The thought was a good one. The bounce was not.
That’s the best way Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson could describe his own-goal on Sunday afternoon. Boston right wing David Pastrnak wheeled around the net. As he threw the puck in front, Johnson put his stick on the ice to try to take away the back door play to Brad Marchand … and batted the puck right through the legs of his own goalie, Matt Murray.
“I had a pretty good feeling that guy was going to try to throw it across the goal line with the guy on the back side there,” Johnson said. “You try and stop it and maybe lay it in the pads there. You don’t want to let it go through. You can’t deflect it out in the slot. It was a tough bounce.”
The self-inflicted pain was a fitting snapshot to describe how the first 15 minutes had gone for the Penguins. Just 11 seconds into the game, Boston scored to take a 1-0 lead. Less than two minutes later, it was 2-0. Now this.
But during a 4-3 comeback in which the Penguins erased a 3-0 deficit against one of the Eastern Conerence's best teams, they got their redemption — and so, too, did Johnson.
Early on in the third period, Penguins forwards Teddy Blueger and Brandon Tanev raced ahead on the penalty kill. Johnson joined the rush to create a 3-on-2, received the pass from Tanev at the blue line and ripped a shot past Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak.
If the first time Johnson found the net summed up the first period, the way he responded accurately describes the game as a whole and a win that coach Mike Sullivan described as “character building.”
“It always feels great to help the team,” Johnson said. “No matter what you’re doing, whether it’s killing penalties, making a hit to get the team going or scoring a goal, it always feels good to help the team.”
Last season, Johnson became a bit of a whipping boy on social media, where his miscues were magnified and dissected at length. And, to be fair, there were numerous of rough moments.
But in his second season with the Penguins, moments like the first goal have largely been minimalized. Playing on his natural left side, Johnson has provided a solid, steady presence on the blue line and some leadership within the locker room. He leads Penguins defensemen in hits, ranks third in blocked shots and has proven to be an effective penalty killer.
On Sunday, for example, Johnson was part of the penalty-killing unit that not only blanked the NHL’s third-ranked power-play unit but also scored a goal of its own when short-handed.
“Guys were blocking shots, sacrificing themselves for each other,” Blueger said. “There’s a commitment to get it done. I don’t think it was always pretty. But there was a will to do it. Obviously that short-handed goal by [Tanev] and [Johnson] was great to tie it up for us.”
The Penguins need healthy bodies and consistent contributions to a blue line that’s been thinned by injury. Brian Dumoulin has missed about seven weeks after ankle surgery, and Justin Schultz hasn’t played since Dec. 17 due to a lower-body issue.
With these two mainstays injured, Johnson has been thrust onto the top pairing, where he’s playing alongside Kris Letang. Skating alongside a dynamic and unique player like Letang isn’t always easy, because Letang likes to freelance and act on his offensive instincts. But together, the group has played well enough together for the Penguins to stick with the pairing throughout the majority of Dumoulin’s injury.
Letang tangles with Marchand
Marchand is a willing agitator for Boston, who doesn’t seem satisfied with his game until he has made someone else’s life on the ice miserable — the kind of player who proudly wears the “pest” title.
On Sunday afternoon, he and Letang found themselves throwing physical and verbal barbs at each other. During a Penguins penalty, Letang and Marchand wrestled behind the play and eventually picked up a pair of roughing penalties.
“I’m a player that likes to play with his emotion,” Letang said. “I’m not a guy that is going to play flat, no emotion. It's just part of the game. It’s fun to be a part of. Obviously he’s a top player for their team. You have to make his life difficult.”
Simon, Kahun being evaluated for injuries
Sullivan said winger Dominik Simon is being evaluated for a lower-body injury and Dominik Kahun for an upper-body injury.
Kahun left the game at the end of the first period and did not return. Simon missed a few shifts early in the game. Then, after falling down in front of Murray in the third period, Simon talked with a trainer on the bench, left the game and never returned.
Kahun began the game playing with Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust, while Simon was playing on Crosby’s right wing. The Penguins are already thin at top-six caliber wingers after Jake Guentzel had shoulder surgery. If Kahun and Simon miss any length of time, it could possibly leave the Penguins without two more top-six options.
First Published: January 19, 2020, 10:57 p.m.
