Pittsburgh 3 - Carolina 2: Post-Game Notes

Post-Game Thoughts

-- For a team struggling to score goals with Sidney Crosby out of the lineup who will not play before the all star break, Pittsburgh's receipe against the Hurricanes was built off of strong defensive play and winning the special teams battle.

After 37:14 of scoreless hockey, Dustin Jeffrey (2) scored a 4-on-4 goal at 17:14 of the second period and Mark Letestu (10) and Pascal Dupuis (10) added third period goals, with Letestu netting a power play goal just 2:22 into the third and Dupuis scoring shorthanded minutes later as Pittsburgh took a 3-0 lead and held on to win 3-2.

It was a big win from the standpoint that the Penguins (30-15-4, 64pts) gained two points on the division leading Flyers (31-12-5, 67pts) who lost to New Jersey. As the Penguins are approaching the 50 game mark, every game counts at this point when it comes to playoff positioning.

For a team that almost went 5 periods without scoring a goal, they found a way to get a "W" and have remained level headed without Crosby, posting a 4-3-1 record in his absence.

-- Interesting dynamic going on with the Penguins blueline.