When the Pittsburgh Penguins suited up to face the Detroit Red Wings, nobody could’ve predicted what was about to happen. They had just lost two straight to the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers. As expected, fans were likely watching the game with a little apprehension. However, the Pittsburgh Penguins win turned into a thorough dismantling of the Red Wings.
The Recap
The final score was 11-2 in favor of the Penguins. The first period saw two goals for Pittsburgh from Kasperi Kapanen and Teddy Blueger. In the second period, the Penguins turned on the jets and connected for four straight goals in less than eight minutes. Evgeni Malkin scored two, Jeff Carter scored one and Bryan Rust scored another.
Image Courtesy of Joe Sargent/Getty Images
After an almost unprecedented six unanswered goals, the Red Wings slipped two past Tristan Jarry. The Penguins were quick to respond as Sidney Crosby scored one right before the end of the period. With the score being 7-2 going into the third, the Penguins decided they weren’t done yet. They scored four more as Danton Heinen, Brian Boyle and Rickard Rakell each scored one. The cherry on top was the fact that Malkin scored his third goal of the night during the third as well, marking his 16th career hat trick.
Malkin was undoubtedly the standout in the game. His three goals and four total points on the night showcases his skills. The two other stars? Rakell and Blueger. Each of them had a goal and two assists, but their performance means two things. Rakell is acclimating well to Pittsburgh and he’s showing that he can be a huge contributor. Blueger potting three points is showing that the depth is finally starting to contribute to the scoring, which is something the team has been lacking lately.
What this Pittsburgh Penguins Win Means
This could mean that the Pittsburgh Penguins are finally clicking. Granted, they’ve been playing relatively well for the majority of the season, but this means more than that. The entire team is firing on all cylinders. Lately, it’s only been the first and second lines of the offense that do most of the scoring. The depth has had an incredibly difficult time contributing. Now, that could be over.
Blueger was easily the standout out of the depth players, but that doesn’t mean the others didn’t do well either. Radim Zohorna tallied two assists on the night, and Boyle scored a goal. Then, Danton Heinen also scored and had an assist as well. If all the points from the third and fourth lines are combined, they tallied a total of 11 points. This could be a precursor of what is to come for the team.
They played their game with the utmost confidence. Despite losing their past two games, the team didn’t let that impact their play. After all, they played with heart and soul, something that was also lacking recently. Jarry also looked incredibly calm, and the defensemen were consistently putting their body on the line as they blocked a total of 13 shots. If the team continues to play as they did Sunday, then nothing is going to stop them.
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