Lineups
For the first time since the seventh grade picnic, Nick Bjugstad is back in the lineup for the Penguins. Brandon Tanev is back from a one game illness absence. Matt Murray gets the intriguing second start in a row, break a month long pattern of rotating the goalies.
Welcome back to the lineup, @NBjugstad72! pic.twitter.com/ig1tDfIFXe
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 5, 2020
First period
Really wide-open free-flowing first period early with the puck going up and down the ice. Patric Hornqvist scores a goal with a nice power move to the net, and Bjugstad is driving too. Bjugstad is tripped up by a Sabres’ player and he comically flies into goalie Jonas Johansson who is knocked on his rump. From a prone position, Hornqvist is able to slide the puck slowly into the open net.
Patric Hornqvist has points in eight of his last nine games against the Sabres (6G-6A), which includes three multi-point efforts. His points-per-game average against Buffalo is his highest vs. any one team. pic.twitter.com/GZWwHXPMrd
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 6, 2020
Doesn’t quite look right, but it is called a goal on the ice, so the onus is on Buffalo to challenge. The coach asks Jack Eichel if he thinks they should (which seems suspect - have to imagine in the heat of battle 99% of time a player will want to challenge it). He does and they do, but the refs rule that the contact Bjugstad takes is enough to allow his resulting fall into the goalie. Good goal and Buffalo takes a penalty as a result.
But they take advantage while short-handed. Bryan Rust is attempting a zone entry and everyone else is stationary, a tough look when Rust tries to gain the line and make a pass over to the wall. It’s read and intercepted by Jake McCabe and the defenseman is off to the races on a clean breakaway. McCabe looks like he knows what he’s doing deking to the backhand and beating Murray to tie the game at 1.
Jake McCabe steals the puck and makes it 1-1, SHG #Sabres50 #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/aLOuBjTj8Z
— Buffalo Hockey moments (@SabresPlays) March 6, 2020
Later in that power play Jason Zucker hits the post but it doesn’t go in.
The Pens would get their lead back from an unlikely source with defenseman Marcus Pettersson scoring just his second goal of the season. Big shot from the point off a little Rust pass and Pettersson too looks like he knows what he’s doing with that one.
How Swede it is! @mpettersson16 gets his second of the season and the second Penguins goal of the night. pic.twitter.com/nDRCtboNQH
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 6, 2020
Kris Letang takes a slashing call to prevent a Jack Eichel look at the net and the Sabres get their first power play of the game. The Pens kill off the first about minute thirty of to end the period.
Team Overview stat percentages - 5v5 (SVA) after the 1st period (via @NatStatTrick).#PITvsBUF pic.twitter.com/9Zhgw1xLYL
— PenguinsGameBot (@bot_penguins) March 6, 2020
Shots are 16-9 overall in favor of the Pens. Take away that one Rust decision at the blueline and it would have been about a perfect first road period. Alas, still pretty darn good.
Second period
The Pens’ kill off the rest of Letang’s penalty and the teams are back to 5v5.
Sidney Crosby almost sets Patrick Marleau up for a tap in, but the puck takes an unfavorable bounce and they can’t connect. Marcus Johansson catches the Pens after a poor decision from Jack Johnson and has a 2-on-0, he lays off the pass but a sprawling Murray makes a great save on Jimmy Vesey, which is a good thing because Johnson is unable to defend the pass back too.
This kind of stuff will ruin you in the playoffs. Johnson gets the puck on his stick, in the middle of a line change, and turns it over. Worst possible area and worst possible moment for it. Then, he gets caught in the NZ and absolutely torched. Murray bails him out big time. pic.twitter.com/GCSz59jebO
— Jesse Marshall (@jmarshfof) March 6, 2020
The Sabres’ top line pins in the Pens’ third line. A couple signs of rust (note: not Rust but rust) when both Bjugstad and Brian Dumoulin have chances to clear but fail to do so. Just bound to happen after multi-month layoffs. Pittsburgh holds strong though and Murray backstops them to a couple of saves to end the sequence.
In the opening 12:18 played in the second period shots are 6-0 BUF. The Sabres take a second penalty when Johan Larsson backs into Murray in the crease, bowling the Penguin netminder over. Unlike the Bjugstad situation, he didn’t have help.
The Pens get their first shot of the period, and, naturally it’s a goal. And given the success he has against Buffalo, naturally it’s Hornqvist again. Malkin does well with a power move from the back once he collects the puck and makes a short pass to Hornqvist (crashing to the net, as ever) and Hornqvist whips in his 17th goal of the season to make it 3-1 Pens.
UPDATED: Patric Hornqvist has points in eight of his last nine games against the Sabres (*7G*-6A), which includes *four* multi-point efforts. His points-per-game average against Buffalo is his highest vs. any one team. pic.twitter.com/VPoQwDZqbR
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 6, 2020
Pittsburgh gets another power play when Lawrence Pilut barely taps Marleau’s hands. That weak call gets wiped out when Malkin and Brandon Montour get into a jousting match and only Malkin gets a penalty. All the penalties cycle through without consequence.
Towards the end of the period, Buffalo gets a 2-on-1 rush, Johnson left back to defend. Jeff Skinner’s saucer pass gets through him but Murray shuts the door again on a Wayne Simmonds shot.
Shots in the second period are 10-3 BUF. Somehow goals in the period were 1-0 Pens to make it a 3-1 overall lead.
Third period
The Sabres don’t go away quietly, Dominik Kahun sets up Marcus Johansson to the middle of the ice and he pulls the trigger on a shot over Murray’s pad and under his blocker. 3-2 Pens now.
Marcus Johansson, 3-2 #Sabres50 #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/465hTYtLWY
— Buffalo Hockey moments (@SabresPlays) March 6, 2020
But the Pens stay on it. Sidney Crosby scores on the rush on a backhand, and man. A lot of people out there can’t shoot a forehand shot with that kind of velocity. 4-2 lead.
Buffalo, meet Sidney Crosby's backhand.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 6, 2020
Buffalo under their breath: "...we've met." pic.twitter.com/UlOayjveQt
Pittsburgh opens the door back up with Teddy Blueger handing Buffalo a third power play of the game due to a two minute high-sticking call but the Pittsburgh PK does the job again.
The Pens have a better third than second with the Crosby line, the Malkin line and then Hornqvist generating pressure and scoring chances. Conor Sheary hits a post. Then Marleau hits one even harder.
The Sabres pull Johansson for an extra attacker but nothing comes of it. The Pens win another one.
Some thoughts
Big Bjugs is back. It almost feels like whatever the Pens get out of Nick Bjugstad that it’s kinda like found money at this point, doesn’t it? That’s what being out 46 straight games will do. But any team could use a very good third line center, and though it’s been a small sample, Bjugstad has proven he can be a positive possession center that adds size and the only right handed faceoff option on the team. He made an impact (literally) thumping the goalie on Hornqvist’s goal and grimaced grabbing his side area, but luckily that didn’t appear to hinder him.
SOS, Save Our Schultz. With only one point in nine games since being activated from the IR, it looked like the Pens were trying to help Justin Schultz get into a groove, playing him on the top power play. It worked, as he picked up a secondary assist on Hornqvist’s PPG. The Pens really need Schultz to find some form, giving him a few chances to make a difference seems to be a smart move.
Hornqvist going HAM. Hornqvist has feasted on Buffalo recently and tonight was no exception. He’s up to 17 goals in 49 games in 2019-20, a pace of 28 games in a full season (which he won’t obviously play, since this was game No. 66). Still, for all the ever-present concerns about how Hornqvist will age with his large salary cap hit, he’s been an impact player and as good as ever in his age 32/33 season this year with 13 points (6G+7A) in 16 games since returning from injury in late Janaury.
Almost a full team. Sprinkle in one Zach Aston-Reese here, and maybe a Dominik Simon there, and guess what gang? This is as healthy as the Penguins are going to be this season. Almost all the pieces are about back in the lineup and now just have to settle in and see what happens when they finally get the chance to gel.
Murrays-ville. Second game in a row for Matt Murray, and he built on it with a very strong game, looking confident in that second period while holding off a barrage of shots. With a weekend back-to-back upcoming, the goalies should split, but at this point do the Pens go back to the Murray well for a third straight game? He made a pretty strong case for it.
And a six game losing streak turns to a two game winning streak. Good thing, since around the the division the most relevant teams to the Pens in WASH, PHI and NYI as of press time are either tied of winning, so the Pens do their part to hold serve. Someone’s not holding serve on Saturday when the Caps make their first trip to Pittsburgh.