Game Recap: Comeback Comes Up Short, Penguins Fall to Red Wings 6-3

Recap

After four days off following their back-to-back wins over Washington and Calgary, the Pittsburgh Penguins headed into Hockeytown for a showdown with the red hot Detroit Red Wings.

Last night’s game got off to a hot start. 53 seconds in, Evgeni Malkin carried the puck into Detroit’s zone and dropped it back to Reilly Smith. Malkin cut across the ice, and received a perfect pass from Smith for a backdoor tap in. Just over 24 hours after being snubbed from ESPN’s Top 100 Player Predictions, Malkin continued his hot start with seven points through four games.

That goal was the end of Pittsburgh’s good fortune. They couldn’t get anything going— even during a power play— and twelve minutes after Malkin’s goal, after an abysmal attempted hit by Chad Ruhwedel— if you can even call it that— Austin Czarnik breaks into Pittsburgh’s zone and threads a pass through PO Joseph and Noel Acciari to find Alex DeBrincat for a backdoor tap in. Sound familiar?

Things went from bad to worse for Pittsburgh in the second period. Less than five minutes in, Dylan Larkin puts PO Joseph in a blender, and Ben Chiarot finds the back of the net while Tristan Jarry is being perfectly screened by Chad Ruhwedel… his own teammate. Rough night for Pittsburgh’s 3rd defense pairing, and it’s not even over.

The game was truly lost during the last five minutes of the 2nd period. Former Penguin Jeff Petry fires a clapper that’s deflected in by Andrew Copp, who is completely open in front of the net. Former Penguin David Perron picks up a rebound in front of the net and converts on a power play drawn by former Penguin Daniel Sprong. Why does this always happen to us?!

Oh, and then come the extracurriculars in the final minute of the 2nd period. After Dylan Larkin takes a hooking penalty, he ends up dropping the gloves with Marcus Pettersson— who just five days prior fought Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals. Less than 40 seconds later, Evgeni Malkin and Moritz Seider roughed it up.

I would pay to have been a fly on the wall in the locker room during 2nd period intermission, because the Penguins entered the 3rd period playing with fire. Four minutes in, Sidney Crosby finds Erik Karlsson who wires home his first goal as a Pittsburgh Penguin. Two minutes later, Andrew Copp is awarded a penalty shot after being hooked by Kris Letang while on a shorthanded breakaway, but Copp is denied by Tristan Jarry. With seven minutes to go in the game, Bryan Rust bats in a shot from Erik Karlsson, cutting Detroit’s lead to one.

Sadly, Pittsburgh’s attempted comeback falls just short. With the goalie pulled, Evgeni Malkin mishandles a pass from Erik Karlsson, and Andrew Copp finds the empty net. Mike Sullivan challenges the play for offsides, but after a lengthy review, the goal stands. Despite being down a man due to the failed coach’s challenge, Pittsburgh once again pulls the goalie… and Alex DeBrincat puts home his second goal of the game. Final score: Detroit Red Wings 6, Pittsburgh Penguins 3.

Takeaways

If you just looked at the final score, this certainly seems like a game to forget. A 6-3 loss is awful, right? Well… Pittsburgh showed a lot of fight through the final 20 minutes. Last year, this team likely would’ve laid down and died if they were down 4-1 at the start of the 3rd. Sure, there’s a lot to dislike. The Penguins clearly need at least one new 3rd pairing defenseman, and something’s gotta give in the bottom six. But the resilient attitude is commendable, and, hopefully, a sign of more to come. To quote Shoresy, it seems like these Penguins hate to lose.

MVP of the game: Erik Karlsson has arrived. With a goal and two assists, he gave Penguins fans everywhere a taste of why Kyle Dubas traded for him.