07 of the second period on a redirection of a pass from Jared McCann, and MacKenzie scored on a rebound at 8:12 to make it 4-1. Malkin cut it to 4-2 at 13:10 when he redirected Rust's pass in front of the net. The Penguins had a goal by Hornqvist overturned by a coach's challenge for goalie interference with 1:57 remaining in the second. It was determined that he pushed Luongo's pad and the puck past the goal line.
Malkin made it 4-3 at 46 seconds of the third period with a shot from a sharp angle that beat Luongo high to the stick side. Dadonov made it 5-3 lead 58 seconds later at 1:44, scoring on a give-and-go with Barkov.
"We bent, almost broke, but we held it together and [Dadonov] scored a big goal at the end," Luongo said. "We have to learn to be a bit more comfortable with a lead like that toward the end of the game and have a little bit more composure, but other than that we showed a lot of character to get the goal back."
* Dadonov's goal at 18:07 of the third.
* Luongo's save on Malkin at 19:30 of the third period.* Dadonov's goal at 1:44 of the third period.* Malgin left the game early in the third period with an apparent leg injury. Panthers coach Bob Boughner said he expects Malgin will be day to day. … Penguins forward Derick Brassard, acquired from the Ottawa Senators on Friday in a three-team trade involving the Vegas Golden Knights, was not with Pittsburgh because of visa issues.
"I have confidence right now. Every shot seems to go in." -- Penguins center Evgeni Malkin"I'm happy to get a hat trick. But actually it doesn't matter. We needed points to make the playoffs." -- Panthers forward Evgenii Dadonov
New Jersey @ Pens 3-2 - Tuesday, February 27, 2018"He's an elite goal-scorer in this league and in this world," said Florida center Aleksander Barkov, who had three assists, all on Dadonov's goals. "He was scoring a lot of goals in Russia and it was just a matter of time when the puck started going in. He's been a dangerous player the whole year and now he just had those good chances, he put them in."
Vincent Trocheck, Jamie McGinn and Derek MacKenzie scored for the Panthers, who have won nine of their past 12 (9-3-0) games. Roberto Luongo made 32 saves. The Panthers (28-25-6) remained five points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference with three games in hand.
"We're confident in what we have in this locker room," Luongo said. "We've had some success lately and that builds a little more confidence in our group and the way we play. We feel that when we're playing well, we can beat anybody."
Evgeni Malkin had two goals and an assist for the Penguins, giving him 38 points (22 goals, 16 assists) in his past 21 games. Carl Hagelin and Bryan Rust each had a goal and an assist, and Patric Hornqvist scored. Tristan Jarry made 12 saves for Pittsburgh but was pulled after MacKenzie's goal gave Florida a 4-1 lead at 8:12 of the second period. Matt Murray made 12 saves in relief. The Penguins (36-23-4) dropped into a tie with the Philadelphia Flyers for second place in the Metropolitan Division, one point behind the Washington Capitals. Dadonov's third goal came when he took a centering pass from Barkov and waited before flicking a shot to Murray's blocker side from low in the right face-off circle. Florida led 5-3 before Pittsburgh tied it with two goals in 49 seconds. Hornqvist made it 5-4 at 14:21 with a power-play goal off his own rebound. Rust tied it 5-5 at 15:10 with a shot from a sharp angle.
"We said we were down two, but we've got the firepower to come back," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "We've done it time and time again and know we're capable. We don't have to open up. We just have to keep playing the game the right way and we'll score. And we did that. Unfortunately, we gave up that goal late. But I love the fight back in our guys and think we competed hard. We were fighting hard, but we didn't play as smart tonight as consistently as we should have."
Trocheck had made it 1-0 at 3:44 when he redirected Denis Malgin's pass on a 2-on-1. Hagelin tied it 1-1 at 13:40 when he one-timed Malkin's pass from behind the net. Dadonov gave Florida the lead again at 2-1 at 19:21 with a wrist shot high to the glove side. McGinn made it 3-1 at 2:07 of the second period on a redirection of a pass from Jared McCann, and MacKenzie scored on a rebound at 8:12 to make it 4-1. Malkin cut it to 4-2 at 13:10 when he redirected Rust's pass in front of the net. The Penguins had a goal by Hornqvist overturned by a coach's challenge for goalie interference with 1:57 remaining in the second. It was determined that he pushed Luongo's pad and the puck past the goal line.
Malkin made it 4-3 at 46 seconds of the third period with a shot from a sharp angle that beat Luongo high to the stick side. Dadonov made it 5-3 lead 58 seconds later at 1:44, scoring on a give-and-go with Barkov.
"We bent, almost broke, but we held it together and [Dadonov] scored a big goal at the end," Luongo said. "We have to learn to be a bit more comfortable with a lead like that toward the end of the game and have a little bit more composure, but other than that we showed a lot of character to get the goal back."
* Dadonov's goal at 18:07 of the third.
* Luongo's save on Malkin at 19:30 of the third period.* Dadonov's goal at 1:44 of the third period.* Malgin left the game early in the third period with an apparent leg injury. Panthers coach Bob Boughner said he expects Malgin will be day to day. … Penguins forward Derick Brassard, acquired from the Ottawa Senators on Friday in a three-team trade involving the Vegas Golden Knights, was not with Pittsburgh because of visa issues.
"I have confidence right now. Every shot seems to go in." -- Penguins center Evgeni Malkin"I'm happy to get a hat trick. But actually it doesn't matter. We needed points to make the playoffs." -- Panthers forward Evgenii Dadonov
Taylor Hall extended his point streak to 15 games to tie a New Jersey Devils record in a 3-2 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. The streak, the longest in the NHL this season, equaled the record set by Patrik Elias in 1999-2000 and matched by Brian Gionta in 2005-06. Hall had a secondary assist on a goal from Kyle Palmieri in the first period before scoring his 27th goal, which tied his NHL career high from 2011-12 and 2013-14, in the second.
Hall has 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) during his streak. He has 32 points (15 goals, 17 assists) while scoring at least one point in 22 straight games, a stretch that was interrupted when he missed three games with a right hand/thumb injury from Jan. 22-25.
"First period, I probably touched the puck five or six times and I get a secondary assist in the neutral zone. It's the way it's going," Hall said. "Personally, I thought I had a strong game after that. You score points in 22 straight games, there has to be some luck involved. … It's a good feeling to just contribute.
"We're in the middle of a playoff run and games are important. So, I'm happy that I'm able to do my part."
"He's a different beast right now," Noesen said. "I don't get it. It's crazy. I don't even know how many games that is in a row, but he just seems to have a knack for it right now. You see a guy like that night in and night out, and really driving our team, being the leader that he is and the type of guy he is.
"You always want to be around him and anytime you see a guy like that, it helps the team the way he's helping us right now and carrying us. It pushes everyone to play for him."
"It's going to take me a couple games to get a feel for it and a feel for my linemates," Brassard said. "I had those butterflies in the first. I was kind of nervous, which is part of the excitement of being here. But after a couple shifts, I was in the game."
* Noesen's goal at 5:01 of the third period.* Kinkaid's save on Riley Sheahan at 11:57 of the third period.* Hall's goal at 4:25 of the second period.* Forward Patrick Maroon did not make his Devils debut after being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers on Monday for a third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and forward J.D. Dudek. Maroon is expected to play against the Florida Panthers on Thursday. … Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin extended his NHL career-long point streak to four games (one goal, three assists) with an assist on Crosby's goal. … Hall is the fifth NHL player in the past 25 years with points in 22 straight appearances, behind Mats Sundin (Quebec Nordiques, 1992-93, 30 games), Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks, 2015-16, 26), Crosby (2010-11, 25) and Dany Heatley (Ottawa Senators, 2005-6, 22).
"I thought it was a heck of a game by both teams. They had some looks. We had some looks. I thought the tempo was good. Both teams competed very hard. We were fortunate to find a way to win the game." -- Devils coach John Hynes
"I thought [Brassard] was pretty good. … I thought for his first game he had good energy. He made some plays. I think he'll only get better moving forward." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan
"First period, I probably touched the puck five or six times and I get a secondary assist in the neutral zone. It's the way it's going," Hall said. "Personally, I thought I had a strong game after that. You score points in 22 straight games, there has to be some luck involved. … It's a good feeling to just contribute.
"We're in the middle of a playoff run and games are important. So, I'm happy that I'm able to do my part."
"He's a different beast right now," Noesen said. "I don't get it. It's crazy. I don't even know how many games that is in a row, but he just seems to have a knack for it right now. You see a guy like that night in and night out, and really driving our team, being the leader that he is and the type of guy he is.
"You always want to be around him and anytime you see a guy like that, it helps the team the way he's helping us right now and carrying us. It pushes everyone to play for him."
* Noesen's goal at 5:01 of the third period.* Kinkaid's save on Riley Sheahan at 11:57 of the third period.* Hall's goal at 4:25 of the second period.* Forward Patrick Maroon did not make his Devils debut after being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers on Monday for a third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and forward J.D. Dudek. Maroon is expected to play against the Florida Panthers on Thursday. … Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin extended his NHL career-long point streak to four games (one goal, three assists) with an assist on Crosby's goal. … Hall is the fifth NHL player in the past 25 years with points in 22 straight appearances, behind Mats Sundin (Quebec Nordiques, 1992-93, 30 games), Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks, 2015-16, 26), Crosby (2010-11, 25) and Dany Heatley (Ottawa Senators, 2005-6, 22)."I thought it was a heck of a game by both teams. They had some looks. We had some looks. I thought the tempo was good. Both teams competed very hard. We were fortunate to find a way to win the game." -- Devils coach John Hynes
"I thought [Brassard] was pretty good. … I thought for his first game he had good energy. He made some plays. I think he'll only get better moving forward." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan
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