Thursday, March 1, 2018

Black and yellow battle in Boston

By: MF,

The Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves back on the road to take on the Boston Bruins. The Penguins are looking to snap a two-game losing streak, after having both their winning streak and home winning streak snapped in back-to-back games.

On the injury front, Zach Aston-Reese is the newly added Penguin with an upper-body injury. He was injured during practice and Head Coach, Mike Sullivan stated that it's a longer-term injury. Also, on the list is Matt Murray who is still recovering from a concussion he sustained during practice.

Not much to add to that. Tonight, the Penguins need to focus on starting the game will speed and pressure. They haven't had good starts in the last two games and that has allowed the opponents to take advantage. After that, the Penguins need up playing catch up, which hasn't been working out. Lets Go Pens!

The Pens lineup is as follows:

Forwards
Guentzel - Crosby - Rust
Hagelin - Malkin - Hornqvist
Sheary - Brassard - Kessel
Kuhnhackl - Sheahan - Rowney

Defense
Dumoulin - Letang
Maatta - Schultz
Hunwick - Oleksiak

DeSmith in the net!

Play - by - Play
Pens 4 Bruins 8

3rd Period
0:00 - That does it for this one. The Bruins dominate the Pens with an 8-4 win. 

3:00 - Power play time expires. Some great chances on that power play for the Pens, but they are unable to capitalize. 

5:00 - Chara goes for holding and the Pens get a power play. 

6:24 - Rust controls the puck and goes to the back of the net. His wrap-around chance is denied by Rask. 

10:35 - A successful penalty kill. 

12:35 - Slashing penalty goes to Maatta. Bruins to the power play. 

14:45 - MAATTA SCORES HIS SECOND OF THE NIGHT! The Pens win an offensive zone faceoff and the puck goes back to the point. Maatta fires from the blue line and it goes off two Bruin bodies before finding its way past Rask. 8-4 Bruins

14:49 - Rask denies Rust in front. The game has calmed down a bit. 

18:43 - Power play time is up for the Pens. 

20:00 - The third period is underway! Not sure what to say, except that I hope the Pens hold the Bruins to eight goals. Lets Go Pens! 


2nd Period
0:00 - Finally, the second period is over. The Bruins extend their lead to 8-3. 

0:44 - The referees have lost control of this game and now it's showing. Power play going to the Pens as Krug is called for interference. 

1:23 - Nash throws Letang into the net. The referees make no call. 

1:57 - Bruins...Bruins...Bruins. The Pens pulled DeSmith, no change. They get some power plays, nothing. Even a fight doesn't wake them up fully. 

2:18 - Pastrnak scores. Chara puts the puck right in the wheelhouse of Pastrnak at the side of the net. He has an open net shot. 8-3 Bruins

5:27 - Krejci scores on the power play. Hat-trick. Krejci finds himself all alone at the side of the net again. Jarry tires to dive back to deny him, but he has no chance. 7-3 Bruins

6:33 - Now the Bruins will get a power play. Hunwick to the sin bin for tripping. 

9:10 - Two of the biggest players on the ice decide to drop the gloves. Oleksiak and Chara both get some punches in before deciding to end things mutually. The crowd was loving it. 

10:00 - Power play time comes to an end. A great power play by the Pens, but Rask comes up big for the Bruins. Hornqvist was getting bullied left and right in front of the net, but he holds strong. He is such a hard-working player. 

12:00 - A critical power-play chance for the Pens as Pastrnak heads to the box for hooking. 

12:22 - Maatta and Marchand have been set free. 

14:22 - We are getting some more four-on-four hockey as Maatta is called for tripping and Marchand is ticketed with embellishment. 

15:00 - Malkin and Schaller are set free. 

16:13 - Krejci and McAvoy get a two-on-one...almost zero...chance. Krejci goes to McAvoy, but his shot is denied by the pad of Jarry. The odd-man rush was due to a turnover by Kessel in the neutral zone. 

16:39 - Guentzel and Brad Marchand exchange a few words and hits. Things are getting chippy.  

17:00 - McAvoy comes out of nowhere and lays a hard hit on Hornqvist. They start to shove each other and a disagreement breaks out with players gathering to defend their respective teammates. Malkin and Tim Schaller get matching roughing minors. 

17:44 - Krejci scores his second of the night. A power-play goal. The Bruins power play had been held off well by the Pens until the Bruins won a puck battle on the side boards. At the point, Nick Holden finds Krejci at the side of the net all alone at the side of the net. He puts it in the wide-open net. 6-3 Bruins

19:32 - Jarry with a solid save to start the period. However, Dumoulin ends up taking a holding penalty. A power play chance for the Bruins. Another huge kill ahead for the Pens. 

20:00 - Time for the second period! The Pens need to clean up their game, defensively, and try to get more sustain pressure going in the Bruins zone. Lets Go Pens! 


1st Period
0:00 - That will do it for the first period. The Bruins hold the 5-3 lead. 

0:03 - SHEAHAN SCORES! Sheahan blocks a shot and ends up gaining control of the puck. As the period is coming to an end, Sheahan races up the ice and enters the zone. He slaps a quick one on net and beats Rask short side. 5-3 Bruins

0:53 - Power play time expires. Maatta fires a shot from the point, but Rask is able to make the save even with traffic in front. 

2:53 - A huge chance for the Pens to gain some ground as Krejci takes a seat for tripping. Power play time. 

3:14 - Rowney seems to score, but the play is under review as he did kick the puck with his skate. The referees ruled it a no goal as the puck was kicked in. 

3:53 - Torey Krug scores. Krug fires from the point and beats Jarry glove side. Jarry has to make that save there. 5-2 Bruins
4:29 - Pens are being outplayed defensively. They are getting beat in the faceoff circle and being outshot. 

5:41 - Chara giving it to Hornqvist after he laid a hard hit on Charlie McAvoy. Hornqvist leveled him. Well, that is Hornqvist being himself. 

7:11 - David Backes scores. Backes fires a bad angle shot from the top of the faceoff circle that beats Jarry, blocker side. Just unreal. 4-2 Bruins

8:20 - A two-on-one chance for the Bruins and Krejci's shot goes off the far goalpost. 

8:41 - Bruins still with some good speed and pressure. A fast pace to this game.  

10:33 - KESSEL SCORES! Malkin dumps in the puck and Hornqvist goes chasing after it. He forces Chara to turnover the puck behind the net. Kessel gets the puck at the side of the net and banks the puck off Rask into the net. 3-2 Bruins

10:53 - A successful penalty kill. 

12:53 - Terrible time to take a penalty, but that is exactly what the Pens do. Dumoulin is called for high-sticking and the Bruins are headed back onto the power play. 

13:55 - Bruins still having their way in the offensive zone. The Pens really need to figure something out. 

14:33 - DeSmith is done for the night and Jarry will replace him in the net. I feel bad for DeSmith as the Pens haven't played well in front of him, but maybe this will wake them up. 

14:33 - Nash scores on the power play. Torey Krug puts the puck right in front of the net for Nash, who has the inside position on Oleksiak. He redirects the puck past DeSmith. No chance for DeSmith. 3-1 Bruins

15:27 - The first power play of the game goes to the Bruins as Malkin sits for interference. Malkin is very upset with the call. Critical penalty kill. The Pens need to stop the bleeding. 

17:07 - David Pastrnak scores. The Bruins are able to protect the puck, which allows for Pastrnak to get a shot off with some bodies in front of the net. The puck goes over DeSmith and slowly trickles over the goal line. DeSmith had no idea where the puck was. 2-1 Bruins

18:15 - David Krejci scores. Rick Nash comes flying down the wing into the offensive zone and backhands a pass to the front of the net. Krejci crashes the net and is able to redirect the puck past DeSmith. 1-1 tie game.  

19:25 - MAATTA SCORES! The Pens dump in the puck and it goes around the boards. Malkin finds the puck at the side boards and goes across the center to Maatta, who beats Tuukka Rask blocker side. 1-0 Pens 

19:47 - Zdeno Chara forces a turnover in the Pens' zone. Riley Nash is able to get a quality shot off, but DeSmith is ready to make the save. 

20:00 - Puck drop in Boston! Pens need to put on the pressure early and take control. Lets Go Pens! 

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