Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore's long shot from the point that made its way through a sea of bodies in front 1:26 into the third broke a 2-2 tie, but the Penguins kept the pressure on Thompson until the rookie finally gave way. "They didn’t get discouraged when they got down a couple of goals early in the game. “I thought the guys competed really hard all night,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. Tristan Jarry finished off a 34-save performance by weathering a late flurry to win for the fifth time in his last six starts.īrock McGinn and Rikard Rakell also scored for Pittsburgh, which handed the Golden Knights just their second road loss in regulation this season. Guentzel's power-play goal 7:33 into the third tied the game at 3, and Kapanen's first goal in nearly two months 112 seconds later put the Penguins in front for the first time. "I think (we) just tried to pull together and get a win for (Letang),” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. Letang's teammates picked up the slack against Vegas, peppering Golden Knights rookie goaltender Logan Thompson with 47 shots, four of which found their way by him as Pittsburgh snapped a two-game skid. While Letang skated at the team's practice facility on Thursday morning just three days after suffering his second stroke, there's no timetable for his possible return. Jake Guentzel and Kasperi Kapanen scored less than two minutes apart in the third period as the Penguins rallied past the Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights to win for the first time since Letang's stunning diagnosis. They may have landed on a formula on how to get by without their star defenseman while he recovers from a stroke during a 4-3 comeback victory over Vegas on Thursday night. PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Penguins have no idea how long they'll have to play without Kris Letang. NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights PHN will have full coverage, including a candid locker room conversation from Friday.Guentzel, Kapanen fuel rally as Penguins slip by Vegas 4-3 Sunday will be Kris Letang’s 1000th game. Anything less cedes control of the situation. With six remaining, they probably must win four to assure themselves a playoff spot. The bad news for the Penguins is that they must start winning games and do so consistently. The good news for the Penguins is both teams can’t win Tuesday. Then they have the Minnesota Wild, battling for first in the Central Division, on Thursday at PPG Paints Arena.įlorida has five games left their next two are against Buffalo (Tuesday) and Ottawa (Thursday). They face the New Jersey Devils, who are battling for first in the Metro, at the Prudential Center. The Penguins’ two games after Philadelphia will not be easy, either. Anything less than a resounding effort against Philadelphia Sunday will be unacceptable, and anything but a win means they no longer control their fate. If they didn’t believe they could miss the playoffs, perhaps this is the wake-up call. The Penguins have one game in hand on Florida. Only late heroics by Evgeni Malkin in the final 90 seconds averted disaster.Ī season of inconsistency, or to use coach Mike Sullivan’s term, “volatility,” has come home to roost. The Penguins also nearly lost after establishing a 3-0 third period lead against the Washington Capitals last Saturday. They lost to an ECHL goalie on home ice against Ottawa, and Montreal is currently one of the favorites in the #TankforBedard sweepstakes. They were tied with the long-ago-faded Detroit Red Wings in the third period Tuesday before losing 7-4. If the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 16-year playoff streak ends, there will be nobody to blame but themselves. While their wild-card opponents have taken advantage of bottom-feeders, the Penguins have lost to Detroit, Ottawa, and Montreal in their last 10 games, which made the loss to Boston sting all the more. The Penguins’ locker room was in a bad mood Saturday, as they should have been. Our colleagues at Florida Hockey Now had full coverage of the Florida Panthers’ big night.
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