Pens Insider: Offense returns in final minutes
By Chris Bradford cbradford@timesonline.com | Posted: Wednesday, March 13, 2013 12:17 am
PITTSBURGH --- The Penguins aren’t accustomed to being shut out. After all, it’s only happened once this season.
But for 52 minutes that appeared to be their fate against one of the NHL’s stingiest defenses. Of course the Penguins aren’t the league’s highest-scoring team without reason. That was evident in the final eight minutes as the Penguins scored three times in the final eight minutes for an improbable 3-2 win over the Bruins in a battle between Eastern Conference contenders.
Chris Kunitz, who now trails only Tampa Bay sniper Steven Stamkos, scored his 18th of the season at 13:42 to get the Penguins on the board. Brandon Sutter then scored twice in less than four minutes, including the game-winner with 2:03 to play to cap the comeback.
“They don’t give you much, to get a few on them late is big,” Sutter said.
”They’re a good team. To us, they’re the team to beat. It’s a good win for us.”
The win extended the Penguins’ winning streak to six games, including five straight at home. The Penguins out-shot Boston 34-16, matching the fewest shots they’ve surrendered.
“We believed if we kept going we’d get our chances,” said captain Sidney Crosby, who was held without a point as he was smothered by Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara. “It took awhile, but we stuck with it. It was nice to get rewarded it. We earned it.”
NOTABLE
-- The Bruins were the only team that the Penguins had not met to this point in the season. The game is the first of two that the teams will play in a span of six days. The teams will meet a third time in Boston on April 19.
-- The Penguins are 25-6-2 at home in 33 games in the month of March under head coach Dan Bylsma.
-- Heading into the game, F Sidney Crosby had notched 33 assists on the season and had collected them in consistent fashion – 11 in the first period, 11 in the second period and 11 in the third. However, Crosby was held scoreless for the first time in eight games, a streak that saw him register 20 points (5G-15A).
-- D Kris Letang pushed his assist streak to six games, a career high, picking up 12 helpers over that stretch.
-- With an assist, F James Neal pushed his scoring streak to six games, he did see his four-game goal scoring streak snapped in the victory. Neal has collected nine points (4G-5A) during the streak.
-- LW Pascal Dupuis saw his three-game scoring streak come to an end.
-- F Brandon Sutter registered his first two-goal game at home as a Penguin with his game-tying and game-winning goals in the third period. Sutter now has eight goals on the season. It was the second two-goal game of his Penguins’ career.
-- The Penguins have now won four straight against the Bruins. They are now 6-1 against the Northeast Division on the season.
-- D Brooks Orpik finished the evening with three blocked shots and remains second in the NHL with 75.
-- The Penguins scored three times in the third period to erase a 2-0 deficit they faced after 40 minutes of play – the second time this season that they have won after trailing by two or more goals at any point in a game.
-- Pittsburgh’s last victory when trailing by two goals after two periods occurred on Jan. 20, 2012 against the Montreal Canadiens. The Penguins won 5-4 in a shootout.
-- The Penguins pushed their sellout streak to 266 consecutive games with 18,640 in attendance.
-- Bruins D Dennis Seidenberg, who has played 557 NHL games, appeared in his 200th with the Bruins.
QUOTABLES
“As soon as I got the puck, I think I'd seen him and I was thinking pass, and I think the D-man was kind of in the lane -- I think he went right down -- so you either make a really nice pass or just shoot it. It's just a read and react, it happens pretty quick. But I think Sid will be all right for a day. I don't think he's too worried about it. He's already jabbed me a bit, but it's a good win for us.” -- Brandon Sutter on his reasoning for not forcing a pass to Sidney Crosby as the two forwards skated in on a two-on-one that resulted in the game winning goal.
“He made a great shot there, but I was definitely waiting for it.” -- Crosby said grinning when asked about Sutter taking the game-winning shot himself
KEY PLAY
After getting back-to-back goals from Chris Kunitz and Brandon Sutter just 51 seconds apart late in the third period to knot the game 2-2, the Penguins were pressing to complete the comeback and they would take advantage of a Bruins’ mistake to do just that. Sutter, who had just hopped the boards during a late line change, was able to intercept a Dennis Seidenberg clearing attempt at the left point, creating a two-on-one with Sidney Crosby. Sutter kept the puck and fired a shot from the left circle that beat Bruins goaltender Anton Khudobin on the glove hand side at 17:57 of the period to push the Penguins to a 3-2 lead. (BM)
HIDDEN STAT
6: The number of times in which the Penguins rested, while their opponent played the evening before a game. On each of those occurrences their opponent went on to win the game and lose the next night to the Penguins. (BM)
THREE STARS
1. Brandon Sutter - PGH
2. Chris Kunitz - PGH
3. Zdeno Chara - BOS
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