The Pittsburgh Penguins (33-23-8) went on the road this evening to begin a nine game stretch where they are playing against a division opponent. Facing the New Jersey Devils (31-28-7), the Penguins had much to prove after failing to beat the struggling Flames.
Pittsburgh’s offense exploded today in a 6-1 victory that helps their ability to move past Detroit for the first wildcard spot. Matt Murray allowed only one goal on only 18 shots.
Evgeni Malkin was able to find the back of the net two times tonight, and Nick Bonino, Bryan Rust, Tom Kuhnhackl, and Sidney Crosby all had multiple points in the win. Many players had a hand in today’s win and this serves as a good rebound game.
Finishing Shots
The Penguins did not struggle this time around in finding the back of the net. Keith Kinkaid, the Devils goaltender, was often on his heels and had very little support from his defense.
Pittsburgh was able to force turnovers that led to many scoring chances tonight, of which a few ended in a goal. The speed and ability to continually bombard the net with shots was a key reason the Penguins left New Jersey with a win.
Malkin has continued putting up points since coming back from his injury scoring four goals in six games and has played very hard in making a lasting impact on the team. Additionally, Crosby finished the game with two assists, one from Malkin’s goal and the other coming from Scott Wilson who scored with a little under five minutes left in the game.
Schultz Shows Promise
Although only being a one game sample from Justin Schultz, the defensemen played with poise and kept his head up the whole game. His flair and ability with his skates and puck were shown off.
It was a great start for a struggling player, but looked comfortable playing in coach Mike Sullivan’s system. He also came close to finishing off shots that would’ve separated the two teams much earlier in the game.
One knock critics had of Schultz was his defensive ability, however, this evening he did a wonderful job of putting his body between the puck and net putting up a wall in front of Murray.
Final Words
This game also starts a four game road trip that will truly test the depth and ability of this team. Pittsburgh needs to stay consistent in their ability to put goals in the back of the net.
Following their game against Calgary, Sullivan admitted to his team being able to get the shot, but not finish. Today, there was no issue of finishing plays. The Penguins zipped around the ice and gave New Jersey all they could handle.
What’s Next?
The Penguins will now travel to New York to match up against the New York Islanders this Tuesday at 7:00p.m.
Image Credit: Getty Images
