Lars Eller scores in 1,000th NHL game, helps Penguins to OT win over Canadiens
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Saturday opened with a celebration for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
And ended with a badly needed boost of hope.
In lavish fashion, they recognized hale and hearty third-line center Lars Eller for appearing in the 1,000th NHL game of his career before a contest against the Montreal Canadiens at PPG Paints Arena.
Nearly two and a half hours later, they rejoiced after staging a construction paper-thin 3-2 comeback win in overtime that snapped a three-game losing streak (0-2-1) as they scatter for a lengthy break in the schedule.
A goal by defenseman Marcus Pettersson at 2 minutes, 43 seconds of the extra period was the difference.
Eller scored the Penguins’ first goal of the contest, earned a temporary promotion to the second line and had plenty of reasons to be happy.
“The most important thing in my mind was getting the two points,” said Eller, the NHL’s all-time leader in games played by a Dane. “That’s what I’m the most happy about. These points were crucial for us going into this break with a little bit better feeling getting three out of four (points) in the last two (games).
“It wasn’t our best game. We were fighting it a little bit. But we’re never quitting. We’re never giving up and we find a way, even when we’re not playing at our best, to come back into games and get points.”
Even with the pair of points the Penguins accrued Saturday, they are still out of a playoff position in the Eastern Conference standings as they embark on a seven-day respite from all team activities for their bye week and the NHL’s All-Star break.
But Saturday’s victory offered salve to a group that had lost five of its previous six games (1-2-3), a stretch that partially nullified a strong sequence of play between mid-December and early January (from Dec. 12-Jan. 8, the Penguins were 9-3-1).
“It brings some juice and positivity into the break,” said Pettersson, who scored the first game-winning goal of his career. “It’s a real battle out there in the whole (Eastern Conference). To come back once again but this time get out on top, it can help our confidence. Huge two points.”
The Canadiens opened the scoring 15:53 into regulation when defenseman Kaiden Guhle scored his fourth goal of the season.
From the high slot of the offensive zone, Canadiens forward Cole Caufield backhanded a pass to the left point to former Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson. With an acre of ice and a calendar of time to operate, Matheson maneuvered into the left circle and read the Penguins’ defensive coverage like a graphic novel. As Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson dropped to his left knee above the crease, Matheson took advantage of an open passing lane and slid a puck to the far side of the blue paint where Guhle, his defensive partner, slammed in an easy forehand shot by goaltender Tristan Jarry’s glove on the near side. Matheson and Caufield had assists.
Eller’s ninth goal at 4:05 of the second period tied the game, 1-1.
Off a rush into the offensive zone, Penguins forward Rickard Rakell worked the puck through the right corner and fed a pass to the near circle for linemate Valtteri Puustinen, who ripped a wrister that was blocked by Matheson’s left skate. Barging through the slot, Eller claimed the rebound and roofed a wrister over the blocker of sprawling goaltender Jake Allen. Puustinen and Rakell registered assists.
“Sometimes you get lucky,” Eller said. “You get the bounces. But you’ve got to work to be in the right areas to get those rebounds. I was at the right place at the right time there.”
Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves was in the right place and the right time but had the wrong result on the Canadiens’ second goal by forward Juraj Slafkovsky.
Off a seam pass from Canadiens forward Sean Monahan, Slafkovsky tried to feed the puck from low in the Penguins’ right circle to the far side of the crease to Caufield. Graves played the sequence soundly as he leaned down to block the pass but inadvertently deflected the puck with his right leg into the cage. Slafkovksy was credited with his seventh goal off assists from Monahan and forward Nick Suzuki.
After that, Jarry largely shut down the Canadiens’ limited chances for the remainder of the contest. His record was boosted to 13-14-4 after he stopped 25 of 27 shots.
A dazzling passing sequence by the Penguins’ top line led to forward Jake Guentzel tying the game with his 22nd goal at 10:03 of the third period.
Off a cross-ice feed from defensive partner Kris Letang, Pettersson slipped a pass from the left point to the right circle for Penguins forward Sidney Crosby. Fending off Guhle, Crosby spun to his left and flicked a blind backhand pass to the far side of the crease where Guentzel surged past Canadiens forward Josh Anderson and tapped in a forehand shot by Allen’s right skate. Crosby and Pettersson had assists.
“One of the best,” Guentzel said to rank the pass by his long-time center. “One of the best, for sure.”
One of the unlikeliest scored in overtime when Pettersson collected only his second goal of the season.
After Matheson chucked a shot/pass from the Penguins’ right point to the slot intended for Monahan, a backchecking Malkin broke up the sequence with his stick. That allowed Rakell to settle the puck to the left of the crease and initiate a two-on-one rush with Pettersson.
As Matheson retreated in reverse to defend his zone, Rakell offloaded a backhand pass to the right wing, giving Pettersson the opportunity to gain the offensive blue line. With Matheson taking away a potential pass to Rakell, Pettersson gripped and ripped a wrister by Allen’s glove on the near side. Rakell and Malkin tallied assists.
“I just saw (Rakell) come out with the puck and I knew we had a two-on-one,” Pettersson said. “I tried to hide myself on the wall. I was a little ahead of him, he gave it over and then I saw (Matheson). He’s good at faking you into thinking you have to pass it, so I figured I’d shoot it and luckily, it went in.”
The Penguins head into their sabbatical with a result that was vital for a variety of reasons.
“For me, it was the most important game of the season in a lot of ways,” Eller said. “It’s not like we were out of it if we lose, but I feel like this was kind of a must-win game. We didn’t play our best hockey. … But good teams, they find a way to get points even when they’re not playing their best. That’s what good teams do.
“I think we’re a good team and I hope we can show it here the last two and a half months.”
Notes:
• The team’s video package celebrate Eller before the game:
• Eller became the ninth player to reach the 1,000-game mark having played for both the Penguins and Canadiens:
Useless Stat of the Night: Lars Eller can become the ninth player in NHL history to reach the 1,000-game mark having played for both the Penguins and Canadiens: pic.twitter.com/TcaL7xZ6ma
— Seth Rorabaugh (@SethRorabaugh) January 27, 2024
-Eller became the ninth NHL player to score a goal in the first and 1,000th games of his career.
He was preceded by:
- Marian Gaborik
- Milan Hejduk
- Alex Kovalev
- Malkin
- Joe Nieuwendyk
- Gilbert Perreault
- Jean Ratelle
- Luc Robitaille
Eller’s first goal came as a member of the St. Louis Blues in a 2-1 road loss to the Calgary Flames on Nov. 5, 2009:
• Before Saturday, the Penguins’ most recent overtime win against the Canadiens was a 3-2 road victory on Jan. 4, 2020. Forward Brandon Tanev scored the winning goal then punched the glass and scared a young girl:
• Puustinen snapped a 10-game slump without a point.
• The Penguins largely broke up their power-play units with the top unit being composed of Crosby, Guentzel, Letang, Puustinen and forward Bryan Rust. The second unit included forward Eller, Malkin, Rakell, forward Jeff Carter and defenseman Erik Karlsson.
Overall, the Penguins were 0 for 2 with the power play and generated four shots on 15 attempts.
• Pettersson (112 points) surpassed defenseman Mario Faubert (111) for 80th place on the franchise’s career scoring list.
• Penguins defenseman John Ludvig and forward Reilly Smith remained sidelined due to undisclosed injuries. According to coach Mike Sullivan, both players skated Saturday morning. Ludvig remains designated to long-term injured reserve.
• Smith and defenseman Ryan Shea (healthy) were scratched.
• Guhle has five points (one goal, four assists) in five career games against the Penguins.
• The Canadiens appeared in the franchise’s 7,000th game since it joined the NHL during the league’s inaugural season of 1917-18.