ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Pittsburgh Penguins (2-2-0) defenseman Parker Wotherspoon covered his face and slammed his stick. With 94 seconds remaining, the Penguins defenseman whipped the puck over the glass from the defensive zone, giving the Anaheim Ducks (2-1-0) a valuable power play at the end of regulation.
Just seven seconds later, old nemesis Chris Kreider scored his second power-play goal of the game, and it stood as the game-winner. Anaheim beat the Penguins 4-3 at the Honda Center.
It started well, but it was never clean.
Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea was a popular player. He had a pair of assists in the first period, serving easily deflectable pucks to first Justin Brazeau, then Rickard Rakell.
The Penguins scored first, and quickly. At 1:03 of the first period, Brazeau (4) deftly deflected Shea’s shot over Anaheim goalie Lukas Dostal, but just under the crossbar.
Brazeau had just 11 goals last season, split between Boston and Minnesota.
Almost six minutes later, the Penguins claimed a short-lived 2-0 lead when Rakell deflected Shea’s waist-high shot downward past Dostal at 7:01.
The Penguins outshot Anaheim 15-7 in the first, but zone time seemed more even, and Anaheim had a pair of dangerous power plays.
In the least surprising moment of the evening, former New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider scored a power-play goal.
Leo Carlsson zipped a pass through the crease, past Jarry and behind Penguins defenseman Matt Dumba for Kreider to easily redirect into the net at 9:42 of the first period.
The wild first period crested in the final minute of the period as Penguins defenseman Kris Letang lost control of the puck in the defensive zone and Anaheim defenseman Pavel Mintyukov slid a cross-ice pass to never-was Philadelphia Flyer Cutter Gauthier, who one-timed the pass past Jarry from the right circle at 19:26.
The second period was mostly played in the Penguins’ zone with the visitors chasing parked cars. However, after a review decided by a fraction of an inch, the second period ended just as the first.
After surviving the Anaheim bombardment for the first 10 minutes of the second period, Jarry missed a blueline blast by defenseman Drew Helleson at 9:58.
The Penguins got a little love from the hockey gods late in the second period, and it needed to be approved on the iPads.
Sidney Crosby hopped off the bench for a Penguins two-on-one with Anthony Mantha. Crosby set up Mantha for an uncontested scoring chance, but Mantha held the puck too long, allowing defenseman Jacob Trouba to deflect the shot. However, the puck fluttered over a surprised Dostal.
Referees reviewed the play, and Mantha was onside by no more than a fraction of an inch, but the goal stood at 17:01.
Kreider scored the game-winner at 18:33.
Notes:
The Penguins made some lineup changes before the game. As part of a planned rest for rookie Harrison Brunicke, he was a healthy scratch. Matt Dumba and Connor Clifton played in place of Brunicke and Caleb Jones.
After missing practice on Sunday, Kris Letang played. Coach Dan Muse also made Noel Acciari a scratch in favor of Philip Tomasino.
The Anaheim crowd was 17,622 was a complete sellout and the largest crowd in Ducks’ history.
Anaheim has won nine straight home openers.
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