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The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the young Edmonton Oilers 3-2 on Tuesday night on an Evgeni Malkin power play goal. It was a back and forth game which had a very entertaining flow as both squads were able to sustain pressure at different points throughout the game. Here are the highlights:
The Penguins dominated the first period of play and came away leading 1-0 while the Oilers returned the favor in the 2nd period by taking it to the Penguins. The result was a 2-2 score after two periods.
The chart below does a nice job of showing the periods of domination by each team.
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Here is a sequence that really bothered me last night and there really was no excuse for it. The following sequence started with the Oilers defenseman with the puck behind his own net. The Penguins were not scrambling and they were able to set up their passive forechecking system exactly how they wanted. Despite being setup how they wanted the Penguins gave up a prime scoring chance to the Oilers best player Jordan Eberle.
Here is how it started:
As you can see there is NOBODY even close to Taylor Hall zipping through the neutral zone. That was the result of one cross ice pass from the Oilers corner. You will see Brandon Sutter's choices during this sequence will lead to the prime scoring chance. Instead of Sutter offering support on the puck carrier he is in the middle of the ice not doing anything.
Sutter continues to skate back into the zone without a responsibility. Without support Niskanen is forced into allowing the controlled zone entry with less than desirable gap control. Making matters worse is now Taylor Hall has support in the form of a drop pass to Eberle. Sutter should have provided support on Hall and he definitely should have come across when Eberle did.
Niskanen stays with the speedy Hall and then the seas part for Eberle. Scuderi's gap control is shot because of the poor job in the neutral zone by Sutter.
The end result is a blocked shot by the Penguins defense. They were extremely lucky and fortunate to get away unscathed by that opportunity by the Oilers. The Penguins went from being in a very safe spot with the puck behind the Oilers net, to a very dangerous predicament involving two extremely talented players very quick. It was because of a poor job in the neutral zone by the forwards. Can't have that.
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The Penguins were able to scrape by with a win because of an Evgeni Malkin power play goal in the third period. The Penguins only mustered up 4 shots on goal in the 3rd period, but also noteworthy is that the Penguins only allowed 3 3rd period shots to the Oilers.
The Penguins were cooking with fire in the first period but were only able to register one goal and that proved to be problematic as the game went on. Each line in the first period was able to generate chances on goal. After the 1st period only the Crosby line was able to sustain any kind of pressure against the Oilers. The absence of James Neal and Beau Bennett was definitely felt on the depth chart.
Evgeni Malkin may have scored the game winning goal but it was not his finest game. Malkin did not look like he had much jump in his step and was unable to elevate his line for consistent time on attack. He was the beneficiary of Paul Martin’s whiffed slap shot which fooled everybody on the ice and allowed him to rifle the puck home. It was Malkin who was outworked physically in front of the net on the Jordan Eberle goal. Malkin lost a physical battle and the end result had him sitting atop Marc Andre Fleury keeping him from recovering to make a save.
It was Evgeni Malkin’s first ever goal against the Edmonton Oilers. The Penguins are now the only team he has not scored against in the NHL.
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Speaking of Marc Andre Fleury he was able to turn in another good start for the Penguins. His 9 goals through his 1st 4 starts this year is the lowest of his career. His goals against average is below 2 and sits at 1.80. His EVSV% is .928% which is more than good enough for the Penguins to get by. If he could stay at this current rate now and through the playoffs the Penguins would have as good a chance as any to lift the Cup.
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Sidney Crosby continues to lead the Penguins and the rest of the NHL in points. Crosby picked up another 3 assists against the Oilers and he now has 12 points on the season. His play in the second period which led to the Kunitz goal was absolutely dirty. Crosby’s ability to catch passes in full flight while using his feet is a skill that very few players in the entire world have. It was also Crosby’s rush with the puck in the 3rd period which led to Ferrence high sticking him, that led to the eventual power play goal that won the game for the Penguins.
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Deryk Engelland got the nod over Robert Bortuzzo last night and whether it was for Shero to showcase him against the Oilers or because they wanted a physical presence to offset Mike Brown, it was the wrong decision. Engelland did not have a very good game and was exposed on a few sequences. Robert Bortuzzo needs to be in that spot from here on out.
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Good news all around on the Metropolitan Division front. The Penguins came away winners and the Flyers, Blue Jackets, Hurricanes, and Islanders (OTL) all came away with losses last night.
The win puts the Penguins at 5-1-0 on the season and are currently 3 points up on the Hurricanes with a game in hand. Its early, but it’s nice to be on top.
Thanks for reading!
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