NEWARK, N.J. — Sid might be superstitious.
But all around the Prudential Center on Super Bowl Sunday, it was evident that many in the building were thinking about a possible 500th goal. The sparse crowd of 11,242 featured a significant contingent of Penguins fans decked out in black and gold. Many of them packed along the glass ahead of warmups, including one fan who waved a sign that read “500” in big block letters.
As it turned out, Sidney Crosby will return to Pittsburgh with two assists on the score sheet, another victory in the win column and a leg up in the division standings. But the milestone? It will have to wait.
During a businesslike 4-2 win, Brian Boyle netted the game-winner. Mike Matheson, Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel provided more offense. And goalie Tristan Jarry stopped 24 of 26 shots for his 25th victory of the season.
With the win, the Penguins jumped into first place in the Metropolitan Division with 68 points. The Carolina Hurricanes, who have played three fewer games, are second with 67.
“[The Devils] are a good, fast team who creates a lot off the rush,” Rust said. “I think that was kind of our focus here coming in, was to play on our toes, play in their face so they couldn't get that separation and get those looks. I thought we did a pretty good job of that.”
After an uneventful first period, Devils forward Jack Hughes — the first overall pick in the 2019 draft — opened the scoring 7:02 into the second period during one of the few instances when that wasn’t the case.
In transition, Matheson tumbled to the ice in the neutral zone as he attempted to pick the pocket of Pavel Zacha. That created a 3-on-2 rush chance for the Devils. Hughes, left all alone, streaked through the left circle and picked his spot on the short side.
Matheson redeemed himself later in the second period. His blast from the blue line beat Devils goalie Jon Gillies on the glove side. It tied the score at 1 and marked Matheson’s seventh goal of the season.
Asked about the key to his lethal wrist shot, Matheson joked that he’d keep it brief “in the interest of time.”
“I've worked on my shot a lot,” he said. “I think the quicker you can get it off, the more effective it is.”
The Penguins claimed their first lead of the game just 36 seconds into the third period. Pittsburgh began the frame with a man-advantage. The club boasts the NHL’s best power play since the start of the new year, scoring 18 goals in the 18 games before Sunday.
This time, just after the penalty expired and Tomas Tatar took his first steps out of the box, Rust redirected Kris Letang’s shot from the point.
“The power play, in the third period, was a big momentum builder for us,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “They didn't score but they had a number of good looks, and we scored shortly thereafter. The power play’s not going to score for you every night but sometimes it can help your team get momentum, and I thought that was the case tonight.”
The goal was No. 17’s 17th of the season. During a stop-and-start season full of injuries and illness, Rust is beginning to hit his stride in a major way. He’s now netted seven goals in the last six games he’s played.
However, as quickly as the Penguins captured the lead, it was gone just as fast. Less than two minutes later, Nico Hischier ripped a shot on net that hit Letang’s skate and skirted into the net. The unfortunate bounce tied the score again at 2.
The Penguins recaptured the lead, this time for good, with 6:58 remaining. The Penguins new-look fourth line, featuring Boyle in the middle of Zach Aston-Reese and Dominik Simon, played another solid game in largely a checking role. They proved they can be opportunistic offensively, as well in a key moment.
After Matheson tossed a shot on goal, Boyle plowed his 6-foot-6 frame to the front of the net and whacked the rebound home for his sixth of the season. While the Boyle line is utilized mostly in a defensive role, Boyle admitted with a smile, “You play hockey because you want score goals. That doesn't change when you're seven or 37.”
The Penguins continued to sustain offensive zone time before, finally, Guentzel sealed the deal with the empty netter.
The Penguins return to PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday to host the rival Philadelphia Flyers. Maybe, it just might be a fitting opponent and arena for Crosby to reach his milestone.
Mike DeFabo: mdefabo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDeFabo.
First Published: February 13, 2022, 9:10 p.m.
