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Penguins, Malkin Flex in Powerful Offensive Outburst Win
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- Penguins, Malkin Flex in Powerful Offensive Outburst Win
Pittsburgh Penguins Game 7-2 Win Colorado Avlanche
DENVER —The Pittsburgh Penguins (34-18-15) scored four goals in the first period and chased Colorado Avalanche (44-13-9) starting goalie Scott Wedgewood just four minutes into the game. And Penguins star forward Evgeni Malkin returned from a five-game suspension and submitted an opening act quintessential to the essence of his illustrious 20-year career.
Malkin took a penalty on the first shift, then scored a pair of beautiful goals, and yet the game was far from decided. The Penguins were outshot 18-7 in the first period but led 4-2.
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But a pair of second-period goals and more Malkin offensive push put the game away for a 7-2 Penguins win at Ball Arena Monday.
The Penguins are now 2-1-1 in the first four games of their five-game road trip.
The first period did not lack speed, nor offensive chances, as NHL-leading Colorado and the Penguins sprinted end-to-end, both on special teams and for even-strength chances.
The Penguins killed off Malkin's terrible offensive zone penalty at 0:48, and then Malkin lifted his team with a full-speed rush and then spinning backhand goal moments after his penalty expired at 3:01. Bryan Rust and Malkin worked the quick give-and-go at the blue line.
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The Penguins' 1-0 lead was short-lived. Just 67 seconds later, their defensive zone coverage broke against the remarkably Colorado rush, and Nathan MacKinnon (45) was a wide-open trailer who beat Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs with a clean rip from the slot at 4:08.
However, the Penguins scored the next three goals with quick-strike efficiency.
Just 15 seconds after Colorado tied the game, Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson sprung Anthony Mantha 's breakaway with a pinpoint 125-foot pass. Mantha scored his sixth goal in his last six games with a quick backhand deke at 4:25 for a 2-1 lead.
The wild start didn't abate, but the teams were scoreless for a whole nine minutes until Egor Chinakhov jumped past a pair of Colorado defensemen, then slid a pass to Malkin streaking to the net. Malkin (15) beat Wedgewood with a backhand move at 13:00 for a 3-1 lead.
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And that was the end of the game for Wedgewood, replaced by MacKenzie Blackwood .
But wait, there was more.
Just 43 seconds after Malkin's second goal, the Penguins' fourth line pinned Colorado and kept the puck in the offensive zone. Connor Dewar deflected Karlsson's shot, and the 6-foot-8 Soderblom buried the rebound at 13:48 for a 4-1 lead.
However, in keeping with the firewagon hockey first period that had more action and even less dialogue than a John Wick movie, Colorado kept the game close with a goal 38 seconds later. The Penguins' loose defensive coverage allowed both uncovered players near the net and defenseman Brent Burns 's (10) shot from the high zone to deflect off defenders past Silovs at 14:21.
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The Colorado juggernaut appeared ready to repeat one of the biggest comebacks in franchise history and one of the Penguins' worst collapses. On March 24, 2024, Colorado erased a 4-0 Penguins lead for a 5-4 OT win.
But it was the Penguins who rallied in the second period, scoring both goals in the period.
Karlsson (7) earned his third point and his first goal at 10:36 of the second when his seeing-eye wrister through traffic lit the lamp for a 5-2 Penguins lead.
Late in the second, the Penguins' power play continued the team's laissez-faire defensive concept but counterattacked after a shorthanded Colorado rush. Malkin earned his third point by springing Bryan Rust (25) for a breakaway goal at 16:20 and a 6-2 lead.
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The Penguins sniped six goals on 15 shots through 36 minutes, and limited Colorado to just four shots in the second.
Noel Acciari (9) finished Soderblom's spinning backhand pass at 9:06 of the third by angling his skate for the not-a-kick deflection and a 7-2 Penguins win.
The game was also complete with late-game fists. Evgeni Malkin tried to fight a crowd of Colorado players, and then defenseman Connor Clifton rudely pummeled Colorado forward Jack Drury .
Colorado has hit a mini slump and has lost three of their last four games. With the win, the Penguins extended their playoff cushion over the Columbus Blue Jackets to four points, and two points ahead of the New York Islanders for second. Columbus has one game in hand and plays the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday. The Islanders and the Penguins have played the same number of games (67).
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Silovs was quite good, stopping 25 of 27. Wedgewood stopped seven of 10 shots before getting the hook from coach Jared Bednar. Blackwood stopped 11 of 15.
The loss was only Colorado's sixth regulation loss at home this season (23-6-4).
The Penguins conclude their five-game continent-trotting road trip that began in Carolina before stops in Vegas , Utah, and Colorado, and back in Carolina Wednesday.
The post Penguins, Malkin Flex in Powerful Offensive Outburst Win appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now .
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