The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 Saturday night, following the same plan that gave them their first win against the New Jersey Devils; strong defense and aggressive offense.
Thanks to another strong performance by Marc-Andre Fleury, who stopped 20 of 21 shots, and goals from Sidney Crosby, Chuck Kobasew, Chris Kunitz and Craig Adams, the Penguins won for the second time in as many chances.
The Penguins brought the 288th consecutive sellout crowd to their feet on a night where the loudest cheers came when the scoreboard showed some of the Pittsburgh Pirates who were in attendance on the eve of their Game three showdown with the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS.
Sidney Crosby pounced on a loose puck in front of the net and beat Jhonas Enroth on the stick side on a second chance opportunity to open the scoring 3:39 into the opening period.
Chuck Kobasew added to the Pittsburgh lead, redirecting a slapshot from Brandon Sutter and through the five hole of Enroth.
While the offense was able to generate chances, the defense threw a blanket over the defensive zone in front of Marc-Andre Fleury. The Sabres had nine shots in the first period and twelve shots in the final two periods as the defensemen shutdown Buffalo by getting sticks in passing lanes and clearing the zone in front of their own net.
The Sabres started taking chances which resulted in odd-man breaks for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby was denied on a breakaway and Evgeni Malkin was unable to light the lamp despite getting excellent chances.
Chris Kunitz, on the other hand, was able to cash in on one of his chances. Kunitz was held on a breakaway leading to a penalty shot. Swooping in from the right side of Enroth, Kunitz’s backhand slid through the goaltender’s pads for his first goal of the season.
Thomas Vanek scored late in the third to end Fleury’s shutout but an empty net goal by Craig Adams sealed the win for Pittsburgh.
- Vanek’s goal broke a shutout streak of 115:06 for Fleury.
- Sidney Crosby has a fifteen game point streak against the Buffalo Sabres.
- This is the third straight year the Penguins have won the first two games of the season.
Three Stars
- Sidney Crosby
- Marc-Andre Fleury
- Chris Kunitz
Photo courtesy of NHL.com
