For the first time in weeks, it felt like a winning result for the Pittsburgh Penguins was never really in doubt throughout the game.
And it was certainly a performance that was much-needed.
On Monday, the Penguins made their way to Philadelphia and took care of business against the Flyers with a dominant 5-1 win. The Penguins largely outplayed the Flyers and were bailed out on a few good looks from the opposition by goaltender Tristan Jarry, who put up another outstanding performance, stopping 28 of 29 shots.
The Flyers had some chances against in the first period, but Jarry came through. And the Penguins broke through on the scoreboard first when - who else - Sidney Crosby scored his 17th goal of the season at the midway point.
If there was a time in this game where the Penguins played with fire, it was in the early part of the second period. Leading 1-0, Erik Karlsson took a tripping penalty to give the Flyers a power play, and Connor Clifton - back in the lineup for the first time in five games - took an interference penalty 43 seconds later to give Philadelphia the five-on-three for more than a minute.
In the waning seconds of the five-on-three, Tyson Foerster - who was injured shortly after on a shot attempt and did not return - scored to tie the game at 1-1, but before the goal, Kris Letang was called for high-sticking. So the Penguins had to kill off yet another five-on-three right after the goal.
And their penalty kill unit came through. Blake Lizotte, Erik Karlsson, and Parker Wotherspoon were particularly impressive on it, and by limiting the damage on that series of penalties, they were able to seize back the momentum they had prior to the penalties.
November Penguins' Prospects Update: ForwardsIt's a new season, and <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' prospects are off to a pretty good start this season.
From there, the Penguins completely took over the game. They got a power play shortly after the expiration of Letang's penalty, and Crosby came through with his second tally of the game on a beautiful passing play by Erik Karlsson and Bryan Rust, who found Crosby in the slot. Rust added another power play goal - and his third point of the night - near the end of the middle frame on a snipe from the left circle.
And, from there, the Penguins' pressure never wavered. The Flyers got some chances in the final frame, but their high-danger opportunities were limited by the Penguins' defense. And, when they did get some decent looks, Jarry was there to stop them.
Tommy Novak added his third goal of the season with a little more than six minutes to go - the Penguins' third power play goal of the night - and Kevin Hayes took a perfect stretch pass from Parker Wotherspoon on a breakaway, which he was able to capitalize on to score against his former team and send the Penguins home with the 5-1 win.
After one of their worst efforts of the season Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Penguins responded with one of the best of the season Monday.
Here are a few takeaways from this one:
- It's beyond incredible how much Crosby absolutely terrorizes the Flyers.
He has more goals (58), assists (78), and points (136) than anyone in NHL history against the Flyers. And you can always tell there's an extra jump in his step when the Penguins play their cross-state rivals, who he once admitted that he didn't like.
The crowd continues to boo him relentlessly, and he continues to score relentlessly. If Crosby played every game against the Flyers, he'd already have a few 200-point seasons under his belt. Probably.
- None of them had a point Monday, but the third line of Ben Kindel, Ville Koivunen, and Rutger McGroarty - recalled Monday from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) after recording four goals and seven points in five AHL games - was very good in this game.
They seemed to be generating chances every time they touched the puck. Some rust was evident with McGroarty, as the puck rolled off his stick a few times. But he had some pretty instant chemistry with Kindel, Kindel already had chemistry with Koivunen, and McGroarty and Koivunen developed chemistry last season in WBS that was on display throughout the night.
In particular, I thought Koivunen had a very strong game. He came so, so close to scoring his first NHL goal yet again, and he actually had a wide-open two-on-one opportunity late in the third that he simply fanned on.
Penguins Recall Two Players from Wilkes-Barre/ScrantonThe Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled two players from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.If the "kid line" stays intact and plays the way it did Monday, they're going to be a lot of fun to watch - and they're going to put up some numbers down the road.
And, don't worry, the goal will come for Koivunen, too. And given how snakebitten he is right now, it will probably be the flukiest goal in NHL history.
- Jarry is making a very good case right now to get the majority of the Penguins' starts. Arturs Silovs has struggled in his last two outings, both of which he needed pulled from.
Of course, it's way too premature to write off Silovs. Prior to these last two games, he was very good for the most part. But Jarry is helping them win hockey games right now, and with a tough stretch ahead against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, the Dallas Stars on Sunday, and the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, he should get the net for most of the games for the time being.
The Penguins have a lot of goaltending depth, and Jarry knows it. It's nice to see him separating himself, especially after the season he had last year.
November Penguins' Prospects Update: GoaltendersIt's a new season, and <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' prospects are off to a pretty good start this season.
- Wotherspoon and Karlsson were phenomenal in this game. And, although their assists were gorgeous in this one, I'm speaking more so on the defensive side of things.
Wotherspoon continues to be a steadying presence on the blue line, and his net-front defense was particularly good Monday. He uses his stick well, and he's not afraid to engage physically, either. He plays such a simple defensive game, and he has been a revelation on that first pairing.
And speaking of simplicity... what a difference a season and a new coaching staff have made for Karlsson. He's legitimately playing defense this season, and a large part of that has been about him simplifying as well. I think Wotherspoon has rubbed off on him a bit in that sense, but I also think he's also just playing within a system that makes a whole lot more sense for him.
He's also been stellar on the penalty kill, which was something almost foreign to him prior to this season. He joked with TSN Saturday that it took 17 years for a coach to figure out that he could kill penalties.
Well, Karlsson is killing penalties. And he's doing a heck of a job with it alongside his defense partner. The two of them have been outstanding for most of this season.
Penguins' Top Prospect Tied For First In NCAA In Points After Another Stellar GamePittsburgh Penguins prospect Will Horcoff had another outstanding weekend for Michigan.- Hayes and Novak have been markedly better in this last handful of games. And, yes, the Penguins are definitely missing Rickard Rakell and Justin Brazeau.
But they're both doing fine as placeholders and complementary pieces until those guys get back.
I think the Penguins having an effective third line really makes a difference for the rest of the lineup because there is not as much raw pressure on those guys to perform. Neither of them are trying do too much, and they are benefitting from the Penguins being able to roll four lines.
I think they'll be fine enough to keep in those roles until Rakell and Brazeau return. Then, the lineup can go from there.
- There was a funny little moment post-whistle when Trevor Zegras confronted Penguins' physical defensive defenseman Connor Clifton and tried to fake him out a few times.
The veteran in Clifton didn't budge. It was cringey yet very funny to watch.
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