Penguins’ winning streak snapped by Hurricanes
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Even with the benefit of seven consecutive wins entering Sunday, the third-place Pittsburgh Penguins still trailed the second-place Carolina Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division.
On Saturday, speaking with media that traveled to Raleigh, N.C., Penguins coach Mike Sullivan explained what makes the Hurricanes such a strong outfit.
“They’re one of the hardest teams, man-on-man, in all three zones in the league,” Sullivan said. “They play a suffocating defense in all three zones. They make you work for the ice out there. Because of that, they’re a team that’s difficult to play against.
“They’re a good hockey team, they’re well balanced.”
The scales were tipped in favor of the Hurricanes on Sunday as they edged the Penguins, 3-2, at PNC Arena, a result that halted the Penguins’ season-best winning streak.
With the victory, the Hurricanes (19-6-6, 44 points) put a little more distance between themselves and the Penguins (18-9-4, 40 points) in the Metropolitan Division.
Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin was in the lineup for Sunday’s contest. On Thursday, in a 4-2 road win against the Florida Panthers, Malkin left that game in the third period after his right knee was struck by a puck.
Following a scoreless first period, the Hurricanes took a lead 3:25 into the second period thanks to forward Derek Stepan’s second goal of the season. After stealing a puck in his own left corner, Penguins defenseman Jan Rutta almost immediately turned it over thanks to pressure from Hurricanes rookie forward Jack Drury. The loose puck trickled free in the corner before former Penguins forward Stefan Noesen shuffled a backhand pass to the left circle for linemate Derek Stepan who quickly elevated a wrister over goaltender Casey DeSmith’s blocker on the near side for his second goal of the season. Noesen had the only assist.
A power-play goal by Penguins forward Rickard Rakell at 12:20 of the second tied the game, 1-1. After Penguins forward Sidney Crosby beat former teammate Jordan Staal on a faceoff in the Hurricanes’ left circle, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang settled the puck at the left point and then dished it to Malkin above the right circle. Surveying the zone for a moment, Malkin snapped a pass to the slot where Rakell coasted to an open area and deflected the puck past rookie goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov’s blocker for his 13th goal. Malkin and Letang tallied assists.
The Penguins have scored at least one power-play goal in eight consecutive games, a season-best streak.
Former Hurricanes forward Brock McGinn supplied the Penguins with their first lead 5:03 into the third period. From the Penguins’ high slot, Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis attempted a drop pass for linemate Teuvo Teravainen but misfired and essentially provided an outlet for Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen to create a two-on-one rush in the opposite direction.
As Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns made a desperate but futile attempt to jump onto the ice from the bench on a line change, Kapanen gained the offensive zone at center point, pulled up in the high slot and twisted up Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin. From there, Kapanen offloaded a forehand pass to the right circle for McGinn who swatted a one-timer to the far side that beat Kochetkov’s blocker for his ninth goal. Kapanen collected the only assist.
Things were tied again at 8:17 of the third when Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei found his sixth goal. After claiming a loose puck in the Penguins’ left corner, Stepan dished it to the left point where Skjei teed off on a one-timer that sailed through a phalanx of bodies and beat DeSmith’s blocker on the near side. Assists went to Stepan and Staal.
Staal restored a lead for the Hurricanes, 3-2, at 13:33 of the final frame with his eighth goal. From the left point of the offensive zone, Skjei misfired on a one-timer and the puck hopped to the right circle where Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast settled it. Fending off Penguins rookie defenseman P.O Joseph, Fast spun to his left and slid a pass to the left of the crease. From there, Staal outmuscled Penguins defenseman Chad Ruhwedel and one-touched a forehand shot past DeSmith’s right leg. Fast and Skjei had assists.
DeSmith made 26 saves on 29 shots as his record fell to 4-6-1.
Notes:
• Before Sunday, the Penguins’ most recent loss was a 3-2 overtime setback to the Hurricanes at PPG Paints Arena on Nov. 29. Defenseman Brett Pesce scored the winning goal in that contest after Jarvis shoved Penguins forward Bryan Rust into the boards and escaped a penalty.
• It’s been almost four years since the Penguins’ last road win against the Hurricanes. On Dec. 22, 2018, they claimed a 3-0 victory. Goaltender Matt Murray made 39 saves in the shutout.
Since then, they are 0-1-2 at Carolina. It should be noted, they did not play a road game against the Hurricanes in the 2019-20 or 2020-21 season due to the pandemic.
• Rakell appeared in his 600th career game.
• McGinn’s goal was the first of his career against the Hurricanes, the team that selected him in the second round (No. 47 overall) in the 2012 draft.
• The Penguins’ scratches were forwards Drew O’Connor (healthy), forward Jason Zucker (undisclosed injury) and defenseman Mark Friedman (healthy).
• With the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Carolina Panthers, 24-16, roughly two and a half hours to the southeast at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, Sunday marked something of a rarity for Pittsburgh sports.
It was the first occasion in which the Penguins and Steelers played on the same date in the same state other than Pennsylvania in nearly 13 years.
The previous occasion came on Jan. 3, 2010 in Florida.
That day saw the Penguins lose to the Panthers, 6-2, at what was then called the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise.
Approximately 25 minutes away at what was then called Land Shark Stadium in Miami Gardens, the Steelers beat the Miami Dolphins, 30-24.