Lineups
The defensive shuffle continues with Juuso Riikola back tonight and Jamie Oleksiak back to the scratch list.
Ready to roll.#LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/9WMevkR2P2
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 7, 2019
First period
The Blackhawks start a back-to-back today, which means they elect to play Cam Ward, who is not doing very well this year. He gives up a goal to Patric Hornqvist on Pittsburgh’s first shot on goal of the game just 2:43 into the game.
Booooooom.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 7, 2019
Hornqvist from... the circle??? pic.twitter.com/l3vA388y4B
Then less than two minutes later, Ward stops the second shot from Kris Letang, but leaves a big juicy rebound for Jake Guentzel to punch home to make it 2-0.
Five-hole. Guentz-goal. pic.twitter.com/a3ylT07a5b
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 7, 2019
Late in the period Evgeni Malkin takes an offensive-zone penalty and Chicago gets on the board. Patrick Kane makes a great cross-ice pass and Alex DeBrincat releases the puck quickly and fires it by Casey DeSmith to make it 2-1.
Tic-tac-toe.
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) January 7, 2019
The @NHLBlackhawks get on the board!
Get to @NBCSN or stream #PITvsCHI here: https://t.co/4r9xF1FLgk pic.twitter.com/ierHq2OB7D
Then Chicago takes a penalty and another one soon after so it’s 1:11 of 5v3 time for the Pens at the tail end of the period. They don’t score on it and don’t really get that good of looks, disappointingly enough.
Second period
Chris Kunitz must have been inspired by the 2009 celebration, he’s playing like it’s 2009 and scores a goal - his first of the 2018-19 season to tie the game at two.
On the night the Penguins honor Chris Kunitz and the 2009 Stanley Cup Championship team, Chris Kunitz scores.
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) January 7, 2019
What a moment for the 4 time Stanley Cup Champion.
Stream this one here: https://t.co/4r9xF1FLgk pic.twitter.com/Q6selTa5NJ
The Pens get it back, Phil Kessel makes a nice pass and it’s Derick Brassard dropping to a knee from a far angle, but he gets enough on the one-time shot to beat Ward with a pretty weak goal. Pens back up 3-2.
One knee down, one puck in the net
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 7, 2019
Six of Brassard's seven goals this season have come at home. pic.twitter.com/aWC4PKpeeJ
With the game going well, it’s time for another offensive zone penalty, this time with Tanner Pearson getting lax and bringing his stick in to trip an opponent for no real reason. Chicago strikes just after the penalty ends, with Duncan Keith getting his first goal of the season, firing a shot from the blueline the DeSmith probably should have gotten. 3-3.
Duncan Keith launches a missile from deep, and we are once again TIED! His first of the season.
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) January 7, 2019
We've got us a game.
Stream #PITvsCHI: https://t.co/4r9xF1FLgk pic.twitter.com/GBBCitx0cK
Dominik Simon hits the post on a good look. Unlike last game it doesn’t go in off the post this time.
Shots are 16-14 Pens in the second period, and 28-21 Pittsburgh overall in the game after 40 minutes.
Third period
Letang went to the box late in the second period, the Pens start the third killing. Chicago scored a fourth goal similar to the last goal, as the Pens kill off their power play but then seconds later they get a goal. Dylan Strome this time getting a pass from Kane.
A yawning cage for @stromer19.
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) January 7, 2019
Perfect puck movement will do that for ya!
Stream this one: https://t.co/4r9xF1FLgk pic.twitter.com/Xhp2JYOEWV
Next shift after Malkin winds up and...hits the post again.
The Pens get another power play but again fail to do much with it.
Game trickles along, Jonathan Toews scores on an empty net in the last minute to salt the loss away and break the Pens’ long winning streak.
Some thoughts
- Tough one to lose after going up 2-0 just 4:33 in. The natural turning point may have been the extended 5v3 in the 1st period that failed — and that’s not wrong — but it was still a 3-3 game in the 3rd period. The Pens gave up a goal on the PK and two more just after PKs ended, so that was costly as well on the other side of the special teams equations.
- Now 0 wins in the last 10 games against Chicago. Makes sense to lose to them in 2014 and 2015 but these days? Not so much.
- Kane was one of the best players on the ice tonight. Liked the game from all of the Pens stars, but Kane made more plays with the puck than all of them.
- DeSmith has been one of the better players (if not THE best player) in many games this season, but tonight wasn’t one. He didn’t have a chance on some of those, but letting Keith blow one by him as a guy who doesn’t score goals anymore isn’t a good look.
- Really not sure how Cam Ward bounced back and pulled this one out. Looked like early on that he was going to have a brief night, but to his credit he found a way to shut the door in only giving up 1 goal in the last 55 minutes of the game. Wasn’t for a lack of good chances.
- Interesting game by the Pearson-Brassard-Kessel line. On one hand, they do some good things out there, Brassard scored. They generated a fair amount of chances. Combined for 11 total shots on goal. On the other hand, they do some dumb and frustrating things out there, capped off by Pearson’s costly penalty. Just doesn’t seem to be clicking 100% like it should, but at the same time feels promising enough like that major breakout is always juuuust around the corner. Unfortunately, it remains elusive.
- Blown 2-0 and 3-2 leads at home against a non-playoff team. That leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth. Oh well.
And, just like that the eight game winning streak is history. The Pens were just a little too sloppy tonight in this one to come away with the win, but that’s life and they all weren’t going to be wins. One day off to regroup before the homestand concludes on Tuesday with Florida in town.