The Confluence
Penguins get big SO win over Sharks on Gonchar Eve
by Tony on 02/11/09 at 10:44 PM ET
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There have been too many games this year that have finished much differently for the Penguins.
Nursing a 1-0 lead midway through the third period, the Pens watched the Sharks score on a scrum in front of the Pens’ net to tie the game. Perhaps if this was 3 or 4 weeks ago, eventually the Sharks would have worn the Pens down and gotten the game-winner.
But give the Penguins credit, although they didn’t win the game in regulation, they ramped up the intensity for the remainder of the game, got it to a shootout, and won it on Sidney Crosby’s wrister, 2-1.
It was a very entertaining hockey game to be sure, free flowing up and down the ice, with only four penalties called.
Obviously, a huge two points was earned tonight by the Penguins, who are about to embark on a string of 11 road games out of the next 13. As of right now, with the Pens now winning 3 out of 4, the Pens are only one point out of eighth place in the East.
However, with all the trade deadline talk that is starting to ramp up, the Penguins should be getting their very own “waiver pickup” before they drop the puck Saturday night in Toronto with veteran defenseman Sergei Gonchar. Gonchar, who’s been out since the pre-season with a separated shoulder, was cleared by doctors today. It isn’t official yet that Gonchar will be back for Saturday’s game, but just about all of the normal Penguins’ press have indicated that they’d be surprised if he ISN’T in the lineup.
After a scoreless first period, the Pens got on the board first late in the second period when Miro Satan brought the puck into the Sharks’ zone. He lost control of the puck, but hometown boy Bill Thomas was their to corral it behind the net. Thomas then simply threw the puck on net, where it hit the stick of Sharks D-man Rob Blake and deflected into the goal to give the Pens a 1-0 lead at the 18:26 mark.
The Pens and Marc-Andre Fleury were working on a shutout as the third period passed the halfway mark, but that changed as D-man Dan Boyle brought the puck through the Pens’ zone and behind the net. Boyle passed to Ryane Clowe, who misfired but got the puck towards the goal. In the ensuing scrum, the puck happened to go to the tape of Joe Pavelski, who slammed it home to tie the game at one apiece at the 11:07 mark.
Despite some excellent scoring chances for the Penguins late in the game, Sharks’ goalie Brian Boucher made some outstanding saves to keep the Sharks in the game. The Penguins even got two powerplays, one late in the third period and another one in overtime, but as it’s been going for most of the year, both opportunities failed.
In the shootout, after two scoreless rounds, Crosby skated in on Boucher and used some very quick hands to fire off a wrister through Boucher’s five hole. Fleury then stopped Boyle on a backhanded chance to give the Pens the much-needed extra point.
Other notes:
- Kris Letang had 6 blocked shots.
- Good game in the faceoff circle for both Jordan Staal (10 for 13) and Max Talbot (6 for 8).
- Six hits for Matt Cooke, and a somewhat surprising five hits for Staal.
- Letang led the Pens in ice time with 25:38.
Filed in: | The Confluence | Permalink
Tags: NHL-Hockey, Pittsburgh+Penguins, San+Jose+Sharks,
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