Western New York in March isn’t exactly a glamorous place to spend a few days.
There are almost as many holes as blinding snowstorms.
But Mike Sullivan does not mind opening an office for a mid-week tour of Buffalo, given the format the NHL has adopted this season because of the pandemic.
With the vast majority of games being played in “series” of two games in the same location, the Penguins coach is comfortable with the idea of staying in the City of Nickel for 72 hours.
“I kind of like the idea of going to a city and playing against a team a few times in a row,” said Sullivan in a videoconference. “It raises the intensity. Sometimes emotions move from game to game. And our game is at its best when both teams are emotionally invested. ”
The Penguins didn’t exactly need their best game on Thursday, considering their opponents. But they may have had one of their best third periods of the season by defeating a squalid Buffalo Sabers squad 5-2 at the KeyBank Center. The victory extended the winning streak to four games, corresponding to the best of the season.
During the third period, they closed things down, against an admittedly inferior opponent, controlling the shots, 8-4.
This contrasted with their 4-2 home win on Tuesday against the New York Rangers, which they barely managed to hold on to while they were defeated 15-1 in the final period.
“We wanted to win the third period and I think we went there and we did it,” said striker Brandon Tanev after Thursday’s dispute. “It was our best period of the game and it guaranteed us two points there. It was a complete team effort. ”
The Penguins took a 1-0 lead at 6 minutes and 27 seconds of regulation time. After a failed streak of passes between Saber striker Casey Mittelstadt and defender Jacob Bryson on his own blue line, Penguins striker Kasperi Kapanen passed the puck and created his own escape. Instead of kicking, he left a pass to the chasing skater, linemate Evgeni Malkin, who fired a forehand into goalkeeper Jonas Johansson’s left leg for his seventh goal.
It was the third consecutive game that the pair combined in a goal in some way.
“They just developed a certain chemistry here over the time they were together,” said Sullivan. “We were really encouraged by that. With each game they play, they are more comfortable with each other. They have been a great match for us.
A goal by striker Tage Thompson, the first of the season, drew 27 seconds later.
The Penguins regained the 3:24 advantage in the second period when Tanev hit a backhander on Johansson’s five-hole in an escape to his sixth goal.
Things were tied again, 2-2, at 8:46 of the second, when Sabers striker Victor Olofsson fired a stopwatch from the right circle for his eighth goal.
A power-play goal restored the advantage for the Penguins at 11:36 am of the second. After a feed from behind the net by striker Sidney Crosby, striker Jake Guentzel, low in the right circle, hit a difficult wrister to the opposite side, overtaking Johansson’s blocker and scoring his ninth goal.
Striker Anthony Angello of the Penguins, who grew up a fan of the Sabers about three miles east of Buffalo in Manlius, NY, scored his first goal of the season 2:43 in the third period, tearing a wrister from the right circle through Johansson’s glove on the next side.
An empty net goal by striker Bryan Rust, his ninth, ended the scoring at 6:45 pm of the third.
Jarry made 21 saves in 23 shots in a win that boosted more than the Penguins’ position in the standings.
“More confidence now,” said Malkin. “When you win a few (consecutive) games, you have more confidence. We are feeling more like we are working together. And goalkeeper Jarry has played unbelievable (the) last four games. … He is incredible. I think he is the best player on the team at the moment. … The power game is also working now. It’s all back. ”
Observation: Penguins defender John Marino suffered an undisclosed injury. He is “on a daily basis” according to Sullivan. … In their place, the Penguins wore defender Chad Ruhwedel, a healthy scratch from the previous 12 games. … Striker Josh Currie was assigned from the American Hockey League taxi squad to Wilkes-Barre / Scranton.
Seth Rorabaugh is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. You can contact Seth by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
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