The Pittsburgh Penguins desperately needed something to go their way when they returned home to face the Florida Panthers on Thursday.
Between a four-game road trip that saw them go 0-4 and losing two regular forwards in Ben Kindel and Bryan Rust to injured reserve, they were due for a break.
And they got that and more against the Cats.
In their most complete 60-minute effort of the season, the Penguins defeated the Panthers, 4-0, and never surrendered command of the hockey game. Penguins' goaltender Arturs Silovs recorded his second shutout of the season in the effort, stopping all 25 Florida shots on goal.
It was a much-needed victory after a week and a half span where nothing went right for them.
"I just think all three periods were consistent," Robertson said. "We didn't let off the gas. Obviously, going into the third with the lead, we wanted to finish it off, and we did."
The Penguins dictated play for the vast majority of the first period. They had an extended power play that included 19 seconds of five-on-three time midway through the period and failed to score, but even outside of that, they spent a whole lot of time in the offensive zone.
Their labors finally paid off with 4:41 left in the opening frame. Nick Robertson poke-checked Florida defenseman Uvis Balinskis in the defensive zone, forcing a turnover and a rush opportunity the other way. He got the puck back breaking into the offensive zone, toe dragged and faded down the right side, and beat Panthers' goaltender Cooper Black - who made his NHL debut - to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead with his fifth of the season.
The second period began with an assault from Florida, as they outshot the Penguins, 9-1, in the opening six minutes. However, Pittsburgh began to get some momentum back around the midway point, and they were able to capitalize.
Evgeni Malkin skated center-drive on a three-on-two opportunity, with Ville Koivunen on his left and Hendrix Lapierre on his right. He passed it to Koivunen on the left wall, and under pressure, Koivunen dished a perfect pass to Lapierre, who broke for the net. He deked backhand-to-forehand to put it past Cooper and make it 2-0.
Nearing the end of the second, Arturs Silovs took a double-minor for high-sticking Sam Bennett on a fly-by. The Penguins' penalty kill stepped up big, and Connor Dewar was robbed on a shorthanded breakaway opportunity. Rickard Rakell also had a huge shot block on Bennett with time dying on the clock.
The Penguins killed off the remaining 17 seconds of power play time for the Panthers to begin the third period, and Silovs came up with a big stop point-blank on Matthew Tkachuk shortly after. Then, a little more than a minute later, Evgeni Malkin took advantage of a miffed pass attempt by teammate Hendrix Lapierre at the offensive blue line and carried the puck in on the rush down the left side.
Malkin slid the puck to himself under a diving Gustav Forsling, and he finished it off to score his team-leading sixth goal of the season and hand the Penguins a commanding 3-0 lead.
The Penguins pretty much shut it down after that, and they were rewarded with another tally at the end, courtesy of a Robertson empty-net goal.
From start to finish, the Penguins put forth a dominant effort in this game against a formidable opponent. And, given the circumstances and the way things were trending following the disastrous road trip, it's hard to imagine they could have played better.
“It's definitely not easy coming off the road when things haven't gone well. So, it's a credit to the locker room. They're the ones that are out there playing,” head coach Dan Muse said. “I really thought we had contributions from throughout the lineup. We’ve talked about consistency, and that’s right up there for me in terms of the most consistent game of the year.”
Dubas: Ben Kindel Had 'Vasovagal Episode' On Team PlanePittsburgh Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas cleared up what happened during Ben Kindel's medical episode on the team plane Tuesday, which prompted an emergency landing and required hospitalization.
Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this one:
- Thursday marked Lapierre's first game back in the lineup since a 2-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Oct. 10.
And he and the rest of the second line was very effective for the Penguins, as some lineup shuffling with the injury situation led him to center that line.
"Four games is a long time," Lapierre said. "I was just super excited. I felt like there was a little bit more adrenaline there. Glad we were able to play a really good game against a really good team. Everyone contributed."
- Speaking of that second line, it really seems like Koivunen is beginning to find another gear and is more resemblant of the player who had seven points in eight games to begin his NHL career.
His pass to Lapierre was a thing of beauty. He's connecting on more passes in general. He's stringing some shifts together. And he's developing some legitimate chemistry with Malkin.
He just keeps getting better with every game, which is something that Muse likes to see.
"I think he's taken really good steps," Muse said. "You can see with the playmaking. I feel like that it is a big part of his game. He's also finding good spots for himself, too, just making himself available and getting some good looks. His play away from the puck has also been solid. It's been good.
"I think, with him, it's just continue to push. I've liked the direction he's going in."
Penguins Send Kindel, Rust To IR, Recall Two PlayersThe Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled two players from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. - Ilya Solovyov, who played his first game of the season in Utah and was iced again Thursday, has been really solid through two games for the Penguins. And he was particularly solid on the penalty kill Thursday, which was a perfect 4-for-4.
He was tasked with a lot of responsibility on the PK, and he delivered. And, during his five-on-five minutes, the improvements from last season were noticeable.
"Maybe start to play a little more solid, more confident on the ice," Solovyov said. "I just feel way faster than I was before. Faster mind, like in my mind, how I do everything, my feet, how my feet [are] moving.
"So, I mean, I spent [the] whole summer here and tried to improve that."
The Penguins' blue line, in general, was much better in this game. If they can settle down on the back end and continue to get performances from the penalty kill like this, they'll be in good shape.
Penguins Prospect Continued Hot Start On Wednesday NightPittsburgh Penguins prospect Carter Sanderson continues to be unreal at the start of the season.- Rutger McGroarty, recalled Thursday from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) after beginning the AHL season with four goals and nine points in six games, slotted in for Chinakhov.
And he played fairly well.
He was on the second power play unit and also saw some minutes on the penalty kill during a four-minute double-minor for high-sticking by Silovs late in the second and into the third. He did some good things offensively - he even hit the crossbar on an opportunity - but the bulk of what I noticed from him was on the defensive side of the puck.
McGroarty is a really solid 200-foot player. He makes the right reads, he has a nice stick in the defensive zone, and he excels on breakouts.
It'd be nice to see him get some runway in the lineup.
- Finally, what a night for Silovs.
It's not as if he had to work extremely hard all night, as the Penguins really limited high-danger chances. But he answered the bell when called upon, particularly on a golden opportunity by Sam Bennett in the first period and a point-blank net-front opportunity by Matthew Tkachuk early in the third.
The Penguins' goaltending has been a bit inconsistent to start the season, but there was nothing inconsistent about a confident performance from Silovs.
How Long Will Holdout Be For Penguins' Top Defensive Prospects?With Pittsburgh's blue line struggling immensely to begin the season - and the numbers backing that up - how long will it be before the Penguins give some of their younger talent on the blue line a look?
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