Gonchar Leads Pens to Victory

He's back. Gonchar had 2 goals and an assist Saturday in Toronto.

The good news is that Sergei Gonchar returned to the Pens lineup Saturday night and scored two goals in a 4-1 victory. The bad news (seems like there’s been a bit of that lately) is that Brooks Orpik left the game early in the first period with an undisclosed injury.

First, the good. Gonchar fired two absolute lasers past Toronto goalie Jonas Gustavsson and added an assist after missing the past four games. Gonchar’s first goal is sure to be a topic of conversation for some time. His shot was not initially ruled a goal on the ice, and Toronto’s Alexei Ponikarovsky ended up with a shorthanded breakaway a short time later. Gonchar clearly hooked him, and a penalty shot was awarded to Toronto. After review, however, the goal counted and Gonchar was sent to the box for hooking. Per NHL rules, the penalty shot was voided because two goals cannot be scored at the same time. It’s believed to be the first time ever a player scored a goal and took a penalty at the same time – WEIRD.

Now, the bad. Orpik left after playing only 2:57. I believe he was injured on a seemingly innocuous collision with Toronto’s Niklas Hagman. After watching a replay of the hit, it looks like Orpik may have injured his right knee or right shoulder. We can only hope it isn’t serious. Losing #44 for a prolonged period of time would NOT be a good thing.

As for the game itself, Sidney Crosby chipped in with a goal and an assist. Early in the third, Sid absolutely undressed Toronto defenseman Tomas Kaberle before tipping the puck past Gustavsson with only one hand on his stick. Very slick move. He also set up Guerin’s first-period goal.

I should also mention Marc-Andre Fleury, who made 42 saves. That’s right – 42 saves. He’s now 9-3-0 in his last 12 games after being pulled. Way to bounce back, MAF.

Pens at Minnesota Monday. The game’s on Versus, so I’ll be listening to Mike Lange and Phil Bourque.

Random Thoughts:

• Mark Eaton may have made the play of the game eight minutes into the second with the score tied 1-1. He skated like a bat out of hell and caught Hagman, who was on a breakaway, just in time to legally lift Hagman’s stick just enough to completely disrupt his shot. No goal, game’s still tied. What a freakin’ play.
• The Pens played another team who was coming off a game the night before. Not to beat a dead horse (I’ve mentioned this in a previous post), but the Pens are now 7-3-1 in those games. From Bob Errey: “The Penguins really got the breaks from the schedule makers.” I couldn’t agree more.