Well, that was one of the crazier National Hockey League games you might ever witness.
And – despite getting outplayed for most of the game – the Pittsburgh Penguins somehow prevailed in the end.
The Penguins survived to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-3, amidst controversy to close out the game. While that will be discussed in a moment, Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry deserves a significant amount of credit for the win, as he stopped 37 of 40 Lightning shots he faced – many of which were point-blank chances surrendered by a leaky Penguins’ defense.
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The scoring opened up on a first-period power play for the Penguins when 22-year-old rookie forward Ville Koivunen finally registered his first NHL goal after career games. He sniped a rocket high-glove side and into the corner of the net from the left circle to put the Penguins up, 1-0.
Then, in the second period, Evgeni Malkin forced a turnover, pushed the puck out to himself, skated in for a breakaway, and went five-hole to make the score 2-0. Rookie Ben Kindel also added a power play goal midway through the second on a perfect tip-in off a beautiful shot-pass by Erik Karlsson to put the Penguins up, 3-0.
Then, Tampa took over. Nikita Kucherov was found on the doorstep for his 12th of the season with only a minute and change remaining in the middle frame to make it 3-1. Then – just a minunte and change into the third period and on the power play – Brandon Hagel scored to make it 3-2, and he scored again midway through the period by getting behind the Penguins’ defense to tie the game.
The Penguins had been here before. They blew a 3-0 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 3, and they didn’t recover en route to the loss. This time, however, they did respond, as Malkin took a perfect feed from Tommy Novak to one-time it into the net from the right circle, putting the Penguins back up by one.
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And this is where things got hairy. Late in regulation, the Lightning pulled their goaltender for a six-on-five, and Kucherov seemed to have his second goal of the evening. However, the officials convened after they heard from the situation room that there may have been a hand pass prior to the goal.
As it turns out, there was. Hagel – accidenal or not – committed a hand pass to Jake Guentzel, which nullified the tally and gave Pittsburgh it’s fourth win in the last five games.
Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this crazy game:
– Let’s make one thing clear: The Penguins were getting absolutely boatraced for 90 percent of this game.
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Tampa Bay exposed every mistake the Penguins made – there were many – and turned seemingly every single one into a high-danger opportunity. This was especially true in the first period and in the back half of the third period, when the Bolts were just taking it to the Penguins.
The Penguins were opportunistic. It wasn’t unlike watching the 2017 Penguins somehow squeak out a Cup run despite getting outplayed in the majority of games.
Obviously, it’s important to simply play like a good hockey team the majority of the time, especially when you’re trying to make the playoffs. But, sometimes, it’s okay to be lucky.
The Penguins were certainly lucky Thursday.
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– Now, onto their biggest stroke of luck. The no-goal.
All I’ll say is that there are a whole lot of people misunderstanding the rule. Is the rule a good one? Like over-the-glass delay of game penalties, I think there is a conversation to be had there.
But by rule, I think that’s a handpass. It’s not the best rule, but it is what it is.
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– Erik Karlsson and Parker Wotherspoon have been tremendous for the Penguins this season. They were fine for the most part in this game.
But the tying goal was defensive malpractice.
Both players somehow got caught too high in the defensive zone, and Brandon Hagel quite literally walked right behind both of them and straight to the net, where he beat Jarry with an impossible shot.
I don’t know what the goal was there, but the Penguins really need to play more responsibly when they’re holding a lead against teams with supremely talented offensive players who can burn you on every mistake. That’s what happened against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 3, and that’s what happened again Thursday.
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– Tristan Jarry was magnificent in this game. He quite literally was the sole reason the Penguins were in the game at all, as even their power play was bleeding chances against despite registering two goals on the night.
I didn’t love the second Kucherov tally, but it doesn’t matter because it didn’t count, anyway. Still, Jarry didn’t seem as confident in the final period of that game despite looking like he could walk on water for the first 40 minutes.
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Either way, his teammates owe him a very fancy steak dinner. He was the primary reason the Penguins won that game.
– It’s pretty crazy what Malkin is doing this season. He has the same amount of points as Crosby in the same amount of games. Neither of his two goals in this one were flukey.
Malkin tends to fall off a bit after hot starts, but that hasn’t exactly happened yet this season. I don’t think he’s consistently playing at the level he was in the first month of the season – and since Justin Brazeau went down – but he’s still producing, and he’s still maintaining over a point-per-game pace.
What he’s doing at 39 is special. He had a few blips on the radar in this game, but he more than made up for it with a two-goal, three-point effort.
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– What a day it was for the kids.
As far as the third line of Kindel, Koivunen, and Rutger McGroarty, they were the Penguins’ best line in this game. They were generating chances throughout the evening, and they seem to have some legitimate chemistry. That line could be a revelation for the Penguins if it continues to click.
And then there’s the two goal-scorers.
Good for Koivunen. He deserved that one. He’s been playing well for a stretch of games here, but he was so, so snakebitten. And, wow, was it a snipe.
I’ve been saying that Koivunen just needed to get that “first NHL goal” monkey off his back. I think the points will start to come in bunches now.
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Then there’s Kindel. The tip-in goal was perfectly executed by both him and Karlsson, and he continues to look like a natural on the first power play unit. He played on the penalty kill yet again created a few shorthanded chances. There was a PK sequence where he blocked a shot then cleared the puck out of the zone. He was driving play five-on-five, too.
What impresses me most about Kindel – at only 18 – is that he can walk into any situation, have no adjustment period, and play like a 10-year NHL veteran in that role. He did it with the power play, and now, the penalty kill. He continues to play a calculated, smart, high-IQ brand of hockey, and his ability to distribute the puck is so advanced for his age.
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I can’t say the last time I watched an 18-year-old thrive in every situation they’re thrown in immediately. He needs no adjustment and just introduces himself like he owns the place.
The Penguins have a special young player on their hands.
– Another player deserving of a shoutout is Imama.
Imama is not a guy who needs to be in the lineup on an everyday basis. He’s an enforcer. He goes about his business, and he’s always looking to stir things up.
But his impact extends into the locker room, too. Imama is well-liked, well-respected, and personable in the locker room, and that energy is contagious. His fight sparked some energy for the Penguins Thursday, even if they were pretty decidedly getting beat.
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I wouldn’t be entirely surprised to see him stick around for a little bit.
– The Penguins next play the Dallas Stars on Sunday.
I expect a much better performance by the Penguins against yet another tough opponent.
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