The Pittsburgh Penguins stole a win from the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday with a 3-2 victory. With that win, the Penguins have climbed to second in the Metropolitan Division.
This was a crucial game for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Heading into the game, they were one point behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for second place in the Metropolitan. We all knew it was a must win, and we did not want to fall any further than we have already.
First Period
The first period started out quick and hard-battled, but that didn’t stop the Pens. Nearing the halfway point of the first, Jake Guentzel tipped in a great pass in front of the net to make it 1-0.
Jake Guentzel: 2 goals in his last 2 games and 12 points (6G-6A) over his last 11 games. Nice.😎 pic.twitter.com/c26epCOQqi
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 2, 2017
The celebrations didn’t last long however, as the Hurricanes Jeff Skinner soon tied the game a few minutes later. The period closed out with the two teams tied at one.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Taking the Lead in the Second
The second period also started off just as intense as the first. Both goaltenders battled hard but eventually Scott Wilson scored to put the Penguins up once again. The goal was Wilson’s eighth of the season. At this point, it’s hard not to say Wilson has been impressive this season. With that goal, he has a three-game point streak against Carolina.
Holding on in the Third
The Penguins were eager to take this victory against the Canes. Less than five minutes into the third, the Penguins got a chance at a power play. Conor Sheary took a beautiful feed from Patric Hornqvist and blasted one past Hurricanes goaltender Eddie Lack on the man-advantage to make it 3-1 Pens. And I’m serious, this was a nice goal.
That was Sheary-ously a gorgeous shot. pic.twitter.com/z1Ls5jWT1N
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 2, 2017
The Hurricanes Justin Faulk soon capitalized on a bizarre bounce to make the game 3-2, but it didn’t matter. The Penguins were able to hold on and take the well-needed victory to boost them in the standings.
Matt Murray also stopped 33 out of 35 shots faced in net and had a .943 save percentage. All around, it was a great night for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Sitting at 107 points, the Penguins fate in the standings still depended on the Blue Jackets game on Sunday night as well.
Luckily for the Pens, the Washington Capitals also defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 Sunday night, giving us the opportunity to overtake Columbus. The Penguins are now one point ahead of the Blue Jackets for that highly-coveted second place seed in the Metropolitan Division.
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