The Pittsburgh Penguins (40-24-8) hosted the New Jersey Devils (35-31-7) this evening at Consol Energy Center. Pittsburgh entered tonight’s game on a six game winning, which was halted tonight.
The 3-0 loss came with no offensive showing. The Penguins were unable to muster much against Scott Wedgewood who made only his second start in his career. In his first game he allowed only one goal and tonight stopped all 39 shots.
Marc-Andre Fleury and the rest of the team seemed to have let some air out of the balloon with three days off after a spectacular weekend. However, they were playing a desperate team in the Devils who are just on the cusp of a playoff spot.
Lackluster Offense
Although the Pittsburgh put up big numbers with shots on goal, the Penguins were unable to steer home pucks that were left dangling around the goal. The Devils’ offense found themselves in quick transitions and were able to make quick shots that helped in their victory this evening.
New Jersey struck first in just the first minute to make it a 1-0 game. With an early lead and Wedgewood being aided by a puck-hungry defense, it was nearly impossible to get a good handle on the puck.
Even in the final stages of the game and an extra man on the ice from an empty net, Pittsburgh could not find anything. New Jersey also recorded 18 blocks tonight, which is another major reason for the Penguins being unable to record a goal.
Vacation Hangover
The long break clearly hurt Pittsburgh, which in the month of March, before tonight’s game, had a record of 8-3, placed second in the league with only two goals allowed per game, and was first in the league with 38 goals scored.
The Devils were in good position all night and Wedgewood looked very comfortable between the pipes for New Jersey. The Penguins may have needed a game like this to fall back down to reality. Fleury was honestly beat tonight and looked to be a bit off of his game.
Final Words
The Penguins played more aggressivley as the game went on, which typically ends positively for them. However, Pittsburgh, who leads the league with five comeback wins, were unable to find the back of the net tonight.
Kyle Palmieri finished the game with two goals, his eight career multi-goal game. Tonight’s game wasn’t so much about what they didn’t do, but more of what New Jersey was able to do.
The Devils fought tooth and nail to make sure they were still a threat to replace a wildcard team and were well coached. They stayed disciplined and did not allow Pittsburgh to tip the puck or blind their goaltender.
What’s Next
The Penguins will next travel to face the Detroit Red Wings which will be a pivotal matchup for playoff seeding. The game will begin this Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
