Penguins Regain Equilibrium And Defeat Lightning, 2-1; Lose Malkin

The hockey spirits were antsy yesterday.

And not just in Tampa, where the Pittsburgh Penguins regained their equilibrium after two straight defeats by scoring two goals in the third period to come back and beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1.

Pascal Dupuis and Sergei Gonchar scored just under three minutes apart in the first half of the third period to erase a second period marker by Lightning Captain Vincent LeCavalier.

Pittsburgh got back to its game in this one -- especially in the third period. They outshot Tampa Bay 39-22 overall and were rewarded with Gonchar's power play marker.

Remember the abysmal power play I talked so much about earlier this year? Well, Pittsburgh has now scored a power play goal in 9 of the last 13 games.

Aside from the victory and the 2 points in the standings that came with it, the Penguins were also rewarded when Captain Sidney Crosby went down with a grotesque-looking injury less than 40 seconds into the contest, but came back to action not long thereafter with no apparent ill effects.

Crosby was hurt when Lightning winger Steve Downie backchecked Crosby along the near boards and, as he was doing so, lifted up his left leg in the air and almost held it in position for a few seconds right behind Crosby's right knee, before slew-legging Sid and pulling him down with his right knee and ankle underneath him.

The Pens' Captain stayed down for a little while before skating to the bench without putting any weight on his leg. After the game, he described the play as 'scary', and said that after the initial stinger, he was okay. After questioning Downie's actions on the play, Crosby said it might have been worse if the ice wasn't fresh. As it was, according to Crosby, his skate didn't get stuck in the ice and he was able to just glide out of it.

Here's the play:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHeh3tyUL10

I, too, have no idea what Downie is doing there. I've never seen a player just glide in position behind an opponent like that with his leg up before doing what Downie did. Although, something like that is probably not beneath a guy like Downie. The former Philadelphia Flyer has never had the greatest reputation and is second in the league in penalty minutes this season. Somehow, though, he's turned himself into at least a semi-competent player at the same time, managing 40 points and a +18 on the year.

He's also playing on Tampa Bay's top line with Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis, and not looking out of place in doing it either.

Nevertheless, he's fortunate Crosby wasn't hurt, or he might have been on the receiving end of more abuse than he took from Crosby's teammates. Tyler Kennedy -- back into the lineup after being scratched for 2 games and finding himself on Sid's line that shift -- confronted Downie about it, but that was pretty much the extent of the retribution the Penguins sought. Again, that was likely because Crosby came back to play with no apparent problem.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the Penguins' other tower of power, Evgeni Malkin, who left the game late in the second period after being hit with a deflected shot off the stick of teammate Kris Letang and did not return.

Malkin was seen favoring his left leg after the game and Head Coach Dan Bylsma said he was unsure of the severity of the injury.

Right now, it's being called a bone bruise, but Malkin will be re-evaluated back in Pittsburgh today, where the Penguins have decided to fly home before traveling to New Jersey and Boston to finish their 5-game road slate on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

While I think it's possible Malkin might miss some short term action, it doesn't appear as if he'll be out for an extended period. I guess we'll see.

Meanwhile, the Penguins weren't the only team with stars in controversy over questionable hits yesterday.

Washington Capitals' star and Captain Alexander Ovechkin was at it again in their game in Chicago against the Blackhawks when he pushed Hawks' defenseman Brian Campbell hard into the boards from behind to the right of the Chicago goal.

Ovechkin got a 5-minute boarding major and a game misconduct -- his 3rd such misconduct this season -- for his trouble. Don't be surprised if the Blackhawks deem that to be insufficient punishment because news started circulating late last night that Campbell may very well miss the remainder of the season after suffering a fractured clavicle and broken ribs on the play.

Ovechkin's hit is sure to stir up plenty of emotion and debate at a time when injuries to players as a result of senseless acts are a hot topic around the league and at the NHL office.

Here's a look at that play:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb6EfttNhGI

While the play seems innocent enough, it happened at high speed, which is why the Campbell's collision into the boards was so hard. And it's also why people will wonder why it was necessary at all.

Personally, I don't think the shove was so removed from Campbell dishing the puck away that you can say it was late. On the other hand, you certainly can't help but detect that this type of thing is a pattern in Ovechkin's game and decision-making.

Some would say the same thing about Matt Cooke.

Ovechkin, like Cooke, is definitely not a guy that errs on the side of avoiding contact. When there's even a chance for a hit, he'll push the envelope and go for it rather than pulling up. And, the fact that Ovechkin does everything out on the ice at such high tempo increases the risk for a negative consequence when he does.

Anyway, I don't think Ovechkin will be suspended, but I'm anxious to hear what everyone says about it in the next day or two.

More on the Penguins' tomorrow.


NOTES:

Kennedy's return to the Pens' lineup made forward Max Talbot a healthy scratch. And Talbot wasn't the only one to take a seat in the press box without an injury, either. Defenseman Alex Goligoski also did that, when Bylsma opted to play defenseman Jay McKee in his place. McKee looked strong yesterday, too. It will be interesting to see what Bylsma does from a lineup standpoint in the rematch against the Devils on Wednesday. Of course, that may be influenced by whether or not Geno will be able to play.