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After an uninspiring loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins were able to exact revenge on home ice Tuesday night.
Unfortunately, it came at a cost.
The Penguins cruised past the Blackhawks, 5-0, and they lost their top prospect to injury en route to the win. During a penalty kill in the waning seconds of the middle frame, forward Rutger McGroarty blocked a shot and took the brunt of it. He hobbled to the bench after a whistle and went straight to the locker room and did not return with what the Penguins are calling a lower-body injury.
In the postgame, assistant coach David Quinn - filling in for head coach Mike Sullivan, who was pulled into a postgame meeting with GM and POHO Kyle Dubas and others - said McGroarty is still being evaluated.
That aside, Tristan Jarry earned his second shutout of the season in a 26-save effort, and Sidney Crosby got the scoring started with a power play goal - and his 31st tally of the season - late in the first period to put the Penguins up, 1-0.
Then, just under five minutes into the second period, Bryan Rust forced an offensive zone turnover near the blue line, and he got the puck down low to rookie Ville Koivunen. Koivunen spotted Erik Karlsson cross-ice just above the goal line, and he fed him a perfect pass that Karlsson didn't miss on for his 200th career goal.
Pittsburgh locked it down in the third period, starting with a top-shelf goal from Kris Letang and ending with two consecutive Kevin Hayes goals to give them the 5-0 victory. Suffice to say, they were much happier with their effort in this one.
Here are a few other notes and observations from this one:
- Crosby strikes again. This guy is magnificent.
I don’t really have anything else to say at this point. He’s been the best player for the Penguins night-in and night-out, and he deserves to see the playoffs again before retirement.
"When I got traded here, you hear stories about Sid," Hayes said. "Playing against him, you hear these stories from other people that you know... and he's all those stories and more. Arguably the best player to ever play, [and] he's just showing it this year. People talk about his age, and he's not slowing down.
"Obviously, we're not in the position that we'd like to be in... he's leading the way night-in and night-out, and he silently holds everyone accountable."
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- During a penalty kill at the end of the second period, rookie forward Rutger McGroarty blocked a shot and was in considerable pain. He hobbled to the bench after the whistle blew, and he went straight down the runway. He left with a lower-body injury and did not return.
If McGroarty is injured, that’s a very unfortunate circumstance and a huge blow to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for their Calder Cup run. Of course, calling up the kids was the right move - and it still is - but, unfortunately, something like this happening is always a risk, especially when players are deployed on the penalty kill.
If you’re WBS, you’ve got to hope McGroarty is alright. He has been a big part of WBS’s second-half playoff push, and missing him for the playoff run would be a huge loss.
- At the start of the second period, Sullivan opted to swap Koivunen and McGroarty, giving each of them the opportunity to work with and gel with the another all-time great center. Koivunen shifted to Crosby’s line, and McGroarty shifted to Evgeni Malkin’s line.
I was especially impressed with how Koivunen looked with Crosby. The pass on Karlsson’s goal was perfect, his hockey smarts are evident playing with Crosby and Malkin, and he has three points in five games.
He has literally done everything but score a goal. And that will certainly come soon enough.
- When you think about all-time conversations regarding defensemen, it’s pretty crazy what Karlsson has accomplished in his NHL career. And what’s even crazier is that he has more time and room to climb even further up the all-time lists before he hangs them up.
He is just the second Swedish-born defenseman in NHL history to score 200 goals. He is 24th all-time in goals among defensemen. He is 15th all-time in points among defensemen. He is just the second active defenseman to score 200 goals, with the other being Brent Burns.
"It's a nice [milestone]," Karlsson said. "I don't know if it is actually a milestone, though, but I'll take it. Obviously, I've been fortunate to play for a long time and score some goals over the years, and hopefully I've got 100 more in me."
In terms of blueliners, Karlsson will almost certainly end up top-10 all-time in points, has a good chance for top-seven in assists, and he has an outside shot at top-10 in goals.
Even if you’re part of the crowd who hasn’t particularly loved his output in Pittsburgh, stuff like this sometimes serves as a reminder to sit back and enjoy watching some all-time greats play hockey games for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
- Speaking of blueliners, Letang also climbed the all-time list. His third-period goal gave him sole possession of 22nd place on the all-time points list for defenseman, leapfrogging former Penguin Sergei Zubov.
He now needs just six points to surpass Rob Blake for sole possession of 21st all-time. Just like Karlsson, there’s still plenty of room for Letang to climb. Enjoy it while you can.
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- The Penguins head to New Jersey to face the Devils for their final road game of the season on Friday,, followed by the Boston Bruins at home on Sunday and fan appreciation night against the Washington Capitals on Thursday.
In the prior two seasons, the playoff race had gone down to the wire. The Penguins have been in the thick of it up until the final game.
You can sense there is a different tone in the locker room this season, given that they’ve already been eliminated. Even the players said it’s a bit hard to find the motivation to lay it all out on the line during the final stretch with nothing to play for as a team.
But, as Karlsson pointed out, there is still a lot for individuals to play for - as well as a sense of pride in winning hockey games.
“I think everybody's obviously playing for something, and we know that we haven't played the way that we wanted this year," Karlsson said. "But, it feels like the approach the last few games have been the same as they have been throughout the year, which makes it a little bit easier. It starts with Sid and the big guys, and they're preparing the same way every day."
Maybe it’s not the best scenario for the Penguins to win the majority of their final games, as it affects their draft position. But don’t expect these guys to lay an egg. They’re simply not built that way.
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