Heading into the holiday break, the Pittsburgh Penguins were 3-5-4 in the month of December and 1-5-4 in their last 10 games. In other words, they were long overdue for not only a win, but a comfortable one.
And they got just what the doctor ordered on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Forward Justin Brazeau recorded his first career hat trick, and Bryan Rust scored twice, to lead the Penguins to a 7-3 victory over the Blackhawks. Pittsburgh tallied four goals in the first period and never surrendered their lead, which is something that the team has struggled mightily with during their tough stretch in December.
Penguins' goaltender Arturs Silovs made several tough saves throughout the game and stopped 21 of 24 Chicago shots on goal. He did surrender a goal to Tyler Bertuzzi with 0.8 seconds left on the clock, but Pittsburgh still came away with the win quite comfortably.
The scoring started early on for the Penguins - in fact, just a minute and a half in - when Anthony Mantha got his stick on a loose puck at the bottom of the right circle and steered it toward the net, where it got behind Blackhawks' goaltender Spencer Knight to put the Penguins up, 1-0.
Then, when the midway point of the first was approaching, that's when the onslaught began. Rust registered his first of the game off the rush - and after a nice pass by Sidney Crosby to get the puck to him - from the left circle a little more than seven minutes in, and Brazeau also scored his first goal just a minute later.
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However, the Blackhawks began to push back a bit in the second period, as they had controlled much of the momentum for the early part of the middle frame until Nick Foligno finally broke through midway through the period to cut the Penguins' lead to 4-1. They were starting to really put some pressure on the Penguins - who have blown a number of multi-goal leads this season - but they took a bench penalty for too many men not long after the goal.
And the Penguins took advantage right away. The second power play unit went out first, and Ben Kindel made a nice play to get the puck to Brazeau at the net-front, and he buried it to put the Penguins back up by four.
Brazeau wasted no time getting his hat trick, either, as he tipped a shot by Connor Dewar less than a minute later to secure the first hat trick of his NHL career and his 11th of the season.
The Blackhawks responded with a quick goal of their own by Wyatt Kaiser just 13 seconds after Brazeau's third goal. But the Penguins got another insurance goal at the end of the period courtesy of Noel Acciari, who registered his third goal of the season to make it 7-2.
And that's where the score remained until the end of the third, when Bertuzzi scored his last-second goal.
The game certainly wasn't a perfect one, and the Penguins made their fair share of defensive mistakes. Still, they took advantage of an injury-depleted Blackhawks team and won a game they should have won - and in convincing fashion.
Here are a few takeaways from this one:
- Man, it was noticeable having Blake Lizotte back in this lineup.
Not only did Lizotte record two assists in the game, but the fourth line of Dewar, Lizotte, and Acciari picked up right where it left off prior to Lizotte's injury. They were counted on for defensive zone starts and did a good job with those, they were shifting momentum and sparking energy on the forecheck, and they were displaying the chemistry that they've had all season.
Having Lizotte back makes a big difference. He is a big part of the penalty kill, which was 3-for-3 against Chicago, and he is the Penguins' most reliable and effective defensive forward. He elevates both Dewar and Acciari, too.
The Penguins are a better team with him centering the fourth line. Period.
Blake Lizotte's Impending Return Can't Be Understated Enough Blake Lizotte's return will go under the radar to some, but it shouldn't. - What a revelation Brazeau has been for the Penguins this season.
Yes, he is shooting at 28.2 percent right now, which is not a sustainable mark. But the crazy thing about Brazeau's scoring is that it hasn't really been "lucky scoring," either.
He's finding the net front and going to the right areas to make plays. He has silky-smooth hands and a talent for getting his stick on pucks for deflections. He can also rip it when presented with the right opportunity.
Brazeau is scoring in all kinds of ways this season, but - for the most part - he's very much earning these tallies. He uses his size and reach to his advantage, and he - again - makes himself available around the net-front.
So, no, 28.2 percent isn't sustainable. But I don't expect his scoring to just diminish somwhere down the line, either. His scoring touch this season is legitimate, and the Penguins may have found themselves a two-year steal of a deal who also happens to stand at 6-foot-6, 232 pounds.
I really like this guy, and he has played a major role for the Penguins this season.
- After a rough stretch of games over the past month, Silovs has looked much, much better in his last two outings.
Yes, the stat line may not suggest that. Against Montreal, he had an .880 save percentage, and against Chicago, an .875.
But those are also the only two games that the Penguins have won in their last 11. And it's actually, in large part, thanks to Silovs, who has made some big saves in key moments - including on breakaways and in the shootout win against Montreal on the 21st.
Of course, the raw stat line is going to have to improve in order for Silovs to make any kind of legitimate case to be the Penguins' starting goaltender over Stuart Skinner or one of the other two goaltending prospects tearing it up in the AHL. But he is trending in the right direction after a disastrous string of starts from late November into early December.
Takeaways: In Storybook Fashion, Penguins Snap Eight-Game Skid On Crosby's Historic NightThe Pittsburgh Penguins earned a much-needed win over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night - and Sidney Crosby made some history along the way.- Even though the Penguins won this game, they still need to tighten up defensively. By a lot.
Luckily, Pittsburgh caught the Blackhawks at the right time, since they are without Connor Bedard. But against a better team - a more stingy one - like the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday? They won't be so lucky.
They still had costly lapses in this one, but they scored so much early on that the lapses weren't consquential. Foligno was left wide-open at the net-front on his goal, which was a blown assignment by Erik Karlsson. They gave away the puck with frequency in the neutral zone. Kaiser's goal resulted from another misplay at the net-front by Karlsson. Bertuzzi didn't face much pushback at all on his goal in the waning seconds of the game, even if he got a lucky bounce off a broken stick.
If the Penguins are going to get back on track, they have to reduce these errors. Better teams will make them pay, and better teams won't surrender seven goals to them.
- I'll be the first to tell you that I've been a bit hard on Rust this season. While I do think his defensive game is still a problem, it's hard to deny the remarkably consistent production.
Rust now has 15 goals and 32 points in 35 games on the season, and he's well on his way to not only his seventh consecutive 20-goal season, but also his second consecutive 30-goal season. At the end of the day, production - and goal-scoring - is paramount, and Rust is getting the job done in that department.
But it will definitely be something to keep an eye on if Rust continues to produce and if the Penguins continue their free fall.
I still think it will take a lot for Kyle Dubas to pull the trigger on a deal involving Rust. But at the end of the day, a team will pay up for him, and he should be available for the right price if the Penguins fall out of playoff contention.
So, in other words, the next month will probably be critical in terms of Rust's future as a Penguin. If they can start winning hockey games again, it will take a lot for him to go anywhere since he is a critical part of their offensive attack. If not, things should get a bit interesting.
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