PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Before the Pens even got to 10 shots, the entire Columbus fourth line had scored. Let’s phrase it this way, the worst three forwards on the worst team in the Eastern Conference all had goals before the Pens scored one. It looked bleak.
Even after the Pens got its first goal, got on the power play with just under four minutes to play in the second period. A dumpster fire with an extra man where the momentum swung back to Columbus after two minutes with no shots, with three out-of-zone turnovers. It looked bleak.
A little noticed switch when the score was 3-0 Columbus after one, Blue Jackets goalie Michael Hutchinson came in to play in his fourth NHL game since 2021 and eventually the Pens got to him. Sidney Crosby burying an overtime, slap shot, power play winner as the Pens get a much needed two points, 5-4.
While he scored a couple himself, Jason Zucker said it was the goal by Jake Guentzel 21 seconds into the third period that turned it.
“I thought Guentzel’s goal to start the third was huge,” Zucker said. “That was a great start to the period and we were able to feed off that momentum and get another one pretty quick. We will take those two points, but we know it wasn’t the most ideal game for us.”
“The crowd really got into it,” said goalie Casey DeSmith. “It was awesome that it was 21 seconds in. Tons of time left, we know we have the firepower to score. It was really loud there, maybe the loudest of the season in the third period. It really helped us.”
“The timing was huge, it was under a minute in,” said forward Danton Heinen. “It was huge for us. We started there.”
Zucker’s first goal actually began the scoring, set up by a good pinch from Marcus Pettersson as Evgeni Malkin found Zucker in front of the net to make it 4-1 after two periods.
Following the Guentzel goal, Malkin stole the puck to the right of the net and poked it out in front to Zucker, 4-3. Seconds later, Crosby skates in, hits Rickard Rakell and he puts it in front for Heinen to tie it at 4.
“It was a 3-on-2, Sid and Raks made a good play,” Heinen said of the tying goal. “I went to the net, stick on the ice and had an open net. Good play by them.”
Pens played with 11 forwards and seven defensemen because Mikael Granlund (illness) and Bryan Rust (birth of a child) were late scratches.
“I thought we self-destructed in the first period,” Pens head coach Mike Sullivan said as he called a time out down 3-0. “We can’t change what just happened, all we can do is react the right way. This team is capable of coming back in games like that.”
DeSmith bullpen win
After a fourth goal allowed just 2:37 into the second period, Sullivan pulled Tristan Jarry. Sullivan said it’s still about Jarry needing more repetitions coming back from injury, although finally admitting Jarry could have played better. The Pens coach added he didn’t think Jarry got a lot of help from the rest of the team.
Casey DeSmith came in and stopped all 15 shots.
“It can be (difficult), but it’s just part of the job,” DeSmith said. “I warm up like everybody else, granted not as many shots as if I were starting. It’s part of the job description. You got to go in there and do your best, sometimes is goes better than others. Thankfully tonight it went well.”
“I thought Casey was sharp,” Sullivan said. “He made a couple of big saves in the third period in particular when we needed him to. Never an easy position for a goalie to come in, in that circumstance. Those are the saves you need to give your team a chance to win.”
Rare comeback
According to Pens historian Bob Grove, the last time the Pens won a game in which they trailed 4-1 after two periods was March 6, 2007. Pens won that one 5-4 on a Crosby shootout goal.
Jordan Staal, Gary Roberts and Ryan Malone had goals within a span of 2:48.
Newcomer
Alex Nylander was in a team meeting in Wilkes-Barre Tuesday morning, afterwards he found out he would be called up on an emergency basis. He got in the car, drove five hours and then played in his first NHL game in three years. He had an assist on the opening goal.
The 25-year-old has spent the entire season at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with a career-high 25 goals and 25 assists through 54 games. The forward is fifth in the AHL in scoring.
“I’ve been playing really well,” Nylander said. “I’ve had a great year. Just been working hard every day and just tried to play my game. I knew my time would come. I wasn’t stressing about it. I know that if I kept playing like this it would come.”
“I thought it played a solid game,” Sullivan said. “You can see his playmaking ability and his offensive instincts. You can see he’s a talented player. He’s starting to round out his game.”
Notes
· It was Crosby’s 20th overtime winning goal, second-most in NHL history
· Zucker has 8 goals in his last 10 games-only New Jersey’s Dawson Mercer has more in the Eastern Conference over that span
· Guentzel’s goal secured his third, 25-goal season
· The Pens home winning streak against Columbus is now 13, the longest active home winning streak against one team in the NHL
Updated Wild Card Standings
Islanders-66 games-74 points
Pens-63 games-73 points
Florida-65 games-70 points
Buffalo-63 games-68 points
Ottawa-63 games-68 points
Washington-65 games-68 points
Up Next
A point behind them for the top Wild Card spot, the Pens host the Islanders at 7p