The Pittsburgh Penguins won their fourth-straight game on Saturday and did it dominantly.
Like Thursday’s game against this very same Detroit Red Wings team (a 4-3 win for the Penguins), they started quickly, thanks to Bryan Rust. Sidney Crosby delivered an outrageous pass to Rust, who sniped the puck past John Gibson for a 1-0 lead.
Yegor Chinakhov, freshly acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday, made it 2-0 on a breakaway later in the period. Ben Kindel delivered an outstanding stretch pass to Chinakhov, who was all alone at the Red Wings’ blue line, and he showed off his quick release to record his first goal as a Penguin.
Rickard Rakell and Connor Dewar added empty-net goals late in the third period to make it 4-1, sealing the win. Crosby and Parker Wotherspoon led the team with two points (both assists). Stuart Skinner finished with 11 saves and has now won his last two starts.
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Here are some other takeaways from this win:
– This was an absolute defensive clinic from the Penguins, particularly in the third period. Nursing a 2-1 lead, the Penguins didn’t let the Red Wings get any quality looks and suffocated them as they were trying to break out of their own zone. The Red Wings couldn’t even complete two passes in a row for most of the period due to how stingy the Penguins were being.
They held the Red Wings to only 12 shots, which is the fewest ever shots allowed in a road game in franchise history. The previous record was 13 shots. The Penguins also didn’t allow a single high-danger chance against at 5v5 for the final two periods of the game.
The lone Red Wings goal was the result of bad luck after a dominant shift in the offensive zone. Alex DeBrincat got the Red Wings back in it, but it wasn’t enough. This defensive performance reminded me a lot of the 2016 Penguins, which is saying something since that group was always lights out in the third period.
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– I know the process hasn’t always been there for Bryan Rust this season, but he continues to produce. With his goal on Saturday, he now has 16 goals and 36 points in 38 games. It’s also his fourth goal in his last five games. He finished last season with 31 goals and 65 points and is on pace to break both of those numbers this year.
– Ben Kindel had another great game on Saturday, and his growth continues to be such a big storyline this season. Outside of his great assist on Chinakhov’s goal, he was living in the offensive zone and forced a couple of really nice turnovers. He was also great in his own zone and in transition, and continues to display his elite hockey IQ each shift. It’s sometimes hard to remember that he’s still only 18 because everything looks so comfortable for him.
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– The second defensive pair of Brett Kulak and Kris Letang was good on Thursday and continued that momentum into Saturday’s game. Kulak has helped stabilize Letang a little bit these last two games and has made all the right reads in his own zone. He had a few plays on Saturday when he was so calm, skating the puck out of his own zone under pressure.
Letang was also good for a second game in a row after scoring Thursday’s overtime winner. Yes, he was caught during DeBrincat’s goal, but aside from that, he made the right decisions in the offensive zone and was competent defensively. It’s nice to see him playing a bit more confidently, given his struggles for a good chunk of the year.
– The fourth line of Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari continues to be a problem for other teams. I love the way those three work in tandem and wear opposing players down below the dots in the offensive zone. That line finished +2 in scoring chances and +1 in shot attempts at 5v5 on Saturday. As I wrote last week, it can’t be understated how much Lizotte’s return has meant to the team.
– Speaking of Lizotte’s return, he really helped the penalty kill on Saturday, killing off both Red Wings power plays. He makes such a massive difference to that unit because he’s such a puck-hound and wins those battles along the boards, leading to clears. The rest of the penalty killers feed off his presence each time he’s out there.
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– Next up for the Penguins is a date with the Blue Jackets on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. This will be the third meeting between the two teams this season and the first since Nov. 28, when the Penguins won 4-3 in overtime. The Blue Jackets won the other game between the two teams 5-4 in a shootout back on Oct. 25.
(Data via Natural Stat Trick).
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