Before we look at the Penguins’ 4-1 victory against the Bruins on Monday night, think back to Jan. 18.
It was the Penguins’ first series of the season against Boston. And Evgeni Malkin was not happy. Following a frustrating loss and another pointless night, Malkin proclaimed candidly it was time to “look myself in the mirror.”
Well, how do you like what you see now, Geno?
Monday night marked Malkin’s first meeting with the Bruins since that moment of self-reflection. During a two-point night, the star center tallied a first-period assist and then a critical power play goal for his 1,100th career point.
That milestone – coupled with 42 saves from goalie Tristan Jarry and a few “good things happen when you get the puck on net” moments – helped lift the Penguins past the Bruins.
“Geno’s a guy that I think relies so heavily on his confidence level,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He puts a lot of pressure on himself to produce offensively for our team. When it doesn’t go the right way, I think he’s harder on himself than anyone… When a few of the pucks go in the net for him and he’s getting opportunities to score, you can see his confidence build, and usually his game follows.”
The Penguins (18-9-1, 37 points) have now won six in a row. The club’s resurgence has coincided directly with Malkin’s surge. He’s now riding an eight-game point streak in which he’s registered 12 points (four goals, eight assists). With each game, it appears his chemistry with linemate Kasperi Kapanen is growing and his confidence is swelling.
“He’s dominant,” captain Sidney Crosby said. “That’s what sticks out the most. When he has the puck, it’s hard to take it from him. He’s seeing the ice really well. He’s shooting the puck. When he’s going like that, there’s not much you can do to stop him.”
Putting the puck into the back of the net figured to be a tough challenge against Boston, which entered the game allowing the fifth-fewest goals per game thanks to a structured system and two solid goaltenders.
Among netminders with at least 10 appearances, Boston goalie Jaroslav Halak entered Monday night’s game fifth in goals-against average (2.07) and tied for the sixth in save percentage (.922). But he looked far shakier than those stats would suggest in the first period.
In the closing minutes of the first period with Boston leading 1-0, Penguins winger Evan Rodrigues tossed a non-threatening wrist shot. Halak fumbled the catch. The puck trickled into the net for the tying goal, Rodrigues’ first since Jan. 17. Malkin recorded the secondary assist on the goal for his 1,099th point.
Moments later, another tough-angle shot turned into another goal. Off a feed from Jake Guentzel, Crosby ripped a one-timer from just above the goal-line. Halak wasn’t quite snug enough against his post to keep the puck out.
“You just want to hit the net,” Crosby said. “Obviously, you’re trying to pick the corner, but you don’t want to miss the net when you’re that low and start their breakout the other way.”
After tallying a goal of his own, Crosby helped set the stage for Malkin’s milestone.
Playing against the NHL’s top penalty kill, the Penguins' up-and-down power play cracked through, when Crosby found Malkin with a seam pass through the Bruins’ formation. Malkin picked his spot to give the Penguins a 3-1 lead.
As Malkin’s smile flashed across the jumbotron, the public address announcer alerted the fans of the 1,100-point milestone.
Aside from giving Malkin another puck for his collection, the power play illustrated something else. The Penguins want to encourage more movement and positional interchangeability with the man-advantage. That approach was especially evident to produce the goal. Crosby had moved from his typical spot below the goal line to the left flank, while Malkin skated all the way from the left circle, around the net and over to the opposite side to make himself available.
“The movement is what creates the deception,” Sullivan said. “Our experience coaching this group is they’re at their best when their play is instinctive. We’re not the type of power play that performs well when we’re stagnant and stationary.”
In the final period, the Bruins pressed hard in an attempt to overcome the two-goal deficit. But Jarry held strong, making a number of athletic saves. He's now allowed just five goals total in his last three games.
Then, Guentzel tacked on the empty netter to settle the score.
The Penguins and Bruins approached the game from opposite trajectories – and only continued further along those same paths. Boston has now won just four of its last 13 games after starting the season as the favorite in Vegas to win the parity-packed East Division.
Meanwhile, the Penguins are now 13-4 since new general manager Ron Hextal and president of hockey operations Brian Burke were hired on Feb. 9.
The two East Division contenders meet again on Tuesday night for the second game of a back-to-back.
Mike DeFabo: mdefabo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDeFabo.
First Published: March 16, 2021, 1:46 a.m.