They said it could never be done.

They said it would never be done.

It had been over an entire month.

My friends, the power play goal-less drought is OVER.

On Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins hosted the Arizona Coyotes, badly in need of a win.

Pittsburgh had dropped five straight games, and as they plummeted in the standings, their power play unit was the biggest factor in holding them back. They had gone 0 for 37, and their last goal on the power play had come all the way back on November 11th.

It had actively cost the team games, and with every fleeting chance, the doom and gloom around what should be a feared special teams unit continued to grow.

Just 48 seconds into the game, Arizona’s Michael Kesselring was called for holding on Sidney Crosby.

Fans are always happy to see a penalty called against the opponent, but there was some definite angst about having to watch the Penguins’ power play go on the ice. We have to watch this again? I thought to myself from the seats.

But then the most beautiful thing happened, and his name is Jake Guentzel.

On assists from Valtteri Puustinen and Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel shot one past Arizona’s Connor Ingram, and the stadium erupted into cheers after letting out a huge sigh of relief.

Public address announcer Ryan Mill made sure to put some emphasis on the “power play goal” part of the announcement, which earned an extra cheer from the home crowd.

It had been a long, depressing more than a month for the Penguins, but at long last, that ugly streak is over.

And just for good measure, Jeff Carter of all people added a second power play goal, which ended up being the game winner.

Carter also scored a shorthanded goal as well, tripling his season goal total tonight and earning first star honors.

Guentzel added an empty net to go with his power play goal as the Penguins beat the Coyotes 4-2 for a huge two points in the standings.

Arizona’s loss was no fault of goaltender Connor Ingram, who saved 40 of 43 shots for a .930 save percentage on the night.

For the Coyotes, Lawson Crouse and Matias Maccelli had the goals.

In his homecoming game, 2022 third overall pick Logan Cooley was locked down by Pittsburgh’s defense. The West Mifflin, PA native was held without a single shot in 16:34 of ice time.

The Penguins and Coyotes traded shots, chances, and several power play chances in the first period, leading to a 2-2 tie after one period of play. Pittsburgh surrendered two power play goals in that period, which took some air out of the building after the Penguins’ power play had finally cashed in.

The Penguins looked semi sloppy in the second period. Missed passes, odd shots, and allowing the Coyotes too much time was a concern, but Tristan Jarry locked things down and held Arizona scoreless the rest of the game.

Pittsburgh got back on track in the third, and rallied to snap their five game losing streak. The team is back in action tonight, in Montreal to take on the Canadiens.

THE STREAK IS OVER BABY!!!

(Featured photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)