Once again eschewing their preferred run-and-gun style in favor of a more focused, controlled game, the Penguins staved off a late Canadiens push last night at PPG Paints Arena to prevail, 3-1. In the process bagging their second win in a row.
Sidney Crosby notched a pair of goals, including a power-play marker late in the second period, to pace the black-and-gold attack. Between the pipes, Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 25 of 26 shots for his second strong start in a row.
A good thing, too. After unleashing 16 of our 24 shots on goal during an active second period, we spent most of the final period pinned in our zone as the speedy, young Habs pressed for the equalizer. The contest wasn’t decided until Blake Lizotte zipped home an empty-netter with 45 seconds to play to seal the victory.
Still, thanks to our turtle-shell defense we were able to protect a lead at crunch time. We’ll see how our new-found discipline holds up as we take to the road this week for match-ups against the Islanders, Hurricanes and Metro-leading Capitals.
Sid-sational
With four goals and three assists in his past three games, Sid’s been on a heater since coach Mike Sullivan placed him between Evgeni Malkin and Rickard Rakell.
