Pens Fall To Bruins....Malkin Puts On Third Period Show
If you take away the first two and a half periods, I saw one of the most exciting hockey games of the season tonight.
The Penguins looked out of sync and tired for most of the game and found themselves down 3-1 after 2 periods. They weren't forechecking or getting to loose pucks and most of their shots were being blocked. The Bruins put their bodies on the line 13 times through 2 periods.
The Penguins would get a wake up call at 7:56 of the third period. That is when Evgeni Malkin, who had been filling the number one center role for the first time in his NHL career, took a holding penalty. The Pens were in the middle of cycling effectively in the offensive zone and generating pressure until the infraction. He realized that he cost his team and seemed to convince himself that he would single handedly bring them back in the game.
Marc Andre Fleury made several dazzling saves on the Boston power play, and when Malkin broke out of the box he would begin the process of earning a point for his team. Max Talbot got the puck up to him as he approached a Boston defender. Malkin tipped the puck past him and in alone he went on goaltender Tim Thomas. He made no mistake in burying the puck. Another highlight reel score from Malkin.
Malkin would say of the goal, "When I came out of the penalty box, I saw the puck next to me. I tipped the puck and scored the goal." Always modest in his descriptions!
Malkin went on to play like a man possessed on each of his following shifts, but the team was running out of time. They deserved to tie the game, and they did just that at 19:30 of the third period. Malkin was in the slot and took a feed from Ryan Whitney that he would have liked to one time, unfortunately it bounced on him. He was able to get the puck to Mark Recchi, who threw the puck into the net on his backhand. Malkin had done it; he single-handedly willed the team to tie this game.
The game went to overtime and Malkin had a golden opportunity to finish what he started. He had a mini break away and had goaltender Thomas beat, he just could not get the puck up into the top part of the net. It will definitely go down as one he would love to have back.
The Penguins went on to lose in a shoot out, with Malkin being 1 of the 3 shooters stopped.
Though the team struggled, they can hold their heads high knowing that they played hard when their backs were against the wall and earned a point.
I was looking for Malkin to have a big night and though it took him a while, he came through for the sell out crowd at Mellon Arena.
*****
Mark Recchi continued his hot streak in picking up 2 goals on the night. He has definitely found his scoring touch again and that will only help the team win. He is not only valuable scoring goals, but he has really taken a leadership role this season.
When asked if he was disappointed about not being one of the shooters in the shootout, he answered with class. "You always like to be out there, absolutely. To give your team a chance to win. That is why we play the game, but the coach makes those decisions and we have to live by them. Those guys are all great shooters. Whatever the coach wants."
*****
Chris Thorburn was a healthy scratch for the second time in the last week.
*****
I saw Sidney Crosby after the game, he was in a hurry, but seemed to be walking fine. Not that it is a true indication of how his groin is feeling, but it could be a good sign.
******
Eric Christensen needs to find his NHL gear again. Though he had a couple scoring chances, including a breakaway in which he drew a penalty, he seemed a step to slow tonight. He was a bit dejected after the game and didn't hang around very long post game.
The Penguins looked out of sync and tired for most of the game and found themselves down 3-1 after 2 periods. They weren't forechecking or getting to loose pucks and most of their shots were being blocked. The Bruins put their bodies on the line 13 times through 2 periods.
The Penguins would get a wake up call at 7:56 of the third period. That is when Evgeni Malkin, who had been filling the number one center role for the first time in his NHL career, took a holding penalty. The Pens were in the middle of cycling effectively in the offensive zone and generating pressure until the infraction. He realized that he cost his team and seemed to convince himself that he would single handedly bring them back in the game.
Marc Andre Fleury made several dazzling saves on the Boston power play, and when Malkin broke out of the box he would begin the process of earning a point for his team. Max Talbot got the puck up to him as he approached a Boston defender. Malkin tipped the puck past him and in alone he went on goaltender Tim Thomas. He made no mistake in burying the puck. Another highlight reel score from Malkin.
Malkin would say of the goal, "When I came out of the penalty box, I saw the puck next to me. I tipped the puck and scored the goal." Always modest in his descriptions!
Malkin went on to play like a man possessed on each of his following shifts, but the team was running out of time. They deserved to tie the game, and they did just that at 19:30 of the third period. Malkin was in the slot and took a feed from Ryan Whitney that he would have liked to one time, unfortunately it bounced on him. He was able to get the puck to Mark Recchi, who threw the puck into the net on his backhand. Malkin had done it; he single-handedly willed the team to tie this game.
The game went to overtime and Malkin had a golden opportunity to finish what he started. He had a mini break away and had goaltender Thomas beat, he just could not get the puck up into the top part of the net. It will definitely go down as one he would love to have back.
The Penguins went on to lose in a shoot out, with Malkin being 1 of the 3 shooters stopped.
Though the team struggled, they can hold their heads high knowing that they played hard when their backs were against the wall and earned a point.
I was looking for Malkin to have a big night and though it took him a while, he came through for the sell out crowd at Mellon Arena.
*****
Mark Recchi continued his hot streak in picking up 2 goals on the night. He has definitely found his scoring touch again and that will only help the team win. He is not only valuable scoring goals, but he has really taken a leadership role this season.
When asked if he was disappointed about not being one of the shooters in the shootout, he answered with class. "You always like to be out there, absolutely. To give your team a chance to win. That is why we play the game, but the coach makes those decisions and we have to live by them. Those guys are all great shooters. Whatever the coach wants."
*****
Chris Thorburn was a healthy scratch for the second time in the last week.
*****
I saw Sidney Crosby after the game, he was in a hurry, but seemed to be walking fine. Not that it is a true indication of how his groin is feeling, but it could be a good sign.
******
Eric Christensen needs to find his NHL gear again. Though he had a couple scoring chances, including a breakaway in which he drew a penalty, he seemed a step to slow tonight. He was a bit dejected after the game and didn't hang around very long post game.
posted by Bmetzer66 at 12:37 AM
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