The Pittsburgh Penguins will need to wait at least one more game before claiming the first Metropolitan Division championship after dropping a tough game to the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-1 on Tuesday.
Carolina came into the game with seven straight losses at Consol Energy Center and played like they refused to lose an eighth straight game.
Elias Lindholm scored twice for Carolina to headline a dominating effort by the Hurricanes.
The Penguins controlled play for the first ten minutes of the game but the tables slowly turned over the course of the first period. Brian Gibbons was stopped by Anton Khudobin on the penalty shot 2:26 into the game.
Chris Kunitz scored his 35th goal of the season which also gave Sidney Crosby his league-leading 100th point of the year.
Justin Faulk’s slapshot found its way through traffic and past Marc-Andre Fleury to knot the score at one a piece with 5:21 remaining in the first period.
Elias Lindholm scored twice within six minutes to get the Hurricanes out to a 3-1 lead. Lindholm received a centering pass by Jeff Skinner and buried a shot past Fleury while on the power play. On his next shift, Lindholm stole a puck in the offensive zone and beat Fleury with a sharp wrist shot.
The Penguins gave a solid effort in the third period but could not get the next goal. Instead, Eric Staal redirected a shot to put the game seemingly out of reach.
Three Stars
- Elias Lindholm
- Jeff Skinner
- Justin Faulk
Photo courtesy of NHL.com
