PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – A tight game in the third period, the top line steps up to put away the Devils, even after they made it a one goal game again. Pens win their second straight 6-4.
"We would like to have had our legs a little bit more," said captain Sidney Crosby. "I think the saves Case made allowed us to stay in the game. It's probably not our best game, but we did some good things when we needed to."
Pens led 3-2 heading into the third thanks to a late, second period goal by Colton Sceviour. Bryan Rust got his first point in five games with an early power play goal in the third as Jake Guentzel made sure Blackwood didn't see it. Then Crosby scored on a great pass by Guentzel to make it 5-2.
After New Jersey made it 5-4 with a couple of goals with an extra attacker, Rust finished an empty netter on a pass from Guentzel. Rust recorded his 200th and then 201st point in his 349th game.
"It's a pretty cool milestone," Rust said. "When I first got in the league, I was just trying to make a name for myself. Every time you reach a milestone like that you kind of look back on your career a little bit. See how far I've come and how I've evolved as a player."
Sceviour first since January
In-and-out of the lineup at times, 31-year-old Colton Sceviour gave the Pens the lead for good on Friday. Sceviour batted a puck out of the air off a Kris Letang shot and past goalie Mackensie Blackwood for a 3-2 lead just before the second intermission.
"We won the draw there and Tanger put a puck on net," Sceviour said. "I saw it pop up and I took a swing at it trying to make some sort of contact. Hit it pretty square, it found a way in."
"Anytime you score in this league it's exciting. When it's been a little while, it's even more so. We won the game and that was important, glad I could help."
Sceviour has points in every other game over the last six.
Spectacular saves
Among the amazing saves, by both goalies, was a shot in the second period where Casey DeSmith slid across the crease and didn't make the save with his glove. Rather he got his stick hand nearly as high as the cross bar to knock the puck away and rob Jesper Boqvist.
"Humongous save," Rust said. "We were on our heels a little big in the second period. To have a save like that is huge. He's such an athletic guy. He makes so many good saves like that."
"He just stuck with it and kept battling," Crosby said. "Sometimes technique goes out the window and it's your desperation."
DeSmith would make 27 saves for his second career win in six games against New Jersey.
"I thought Case was terrific," Sullivan said. "He made some big saves for us. Some real high quality saves, especially in the second period. I thought we got outplayed in the second period significantly and Case made some big stops for us. He was victim of some fluky goals. Most of the night, I thought he was terrific."
Up Next
Pens play the Devils Sunday night at 7 in New Jersey before returning home for the first time in a couple of weeks against the Flyers on Thursday.
