Pittsburgh Penguins: Bouncing Right Back Out of the Slump
The Pittsburgh Penguins had a slow start to the season going 0-2.
After opening the season with two losses, many were wondering what was up with the Pittsburgh Penguins slow start. Were there problems internally? Did they really lose too many key components in the offseason? Were Matt Murray and Antti Niemi a capable goaltending duo?
Pittsburgh Penguins
So many fans and critics were on the Penguins for their slow start. I mean, our second loss against the Chicago Blackhawks was pretty bad and after the fifth goal I really wanted to know what was going on. But I always thought people were just overreacting.
Well Saturday night brought another tough matchup for the Penguins. This time, we faced the Nashville Predators in a rematch of this year’s Stanley Cup Finals. The good news though is that we won.
A Must Win
Everyone knew that this game was a must win. With so many doubts around the team simply because of a slow start, everyone on the Penguins surely knew this game was important. And of course, it was a rematch of the Stanley Cup Finals. We had to show the Predators, and Nick Bonino, that we are still number one.
Going into this game, I’m sure the adrenaline was rushing and players were ready to give it their all. They wanted to bounce back from a 10-1 loss with the Blackhawks more than anything. And that’s what they did.
Ready to Win
The Penguins were ready to win and they wasted no time showing that. Right off the bat, Evgeni Malkin sniped a beauty of a goal just over a minute into the game.
Geno has recorded at least one point in every single home game (8 total) he’s ever played against the Predators (regular season + playoffs). pic.twitter.com/gvanMG5E9I
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 7, 2017
Jake Guentzel followed Malkin up with a goal of his ow about halfway into the first. 2-0 for the first frame and the Penguins have all their confidence back. Let’s not forget about the stellar job Matt Murray was doing in net.
The Penguins finished the game with a goal from Ryan Reaves in the second period and Olli Maatta in the third. 4-0 was the score and the Pens got their first win of the season.
Next: Penguins Talk: Bold Predictions
I know we had a slow start. Everyone knew that. But there’s no need to panic. The Penguins slump has hopefully ended and if we play like we did on Saturday night again, we’ll be back on top in no time.