There’s an old saying, “Politics make strange bedfellows.”
I’m not sure how that relates to hockey, except that you couldn’t have packed two games with more polar opposite flows into the same weekend.
On Saturday, the Penguins lost a game to the Flyers that they technically never trailed. Well, Sunday they flipped the script and won a game against the Bruins in which they never lead.
Not only did we not hold a lead until the very end, we were down 3-zip by the 13-minute mark of the second period. The third Bruins tally by David Pastrnák off a blind, behind-the-net giveaway by Arturs Šilovs.
You almost expected the Pens, on a three-game losing jag and struggling mightily without top stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, to mail in the final 27 minutes.
That’s absolutely, positively what didn’t happen. Just the opposite, in fact. The boys dug down deep, pulled themselves up by the proverbial bootstraps and went big-game hunting.
Egor Chinakhov lit the fuse on the Pens’ powder keg at 14:44 while working on a 5-on-3. After playing pitch-and-catch with Rickard Rakell stationed down low, “Chinny” took a moment to look things over. Then, with a snap of those marvelous wrists he fired a bullet past Joonas Korpisalo from the left circle.
Next to take a chip out of the Bruins’ lead, Connor Dewar, two ticks past the six-minute mark of the third period. The feisty fourth-liner corralled a carom in the left circle, courtesy of a long stretch pass from Ryan Shea. Then he shook off a check by B’s defender Jonathan Aspirot, spun and buried a blind backhander, far side, top cheese.
Incredible goal, reminiscent in some ways of “the Geno,” Malkin’s sensational tally against the ‘Canes during our ’09 Cup run.
Thirty-three seconds later, big Anthony Mantha slipped a backhander of his own past Korpisalo to knot the score at 3-all. However, Pavel Zacha completed his hat trick at 8:34 to retake the lead for the Bruins.
The Pens, and more specifically Mantha, would not be denied. Parker Wotherspoon ripped off a shot from center point that struck the big guy stationed by the side of the cage. Mantha deftly settled the puck and slipped it past Korpisalo to knot the score at 4-apiece with just under nine minutes remaining.
Now barreling full steam-ahead, the Pens not only killed off a late penalty to Wotherspoon, but had the better chances during the disadvantage.
In overtime, Chinakhov was a one-man show, weaving through the Bruins before bunting a rebound to Tommy Novak, who dropped to a knee and buried the biscuit for the OT winner.
Puckpourri
How HUGE was this win? Let me count thy ways.
First off, we snapped a three-game losing streak (0-2-1). We snagged a second point against a Bruins team that occupies the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot and trail us by only two points. Temporarily at least, we reclaim second place in the Metro over the Islanders by a point with a game in hand.
In addition to Mantha’s two goals (his 22nd and 23rd of the season), 14’s were wild as Chinakhov, Dewar and Novak each scored their 14th goal of the campaign. Chinakhov has fit snuggly on a line with Rakell and Bryan Rust, a welcome development indeed.
Elmer Söderblom made his Pens’ debut, replacing fellow big ‘n’ taller Justin Brazeau, who’s dinged-up and listed day-to-day. The big (bigger?) guy had five shot attempts and three shots on goal while dishing out two hits in 10:21 of ice time.
Elmer received favorable reviews afterward from coach Dan Muse for his speed and ability to get in on the forecheck. He and linemates Ben Kindel and Avery Hayes had outstanding advanced stats, yet were a combined minus-6.
Muse shuffled his defensive pairings. Shea rejoined Kris Letang and Ilya Solovyov slotted beside Samuel Girard, bumping Connor Clifton from the lineup. Guessing that Solvoyov and Girard have some history together with the Avs.
Ilya’s a plus-6 with four assists in six games with the black-and-gold. Girard has no points and is a minus-2 in seven games since his arrival.
Erik Karlsson (six shots on goal, two assists) played another superb game. Novak finished a plus-4, linemate Ville Koivunen a plus-3.
We won 50 percent of the faceoffs for the first time since Mike Lange’s proverbial eighth-grade picnic.
The load doesn’t get any lighter for our Pens (32-17-14, 78 points), who embark on a crucial five-game, 10-day road trip that begins and ends in Carolina, with stops in Vegas, Utah and Colorado along the way.