Key Factors from the Penguins 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers
1. Tristan Jarry’s 40 Save Performance
— Jarry was outstanding with a 40 save effort in the win. There was no bigger factor than the Penguins earning the two points. Where Jarry won this game for Pittsburgh was in the first period. The Penguins had an egregious start to the game. Two minor penalties in the first 3:57 of game, they survived both early penalties, but it was all Flyers in period one. Pittsburgh had zero rhythm in the first 20 minutes and were outshot 14-5 in the first frame. If Jarry was off his game just a little, Pittsburgh could have been ran out of the building before the second period as the game had a real chance of getting away from them. Jarry stood tall in every facet of the night.
2. Kasperi Kapanen’s Game Breaking Performance
The Flyers strong play in the first period carried over into the second immediately when Joel Farabee scored a gorgeous tic-tac-toe goal off a Teddy Blueger neutral zone turnover and Mike Matheson taking himself out of the play in defending the counterattack. Now it finally looked like the Flyers were moments away from opening the flood gates. Albeit just a 1-0 lead, they were in complete control of the game until Kasperi Kapanen happened as Shayne Gostisbehere handed Kapanen a breakaway, who turned defense into offense for the momentum changing goal. The goal completely turned the game and what played out the rest of the way is Pittsburgh just wanted it more. Instead of the flood gates opening for the Flyers, the flood gates opened for the Penguins in period two. The Flyers had a heavy shot advantage and were at 60% in possession on the night 5 vs 5, but that Kapanen goal just saw one team pack it in and the other just become relentless. Kapanen would then score a power play marker 5:02 after his breakaway marker and Kapanen came so close to netting his first career hat trick later in the period. The Penguins in scoring three goals in a 7:06 span, just put a stranglehold on the game. Even after the Flyers got it to 3-2 at the 11:00 mark of the third, the game just never seemed to be in question for the Penguins after they took charge in the second period and with the way Tristan Jarry was playing. Now another test comes for the Penguins Thursday night on whether they actually take some steps forward and build on from one game to another……..
3. 5-for-5 Night for the Penalty Kill
— A big winner of the night was the bounce back for the penalty kill unit as a whole. Last night the unit was 5-for-5, had the two big penalty kills early in the game. The unit went back to Vellucci’s staple of being an aggressive unit up top and the rotation was much better in defending the net front. They didn’t give the Flyers a lot of day light in the high danger areas, where the unit has been getting crushed all season.
4. Geno better wing talk
— Evgeni Malkin had upgraded wingers in Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust that saw Malkin’s level of play being better in the Penguins 5-2 win. Malkin was far down the list of being major reasons for the Penguins convincing win, but there was a clear difference in how much more noticeable he was when you had others able to carry a line like Guentzel and Rust can do at certain points in a game.
There’s no denying Malkin is at the stage in his career where he needs better wingers to elevate his level of play, compared to Sidney Crosby, but Malkin is no Sidney Crosby. You don’t take away wingers from your best player to try to help someone else. It rarely plays out that way and hard to see that happening even if the Guentzel-Malkin-Rust line goes on a tear in Crosby’s absence.
5. Will claiming Dominik Simon be a discussion internally?
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Sounds like Buffalo is about to fire their Coach.
Horrible loss..this could be devasating…
We better make some .moves soo er than later..
The penguins can compete tbey have shown that..its toughness and consistency
Bad loss. These types keep you out of the playoffs. Again, our defense is so soft in front. Been like this all year. Needs addressed.
The Disco Dan system is back. A few good mins of hockey, take the rest if the night off. They should be proud.
Marino needs a few games off to figure it out.
A lot of players need a “few games off.”
AGREED..sophomore jinx
Shocking
Boy Marino has been very average this year. Blow a 3-0 lead.
I used to love the Stan vs. DiegoPittFan battles on here.
Sam(e) still thinks I am Stan. Sam(e) is an idiot.
Letang suckss
Stan must be busy baking donuts for Malkin tonight
Where’s Dusty been?
Even Ron Klatt hasn’t been on here for a while.
I wonder what happened to Gaydogg
We miss his long novels
Yoda is a physical moron.
I wonder if the NHL will pay Ovie’s fine. He got off easy. What a joke.
Sid is playing tonight.
Huge fan of Marcus Foligno. Doubt the Wild would trade him but I’d give up Pettersson and ZAR for him.
Agree on Simon. Bring him back. 3 to 5 guys that dressed last night have no right playing at the NHL level.
simon is so awesome that he is on waivers.
You’re missing the point. The other options sans a trade are dog crap
you are missing the point. he’ll be in the top 6 guaranteed. he will be logging 20 minutes!!! sullivan would use simon more than every winger with the exception of guentzel.
Great. Push Kapanen to the third line. Build a third line around kapanen
I would try Tanev, McCann, Kapanen when Sid comes back. Kessel worked so much better when he had his own line. They have pretty much become a one line team anyway.
Simon will make no difference now, he made none when he was here. Stop living in the past!
funny, the pens hate hornqvist who is tearing it up but they are considering simon? what a joke!
Hornqvist was looking long in the tooth and always getting hurt. I think a change of scenery did him good.
i think sullivan hates guys who aren’t robots like kessel and hornqvist because he is an egomaniac and wants it to be about his system not about the talent.
i predicted the pens would bring back that stiff simon on waivers. if he is so good why is he getting waived anyway? its because he is a minor leaguer. thats all we need is for him to be back on sids wing. just terrible!
You did, when? After Reeves leaving ended an era?
I think this post serves as his prediction, which is coming after the article already implied as much. I’m wondering how he compares the Ryan Reaves era to the Matt Hunwick era.
pens could use reeves. he’d kill tom wilson.
I will say Tom Wilson just always crushes a Penguin..zak aston reese. Mark jankowski Oshie fucked up pettersen
We are faster than the Capitals winning 4 of 6
Without Dumoulin
it did. the pens were going to win the cup in 18 until they traded reeves. that’s when kessel and the russian quit and the pens have been average since.
Yup, his whopping 8 points in 58 games with 84 pim was sorely missed. He sat out 10 of Vegas’s 20 playoff games. Is that why Vegas lost the Cup? Either you are Sam(e) or you are both related. Malkin had 8 points in 9 playoff games that season. They did not quit, they were exhausted. The entire team was. Winning back to back cups will do that. He also quit the following year too when he scored 72 points in 68 games. I know, stats are just useless numbers.