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The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in overtime by the score of 4-3. The play of the superstars in the game was electric. Evgeni Malkin led the way with 2 goals and 2 assists. Sidney Crosby had a goal and 2 assists and Steven Stamkos had a goal and an assist. Each player put on full display why they are among the best in the world.
Here are the game highlights:
Evgeni Malkin is always among the best players in the world, but every so often he reaches a level that I’m not sure anybody else in the sport can reach. That is the level that Penguins fans have come to know and love as Geno Machino mode. That switch was flipped and the result was his gorgeous end to end rush which ended with Sidney Crosby one timing a bullet past Anders Lindback. That Malkin rush up the ice showed just how undefendable 71 can be when he gets galloping at full speed. It was a thing of beauty.
When Malkin scored his go ahead goal late in the third period you could see the emotion exploding from him. Geno Machino was out. Don’t look now but I’ve seen this script before. When Malkin is feeling it, his opposition is in trouble.
Not to be outdone by his electric counterpart, Sidney Crosby extended his league leading point total to 94 points. He now has an 18 point lead over Ryan Getzlaf. His 18 point lead would be the largest margin of victory in the Art Ross since 1999 when Jaromir Jagr demolished the competition by 20 points. Unlike in 1999 Crosby will lay claim on both the Art Ross and the Hart Trophy.
The Penguins power play went 3 for 6 and was the driving force behind their victory against Tampa Bay. It was a power play that had been struggling. What changed? Sidney Crosby escaped from the left side of the power play for a few brief moments.
Crosby’s goal came from the top of the right circle, yes it was on a rush, but yes it is also the same spot where he can do the most damage. It is a spot where he can get the most out of his skill set.
Crosby’s assist on Malkin’s first goal was generated from playing down low on the goal line. He won possession of the puck and had the time and space to make the ice his own personal palette. He found Matt Niskanen wide open in the center of the ice. Sidney Crosby is most dangerous when he is around buzzing the net and drawing attention away from his teammates. His proximity to the net poses an immediate threat for defenders, it is because of that threat why Crosby is able to more easily find teammates in dangerous scoring areas. Matt Niskanen is one of the best players on the Penguins at getting shots through with time and space and he did just that on the goal. Crosby's presence down low drew everybody lower which opened up Niskanen dead center in the middle of the ice. Crosby's skill set was maximized and he generated offense.
The times where Crosby found himself on the left side of the power play were the times when the Penguins power play petered out. I understand that the game winning goal came with him on the left side, but 4 on 3 power play is quite a different animal than a 5 on 4 power play. Apples and oranges.
What we saw on full display was how good the Penguins power play could be if Sidney Crosby is put in the position to do Sidney Crosby kind of things.
Tampa fully understands this dynamic and it is why Steven Stamkos is allowed to setup in his incredibly dangerous spot on the left side. Stamkos may whiff once in a while on his one timer attempts but every time the puck comes across the ice towards him is a tense moment for the opposition. He possesses one of the deadliest weapons in all of hockey. He is also one of the best players in the sport for a reason; he uses his weapon as deception at time. That was on full display when he was able to fake his dangerous one timer and smoothly feed it across to the already waiting Valtteri Filppula. That goal doesn’t happen if the Lightning don’t put Steven Stamkos in a position to make that play. Simple concept, great results.
I thought Simon Despres was noticeable the entire game and it was in a good way. He consistently made positive plays with the puck and was able to create controlled and concise breakouts. The forwards did not have to dig the puck off the wall or catch passes that were behind them. Despres facilitated quality hockey plays the entire afternoon. His skill set is exactly what the Penguins need right now and by exhibiting some consistency in his game he is being allowed to show off his quality skill set. The Penguins best playoff roster includes Simon Despres.
The Penguins will never utilize their best playoff roster though. Despres will never take the spot of Orpik or Scuderi, both will dress, only one should. The mindset is not unique to the Penguins though, many other teams would make the same exact roster decision. Not enough teams have the balls to play the skilled unproven player who can be prone to error. They would rather stick with old reliable who goes high and hard off the glass and never creates full possession. High and hard gets it out of the zone, but high and hard always seems to result in the puck coming right back into your zone, its just buying time, not driving play. Despres drives play.
On the flip side Robert Bortuzzo is not a viable option for a Cup contending team. His approach is to play overly physical in an effort to be noticed, it is an approach that lends itself to an all or nothing style of play, most times he is left with nothing. Bortuzzo’s tripping penalty is an example of going for broke and coming up, well, broke.
Bortuzzo was paired with Orpik and they were the group assigned to Stamkos. Steven Stamkos took full advantage of Bortuzzo on his goal. Stamkos swooped in right past Bortuzzo and found himself in a prime opportunity to bang home the loose puck. The game has changed, you need smart mobile defensemen to play these days, the days of brawny strong, push you out of the way defensemen are over. It doesn’t work, and when it does it usually ends with an interference penalty. It is all about footwork and body position.
Olli Maatta didn’t have a great game against the Red Wings and he didn’t have his best moment of the year when he was dusted for the game tying goal yesterday either. These things happen from time to time. Maatta had very poor gap control and was flat footed when Ondrej Palat took full advantage. When you are 19 years old and are consistently being used to prop up other veteran defensemen, you are going to make a mistake once in a while.
Craig Adams played in his 276th consecutive game; it ties him for 3rd longest in a Penguins uniform. It is a commendable streak but one that should have ended from a coach’s decision by now.
Taylor Pyatt was paid to play a professional hockey game yesterday.
Brian Gibbons continues to exhibit why he is a useful bottom 6 player. He brings the speed element of a Chris Conner but actually has some hockey acumen to accompany it.
James Neal scored his first goal in 8 games yesterday. The Penguins are going to need all hands on deck against the mighty St. Louis Blues, that includes a goal scoring James Neal. Given Malkin’s performance against the Lightning, there is a decent chance that Neal could find himself in one of his goal scoring hot streaks in the near future.
Ryan Miller will have the day off against the Penguins; Marc Andre Fleury will get the start for Pittsburgh.
The St. Louis Blues are the measuring stick. How will the Penguins measure up?
Thanks for reading!
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