For the second time this season, the Penguins and the Chicago Blackhawks needed a shootout to decide matters after 65 minutes of level hockey, and for the second time, the Blackhawks emerged victorious.
Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Patrick Sharp all beat Marc-Andre Fleury in the shootout. Fleury had an excellent regulation, making 31 saves while being named the game’s second start.
“It’s tough for (Fleury) because, especially in the second period, I made a big mistake and he bailed me out,” said Penguins defenseman Rob Scuderi. “He bails a lot of guys out. He makes big saves and it’s tough not to see him get the win.”
The lone tally against him was scored in the early third period when Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson beat Fleury with a slapshot from the blueline after Brandon Saad outmuscled Chris Kunitz on the boards to help Toews win an offensive-zone faceoff.
The Penguins were able to tie the game at 3:54 of the third period as Nick Spaling ripped the rebound of a Beau Bennett shot to the top corner of the net behind Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford. Brandon Sutter earned the second assist on the goal.
That trio – making up the Penguins’ third line – was buzzing all afternoon. They 11 shots on goal, led by nine from Bennett, and helped keep Chicago’s deadly top line off the board.
“I thought (Bennett) had one of his better games in a while,” said Penguins head coach Mike Johnston. “For him, it’s about managing the puck well. When the puck was on his stick tonight, he made a lot of good things happen.”
“That line really generated, and that’s what we need,” he added. “We need some more depth of scoring; more balance from our lineup. It was one of those tight-checking games where you need someone to come through for you.”
Crawford, meanwhile, was outstanding for the Blackhawks, making 37 saves and earning the game’s first star.
The Penguins’ penalty kill also performed well against Chicago’s power-play unit, going 2-for-2, and they had one fewer penalty to kill when, in a rarely-seen sequence, Sidney Crosby was sent to the penalty box in the late second period, but referee Brad Watson conferred with his fellow officials and the call was overturned.
The Penguins also debuted a new look on the power play, separating their top unit and playing Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on opposing units. They failed to score on four shots in two power play opportunities.
“It was something we had talked about earlier and we decided to do now,” said Johnston. “We practiced it yesterday. I really liked the look of it. It gives us two dynamic units and a little bit of competition there. I thought (Derrick) Pouliot and (Kris) Letang on the back end for both units were very good out there. It just gives us a different dynamic. And we’ve got to build those things into our repertoire as we move down the stretch.”
The Penguins stretch run will continue with two more games this week – both of them back at Consol Energy Center. With the point earned in the shootout loss, the Penguins are now two points behind the New York Islanders for first place in the Metropolitan Division, and two points ahead of the third place New York Rangers. The Rangers and Islanders play each other Monday night.
Photo credit: NHL
