The Pittsburgh Penguins rebounded from a crushing loss on Wednesday to defeat the Florida Panthers 3-1, Friday night at Consol Energy Center.
The bigger story, however, is the loss of Evgeni Malkin who crashed crazily into the boards behind the Florida net early in the third period. The reigning MVP and scoring champion skated off the ice on his own power, but never returned to action.
The Penguins would respond by scoring two third period goals to defeat the Panthers, ruining an otherwise solid performance by 23 year old goaltender, Jacob Markstrom who was just called up two days ago.
Markstrom was extremely tough, especially in the first 30 minutes of the game. The Penguins came out firing to start the first period. They out shot Florida 12-3 in the opening frame and drew two penalties. Markstrom stood tall -which at six foot six is easy enough- and stonewalled the Penguins on all opportunities. He swallowed all rebounds and had a highlight-reel glove save on Brandon Sutter from just a few feet away.
The Penguins ratcheted up the pressure even more in the second period, keeping the puck in Florida’s zone for over two straight minutes. However, it was Florida who scored first in this game.
Paul Martin flubbed on a clearing attempt in front of Marc-Andre Fleury and the puck came out to Brian Campbell whose slap shot broke his stick in half. The puck found its way to Mike Weaver who took a slap shot that bounced off of Paul Martin and in the net.
Less than a minute later, the Penguins went on the power play after a penalty to Jerrod Smithson. Evgeni Malkin moved the puck down low to James Neal who took a sharp angle shot on the goal line. The puck ended up at Markstrom’s feet and Chris Kunitz jabbed at it until it ended up in the back of the net. The goal extended Pittsburgh’s power play goal streak to ten straight games.
The Penguins killed a penalty early in the third period. Then, with about 15 minutes remaining in the game, Malkin went down with an injury. Malkin went wide on defenseman Erik Gudbranson and was able to get a shot on goal before being thrusted into the boards. As Malkin’s back hit the boards, his neck snapped back before possibly hitting his head. After laying on the ice for a few minutes, Malkin was able to get up and skate off on his own power.
The Penguins took the lead just a few minutes after the injury on a slap shot by Matt Niskanen. Beau Bennett won a battle along the boards and the puck found its way out to Kris Letang. Letang’s cross-ice pass found Niskanen whose one-timer beat the glove hand of Markstrom.
The goal would stand up as the game-winner as the Penguins continued to put pressure on the Panthers. The Penguins limited their turnovers and remained aggressive in the offensive zone. Eventually, the effort paid off as Dustin Jeffrey scored his first goal of the season, tapping in a beautiful pass from Matt Cooke.
“Malkin went into the boards hard. Left on his own accord. Will get reevaluated Saturday; may have more news tomorrow,” head coach Dan Bylsma said in the post game conference. (Penguins.com)
Pittsburgh’s next game is Sunday night against Tampa Bay.
- Beau Bennett was originally credited with an assist on Matt Niskanen’s goal but the scorer removed his name on the play. If the ruling is changed again, it will be Bennett’s first career point in the NHL.
- Mike Weaver’s goal broke a 132 game scoreless streak.
- Dan Bylsma is 8-0-0 against the Florida Panthers at home.
Three Stars
- Matt Niskanen
- Marc-Andre Fleury
- Jacob Markstrom
Photo courtesy of NHL.com
