PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Evgeni Malkin with a monster game as the Pens torch the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions behind his hat trick and a 9-4 win Saturday night to get the Pens closer to clinching a playoff berth.
Just three games back from injury, Malkin finished his 14th career hat trick early in the third period. The win gives the Pens 94 points and firmly in second place in the Metropolitan Division.
“Power play works, everything works, some nights you play the same and the puck won’t go in,” Malkin said.
“It’s a game where you saw contributions from all four lines,” said Pens head coach Dan Muse. “Contributions from three pairs, everyone involved. You like that. We get a minute to enjoy it and quickly turn the page.”
Scoring
It started early for the Pens, just seconds into the game after a Noel Acciari shot on Sergei Bobrovsky was kicked out, he grabbed the rebounded and floated it over the 6’2” goalie and into the net for a 1-0 Pens lead 20 seconds into the game.
Pens would also take advantage of the first power play with Erik Karlsson slapping home a pass from Sidney Crosby and it’s 2-0.
After Florida tied it with a couple of goals, the Pens took control in the second period. Starting 2-2, Crosby dove across the ice to prevent a bad stick handling by Arturs Silovs resulting in a goal. Then Anthony Mantha floated a pass to Justin Brazeau in front of the net, but it was tipped by Florida’s Gustav Forsling for Mantha’s 31st goal.
Evgeni Malkin would add a pair, the first on the power play for his 1,400th NHL point on an assistant from Karlsson and Crosby, as Sid passed Steve Yzerman for seventh-place on the all-time points list with 1,756. Malkin scored the next and then Eric Soderblom with his fifth and four goals later it’s 6-2 Pens.
But that wasn’t it, Rickard Rakell on the power play on an assist from Malkin and Karlsson. Defenseman Ryan Shea scored his and it’s 8-2 Pens after two.
Keep focus
In a rare nuance with the schedule, the Pens will play Florida again tomorrow at 3p. As Muse said earlier, enjoy it quickly and turn the page.
“The motivation is right there, there are two points on the line. That’s a proud group over there. Our job is for us to keep taking steps. That’s a team that every guy in the room knows they just beat Boston. They just beat Ottawa. You can’t go in there and think it’s going to be an easy game. It’s going to be a harder game (Sunday).”
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“We fight to playoffs. We are in a different situation. We’ll see (Sunday), huge game. We know this team wins two Cups in two years and they will fight for sure.”
LISTEN to postgame reaction after 9-4 win
