The Penguins went into Monday night’s game without the services of Brooks Orpik and James Neal, but they did get Evgeni Malkin back and it made a huge difference.
Malkin scored in his first game back after a two game absence, Sidney Crosby netted the game-winner, and Marc-Andre Fleury 32 of 33 shots as the Penguins defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets.
James Neal missed the game due to starting his five game suspension for kneeing Boston forward Brad Marchand in the head. Brooks Orpik missed his first game of the season with a concussion.
The Penguins called up Brian Dumoulin while placing Orpik on IR but he didn’t play. Instead, Robert Bortuzzo was placed in the lineup and played a solid 12:49 of ice time.
Evgeni Malkin broke a scoreless tie with his eighth goal of the season 4:16 into the second period. Jussi Jokinen sent a rink-wide pass to Malkin in the neutral zone. Malkin used his speed to get around Fedor Tyutin and then beat goaltender Brian McElhinney with a shot in tight.
The Penguins extended their lead in the third period with Crosby’s sixteenth goal. Crosby’s goal was not nearly as pretty as Malkin’s but it count just the same. Pascal Dupuis’s backhanded centering attempt hit Crosby’s skate and bounced in the net. The play was briefly reviewed and deemed a good goal.
Fleury was excellent at stopping the puck but his biggest highlight was missing a goal by just inches. Fleury attempted to score his first career goal but the puck rolled to the left of the net.
The Blue Jackets came back and got a goal from Matt Calvert with under a minute remaining. But the Penguins were able to stave off another furious comeback and leave Consol Energy Center with their third win against Columbus this season.
- Matt Niskanen hasn’t had a negative rating in the last fifteen games.
- Columbus has scored just three total goals in three games against the Penguins this year.
- The Penguins are the first team with 10 wins against their divisional opponents this year.
Three Stars
- Marc-Andre Fleury
- Evgeni Malkin
- Sidney Crosby
Photo courtesy of NHL.com
