PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins (21-12-9) had won five in a row, including a rowdy third-period comeback Sunday. The New Jersey Devils (22-20-2) had lost two in a row, including an embarrassing 9-0 beatdown by the New York Islanders Tuesday.
The Penguins also got star forward Evgeni Malkin back in the lineup after a month-long absence with a shoulder injury. Malkin ripped a one-timer late in the second period to convert a two-man advantage and claim a 3-0 Penguins lead.
The Penguins rolled to a commanding 4-1 win at PPG Paints Arena Thursday.
The Penguins have now won six in a row, and New Jersey’s season is perilously hanging by a thread.
Goalie Stuart Skinner was the Penguins’ best player in the first period. With chants of “Stu!” raining from the rafters, Skinner made a trio of high-danger saves, including stopping Jesper Bratt on a breakaway at 8:58, and stopping Dawson Mercer from point-blank range later in the first.
Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson also dazzled in the first period, creating a couple of chances and potting a beauty. Rickard Rakell’s slick pass across the top of the zone sprung Karlsson (4), who breezed down the right wing past New Jersey defenders and whipped a shot into a narrow space above goalie Jake Allen’s glove for the Penguins’ first goal at 6:39.
The Penguins flirted with letting New Jersey get a foothold in the game early in the second period. Penguins winger Connor Dewar took a high-sticking minor, giving New Jersey a power play.
However, instead of New Jersey tying the game or creating momentum, the Penguins took control of the game. At the immediate conclusion of Dewar’s minor, Rakell snapped a precise stretch pass between defenders to spring Dewar (8) for a breakaway goal at 5:23 of the second.
Rakell had a pair of primary assists resulting from a pair of surgical passes.
After claiming a 2-0 lead, the Penguins furiously attacked a clearly dispirited New Jersey. The Penguins raced to a 13-5 shot advantage in the first 15 minutes of the second, but were only oh-so-close to another goal as Ryan Shea and Egor Chinakhov hit posts behind Allen.
Late in the second period, one Penguins power play quickly begot a two-man advantage when New Jersey penalty killer Connor Brown tripped Malkin. The Penguins looked to be frittering away their 5v3 until Sidney Crosby slipped a pass to Malkin in the right circle. Malkin (9) blasted a one-timer past Allen for a 3-0 lead.
In a moment hugely symbolic of New Jersey’s current malaise, the second period horn sounded as Dewar approached on another breakaway.
The Penguins ended the second period with a 17-5 shot advantage in the middle period.
New Jersey claimed a power play goal early in the third period, courtesy of Malkin’s tripping penalty and Luke Hughes’s (5) slapshot from the point through a screen, at 2:55.
The Penguins’ fourth line ended the competitive portion of the evening when Dewar intercepted Allen’s rim-around, tapped it to Noel Acciari near the net, and Acciari just as quickly tapped the puck across the crease to Blake Lizotte (5), who neatly redirected it into the net for a 4-1 lead at 13:26.
Skinner stopped 25 of 26 to the applause of more than 16,000 Penguins fans who chanted, “Stu!” even when the goalie merely played the puck to his defensemen. Skinner has won his last three starts. Allen turned aside 25 of 29 in the loss.
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Categorized: Penguins Postgame