This evening the two wildcard teams in the Eastern Conference matched up as the Boston Bruins (32-22-6) hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins (30-20-8). Boston’s 19-year-old up and coming star, David Pastrnak scored two unassisted that have his team the lead going into the final period of play.
Pittsburgh was able to generate a total of 42 shots on goal against Tukka Rask, but unable to get the puck past one of the league’s best. The Penguins fell flat in the third period and allowed three straight goals, ending the game with the Bruins on top, 5-1.
Unforced Turnovers
This evening Pittsburgh turned the puck over 15 times and kept Marc-Andre Fleury on his heels. Most giveaways came in their own zone and led to good scoring chances for the Bruins.
Late in the third period a series of turnovers led to goals that put the game out of reach for a struggling Pittsburgh offense. Seven Penguins players had two or more shots on goal, but only Tom Kuhnhackl was able to score.
In the first two periods Pittsburgh matched up very well and was only a few wide shots away from making it a much closer game. The offense fell flat in the last half of the third period and couldn’t make up any ground.
Defensive Breakdowns
Pittsburgh struggled mightily in their own zone and broke down multiple times, some being right in front of Fleury. It is with luck that the Bruins did not score more than five goals. Bad timing and decision making on the part of the Penguins led to their own demise.
Boston, a team who has played relatively poor on home ice, stepped up at the right time. If not for the incredible play by Rask, the Bruins would have had a much more of a hard time keeping a lead.
Fleury did not play his best either, with the first two goals coming from a penalty shot and another coming from him stretching out of the paint just a little too far.
Final Words
Pittsburgh has started to seesaw back and forth between winning and losing whichl is not a good sign heading into a pivotal month that will determine the positioning for the Penguins. The offense has been inconsistent as of late and without Evgeni Malkin, the team has had a clearly different approach.
The Penguins are still in good shape compared to how the season looked all but over in the middle of December. However, both sides of the ice must begin finding their groove again so they can put a few win streaks together.
What’s Next?
The Winnipeg Jets will next visit Pittsburgh this Saturday at 3p.m.
