After a big but narrow victory against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins were looking to clean up a few aspects of their game for their tilt against the Boston Bruins on Friday.
And that’s exactly what they did.
In a strong defensive effort, the Penguins edged out the Bruins, 2-1, despite a heavy push by Boston at the end of the game. Goaltender Tristan Jarry was outstanding for Pittsburgh – he stopped 31 of 32 Boston shots and stood tall in key moments – and their top two defensemen, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang, made a few huge defensive plays to prevent goals against.
The Penguins were the better team throughout the majority of this game, and it was, arguably, their most complete effort of the season. They also scored at key times, as Rickard Rakell potted his team-leading ninth goal of the season with 0.8 seconds remaining in the second period to tie the game, and newcomer Philip Tomasino capitalized on his sixth shot of the game to put the Penguins ahead in the third.
The Penguins did surrender an early goal to Boston on just their second shot of the game, but they buckled down and played a strong game the rest of the way.
“I think we did a great job tonight just responding,” Jarry said. “I thought we carried momentum a lot of the night, and just getting that goal at the end of the (second) period I think really helped and gave our group a big boost, and I think we were able to continue on from that momentum.”
Head coach Mike Sullivan was pleased with the way his team performed.
“I think there’s a lot to like about it,” Sullivan said. “We were in a one-goal hockey game, I thought we defended hard, I thought we were above the puck most of the night. I thought we did a pretty good job controlling territory.”
He added: “There’s a price to pay to win. I thought our guys worked really hard tonight, and I thought we paid it.”
Here are some thoughts and observations from Friday’s win:
– The first line was, once again, a spark plug for the Penguins in this game. And there was no spark bigger than Rakell’s goal – off a beautiful feed by Sidney Crosby and, potentially, a set rebound play by Karlsson – at the very end of the second period.
This line is really starting to heat up, In a small sample size, it was the best five-on-five line for the Penguins last season. And we’re starting to see why.
Bryan Rust excels at hunting pucks and getting in on the forecheck. Crosby excels in his office down low, cycling the puck and using his vision to create chances. And Rakell excels at using physicality and smarts to create space, find the soft areas of the ice, and finish.
I think this line can operate at a similar level to the Jake Guentzel-Crosby-Rust line from seasons past if it’s at the top of its game. Rakell is currently on track for 30 goals, Rust is scoring at a 32-goal pace, and Crosby is nearly back at point-per-game.
When they’re on, they’re dangerous – and they’ve certainly been on in the last two games. Hopefully, this is something that can continue.
– Drew O’Connor was bumped up to the second line in place of Michael Bunting during the last few shifts in the second period. It ended up paying off, as O’Connor had a nice shift prior to the go-ahead goal by Tomasino.
“We just felt like Geno’s line needed a spark,” Sullivan said. “OC’s played there in the past. He brings a north-south game, he can really skate, get in on the forecheck. Playing against a team like Boston that has a lot of size on the blue line, he’s a big body. He doesn’t get outmuscled, he’s strong, and he goes to the net. So, we thought maybe we’d try him, we just flipped him and Bunts, and I thought both lines were better because of it.”
Tomasino said the goal was a result of all three of them working together.
“On that goal, I thought all three of us kind of worked together and got that puck back, and it ended up going in the net,” Tomasino said. “It was a great goal for our team, obviously, a pretty big one. But, a pretty big one for myself here as well.”
He was also very good and very noticeable in this game, matching a career high in shots on goal and seeming to develop some chemisty with Evgeni Malkin.
“I think I’ve said it 10 times that I’ve looked up to this guy my whole life, so it’s awesome,” Tomasino said. “I mean, he sees plays even before you do. He’s just awesome, he’s obviously one of the most skilled guys ever, but definitely one of the most skilled guys I’ve ever played with, so it’s really cool. He made a heck of a play, and it was nice to finally get one here.”
I imagine this top-six will stick heading into Saturday’s game.
– Crosby and Marcus Pettersson both made huge blocks in the waning seconds of the game, and both were prime scoring opportunities.
And, as mentioned before, Letang and Karlsson both probably saved pucks from going directly into the net and, quite literally, may have save the game on both occasions.
Now Karlsson makes a huge save.
He’s having himself a really nice game tonight. As is Letang. They’re both locked in defensively, which is good to see. https://t.co/qpQEoTrXzZ
— Kelsey Surmacz (@kelsey_surmacz4) November 30, 2024
This commitment to defense is good to see from both of them. But it’s especially good to see Karlsson play the way he has over the last two games.
When asked if Karlsson is beginning to play up to expectation, Sullivan didn’t hesitate.
“Yes, without a doubt,” Sullivan said. “I think these last two games might’ve been his best two of the year on both sides of the puck. We used him in six-on-five down the stretch. We thought he was defending hard. He’s so good with the puck, and he skates so well, and he has the ability to close on people. He’s a lot like Kris in that regard. Tanger’s the same way. They anticipate well, they get on top of people, and they use their stick skills and their brains to win pucks and defend that way. And I think Karl’s making a concerted effort there on both sides of the puck.”
– This was a very strong defensive effort by the Penguins all-around.
The only major hiccup came on the only goal against. Jack St. Ivany commited a bad turnover on the offensive blue line when he whiffed on a pass, sending Boston the other way. Everyone got back, but defense partner Ryan Shea overcommitted to the right side of the ice, despite the fact that St. Ivany and the backchecking forward already had it covered.
This exposed the left side entirely, and Charlie Coyle walked right in and beat Jarry.
However, everyone really settled in defensively after that sequence. Boston scored just a minute and 24 seconds into the game, and Pittsburgh has been known to just cave in after a start like that.
To their credit, they didn’t – which could be a huge development. I haven’t been a fan of the third defensive pairing over the last two games – Shea and St. Ivany combined for eight giveaways against Vancouver – but they were better as the game went on.
– The wins against Vancouver and Boston were huge ones for the Penguins for a multitude of reasons. But, mostly, I do think they truly felt like team wins – and this is good for a team that has struggled to find an identity in the earlygoing.
“The last couple of games, I’ve felt like we’ve looked so much more like the team that we want to be,” Sullivan said. “Just being proactive, controlling momentum… I just think there’s a lot to build on the last couple of games.”
The Penguins will play the second leg of their back-to-back on Saturday against Calgary. They will look to continue building on that momentum as they try to put up three straight wins for the first time this season.
