The Penguins needed that game. After a stretch of less than ideal results Pittsburgh took it to the host Montreal Canadiens 6-0. The Stanley Cup Final hangover isn’t over yet for the Habs. They are one point away from last place in the Atlantic Division over Ottawa, but they’ve also played four more games than the Senators.
The top line saw Sidney Crosby get his first goal of the year while Jake Guentzel added yet another. We also saw Teddy Blueger score twice. Pretty much half the roster got in on the action on the box score last night. Here’s a look at the totals prior to Blueger’s goal at the every end of the third
Penguins points recap (thus far):
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 19, 2021
Guentzel 1G-1A
Blueger 1G-1A
Rust 2A
Crosby 1G
Heinen 1G
McGinn 1G
Marino 1A
Kapanen 1A
Letang 1A
Aston-Reese 1A
Matheson 1A pic.twitter.com/4q2XyOPQJG
Another player I had xGF% concerns about was Kris Letang. I can’t pretend to say I’m as confident about him as I am Crosby, but after putting up 39.66, 28.88 and 28.92 against Florida, Ottawa, and Washington he has rebounded nicely with back to back performances of 61.02 and 78.19 against Buffalo and Montreal. Points aren’t an issue as he has ten of those in only 12 games.
There’s some positive Evgeni Malkin news to report on
Sullivan on Malkin: "He's done really well up to this point. We're excited. I had an opportunity to see him the other day and was really encouraged with his strength on the ice and how he's progressed. He's on track to where we think he's going to trend to a return to play."
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) November 17, 2021
Up next for the Penguins is a date on Hockey Night in Canada against the Toronto Maple Leafs
Thanks for reading!