NHL - Pens Round Up - November 22-27, 2017

Vancouver Canucks @ Penguins 5-2 - Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Brock Boeser scored twice to help the Vancouver Canucks defeat the Penguins 5-2 at PPG Paints Arena. One night after scoring two goals against the Philadelphia Flyers, he gave the Canucks a 1-0 lead at 3:52 of the first period. After receiving a pass from Sven Baertschi, Boeser slipped by a falling Brian Dumoulin before shooting over Matt Murray's glove to extend his point streak to five games. Boeser, who had four points (three goals, one assist) against Pittsburgh in a 4-2 win on Nov. 4, scored again, this time on a power play, to put Vancouver ahead 4-1 at 9:47 of the second period. He has six goals in his past four games.

The Canucks (11-8-3) won twice in two days by a combined score of 10-4. They won 5-2 at the Flyers on Tuesday. The Penguins (11-9-3) lost a second straight home game in regulation after beginning the season 6-0-1 in Pittsburgh; they lost 2-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks at home on Saturday.

Jake Guentzel cut Vancouver's lead to 4-2 with his second power-play goal of the game at 1:24 of the third period.
Brandon Sutter scored into an empty net to make it 5-2 with 1:20 left. After Boeser's first goal, Guentzel tied it 1-1 on a power play 6:28 into the first before the Canucks took the lead 2:05 later. Phil Kessel backpedaled into a piece of Sidney Crosby's broken stick in the left circle, allowing Thomas Vanek to steal the puck and charge toward the crease. Murray stopped Vanek's wrist shot, but Loui Eriksson scored on the rebound to make it 2-1 at 8:33 of the first.

Derrick Pouliot made it 3-1 on a power play with his first goal of the season at 7:08 of the second period. He returned to Pittsburgh for the first time since the Penguins traded him to the Canucks on Oct. 3. Pittsburgh selected Pouliot in the first round (No. 8) of the 2012 NHL Draft. Anders Nilsson made 43 saves for Vancouver. Canucks defenseman Erik Gudbranson left with an upper-body injury after playing 9:46. Green said he would have more information regarding Gudbranson's status Thursday.

"We're making soft plays at the [blue] line and they're knocking pucks down. As a result, we don't have the opportunity to establish the kind of game we want to play." Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.

"I think our start cold have been a whole lot better. But also, pretty much all the goals they got were kind of hilarious, if you think about it. Just that one with the broken stick and it went off of Phil. That's about as unlucky as you can get. For sure, we need to have a better start and maybe it doesn't get to that point." Penguins goalie Matt Murray
The Canucks swept their two-game season series against the Penguins after losing their previous four games against Pittsburgh (0-4-0). … Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin did not play because of an upper-body injury sustained Saturday. He will be reevaluated on Thursday to determine his status for Friday against the Boston Bruins or Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. … The Canucks (8-3-0) are tied with the St. Louis Blues (8-3-1) for most road wins in the NHL.

Penguins @ Boston Bruins 3-4 - Friday, November 24, 2017

David Pastrnak scored the go-ahead goal 5:06 into the third period, and the Boston Bruins extended their longest winning streak of the season to four games with a 4-3 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at TD Garden. Riley Nash sprung Pastrnak for a breakaway, and the right wing scored with a backhand-to-forehand move. David Krejci, Sean Kuraly and Matt Grzelcyk scored, and Anton Khudobin made 17 saves for the Bruins (10-7-4). The goalie is 7-0-2 this season. The Bruins had a 3-1 lead before the Penguins tied it 3-3 in the second period. Jake Guentzel, Phil Kessel and Sidney Crosby scored, and Matt Murray made 29 saves for the Penguins (11-10-3), who lost a third straight game and for the fifth time in seven games (2-4-1). The Penguins outshot the Bruins 8-5 in the third period.

Krejci scored his second goal of the season to put the Bruins ahead 1-0 at 6:13 of the first period. After Peter Cehlarik stole the puck from Guentzel, Jake DeBrusk found Krejci in front for the goal. Kuraly extended the lead to 2-0 at 10:51 with a one-timer from the top from the top of the right circle after a cross-ice pass from Charlie McAvoy, who stole an outlet pass and circled the net. Guentzel got the Penguins within one with a power-play goal at 1:02 of the second period before Grzelcyk scored his first NHL goal, beating Murray to the glove side at 10:31 to give the Bruins a 3-1 lead. Kessel scored on a wrist shot to the short side at 14:07 of the second period to make it 3-2. Pittsburgh tied the game 3-3 with 2:16 left in the second on Crosby's goal, which the Penguins captain scored by sweeping the puck off Khudobin's stomach when the goaltender was on his back. The play was reviewed twice, first to find out when the whistle blew. After it determined that the puck was entering the net as the whistle blew, the Bruins challenged the play for goaltender interference, but the goal was upheld after video review.

Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (upper body) didn't travel here and missed his second straight game. ... Crosby played his 806th NHL game, tying Jaromir Jagr for second place on the Penguins' all-time list. Patric Hornqvist played his 600th NHL game. ... Penguins forward Carter Rowney (hand) returned to the lineup after missing 14 games. ... Bruins forward Brad Marchand (undisclosed) missed his fifth straight game and is day to day. ... Grzelcyk became the seventh Bruins player to score his first NHL goal this season (DeBrusk, McAvoy, Kuraly, Cehlarik, Danton Heinen and Anders Bjork). ... Boston is 5-0-1 in its past six home games against Pittsburgh.

"Well, it's discouraging because it wasn't a perfect game by any stretch. I thought the third period was one of our stronger periods and we end up giving up a breakaway when we controlled most of the territory and most of the zone time. So from that standpoint, that was the only real quality scoring chance they got the whole period and it ended up in the back of our net. What happened in the first? We got outplayed. They played harder than we did."

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.

Tampa Bay Lightning @ Penguins 2-5 - Saturday, November 25, 2017

Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel each scored twice to help the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2 at PPG Paints Arena. Crosby, who has three goals in his past two games, scored on two different 5-on-3s, one in the first period and another in the third. Kessel scored once in the first period and again in the second. Kessel had four points (two goals, two assists), and has seven goals in his past nine games. Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry made 33 saves for his first NHL win. He is 1-1-2 in his career and 1-0-2 this season. Pittsburgh (12-10-3), which lost 4-3 to the Boston Bruins on Friday, won the second half of a back-to-back for the first time in seven attempts this season (1-4-2). It had been outscored 36-12 in the second halves of back-to-backs entering Saturday.

The Penguins ended their first three-game losing streak since Jan. 11-14. Tampa Bay (16-5-2) is 1-3-0 in its past four games.

Crosby's second goal of the night

TBL@PIT: Crosby wires in wrister for power-play goal

• 00:59 • November 26th, 2017

Two double minor high-sticking penalties led to three first-period goals for the Penguins. The flurry started when Jake Guentzel was called for high-sticking Ondrej Palat at 11:21 and Bryan Rust scored on a shorthanded breakaway to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead at 14:36. Cedric Paquette went off for high-sticking Crosby at 16:12 and Anton Stralman was called for tripping 1:31 later. The Penguins scored twice on the 5-on-3. After Kris Letang's stick broke on an attempted slap shot, Patric Hornqvist moved the puck to Crosby, who passed through the crease. Kessel one-timed a shot past Peter Budaj with nine seconds remaining in the first half of Paquette's double minor to make it 2-0 at 18:03. Crosby extended it to 3-0 by tipping a shot from Kessel inside the left post with 33.1 seconds left. He has at least one point in five of his past six games. Kessel scored again, this time with a wrist shot over Budaj's blocker during a breakaway, to make it 4-0 at 2:22 of the second period. Palat cut the lead to 4-1 with a power-play goal at 6:52. Crosby pushed it to 5-1 on a 5-on-3 4:41 into the third period before Cory Conacher cut it to 5-2 on his first goal of the season with 6:06 remaining.
Lightning forward Chris Kunitz returned to Pittsburgh for the first time since signing with Tampa Bay as an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He is one of five players to have won the Stanley Cup three times with the Penguins, along with Evgeni Malkin, Crosby, Letang and Vegas Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. … Crosby played his 807th game, passing Jaromir Jagr for second in Penguins history. Mario Lemieux is the all-time leader with 915.

 

"It's something you can only dream of. It's something you think of as a kid that you might not achieve. It's something that came true tonight." Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry on his first NHL win

"Obviously, it was a good night. We had a couple 5-on-3s out there, so it's nice. We needed that win tonight. … We need to find our footing here and get a couple wins going. Tonight was a good start." Kessel said.
"I think our players understand the circumstance. We all know where we are in the League and where we are in our division. All of us watch hockey so we know where we stand and I think our group has high expectations." Mike Sullivan

Philadelphia Flyers @ Penguins 4-5 OT - Monday, November 27, 2017

Sidney Crosby scored 1:48 into overtime to help the Penguins defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 at PPG Paints Arena. Crosby redirected a shot from Kris Letang past goalie Brian Elliott for his fourth goal in his past three games. He said it's a play he and Letang have practiced. Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray left the game with a lower-body injury at 15:39 of the second period after Philadelphia forward Jakub Voracek crashed into him at the end of a breakaway. He was helped off the ice after remaining down in his crease for a few minutes. Coach Mike Sullivan said Murray will be re-evaluated Tuesday.

The Penguins (13-10-3) have won two straight games after losing their previous three. They are 8-2-1 at home this season despite losing two of their past four at PPG Paints Arena. Elliott made 47 saves for the Flyers (8-9-7), who have lost eight straight games (0-3-5). After Michael Raffl gave the Flyers a 4-3 lead with 3:41 remaining in the third period, Jake Guentzel scored his second goal of the game to tie it 4-4 with 1:04 left. With the Penguins trailing 3-1, Hornqvist and Bryan Rust scored 39 seconds apart in the third period to tie it 3-3. Hornqvist scored on a power play at 1:07 before Rust raced past Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, shot into Elliott, and tipped the rebound into the net at 1:46.

Philadelphia scored three goals in the second period to take a 3-1 lead after Guentzel put Pittsburgh ahead 1-0 with 3:57 remaining in the first period.
Gostisbehere tied it 1-1 on a 5-on-3 power play with a one-timer from the top of the left face-off circle at 3:40. Konecny gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead with 4:55 left in the period when he redirected a Brandon Manning slap shot past Murray, who made 20 saves on 22 shots. Tristan Jarry made eight saves on 10 shots in relief of Murray. Sean Couturier scored on the fourth shot Jarry faced to extend the Flyers lead to 3-1 with 31.5 seconds remaining. Jarry has stopped 41 of 45 shots in consecutive wins after beginning his NHL career 0-1-2. He made 33 saves in a 5-2 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
Flyers defenseman Andrew MacDonald returned after missing 15 games with a lower-body injury. … Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin missed a fourth consecutive game with an upper-body injury sustained against the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 18. He skated before Pittsburgh's morning skate.
"We believe he's a solid goalie. The game he played against Tampa is a perfect example of what he's capable of. That being said, if [Murray can't play], Tristan is going to have to make timely saves for us game in and game out. We believe he can do that." Sullivan said.
"Almost every day. We've played together for a long time. So, I mean, he works on getting shots through, and [Patric Hornqvist] is always working on tips and screening. I'm usually trying to hang around there and get some too. [Letang] made a great play. A great, heads-up play. They took the front of the net away and left me open on the side. … I had a thought he might come to me." Crosby said.
"I'm just trying to do my best out there every day. I want to get better and better. … I think [comfort] comes with being in there every day." Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry

NHL - Pens Round Up - November 14-18, 2017

Buffalo Sabres @ Penguins 4-5 OT - Tuesday, November 14, 2017


Sidney Crosby scored for the first time in 12 games, and Conor Sheary got his second goal of the game 16 seconds into overtime to help the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Buffalo Sabres 5-4 at PPG Paints Arena. Crosby battled with Evander Kane behind the net before feeding Sheary, who sneaked a shot inside the right post. With the Sabres leading 4-3 in the third period, Phil Kessel scored for the fourth consecutive game to tie it. Evgeni Malkin sent a cross-ice pass to Kessel, who dropped to one knee and one-timed a shot past Robin Lehner with 6:11 remaining in the period.

The Penguins (10-7-3) are 12-0-1 against the Sabres (5-9-4) since a 4-1 loss on April 2, 2013. After Crosby tied it 3-3 on a power play with 2:45 remaining in the second period, Benoit Pouliot scored a power-play goal to give Buffalo a 4-3 lead with 6.7 seconds left in the period. The goal was Pouliot's sixth of the season, all in the past 10 games. Crosby ended his 11-game drought by collecting a rebound off a shot from Kessel and shooting past Lehner. He hadn't scored since Oct. 20, in a 4-3 win against the Florida Panthers. The drought ended one game shy of Crosby's NHL career high of 12, from Nov. 23, 2011, to March 22, 2012.

Jack Eichel ended a drought of his own when he scored for the first time in nine games to give the Sabres a 3-1 lead 16 seconds into the second period. Crosby turned the puck over behind the Pittsburgh net, which led to Eichel backhanding a shot around the right post for his first goal since Oct. 21, in a 5-4 win against the Boston Bruins. Eichel wasn't pleased with the Sabres' inability to hold that lead. Sheary made it 3-2 with a wrist shot under Lehner's right pad during a 2-on-1 at 4:28 of the second period.

Buffalo seemed set to carry a 2-0 lead into the first intermission before a gaffe by Lehner led to Pittsburgh's first goal. Lehner fumbled the puck behind his net, which allowed Patric Hornqvist to race down the ice and retrieve it. With the net vacated, Hornqvist shot the puck in off Ryan O'Reilly in front to cut Buffalo's lead to 2-1 with 19 seconds remaining in the period. Kane and Sam Reinhart scored the Sabres' two first-period goals. Kane shot the puck off the left post to score on a 2-on-1, giving Buffalo a 1-0 lead at 3:45. Reinhart scored a power-play goal on a wrist shot, putting the puck between the right post and goalie Matt Murray to make it 2-0 with 3:07 left in the first.

* Sheary's goal 16 seconds into overtime. 

* Murray's save on Eichel at 12:56 of the third period.* Crosby's goal at 17:15 of the second period.* Penguins defenseman Kris Letang had an assist on Sheary's overtime goal for his 400th NHL point in 623 games. … Sabres defenseman Marco Scandella played 26:34 to lead all skaters and had an assist after missing practice Monday with an undisclosed illness.
"I think we've got a character group. They're good people and they care, and they want to win. I think we have to play a little smarter." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan"It's good to come from behind and win," Sheary said after the Penguins twice trailed by two. "I know we're resilient like that. … We want to have a better start and maybe come out with a lead right out of the gate."
"You're happy to see it go in the net," Crosby said. "There were some good chances. I think as long as they're there, hopefully they'll start to go in a little bit more."
 

Penguins @ Ottawa Senators 3-1 - Thursday, November 16, 2017


Matt Murray made 21 saves for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Patric Hornqvist, Jake Guentzel and Riley Sheahan scored in a 3-1 win against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. The Penguins (11-7-3), who ended a four-game road losing streak (0-2-2), have won consecutive games for the first time since Oct. 24 and 26. Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored, and Craig Anderson made 26 saves for Ottawa (8-4-5), which lost for the first time in three games. Center Matt Duchene had five shots on goal and a minus-1 rating in 17:31 in his home debut with the Senators, who played their first game in North America since defeating the Colorado Avalanche on Friday and Saturday in the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series in Stockholm. Duchene was acquired from the Avalanche on Nov. 5 in a three-team trade that also involved the Nashville Predators.

Murray's best save came against Mike Hoffman during an Ottawa power play at 13:48 of the first period. Hoffman one-timed Mark Stone's no-look, backhand pass across the slot, but Murray stopped it with the palm of his blocker hand as he rolled across the crease to keep it 0-0. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said it was the turning point of the game. Hornqvist and Guentzel each scored on a deflection late in the second period. At 16:10, Hornqvist redirected a shot by Olli Maatta to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead. It was his seventh goal. Guentzel scored his sixth of the season with nine seconds left in the period when he deflected a Brian Dumoulin shot past Anderson. Pageau skated around Dumoulin and scored his second goal of the season at 10:29 of the third period to make it 2-1. Sheahan scored into an empty net with 31 seconds left to make it 3-1. It was his first goal for Pittsburgh since being acquired in a trade from the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 21.
* Murray lunged to his left to stop Hoffman at 13:48 of the first period.
* Anderson got his right pad on Bryan Rust's shot at 16:09 of the third period.
* It was the first game between the teams since the Penguins eliminated the Senators from the Stanley Cup Playoffs on a goal by Chris Kunitz in the second overtime in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final on May 25. … Ottawa defenseman Chris Wideman left the game with 3:41 left in the third period after Penguins center Evgeni Malkin fell on him. There was no update.
"We wanted to build off of last game (a 5-4 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday) and keep that momentum. It was nice to get a road win." -- Penguins captain Sidney Crosby
"I played [Stone] a little too aggressively on the right side there," Murray said. "I tried to get my stick on the pass and just missed it. I knew Hoffman was over there waiting for a one-timer. He's a lefty. I just tried to kind of barrel-roll over there. I just tried to get whatever I could over there and still track it, still react to it. I was able to get my blocker on it. A bit lucky, but a good battle save, I guess."
"It looks like it's a for-sure goal with the play they made, and he's kind of down and out and finds a way to get his [blocker] on it," Crosby said. "That's a big point in the game. If they score on that, maybe they get some momentum and it's a different outcome. That was a huge save for us. We were able to settle in and generate some chances ourselves."

Blackhawks @ Penguins 2-1 - Saturday, November 18, 2017


Artem Anisimov scored his fifth goal in three games to help the Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 at PPG Paints Arena. Twenty-one seconds after Matt Hunwick tied it 1-1 with a shorthanded goal for Pittsburgh 8:00 into the third period, Anisimov re-established Chicago's lead. A shot attempt from Nick Schmaltz missed the net before Anisimov reached below the goal line to retrieve it and tuck a shot inside the right post for his Blackhawks-leading 10th goal at 8:21.

Chicago (10-8-2) is 3-1-0 since losing five of its previous seven games (2-5-0).

The Penguins (11-8-3) lost in regulation at home for the first time this season. They are 6-1-1 in Pittsburgh. Despite an improved effort compared to their 10-1 loss to the Blackhawks on Oct. 5, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan wasn't pleased.

Jake Guentzel seemed to tie it 2-2 at 11:33 of the third period. The goal was disallowed following a coach's challenge, where it was ruled Olli Maatta interfered with Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford.

Chicago took a 1-0 lead scoring on its second power play. Gustav Forsling scored his second goal of the season at 12:32, after Brandon Saad, Patrick Kane and Anisimov each failed to convert on chances with Matt Murray scrambling in his crease. Murray stopped a wrist shot from Anisimov with 7:35 left to freeze the puck. Jonathan Toews won the face-off and Alex DeBrincat passed to Forsling at the inner edge of the left circle, where he sent a wrist shot past Ian Cole.

Chicago could have had a larger lead in the first period, but couldn't convert on two breakaways. Schmaltz was denied at 1:06, and Toews sent a shot over the net at 12:44. Crawford, who made 35 saves, temporarily left the game after being hit by Evgeni Malkin at 8:43 of the second period. Malkin was called for goaltender interference after running into Crawford's head. Anton Forsberg, who didn't face a shot, replaced Crawford until he returned at 11:35. With the Penguins net empty, Crawford made a save on a wrist shot from Phil Kessel with 19 seconds remaining in the third period. After receiving a pass from Sidney Crosby, Guentzel found Kessel gliding toward the left post. Kessel shot toward a seemingly open left side of the net, but Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook partially blocked his shot before Crawford got his right pad on it and reached back to freeze the puck. Murray made 36 saves.

* Anisimov's goal at 8:21 of the third period.* Crawford stopping Kessel with 19 seconds remaining in the third period. * Hunwick's goal 8:00 into the third period.* Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith played after missing practice the previous two days with an undisclosed illness. He had three blocks in 26:56. … Maatta did not participate in Pittsburgh's morning skate Saturday because of an undisclosed illness. He blocked four shots and had one hit in 18:10. … Hunwick returned from missing 15 games with a concussion. … The Blackhawks have won eight consecutive games against the Penguins dating to Jan. 21, 2015, outscoring them 30-10.

Hawks Quotes"I find that we're moving better and skating better. We still think there's better puck management internally, on every single line, and that could make us better. That's where the upside has to come from." -- Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville"[The goal] feels big," Anisimov said. "What happened, happened. We just need to forget it, learn from the mistakes and go forward. Go out there and complete the power play. … I feel nice. Just keep it going and work hard every day, and move forward."

"Both of us just kind of dove over there," Crawford said. "I don't know how it stayed out."

Pens Quotes

"I think it comes down to killing the penalties. Those things happen. Penalties happen. Somebody goes to the box, you just have to make sure you kill the penalty, and right now we're not able to do that. Just have to be better." -- Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta
"I think we see signs that when we play the game the right way, we control territory," Sullivan said. "I also think … there was a lack of attention in the detail and some of the odd-man rushes that we gave up were forcing plays to try to create offense. I don't know if it's maybe because we're pressing because we're chasing the game all night long, but that's a characteristic that we have to get better at if we're going to get to where we're going to go. This team can score goals. We don't have to force plays that aren't there."

NHL - Pens Round Up - November 7-11, 2017

Phoenix Coyotes @ Pens 1-3 - Tuesday, November 07, 2017 
Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel have thrived playing alongside one another as the rest of the Penguins forwards have struggled offensively. That continued when Malkin and Kessel each had a goal and two assists to help the Penguins defeat the Coyotes 3-1 at PPG Paints Arena.
Malkin gave Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead 3:07 into the first period after he had an assist on Justin Schultz's goal 59 seconds into the game. He also set up Kessel's power-play goal at 6:06 of the third period.

Malkin said he was satisfied with his line's production, which included an assist for left wing Jake Guentzel, but would like to build on it further.
"It's just one game," said Malkin, whose seven goals lead the Penguins. "We're excited to play together, but we need to understand it's one game. It's important, but now, we need to play [together] more. Next game against Washington, against Nashville, same level.
"We understood each other pretty well tonight, but it's not just one game. We have to play better and better every game."

Kessel's 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) lead the Penguins, who are averaging 2.63 goals per game after finishing No. 1 in the NHL at 3.39 last season.

Pittsburgh (9-6-2), coming off a 1-3-1 road trip, scored more than two goals for the second time in its past nine games. Arizona (2-13-2) is 1-8-1 on the road.
After failing to score more than one even-strength goal in each of their past five games, the Penguins scored two in the first 3:07 of the first period to take a 2-0 lead.
Schultz opened the scoring by one-timing a pass from Malkin below the left face-off circle. The sharp-angled shot deflected off goalie Antti Raanta's right skate and into the net for Schultz's second goal of the season, first since Pittsburgh's season-opening 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 4.
Schultz played 20:31 on 24 shifts after missing the previous six games with a concussion sustained Oct. 24 against the Edmonton Oilers. Malkin batted in a rebound off a shot from Kessel to make it 2-0.
"[Scoring 5-on-5] certainly improves your chances of winning exponentially," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "We've put probably four games together now where we've generated a significant amount of chances 5-on-5. So, even tonight, we had a lot of real high-quality chances that we didn't convert on.

"We really liked a lot of our 5-on-5 game. I thought we did a pretty good job controlling territory."

Tobias Rieder cut the Penguins lead to 2-1 when he beat goalie Matt Murray with a snap shot 26 seconds into the third period. He also scored Phoenix's previous goal in Pittsburgh, which came at 18:09 of the third period in a 3-2 loss March 28, 2015. The Penguins had not allowed a goal to the Coyotes at home for 162:17 before Rieder scored. Rieder had one assist in his previous 13 games.
Kessel answered 5:40 later by tapping a rebound off a shot from Malkin past Raanta to extend the lead to 3-1. Murray made 24 saves for Pittsburgh. Raanta had 34.

Goal of the game

Kessel's goal at 6:06 of the third period.

Save of the game

Murray stopping Derek Stepan's backhand at 14:32 of the second period.

Highlight of the game

Malkin's goal at 3:07 of the first period.

They said it

"I felt better as the game went on. It takes a little bit to get up to game speed. You can't train or condition for a game, so it's good to get this one and get back into it." -- Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz on returning after missing six games with a concussion

"Been here a couple months and one thing I noticed, I don't want us to be a perimeter team. You have to go to the net. You have to be good along the walls. That's something that we as an organization, we have to get better at. I have to teach it better because you can't win in this league unless you have people that go to the net or you win battles along the wall." -- Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet

Need to know

Tocchet was coaching against the Penguins for the first time since he was an assistant for their Stanley Cup championship runs the past two seasons. … Pittsburgh forward Riley Sheahan played his 300th NHL game. He has 98 points (38 goals, 60 assists) in seven seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and Penguins. … Penguins center Sidney Crosby hasn't scored a goal in nine games. He has three assists in that span.

Pens @ Washington Capitals 1-4 - Friday, November 10, 2017

Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby made 27 saves in his 200th NHL win, 4-1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Capital One Arena. Holtby became the second-fastest goalie in NHL history win 200 games, reaching it in 319 games, 10 more than Ken Dryden of the Montreal Canadiens, who earned his 200th win in his 309th game, on Nov. 16, 1977. John Carlson and T.J. Oshie scored on the power play for the Capitals (9-7-1), who have won four of their past five. Chandler Stephenson and Jakub Vrana scored third-period goals.

Phil Kessel scored for the Penguins (9-7-2), and Matt Murray made 27 saves. Pittsburgh has lost two of three. Carlson scored at 14:09 of the first period to put Washington ahead 1-0. He shot from the top of the right circle and beat Murray blocker side with Oshie and Backstrom setting screens in front. Kessel tied it 1-1 at 8:26 of the second period. His pass in front was deflected in by Washington defenseman Dmitry Orlov. The Capitals took a 2-1 lead at 18:09. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang was called for high-sticking and cross-checking Oshie. With one second left on the four-minute power play, Oshie tipped in Carlson's point shot. It was Oshie's seventh goal of the season but first in nine games. He hadn't scored since Oct. 20 against the Detroit Red Wings. 

Backstrom ended a seven-game pointless streak also dating to Oct. 20. He got the primary assist on Stephenson's goal at 13:42 that made it 3-1 of the third with a backhand pass from behind the net with his back to the play. Vrana made it 4-1 at 17:18 with an empty-net goal. Washington's power play was 2-for-6. Pittsburgh was 0-for-4, including consecutive power plays early in the third period.

Holtby is 200-76-31. Dryden was 200-41 with 61 ties. … Capitals forward Jay Beagle won 13 of 17 face-offs (76 percent). He ranks second in the NHL among players with at least 50 taken (62.5 percent), behind Anaheim Ducks forward Antoine Vermette (63.8). … Crosby, who played his 800th NHL game, hasn't scored a goal in 10 games and has three assists during that stretch.

"I thought we had opportunities to shoot the puck. We've been reluctant for whatever reason the last couple of games to shoot the puck, and I think we can generate offense off it. When we have that shot-first mindset, I think the power play's at its best." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan

"We did such a good job on different kills, and even that four-minute PK we did a really good job," Pittsburgh center Sidney Crosby said. "Tough to see one go in late in that power play."

"They score late on their power play twice," Hornqvist said. "Those key goals they get there, it's hard to win when they score those kind of goals, at least when our power play gets zero goals. That's the difference of the game."

Pens @ Trashville Predators 4-5 SO - Saturday, November 11, 2017

Kyle Turris had a goal and an assist in his Nashville Predators debut, a 5-4 shootout win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Bridgestone Arena. Kevin Fiala and Filip Forsberg scored in the shootout for the Predators (9-5-2), who have won four games in a row. Pekka Rinne made 26 saves and denied two of three Penguins in the tiebreaker. The Penguins (9-7-3) are 0-4-2 in the second of back-to-back games.

Brian Dumoulin scored for the Penguins to tie the game 4-4 at 7:43 of the third period on a one-timer from the slot. It was his first goal of the season. Calle Jarnkrok gave the Predators a 4-3 lead at 4:46 of the third when he took a pass from Turris, toe-dragged around defenseman Ian Cole, and beat goalie Tristan Jarry with a wrist shot from the slot. Turris scored the first of three straight goals for Nashville in the second period. Miikka Salomaki passed from the corner to Turris, who beat Jarry with a wrist shot from the slot to tie it 1-1 at 2:01. Turris had two shots on goal and a hit in 21:38 of ice time.

P.K. Subban gave the Predators a 2-1 lead at 3:52 when he scored with a one-timer from above the left face-off circle on the power play. Craig Smith put the Predators ahead 3-1 at 5:29 with a power-play goal. Forsberg took the initial shot from the point, and Smith got to the rebound to beat Jarry.
Phil Kessel scored from the right circle to cut the Predators lead to 3-2 at 12:27 of the second. Jake Guentzel beat Rinne with a backhand on a breakaway to tie it 3-3 at 2:27 of the third period after receiving a pass from Justin Schultz. Bryan Rust scored shorthanded to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 11:58 of the first period. Jarry made 24 saves in his second start of the season. He is 0-0-2. Predators forward Scott Hartnell left the game in the first period after three shifts. There was no update on his status.
Crosby has not scored a goal in 11 games. … Kessel has seven points (three goals, four assists) in his past four games. … Smith, who had an assist on Jarnkrok's goal, had eight shot attempts.
"I think for the most part of the game, we were all over them. I think we deserved a better fate. We controlled the entire overtime also. It was one of those games where it didn't bounce our way, but I liked the effort. I liked the way we came back in the game." -- Penguins defenseman Kris Letang
"I liked our team tonight," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. "It was a hard-fought game out there. I really liked our response. I liked our resilience. I think if we play hard like that and execute the way we did tonight, we're going to win more games."

NHL - Leafs Round Up - October 11-17, 2017

New Jersey @ Leafs 6-3 - Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Listening to the game by radio is never ideal but when you are following the action while travelling by Megabus from Toronto Airport to Kingston, Ontario awaiting one of the most exciting moments of your life it all adds to the drama. As we left the city limits and tried to avoid the notorious Toronto traffic we just about skirted past the ACC and then there was the TSN studios next up as we headed East out of the city. All the while longing to be at the game but also knowing I had something better awaiting. However, the Leafs didn't read the script.
Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha each scored two goals, and Cory Schneider made 47 saves to help the New Jersey Devils remain undefeated with a 6-3 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. Brian Gibbons and Blake Coleman each scored, and Adam Henrique and rookie defenseman Will Butcher each had two assists for the Devils, who are 3-0-0 for the first time since 2014-15.

"It's important for us to be able to come in and play a team like this and be able to find a way to win the game," coach John Hynes said. "I think there's lots of lessons to be learned from this game, even though we won it, it's been a different game than our first two. Handling the momentum in certain areas, we didn't handle it as well, but I think it's a confidence-booster for us to be able to come in and play with them. It's much better to learn lessons and get better through winning than losing."


James van Riemsdyk, Dominic Moore and Auston Matthews scored for the Maple Leafs (3-1-0). Frederik Andersen made 25 saves. The Devils scored twice in the second period to break a 2-2 tie. Zacha beat Andersen for a power-play goal at 9:58 for a 3-2 lead. The Maple Leafs got a two-minute 5-on-3 power play after Zacha was called for hooking and defenseman John Moore was called for cross checking at 14:44, but Gibbons scored a shorthanded goal 10 seconds later to give New Jersey a 4-2 lead.
New Jersey killed off the remaining 1:50 of the two-man advantage for Toronto.
Coleman made it 5-2 at 3:35 of the third period when he knocked down Maple Leafs defenseman Calle Rosen's clearing attempt and put a wrist shot past Andersen's glove from the high slot. Matthews scored his third goal on a 5-on-3 power play at 13:34 to get Toronto to within 5-3, but Zacha scored his second of the season at 17:21 to make it 6-3.

"It was 2-2 after one, but that flattered us at the time. We never had any time engaged," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. "We talked quite a bit about this game coming up and how it was going to be. That's exactly what I expected, but I expected us to compete, and that didn't happen. Hockey is fair, you get what you deserve, and that's what we deserved tonight."

Van Riemsdyk scored a power-play goal at 8:33 of the first period to put Toronto up 1-0, but Wood scored twice in 1:38 to give New Jersey the lead.
He deflected a Steven Santini point shot past Andersen at 9:07 to tie the game 1-1 with his first goal of the season. Then, after Rosen turned over the puck at the blue line, Wood beat Andersen with a wrist shot at 10:45 to put the Devils up 2-1. At 13:33 of the first period, Moore deflected a Nikita Zaitsev point shot past Schneider to tie it 2-2.

Goal of the game

Rookie forward Jesper Bratt carried the puck from the blue line to below the goal line in the right corner and passed to Marcus Johansson behind the net. Johansson quickly returned a pass to Bratt, who found Zacha at the top of the crease for a one-timer to put the Devils ahead.

Save of the game

Nazem Kadri set up Patrick Marleau in the slot, but Schneider lifted his right arm to make a save on a shot that was headed for the left corner of the net at 6:03 of the third period.
Highlight of the game
Wood came through the neutral zone with speed and stole the puck from Rosen before skating in alone on Andersen and putting a wrist shot in high to the blocker side for his second goal of the night.

They said it

"I thought Schneider was great and made a lot of really big saves. I think there was a time about halfway into the game where we got a lot of chances and he was making really good saves that helped his team a lot." -- Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly
Need to know
Gibbons' shorthanded goal was the first at 3-on-5 in Devils history. … The Maple Leafs had a 79-50 advantage in shot attempts in all situations and 49-31 at 5-on-5.

Leafs @ Montreal Canadiens 4-3 OT - Saturday, October 14, 2017
Auston Matthews scored his second goal of the game at 48 seconds of overtime to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 4-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Matthews shot past Carey Price on an odd-man rush for his fifth goal to end Toronto's 14-game losing streak (0-9-5) against Montreal. It was the Maple Leafs' first win against the Canadiens since a 5-3 victory at Air Canada Centre on Jan. 18, 2014."It's always a hostile environment when we come in here, and it's obviously a great atmosphere, so to come out with two points, it's what we came here to do and we're going to take it and move on here," said Matthews, who leads Toronto with eight points (five goals, three assists) in five games.
James van Riemsdyk and Patrick Marleau scored for the Maple Leafs (4-1-0), who matched their best start since 2013-14. Frederik Andersen made 31 saves, including 13 in the third period and one in overtime.

"Anytime you come in here you're playing [Price], he's the best there is in the League," Toronto coach Mike Babcock said. "It's great to look down the rink at him and you've got to beat him one on one. You've got to be better than him if you're going to win, so I thought [Andersen] did a good job tonight."
Jonathan Drouin scored his first Montreal goal and had an assist for the first multipoint game by a Canadiens player this season. Jeff Petry and Alex Galchenyuk scored for Montreal (1-3-1), which scored four goals in its first four games and has lost four straight. Price made 18 saves.

"We'll take the point," Drouin said. "We'd rather have two, but I think we're heading in the right direction. Scoring three goals is a good step offensively, but we still have some things to work on."

The Canadiens last started 1-3-1 in 2011-12. Drouin gave Montreal a 3-2 lead at 11:33 of the second period. Marleau tied it at 3-3 with his third goal at 12:40. The goal was initially waved off, but a video review confirmed the puck had crossed the goal line. Petry gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead at 2:19 of the first period. He skated into the Maple Leafs' zone to take a pass from Drouin at the right point and one-timed a slap shot past Andersen and inside the left post.
Van Riemsdyk drew the Maple Leafs even at 1-1 at 7:32 with his fourth goal, a shot off a faceoff win by Tyler Bozak. Matthews put Toronto ahead 2-1 and extended his point streak to five games with his fourth goal at 8:16. Galchenyuk tied it at 2-2 at 16:49 with Montreal's first power-play goal in 15 opportunities this season.

Goal of the game
Matthews took a pass from William Nylander before going in to score his second overtime goal in three games. "I was kind of contemplating changing but I didn't want to give up a 3-on-2," Matthews said. "So (Andersen) made a huge save and we just kind of turned it back the other way and [Nylander] made an unbelievable pass to me and I was able to sink it in."

Save of the game

Andersen squared himself to make the save on Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec's shot from the left circle at 11:42 of the third period to keep it tied 3-3.

Highlight of the game

Drouin used his backhand to redirect Karl Alzner's slap pass from the left point past Andersen. "It's always a good feeling to score, either on the road or at home, but it doesn't matter as much when you lose the game," Drouin said.

They said it

"I'm so used to it by now. He's so good at finding those seams and making those types of passes, so for myself, I just need to make sure I'm ready because I know the puck's coming." -- Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews about William Nylander's pass to set up his overtime goal
Need to know
It was the Maple Leafs' first victory in Montreal in four years. Toronto was 0-6-2 in its previous eight games at Bell Centre since a 4-3 win on Oct. 1, 2013. ... Matthews had a goal waved off 19 seconds before Drouin scored. A video review confirmed that he made contact with the puck with a high stick. ... Maple Leafs defenseman Connor Carrick returned after missing two games because of an upper-body injury. ... Montreal was 1-for-2 on the power play, and is 1-for-16 through five games.

Leafs @ Washington Capitals 2-0 - Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Frederik Andersen made 30 saves for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 2-0 win against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena. Connor Brown scored at 5:53 of the third period to give Toronto a 1-0 lead, poking the rebound of a Morgan Rielly point shot past goalie Braden Holtby. Nazem Kadri scored into an empty net with 22 seconds left to make it 2-0.

"Obviously, you don't mind the shutouts," said Andersen, who earned his first of the season and the 11th of his NHL career. "It's fun for the team and myself to have a game where pucks don't go in."

Toronto (5-1-0) was allowing 3.80 goals per game. The Maple Leafs, who entered with the best power play in the League (30.8 percent), were 0-for-2 on the man-advantage with three shots on goal. Holtby made 28 saves for the Capitals (3-3-0).
"[Andersen] was great and so was Holtby," Brown said. "I think we gave up more than we'd like, but we did a lot of good things to get through the neutral zone and hang on to pucks. It was good to find one there."
Washington forward Tyler Graovac, in the lineup to replace center Lars Eller (illness), left the game in the first period with an upper-body injury after he was hit by Toronto forward Matt Martin on two shifts. Graovac is expected to miss some time, Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. It was the first game between the Maple Leafs and Capitals since Washington won in six games in the 2017 Eastern Conference First Round.
"When it's crunch time and you're getting close to the end of the year like we were last year, you look back on these kind of close games and think about the value that's in these points," Rielly said. "To get these ones and get rolling a little bit is a great feeling. But it's only six games."

The Capitals pulled Holtby with 2:06 remaining but had one shot on goal before Kadri scored. Washington was 0-for-3 on the power play. There was some consolation for the Capitals in an improved defensive effort from their 8-2 loss at the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.

Goal of the game
Brown snuck behind the Washington defense and got into a perfect position after a turnover at the blue line. Holtby stopped a soft shot by Rielly, but before he could gather the rebound, Brown lifted the goalie's stick and tapped in the puck.

Save of the game

With the Capitals on the power play, Andersen dove headfirst to challenge Evgeny Kuznetsov at the bottom of the left face-off circle and used his stick to knock away the shot with 5:06 left in the second period.

Highlight of the game

With Holtby pulled for an extra attacker and the Maple Leafs under pressure in the final minute, Toronto left wing Zach Hyman won a board battle and tapped the puck back to Rielly, whose quick pass to Kadri led to a zone exit. Kadri deked Ovechkin, beat him down the ice and scored despite the Capitals captain hooking him from behind.

They said it

"We have to be able to do it consistently. We have some tough matchups in the near future that we've got to be ready for. So we take this one. It feels good. But we move on. I think we play tomorrow, don't we? Do we play tomorrow? Yeah. We play tomorrow. So start thinking about that one." -- Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly
Need to know

The Maple Leafs shut out the Capitals in Washington for the first time (73 games). … Ovechkin, who leads the NHL in goals (nine) and shots on goal (39), was held without a point for the second consecutive game.