The Penguins can't keep doing this to me. I won't make it through the season.
Just like in games against the Devils, Rangers, Capitals, and Oilers earlier this year, the Penguins blew a mulitple goal lead last night against the Flyers at home.
After going up 3-0 on the strength of Matt Cooke's first goal of the year, a beautiful backhand by Malkin to the far top corner, and a better backhand by Crosby to the near short side top corner, the Penguins insisted on making things interesting.
Again.
The Flyers kicked things off in the second period by scoring a fluke goal that deflected past Fleury. Then Flyers' RW Simon Gagne took over.
With the Penguins in the middle of a 1-for-7 performance on the power play, Gagne blocked a shot by Alex Goligoski that went the other way. He managed to outmuscle past GoGo between center ice and the Penguins' blue line, then went in alone on Fleury holding off fellow point man Malkin who was chasing him before avoiding a Fleury poke-check and depositing a nice backhander behind him for a shorthanded goal.
Gagne wasn't finished there.
On the next Penguins power play, the Flyers broke in shorthanded on a 2-on-1 after 4 Penguins crashed the net trying to get another puck past Philadelphia netminder Martin Biron. Gagne took a pass at the top of the near circle and one timed a laser into the top corner over Fleury's glove hand.
Talk about momentum changers.
Then, with about 4 seconds left in the 2nd period, the Flyers took a point shot that caromed up into the air. Fleury didn't know where it was until it landed behind him and settled in the net to send Philadelphia into the second intermission with a 4-3 lead --- and to send the Penguins into the locker room on their heels.
I can only imagine what coach Michel Therrein had to say during that intermission.
Obviously that will remain private but, to send a public message or otherwise, Dany Sabourin replaced Fleury to start the 3rd period.
I don't fault Fleury that much for the Flyers' 4 goals. 2 were flukes, and 2 were brilliant plays by the best Philadelphia forward.
What can you do?
The 3rd period was played much closer to the vest, and it looked like the Penguins might go down again after having blown a big lead. Until the Captain took a pass in the slot and one-timed a quick wrister by Biron to tie the game with 2:33 left.
After a scoreless overtime, the game went to a shootout.
Petr Sykora, Kris Letang, Crosby, Malkin and Miroslav Satan were the first 5 shooters for the Penguins. Only Malkin really came close to scoring.
For the Flyers, Mike Richards, Gagne, Jeff Carter, Kimmo Timmonen, and Joffrey Lupul all were shown the door by Sabourin. Timmonen hit the post and Richards, in particular, was robbed by Sabourin. After he left Dany on the parkway headed to the airport following a deke, he had an empty net, but Sabourin made a last ditch effort with his stick and unbelievably kept the puck out.
The Penguins 6th shooter, GoGo, was somehow able to tuck a puck under Biron.
Once the Flyers trotted out their 6th man -- bunyon Scott Hartnell -- I knew it was over. And that was before he lost control of the puck just past the blueline.
Hartnell tried a fake slapshot then a deke, but was beyond his means. He again lost control of the puck and basically tried to bowl over Sabourin.
I hate that A-hole.
Anyway, Sabourin rung up the zero and the Penguins escaped with 2 more points to win their 5th straight game and run their record to 10-4-2.
This is their best start to the season in 13 years.
Malkin's goal (and assist he added later) ran his league high point streak to 12 games. He has 23 points in that span.
Aside from an awful power play that only capitalized on 1 out of 7 chances and gave up 2 shorthanded goals to-boot, the Penguins have been cranking it up offensively of late. In their 5-game winning streak, they've scored 6, 5, 4, 7 and 5 goals.
They next face a good Buffalo Sabres team at the Igloo on Saturday. The Flightless Birds will wear their new (old) third throwback powder-blue jerseys in the game.
No word on whether Buffalo is going to use their old school 3rd jersey with the sabre crest and 2 swords. Those are some classic digs back to the days of Pat La-la-la-la-lafontaine and Alexander Mogilny. Hell, they even go back as far as the Gilbert Perreaut era.
Let's hope the Pens' can keep it going.
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