Two of the NHL’s best met last night in Pittsburgh and Sidney Crosby carried the Penguins to a win over the St. Louis Blues.
Paul Steigerwald has the story.
Coach Mike Sullivan says Crosby was in “beast mode” for the Penguins, and is a true team leader.
Sullivan replaced Casey DeSmith in the second period after DeSmith gave up the third St. Louis goal. Tristan Jarry only returned from the covid list yesterday but he took over in goal and shut out the Blues the rest of the way, stopping all thirteen shots he faced. The coach said he felt DeSmith wasn’t tracking the puck well.
Jarry says he just tried to play basic hockey in his return.
To a man, the Penguins said Crosby’s confrontation with Blues tough guy defenseman Niko Mikkola was the difference in the game. The captain was not available after the game because he was receiving stitches in his face from the scuffle.
The Penguins are in Philadelphia tonight for a 7:00 faceoff (6:00 airtime on U92). It’s the start of a season-high six-game road trip. They’re in Dallas on Saturday afternoon.
The Penguins made news off the ice yesterday, trading forward Sam Lafferty to Chicago for Black Hawks forward Alex Nylander. Nylander is 23 years old and was playing in Rockford in the AHL, where he has 8 goals and 12 assists this season. He was Buffalo’s first round selection in the 2016 Draft, eighth overall. His last action in the NHL was in 2019-20, when he scored ten goals for the Blackhawks in 65 games. He missed last season after having knee surgery.
The Penguins made the trade in part to relieve the salary cap hit they will take when Evgeni Malkin returns from injured reserve.
Also yesterday, the Fenway Sports Group officially took control of the Penguins franchise.
Comments