The Confluence
Malkin’s OT blast gives Penguins 5-4 win over Blackhawks
by Tony on 02/28/09 at 12:08 AM ET
Comments (0)
Two points are two points. Doesn’t really matter how you got them, the important thing is that the Penguins got them tonight.
The Penguins gave up two separate two-goal leads, as well as withstanding a third period barrage of 20 shots by the young Blackhawks. In the end, the Pens took advantage of a fortunate tripping call late in regulation play that eventually led to an overtime goal by Evgeni Malkin to give the Pens another huge 5-4 win.
The Pens are now only one point behind both Buffalo and Carolina for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
Very entertaining game, the Blackhawks really impressed me. Good blend of talented young forwards and defensemen.
As has happened a lot recently, the Penguins jumped out to an early lead. Jordan Staal took a pass into the Hawks’ zone and left the puck for Sergei Gonchar, who fired a one-timer. Hawks’ goalie Cristobal Huet stopped Gonchar’s shot, but left a juicy rebound for Staal, who was there to poke the puck past Huet to give the Pens a 1-0 lead at the 3:36 mark.
Later in the first, the line of Staal, Tyler Kennedy and new Penguins Chris Kunitz teamed up to double the Pens’ lead. Staal fed the puck below the goalline to Kunitz, who gathered the puck and put a backhanded shot on net and through Huet’s five hole to make it 2-0 Penguins.
The Hawks cut into the lead at the 15:44 mark when on the powerplay Cam Barker’s slapper from the right point was deflected by Jonathan Toews and past Marc-Andre Fleury to make it 2-1.
Later in the second period, the Hawks got a fortunate bounce of the puck when on the powerplay again Toews whiffed on a shot attempt, but got enough on the puck to direct it towards the net, where somehow it got between Rob Scuderi and Fleury to tie the game at two.
With about five minutes remaining in the second, it looked like the Hawks took the lead on another deflected shot by Toews. However, the play was reviewed and was determined that Toews’ stick was above the crossbar and the goal was disallowed. In my view, it was the right call, it appeared Toews touched the puck clearly above the crossbar.
Later in the period, on the forecheck Ruslan Fedotenko stole the puck deep in the Hawks’ zone and threw a shot on net that Huet stopped. This time, Miro Satan was there to grab the rebound and put it in the net to give the Pens the lead back at 3-2.
Then the Pens got some good fortune of their own. Pascal Dupuis had the puck behind the Hawks’ goal and fed it to Max Talbot. Talbot attempted to put a backhanded on net, but the puck deflected off Barker’s skate and past Huet to give the Pens a 4-2 lead. Huet was pulled in favor of Antti Niemi for the third period.
Unfortunately for Pens fans, we witnessed the latest incarnation of the blowing of the third period lead. Back on the powerplay yet again, the Hawks moved the puck very well, this time from Barker on the left point quickly to Toews on the right slot for the one-timer to give Toews the hat trick and cut the Pens lead to 4-3.
The Hawks completed their comeback with about five minutes left in the game when Martin Havlat fired a shot from the right boards that Fleury stopped. Andrew Ladd put the puck back on net on the rebound, but Fleury stopped that one also. But Dave Bolland was there to somehow poke a backhander that trickled over the goalline on a very bad angle to tie the game at four.
The Penguins got a favorable tripping call on Kris Versteeg with 22 seconds left in the third period. It was the wrong call, their two skates simply came together. But, the Pens would take it. In the overtime period, after Sergei Gonchar got out of the penalty box himself for an unrelated penalty, Gonchar fed Malkin in the right slot for a laser beam one-timer past Niemi for the win and the two points.
Other notes:
- Nice debut for Kunitz. Goal and an assist, +2, 4 hits and 3 blocked shots. Should be fun to see how he interacts with Sidney Crosby.
- Speaking of Crosby, too bad he had to miss this game, he would have loved to play in this one.
- Fleury played much better than his stats indicate. Of the four goals he gave up, two were on deflections and one was on a bad bounce of the puck. The Hawks peppered him all game long, and he made 41 saves.
- Too many stupid, stupid penalties, three of them just for putting the puck over the glass.
- Whoever was the official scorer tonight was a real tight ass. Only awarded 18 hits for each time. There were probably double that amount for each team.
- Kunitz’ 4 hits led the Penguins.
- Staal led the Pens with a +3.
The Penguins now head to Dallas for a Sunday afternoon game.
Filed in: | The Confluence | Permalink
Tags: Chicago+Blackhawks, NHL-Hockey, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
Comments
Be the first to comment.
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
Most Recent Blog Posts
Turn Out The Lights, The Party’s Over: I’m Stepping Down
Bill Cowher’s Daughter to Marry Kevin Westgarth
Penguins Sign Forward Steve MacIntyre
Penguins Re-Sign Forward Dustin Jeffrey to Two-Year Deal
Crosby Donation Leads To Renovation at Children’s Hospital
About Kukla’s Korner
Kukla’s Korner is updated around the clock with the work of our own talented bloggers, plus links to the best hockey writing around the internet. We strive to bring you all the breaking hockey news as it happens.
The home page allows you to see the latest postings from every blog on the site. Subscribe here. For general inquiries and more, please contact us anytime.
Get the top online sports betting bonuses available to sports betters!
Kukla’s Korner is always a free service for readers, but it costs some money to maintain. If you’re ever in a position to donate a few dollars to help out, we’d be very appreciative.