It was a long 12 days, but the Pittsburgh Penguins are back in the win column. They defeated the Washington Capitals by a score of 4-1. It was a much needed win for both the standings and the team’s mental health. Things can unravel pretty quick in extended losing streaks like the one the Penguins were on. Getting something positive to feel good about was much needed.
It didn’t come easy. At times the Penguins were down to only three defensemen. Jan Rutta and Pierre-Olivier Joseph both left the game with injuries and Jeff Petry looked like he might be hobbled but stayed in the game and even scored a goal. Given the fact the team was down to four defensemen for half the game it might not be the best night to evaluate the new top pairing. Pettersson and Letang were a CF 7 CA 28 on the night. Letang was pushing 30 minutes and Dumoulin, Petry, and Pettersson were all over the 20-minute mark. It was a tough ask of them, but they found a way to keep the puck out of the net.
The Penguins got another goal from Jason Zucker and it was the kind of goal that never would have gone in for him last year when his shooting luck was close to zero.
Hey, we'll take it! pic.twitter.com/7QMO5uYorg
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 10, 2022
The Penguins penalty kill has been a mess most of the year. Last night they were four for four and even scored a shorthanded goal. The Capitals power play is always dangerous when Alexander Ovechkin is out there. I think it does lose some of its dynamic when John Carlson isn’t out there. The reason the Caps power play works so well is because Carlson is willing to let his own huge shots go and the killers are kept honest. With two big shooters willing to let it go you can’t really cheat as much as you’d like. Without Carlson it becomes more one dimensional.
Anybody miss Kasperi Kapanen? No? Didn’t think so.
With the injuries it will be interesting to see what happens with the roster. You would think Ty Smith would be an automatic call up. It might not be the case
If Blueger has to be activated and Hallander is hurt then things get interesting because 2 players would have to be sent down, Poulin/Hallander are the lone waiver-exempt options, and injured players can’t be sent down. Regular IR only provides a roster spot, LTIR adds cap relief
— Taylor Haase (@TaylorHaasePGH) November 10, 2022
The Hallander injury would create a wrinkle preventing the team from being able to send a player down without going through waivers. They’ll have a day to figure this out. The team heads back to their favorite place, Canada. They will take on Toronto Friday and return to Montreal on Saturday night for HNIC. Will the Penguins finally win one in Canada?
Thanks for reading!