Going into their game against Vancouver on Thanksgiving Eve, the Pittsburgh Penguins were mired in a three-game losing streak and really needed a game to break their way.
And they got exactly what they were hoping for on Wednesday.
With Pittsburgh’s top line leading the way in a first-period onslaught, the Penguins defeated the Canucks, 5-4, to earn a much-needed win and give them some momentum going into a weekend back-to-back against Boston and Calgary.
“I think we played with a lot of pace, and we had a good jump in our mindset,” said defenseman Erik Karlsson, who had three assists on the night. “I just think we executed on the plays when we had the puck, which makes us look fast. We capitalized on the chances that we got early in the game, which obviously took us all the way to the end.”
In his first game back from injury, forward Blake Lizotte opened the scoring just three minutes and 59 seconds into the game. Defenseman Ryan Shea banked a shot-pass off the boards behind Canucks goaltender Arturs Silovs, which Lizotte directed towards the net, and the puck trickled through.
For a while, that was the Penguins’ only shot on goal in the period. Then, the first line of Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell, and Bryan Rust had a great shift in the offensive zone to ignite a spark. Rakell scored on the following shift by providing a net-front finish on a beautiful feed from Rust, and the line really catalyzed everyone else.
Kevin Hayes added a power play goal later in the period before Bryan Rust scored his first goal of the game off of a Crosby feed on a two-on-two, and Rust added another early in the second period off a great passing play by Karlsson and Crosby.
“They were huge catalysts for our team,” head coach Mike Sullivan said about the first line. “When they control play like they did tonight, I think it just increases our opportunities to win exponentially. I thought they were a threat. Every time they were going over the boards, you felt like something good was going to happen. And I think that’s what they’re capable of. They had a really strong game tonight, and obviously, they’re a big reason why we had the success we did.”
Karlsson also gave a glowing endorsement of the trio on the top line.
“Obviously, when they’re playing like they did today, every time they’re on the ice, they’re going to control play,” he said. “That’s what you want from your first line on any team, I think. They had a strong performance today, and I think they’ve been good for the most part. Hopefully, they can build on this just like the rest of us can.”
Here are a few other thoughts and observations from Wednesday’s game:
– That was an excellent first period of hockey from the Penguins, and it was a good second period as well.
Even during the stretch when the Penguins only had one shot – the Lizotte goal – it’s not as if the Canucks were generating a boatload of offense. The Penguins played pretty responsibly in their own end and in the neutral zone before Crosby’s line took over.
It was a complete effort in the first period, and we need to see that more sustained over all 60 minutes of play.
– I believe that Lizotte can really be a difference-maker for this bottom-six if he remains healthy.
He’s fast, he’s tenacious, he’s aggressive and physical on the forecheck, and he brings a ton of energy to the lineup. He’s also a good penalty-killer. There was a shorthanded breakaway that he nearly scored on when he won a physical battle in the neutral zone then created some separation with his speed, and the puck trickled through Silovs and just by the left post.
There was also a point in the game when Jack St. Ivany ripped a shot attempt that hit Lizotte on its way in. I thought, “Really? Again?” as he appeared to be in some pain, but he stayed in.
Good first game back for him. It’s a small sample size this season, but I like what I’m seeing so far.
– Karlsson was really, really good Wednesday. He was creating opportunities left and right, and he made two nice stretch passes to Crosby on the way to both Rust goals. He also picked up an assist on Hayes’s goal.
When Karlsson is feeding the transition game like he was tonight, good things happen. These are the kinds of games that the Penguins need to get from him more often. He was great in this one.
– On the other side of things, I thought the bottom pairing of St. Ivany and Shea did some good things. However, it was largely a struggle for them.
The two of them combined for eight giveaways, which was just one less than the total amount of giveaways by the Penguins as a whole on the night. Even though they weren’t on for a goal against, they generally looked a little bit of a mess in the defensive zone.
– Owen Pickering was a late scratch due to illness, so although it appeared that Ryan Graves and Matt Grzelcyk were destined to be scratched, Grzelcyk got the last-minute addition into the fold when Pickering couldn’t go.
Honestly? Grzelcyk wasn’t bad in this game. He did his part to help drive some offense and was on the ice for two Penguins’ goals, including the power play goal and Rust’s first goal.
If Pickering is good to go on Friday or at some point this weekend, I’m curious to see what they decide to do with the defensive pairings.
– Philip Tomasino played in his first game as a Penguin. While I thought he was fine, it was easy to tell that he was “new.”
He was a little bit unsure in defensive zone coverage, he didn’t anticipate a pass when he was wide-open at the net front for a scoring opportunity early in the third period, and pucks were jumping off his stick a bit. These are all things to be somewhat expected in a player’s first game in a new uniform.
The second line of Tomasino, Evgeni Malkin, and Michael Bunting wasn’t exactly in-sync throughout the night. That also tends to happen sometimes when a new face is brought in.
I imagine they’ll have a little bit of runway to give Tomasino some time to adjust.
– The Penguins practiced Thursday on Thanksgiving and head to Boston on Friday to take on the Bruins. They then return straight home on Saturday for a tilt against the Calgary Flames.
The Penguins need to bring home a win in at least one of those games. Hopefully, their win from Wednesday can give them some momentum heading into their game against the Bruins, who have had struggles of their own this season and just went through a coaching change.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Have a happy, healthy, and safe holiday!
