Penguins Blow Lead, Then Rebound To Win (5-4, SO)
Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins
Nov 13, 11:55 PM | Hype this story!
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| Attendance: 17,132 |
| Summary |
| Great hockey teams find ways to win games — even when
they have no business even earning a point. And that’s just what the Pittsburgh Penguins did tonight after blowing a three-goal lead by surrendering four second period goals, including two shorthanders, to the Philadelphia Flyers. That bombardment deflated the Penguins and spelled the end for Marc-Andre Fleury, but the offense just couldn’t make room to create anything throughout the third period. That is, until Sidney Crosby did what he does best: shows his flare for the dramatic. With under three minutes remaining in regulation, Crosby potted his second of the game and sparked his team to put together possibly the best stretch of hockey in the game that transitioned into overtime. Even with all cylinders pumping, the Penguins could beat Martin Biron in the five-minute overtime period, and the same looked to be true in the shootout, as the first five shooters barely got a shot off, let alone scored a goal. At the other end of the ice, Dany Sabourin, in relief of Fleury, stopped 11 shots combined in the third period and overtime, then stoned all six shooters, including Mike Richards, who had a wide open cage, yet faced a stubborn goalie paddle right on the goal line. And then came Alex Goligoski, a rookie defenseman shooting in his first NHL shootout. Last year, in a desparate attempt to win some games in western Canada, coach Michel Therrien used another rookie, Kris Letang, who scored on his first several attempts. It worked then and, sure enough, it worked now. Goligoski snuck the puck past Biron and served as the lone scorer in the shootout among 12 other shooters. This one looked to be a Penguin blowout early, but the tides quickly turned, leaving the Penguins far from worthy of one point. But they sucked it up and pulled it together just enough to not only get that one point, but a second for the win. It will be easy to look at the negatives in this one, as there were many, including yet another blown lead, but the resiliency of this team is something that certainly can’t be overlooked. A win is a win, and the Penguins now have five straight as they look toward Saturday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres at Mellon Arena. |
| Three Stars | ||||
| # | Player | Team | Pos. | Stats |
| 1 | Crosby | Pit | C | 2 goals |
| 2 | Gagne | Phi | LW | 2 SH goals |
| 3 | Goligoski | Pit | D | Shootout GWG |
| Stat Line | |||||||||
| Shots | Faceoffs | Power Plays | |||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | Total | Won | Lost | Convert | Total | |
| Penguins | 6 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 31 | 29 | 32 | 1 | 7 |
| Flyers | 7 | 17 | 8 | 3 | 35 | 32 | 29 | 1 | 4 |
| Scoring Summary | |||||
| Per. | Time | Team | Goal | Assist 1 | Assist 2 |
| 1 | 7:06 | Pit | Cooke, 1 | Kennedy | Letang |
| 2 | 1:11 3:51 7:46 8:52 13:56 13:56 |
Pit Pit Phi Phi Phi Phi |
Malkin, 5 (PP) Crosby, 5 (PP) Carter, 10 Gagne, 9 (SH) Gagne, 10 (SH) Lupul, 6 (PP) |
Fedotenko Sykora Hartnell Richards Timonen |
Sykora Satan Upshall Alberts Carle |
| 3 | 17:27 | Pit | Crosby, 6 | Talbot | Malkin |
| OT | None | ||||
| Shootout Summary | |||
| Penguins | Attempt | Flyers | Attempt |
| Sykora Letang Crosby Malkin Satan Goligoski |
Save Save Miss Miss Miss Goal |
Gagne Richards Carter Timonen Lupul Hartnell |
Miss Save Save Miss Save Miss |
| Penalty Summary | ||||
| Per. | Time | Team | Player | Penalty |
| 1 | 1:16 2:14 11:49 15:38 |
Pit Phi Pit Phi |
Crosby Timonen Orpik Coburn |
Tripping – 2:00 Holding – 2:00 Hooking – 2:00 Holding – 2:00 |
| 2 | 3:13 3:51 8:12 10:19 12:31 19:03 |
Phi Phi Phi Pit Phi Pit |
Carter Coburn Hartnell Talbot Sbisa Eaton |
Hooking – 2:00 Hooking – 2:00 Charging – 2:00 Hooking – 2:00 Hooking – 2:00 Interference – 2:00 |
| 3 | 11:53 | Phi | Lupul | High sticking – 2:00 |
| OT | None | |||
Comments
DaBich
Nov 14, 06:44 AM
OMG! Back to back thrillers lol.
I refused to give up tho, even when down 4-3. I figured if they did it against the Wings, they could come back again against their Philly rivals. And they didn’t disappoint.
Hats off to Gogo for scoring the SO game winner.
This team has proven to themselves that they CAN win, even when things look impossible.
RyanS
Nov 14, 09:26 AM
How about the huge game for Sabu the savior keeping the streak alive. Over the offseason I was worried about the departure of Conklin but Sabu’s play as of late has certainly alleviated that fear. Hats off to gogo as well; I think he remains one of the most important pieces of the Pens D considering the injuries.
THEONEANDONLYSURGE
Nov 14, 10:30 AM
Bitter sweet in my eyes. I’m not saying I would rather of lost but would the lesson be learned if we did. We started to play a little timid and then overely aggressive. Fleury easily could of bailed us out but the Pens found out he is only human and will sometimes let goals in the net. I just mentioned to my stepfather, after watching the what you missed review of the goals, that I wouldn’t be too surprised if they shook things up by putting in Sabu. Then bam the third peroid starts with Sabu in net. Probably the best move Therrin made all year. Not saying Fleury was playing horride but the Pens needed a jolt and that gave it to them. Great start, great result but scary the way it occured. At least with Detroit they both were giving it their all and it was back and forth. This seemed to be the Pens game and alot of mistakes later, down 4 to 3 going into the third.
Does anyone else think they seem nervous once they get a multi goal lead? I wouldn’t say they look overely confident but rather nervous or afraid to lose or fall apart. Thus making bad passes and giving up the puck in danger zones.
They seem like they do need to relax a little, hopefully as this run continues that will happen and the confidence will return.
Bruce
Nov 14, 10:34 AM
What a typical bush league move by Hartnell, running into the goalie in a SHOOTOUT, oh well makes the victory more special and we can look to the next game,
KG
Nov 14, 10:48 AM
Even when they were down 4-3 I was still confident for the main reason that Marty Biron is not a big time goalie. He is the soft underbelly of the Flyers…
Matt Bodenschatz
Nov 14, 01:46 PM
Dabich, this really seems to be a new trend in the NHL. No lead is safe. But the thing that impresses me about the Penguins is that, even when the clocking has essentially run out, the Penguins still remain in each and every game.
RyanS, Sabourin has looked excellent his year, as he did last year when given spot duty. I never had much of a concern with Sabourin as the backup, so long as he isn’t required to play too much. He’s a great backup, but a starter, he is not.
Surge, I thought the exact same thing. This team won a game that they clearly should not have. I never cheer for a loss, but I almost — not quite, but almost — wanted them to lose. Then I thought back to when they lost the game to the Capitals earlier this season after blowing a similar lead. It didn’t teach them anything then, so it likely wouldn’t have last night. I tend to just think it is a growing pain. As the season goes on, they’ll learn how to play with the lead better. Heck, this is a team that, last spring, was one of the most difficult in the league to comeback and beat. Everything else is clicking for them, so I suspect their lead sustainability is close behind.
Bruce, what a joke, eh? At first glance, it appeared he apologized to Sabourin afterward, but the second angle almost looked as if he was yapping at Sabourin, not apologizing. Typical.
KG, good point. Biron really isn’t someone I would have confidence in as my team’s starter.
Steve
Nov 14, 04:14 PM
I still can’t believe that Sabou denied Richards on that one…
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