Ever since the Ducks won 4-2 in Pittsburgh on Dec. 17, the
Penguins have been almost unbeatable and Anaheim hasn't been able to win again
anywhere.
When the Penguins got a rematch in Orange County on Friday
night, Jake Guentzel and Phil Kessel made
sure both teams continued on the same trajectories.
Guentzel scored three times, Kessel got the tiebreaking goal
midway through the third period and Pittsburgh rallied from an early three-goal
deficit for a 7-4 victory over the Ducks, sending Anaheim to its 10th
consecutive loss.
Tanner
Pearson scored the tying goal midway through the third and
added another with 3:25 left for the Penguins, who roared back with a four-goal
third period for their 10th win in 11 games since that home loss to Anaheim.
The Penguins didn't think they deserved to be down 3-0 after the first period,
and they swiftly showed why.
All in all the Penguins played a very good hockey game. The
penguins knew they were down 3-0 but they felt like they did some good things
in the first period. However the Penguins continue to play there style of game
and it paid off.
Matt Murray stopped
21 shots, Evgeni Malkin added
a goal and three assists, and Kessel had three points in a bountiful
performance by Pittsburgh's offensive stars. Guentzel scored two goals in the
second period and added an empty-netter to wrap up his second hat trick of the
season in a wild opener to Pittsburgh's five-game West Coast road trip.
The win over the ducks was a good confidence-builder for the
Penguins. The Penguins as a team are hard to defend against. Those are good
signs of a good hockey team when you get different contributions at different
times."
Jakob
Silfverberg scored a go-ahead, short-handed goal late in the
second period, but the Ducks dropped to 0-7-3 since that win in Pittsburgh last
month.
John Gibson made
29 saves against his hometown team, but was shredded in the third period along
with Anaheim's struggling defense.
Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said he's never been through a
losing streak to compare with his team's current malaise.
If you watched the game you could tell that the Ducks
stopped playing in the second period. The Ducks weren’t able to keep up with
the speed of the Penguins. It seems like when the ducks had to reach back for
more energy or stiffness with they were unable to do it.
Nick Ritchie, Ryan Getzlaf and Daniel Sprong scored
in the first period, but the Ducks couldn't maintain their start. Guentzel
scored twice and Malkin got another as the Penguins erased Anaheim's lead in an
11-minute span of the second period.
Pittsburgh then trailed 4-3 midway through the third before
Pearson and Kessel scored 48 seconds apart. Kessel put the Pens ahead by taking
the puck away from Jacob Larsson and
shrugging off the defenseman's checks to score on his own rebound.
Both of these longtime playoff contenders got off to slow
starts this season, but only Pittsburgh has managed to maintain its recovery.
Although the Ducks' four goals matched their total from
their previous four games combined, Anaheim's overall slump shows no signs of
abating after an 0-3-3 homestand.
The Ducks had it going early for a change in the first
period. The Ducks had a 3 goal lead that they couldn’t hold. The Ducks to dumb
penalties and the Penguins power play is one of the best.
GAME NOTES
Crosby had one assist and didn't record a shot on goal, but Sullivan praised his dominant performance. ... Sprong was traded from Pittsburgh to Anaheim last month for defenseman Marcus Pettersson. He has six goals in his first 5 1/2 weeks with the Ducks. ... Guentzel recorded his fourth multi-goal game of the year and secured his second career 20-goal season. ... Pittsburgh scratched Patric Hornqvist, who incurred an apparent concussion in Tuesday's win over Florida. ... Anaheim scratched forward Pontus Aberg for the second straight game. He was tied for the team lead with 11 goals, but hasn't scored in his last seven appearances.
UP NEXT
PENGUINS: At
the Los Angeles
Kings on Saturday, the second stop on a five-game Pacific
Division swing.
DUCKS: At
the Winnipeg Jets on
Sunday to open a five-game road trip.
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