By Jonathan Bombulie
November 10, 2018
Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his second period goal against the Arizona Coyotes at PPG Paints Arena on November 10, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)
With a five-game losing streak hanging over them like a black cloud, the Pittsburgh Penguins tried a new strategy Saturday night that can be summed up in three words.
More Sidney Crosby.
It couldn’t have worked much better.
A double-shifting Crosby was on the ice for three second-period goals with three different sets of wingers as the Penguins ended their skid with a 4-0 victory over the Arizona Coyotes at PPG Paints Arena.
It was their first home win since Oct. 11.
“When you’re in the situation we’ve been in, it’s, ‘Next guy up. Let’s go over there and make something happen,’ ” Crosby said. “If we all have that mentality, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing with. We’re going to create things.”
Coach Mike Sullivan said his plan coming into the game wasn’t simply to run Crosby until the wheels fell off. It was to spot him in certain situations that might prove advantageous.
He succeeded in that aim. Crosby’s ice time of 16 minutes, 54 seconds was actually his second-lowest total of the season. It’s just he was in the right place at the right time over and over again.
“We’re trying to put our offensive guys in the best possible positions that we can,” Sullivan said. “With Sid in particular, because his fitness level is as high as it is, it gives us the opportunity to maybe lean on him a little bit more.”
The Penguins’ first goal came with Crosby centering Phil Kessel and Jake Guentzel. Kessel sprung Crosby up the right wing for a brilliant backhander past goalie Darcy Kuemper.
The second came with Crosby centering Bryan Rust and Dominik Simon. Rust made a pass from the left faceoff circle to Simon at the top of the crease for a redirection.
The third came at the tail end of a power play with Crosby between Simon and Patric Hornqvist. Simon gathered a puck behind the goal and fed Hornqvist at the right hash marks.
By the time the Penguins made it 4-0 in the third period, Crosby was repeating himself. He was on the ice with Guentzel and Kessel again for Brian Dumoulin’s goal on a three-on-two.
“It’s nice to get the first one, the first couple, and not have to chase the game,” Crosby said. “I think it was a good win.”
Casey DeSmith #1 of the Pittsburgh Penguins protects the net against the Arizona Coyotes at PPG Paints Arena on November 10, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)
Bonus Crosby shifts aside, the Penguins used another somewhat unusual strategy to try to end the losing streak. Sullivan started DeSmith for the second straight game.
Matt Murray remains the team’s No. 1 goaltender for the present and future, but DeSmith has fared better this season and was coming off a strong, 20-save showing in Washington on Thursday night.
DeSmith was outstanding when the Penguins faltered Saturday, making 39 saves for his third career shutout. Most notably, he went post to post to absorb a Vinny Hinostroza shot on a two-on-one with the Coyotes seeking a 1-1 tie in the second period.
“It’s the statement win that everybody wanted and everybody needed to kind of feel good and turn that ship around a little bit,” DeSmith said.
Beyond the heroics of Crosby and DeSmith, the Penguins won thanks to a mostly mistake-free approach. They were conservative in their decision making, with defensemen rarely pinching and forwards eschewing risky plays.
Crosby said that was due to both a respect for the speed of the Coyotes and a mentality that developed during the losing streak.
“For any team in the situation we were in, it felt like we made a mistake and it ended up in our net,” Crosby said. “This should build confidence.”
Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jonathan at jbombulie@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BombulieTrib.
No comments:
Post a Comment