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Marc-Andre Fluery robs Erik Karlsson with a magnificant glove save.
The Pittsburgh Penguins bounced back from their road loss to Phoenix by beating the rivaled Ottawa Senators 2-1 in OT. In what was a lopsided affair statistically from an offensive standpoint for the Penguins, the Senators didn't give an inch, led by goaltender Craig Anderson. But much like his efforts in the playoffs last year, Anderson's stellar and consistent goaltending was not enough to hold off the buzzing Penguins' offense. 1:55 into the 5:00 OT session, James Neal scored to propel the Penguins to victory.
The game started off at a relatively monotonous pace, much like a heavyweight bout. Both goalies were big for their teams early, which only seemed to ratchet up the pressure and intensity. Late into the 1st period, the Senators struck first. After a nifty, "pick play" on Penguins' defenseman Olli Maata, the Senators Stephane De Costa scored short-side on Fleury. It was a goal that Flower would probably want back as he went to the ice a shade early, giving De Costa the opening he needed to score. The Senators lead however, was very short-lived. Moments after the goal, the Senators were called for Boarding. After making some noise with the 1st PP unit, the 2nd PP unit led by Jussi Jokinen made quick entry into the Senators end. Maata took the Jokinen feed and one-timed a shot on goal. With traffic in front of Anderson, Penguins' forward Brian Gibbons deflected the Maata shot past Anderson to tie the game at one. Ottawa's lead was gone after just 2:18.
As the 2nd period began, so did the shots for the Penguins, but not the goals. The Penguins energy boost and better play only seemed to steel the resolve of Anderson and the Senators defense, who love to give up shots. In fact, Anderson is #3 in the East in shots faced/game with 31. The only goalies who see more shots/game are Buffalo's Ryan Miller (35) and Toronto's Jonathan Bernier (32). As the shots began to flow, the ice also started to open up, however the ice was tilted in the Penguins' favor. The Penguins outshot the Senators in the 2nd Period, 16-8. At one point the Penguins had a 14-4 shot advantage.
The Penguins faced several challenges in the 3rd period, as the Senators came out with life. The Penguins needed to kill their 1st man-disadvantage just 2:30 into the 3rd. After handling that PK, again the Penguins found themselves short-handed just past the mid-point of the 3rd. However, the play of the night was Marc-Andre Fleury's jaw-dropping glove save on Senator's defenseman Erik Karlsson. In what would have made Frank Pieterangelo proud, Fleury slid from his right-to-left and laid out, to rob Karlsson of a sure goal. Fleury's penchant for big saves in moments like this are not rare, but this save has to rank as one of the best saves all-time, especially in the regular season. Fleury made several other saves, some routine, some not so routine, as the game headed into OT.
During the OT session the Penguins were hungry and wanting that extra point. And they would get their wish. Penguins' forward James Neal pilfered a Senators player along the board and made a pass to Malkin who found defenseman Robert Bortuzzo flying down the center lane. Bortuzzo's shot was saved by Anderson who came way out of his crease to make the blocker save. However, a sliding Senators defenseman did not allow Anderson a clear avenue back to his crease and in position to play the rebound accordingly. As the rebound caromed to James Neal, Neal hovered for a moment and then fired the puck home into a virtual empty net to win the game.
This was a great recovery game, AGAIN, for the Penguins, whose lackluster performance in Phoenix had many a "Yinzer" concerned. Fleury's bounce back was encouraging, especially with how tilted the ice was at times, his focus never wavered and he performed in the clutch. On the other hand, Letang was out again with his "undisclosed illness" and that only stirs the pot even more especially in the sports conspiracy-theory ridden city of Pittsburgh. There will be much debate around Letang and his potential trade-bait status. I am still of the opinion that Letang will not get traded, but I will be the first to admit that when it comes to roster moves and trades, I am the least credible source. Furthermore, with Shero's penchant for making moves under the radar and at the last minute Penguins' nation may never know until it actually happens. Would I be shocked in Letang were moved? Yes and No. Yes from the standpoint that he just signed a $50M+ deal this past offseason, but no from the standpoint that he would get the Penguins the winger they seemingly desperately need on Crosby's first line. Unfortunately there are only 5 more games left for Shero and management to evaluate who and what they what to move come trade time. As the Penguins travel to Buffalo, they must continue to play solid defense and get just enough offense to take them to this Olympic break. Sitting at 80 points, the Penguins are only 12 points (6 games) off from essentially "guarentee'ing" a playoff spot based off of the 5 year average (92 points). Only time will tell.
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