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In a season full of lows for the Pittsburgh Penguins, there have been some bright spots.
And their top players have one of them.
On Friday, the Penguins rallied from a two-goal deficit and scored four unanswered goals to defeat the New Jersey Devils, 4-2. And their top players led the way.
Evgeni Malkin had a goal and two points, Sidney Crosby scored the game-winner, and Bryan Rust set a new career-high when he scored his 29th goal of the season on the empty net in the waning minutes of the third period. Newly recalled forward Valtteri Puustinen also added a power-play goal.
It was quite the night for the big guys. And Rust continues to prove why he's one of the more underrated wingers in the game.
"For me, it's special," Rust said of setting his new career-high in goals. "Obviously, the team success is first, and you want to win games, win championships. But, second to that is personal success, so anytime you can hit new milestones and get new career-highs - especially after 10 years - that kind of means you're probably doing something right."
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The Devils got off to a great start in this one. They scored their first goal just 15 seconds into the game, when forward Erik Haula managed to get behind the Penguins' defense for a breakaway opportunity and didn't miss. They went up 2-0 just six minutes later on an Ondrej Palat goal just after the expiration of a Devils' power play.
"We didn't have the start that we wanted," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "That's hockey. What I loved about tonight was the resilience, or the certain resolve, where we didn't let it snowball. And it could have."
But, as Sullivan said, it didn't snowball - and a lot of that had to do with the Penguins' power play.
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Penguins' Crosby On Pace To Become Sixth Player To Score 90 Points At 37 Or OlderPittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is on the cusp of NHL history (again). With 87 points in 77 games, he's just three points shy of 90 for the season, possibly three consecutive seasons of reaching the plateau. After Malkin cut the Devils' lead to one before the end of the first period, the Penguins got a quick power play opportunity at the beginning of the second when Devils defenseman Brett Pesce went off for hooking. Following some solid movement on the man advantage, Malkin threw the puck toward the net, and it hit Puustinen on the way in. That goal tied the game at 2-2.
Then, in the third period, Crosby took advantage of a high-sticking penalty by former Penguin Cody Glass, who was dealt to New Jersey at the trade deadline. Solid, simple puck movement was, again, at the forefront of the tally, as power play quarterback Matt Grzelcyk distributed a crisp pass to Rust, who found Crosby on the back door to give the Penguins the 3-2 lead.
Rust added the insurance empty-netter after, but it was the power play - now ranked seventh in the league after scoring in six straight games - that earned the Penguins the clean two points.
The man advantage has been another bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season from the Penguins.
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"I think we're just playing really simple," said Grzelcyk, whose two points on the night put him just two shy of hitting 40 on the season. "We're really effective moving the puck, and we kind of don't really have one set play that we like to run. We're getting all five guys involved. And I thought we did a good job of that tonight, just kind of spreading them out, getting them on the run a little bit... and then plays open up from there."
It also helps the power play when the team's stars are shining through. And, despite the situation the Penguins find themselves in - missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season - every guy in the room knows that the team has a lot to play for.
And it starts with the collection of future hall-of-famers in that locker room.
"We're not onto the playoffs, but we have a lot of pride on the line," Grzelcyk said. "We want to build something for years to come. There's so many great players who have played here for a long time, and we owe to them to keep battling and not give up on the season. I think we've done a good job of that ever since we've been eliminated."
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Like Ovechkin's Capitals, Penguins Owe It To Crosby To Right The ShipOn Sunday, the hockey world got to witness Alexander Ovechkin - The Great “8” - surpass The Great “One” for the most goals in NHL history.Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
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