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The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets by a score of 2-1 last night. The Penguins got by on back to back goals in the third period while holding off the Blue Jackets at the very end.
The main storyline from the game, Beau Bennett.
Beau Bennett made a triumphant return to the Penguins lineup and showed just why the Penguins have been missing him this entire season.
Beau Bennett scored the game winning goal while on a 2 on 1 rush. Bennett confidently moved in towards the goal and never thought twice about burying the puck in the net, a true goal scorer’s goal.
Bennett has shown in his small sample size in the NHL that he is more than capable of sniping the puck in small areas.
It wasn’t just Bennett’s goal that was cause for jubilation; it is also the fact that he was one of the best forwards on the ice last night, period. Bennett was a possession monster at 79.2%. This is exactly the kind of player the Penguins need right now. Smart, skillful, and somebody who values the puck and can facilitate the flow of play towards the other end of the ice with full control.
Most importantly his return gives the Penguins options. They now have two players who can slide in and out of the 2nd line role with Malkin and Neal with Bennett and Jokinen. Seeing as though the Penguins love to get hurt this year, having multiple options in the lineup to play a top 6 role helps when a player goes down mid game.
Beau Bennett is known more for his injuries than his on ice play, but I think that is about to change. His injuries are fluky broken bones, not reoccurring soft tissue injuries that linger. Beau just needs to add some more milk in his diet.
I have spoken the praises of Beau Bennett for a while now and last night was a very enjoyable game for me to watch. It was just a window into what kind of player Bennett can be with the Penguins moving forward. Fingers crossed he stays healthy.
And don’t look now but Beau has 2 goals in his last 3 games.
The other notable performance of the night belonged to Marc Andre Fleury. Fleury was determined to keep the Penguins in the hockey game and he did. The Penguins didn’t get their back to back goals until midway through the third period. Fleury bought the Penguins time to get those goals. Why was it so important for Fleury to buy the Penguins time?
Sadly for Marc Andre Fleury losing shutouts in the dying minutes is kind of a thing for him:
Chris Kunitz scored his 34th goal of the season. With 8 games left he has an outside shot to hit the 40 goal plateau.
Assisting on Kunitz's goal was none other than Sidney Crosby. Crosby only needs 3 more points to hit the big 1 0 0. For another player to join Crosby in the 100 point club this year a guy like Ryan Getzlaf (2nd in points with 80) would have to average more than 2 points per game for his remaining 9 games.
In a year full of turmoil with injury, Sidney Crosby has been the one constant for the Penguins. Truly the MVP of the league this year.
With the victory the Penguins have clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 8th consecutive season. Congratulations to the Penguins.
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Myself and Cameron Walsh did a podcast last night after the game, have a listen
here if you would like.
Thanks for reading!
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