The Pittsburgh Penguins were able to end things on a high note, with a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens that was capped off with an overtime thriller by Marcus Pettersson.
The Penguins got a desperately needed win before heading into the All Star Break, which gives the team a full nine days off before they’re back in action.
For Pettersson himself, it was a much needed turning point after several games of shaky defensive work. The recent lapses in his game showed up once again last night, which allowed the Canadiens to score the game’s opening goal.
But, that aforementioned OT winner erased whatever came before, helping the Penguins notch the second point.
I cannot possibly overstate how massive this win was for the Penguins. Set aside how bad a three game losing streak usually is, this one was bad.
This team was collapsing in some games and even when they weren’t in others, they couldn’t get out of their own way (think Friday night and the 1/8 on power plays).
A four game losing streak heading into the All Star Break might have truly done this team in for the rest of the season. Being nearly ten points out of a wild card spot at the All Star Break, in my opinion, would have been too much to overcome. Not to mention the severe confidence killer a four game losing streak would have induced on the locker room.
Coming into this game, all eyes were on Lars Eller, who was appearing in his 1,000th NHL game. Though the vast majority of those games came in other uniforms, the Penguins celebrated with a lengthy ceremony for him. Sid, Geno, and Letang gave Eller a 1,000th game plaque, the silver stick, and the team played a tribute video for him.
Eller became the first Danish NHLer to play 1,000 games in the league.
I will say this, I vehemently disagree with whoever’s idea it was to include comments from Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Tom Wilson.
Look, I get it, Eller was a Washington Capital for a long time, but how did they think that was going to go? All three players received audible booing from the crowd.
And even for the clips that they showed, once again: I get it, he was a Capital for a long time, and he even scored the Cup-winning goal for the Caps in 2018, but showing him in a Washington uniform scoring on Marc-Andre Fleury ought to get someone fired.
Alright, in all seriousness, the Pens did bounce back from a harsh loss in overtime the night before to the Florida Panthers. They generated a lot of chances, which faced steep competition from Jake Allen, in net for the Habs.
Eller himself got a goal, which was rather fitting on his night.
The power play looked better last night, with Valtteri Puustinen and Kris Letang replacing Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson, respectively. They generated some more chances but still did not find the back of the net.
Their defensive work was a little sketchy. Pettersson’s aforementioned gaffe that allowed Cole Caufield to score uncovered cannot be something that continues to happen. On the bright side, I thought P.O. Joseph made some nice plays on the back end, something he has struggled to do this year.
I did find this a little interesting too: almost as soon as the game ended, the Canadiens announced that they had loaned forward Lucas Condotta to their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket. Condotta played in this game for Montreal, though he only saw 5:20 of ice time. Tough night for him.
And so now, we have nine days without Penguins hockey, or how I call it, my personal hell.
We’ll see Sidney Crosby at the All Star festivities in Toronto from February 1st to 3rd, the lone representative for the Penguins. Other than that, it’s silence from now till February 6th when the team hosts the Winnipeg Jets.
The Penguins actually get off sooner than several other teams. Their bye week comes at the beginning of the All Star Break; meanwhile, the NHL still has games going up until Thursday when the first All Star events take place.
If there is a positive for this extended break, it gives Kyle Dubas and the new management team here in Pittsburgh time to assess the direction of the team for this season, and how to best address it. Not saying that involves any kind of trade in the immediate future, but time to form a detailed plan without all of the pieces in motion.
At the very least, both for the fans and the players, the Pens won. It’s a massive confidence booster for a team that needed one so badly. It gives the feeling that this team is still in it, whether that is realistic or not.
As for what we at Fifth Ave are going to do with literally no sports happening for the next week and a half, I think we’ll be alright. I do have some exciting stuff slated to come out during the break, and I will have All Star commentary as well (cause I’m an All Star at that).
Till the next one, my friends.
(Featured photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)
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