Pens Get Big Win, And A Huge Loss

The Pittsburgh Penguins tonight were able to escape Dallas with 2 points, but sustained a loss from a hit that was not only not legal, but it may end up being season changing.     

That was not it though, Steve Sullivan also went down in the third period and did not return.      The Hit to Kris Letang will probably end up ending his season which is unfortunate.     After listening to NHL on NBC  and the 3 analysts on that show just pound away at each other over whether or not the hit was suspendable or a bad hit I have come to my own conclusion.     Yes, most of the Letang hit was on his shoulder and chest, though he did get some of his chin though that to me is not the issue.    The Fact that Nystrom made no effort to play the puck, is what has to change.      Mike Jones, you are right about that.      Though, the hit in my opinion is a suspend able hit.

That being said, the Penguins were able to pull out a victory, and Malkin did not score a goal.    Jaime Benn for the Stars started off the scoring in the first period to make the game 1-0.       Benn has been one of Dallas’s standouts all season, and he played well again tonight.    In fact, the entire first line was the line that did the most damage against the Pens, as it has in most games this season.      That has really been the issue, The Dallas stars really do not have scorers outside of the top line.

Steve Sullivan scored late in the first period to tie the game up at 1.    Sullivan has been on a tear lately, which is unfortunate for the Penguins with them losing him in the third period to what was described later as a lower body injury.

Sheldon Souray scored with less than 20 seconds left in the second period to give the Stars a  lead going into the intermission.

The Penguins came out scoring in the 3rd period with a Craig Adams goal at around the 4 minute mark of the period to make it 2-2.     Chris Kunitz then scored less than a minute later to make the game 3-2.       It only took dallas a few minutes before Michael Ryder tied things up.      That is the way it stayed all the way into through the end of the period, and then the overtime period.       Marc Andre Fleury played well, but he really earned his money late in the game consistently stopped pucks when necessary.       He was sensational.

The game went into a shootout when each team exchanged goals.      Finally, Pasqual Dupuis scored a 3rd goal in the shootout for Pittsburgh, and Marc Andre Fleury made that one stick, and it was all over.

Dallas played a great game, and out played the Pens though not by much.    The real difference in the game was the depth of the Penguins.      Dallas lacks offense once they take the first line off the ice.     They play hard defense, but you have to be able to score goals from more than one line.     The Penguins play their next game on Saturday.

If you would like to follow me on Twitter you can at Sports Monger, and on Facebook at Pittsburgh Sports Monger.        You can catch up to the minute Penguins news on Sports Monger Radio either via podcast, or live on Friday Nights at 11pm.