In one way, it was just another Tuesday night hockey game in January at PPG Paints Arena, a fairly routine 5-2 win for the Penguins against the San Jose Sharks. There are 30 more games before the playoffs.
In another way, it was as significant as it was entertaining. It enabled the Penguins to start the post-All-Star break portion of the schedule fast, finish the month strong with a 9-3 record and enhance their position in the tightly contested Metropolitan Division. Every point is important now. Every point counts. A spot in the playoffs is not guaranteed, not even for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions. The next big game happens Friday night when the first-place Washington Capitals come to town.
And in a third way, a very real way for me at least, it was one of the better wins of the season. It provided hope for the days ahead at a time we really need it, after our terribly rotten January, a month that wasn’t kind to our sports teams.
The Steelers lost their first playoff game to the Jacksonville Jaguars at home, embarrassing themselves in the process. All we have left of football season is Super Bowl LII Sunday. Good luck watching that. Good luck trying to enjoy the outcome. Pittsburgh hates the New England Patriots and detests Philadelphia Eagles fans. At least I find Philly fans detestable.
The Pitt men’s basketball team takes an 0-9 record in the ACC into its game Wednesday night at Miami. I find only two things interesting about the rest of the season: Will Pitt win a league game and will Kevin Stalling be fired after the season?
There’s absolutely nothing good going on with the Pirates. Their January included trading Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen, being called out by the players union for not putting enough of their revenue-sharing money into their big-league club and watching the Milwaukee Brewers load up to take a run at the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals for the National League Central Division title, leaving the Pirates far behind. But Bob Nutting wants you to believe he is doing everything he can to field a winning team. Sure he is. I’m almost to the point of wishing the baseball season were over before it even starts.
Thank goodness for the Penguins. Without them, the NFL draft in April would seem like a million years away and the start of training camp in July would seem like …
You get the idea.
If any team can get us through the rest of the long, cold winter, it is our hockey team. They are getting red-hot at the right time. The win Tuesday night stretched their home winning streak to six games, a stretch in which they have outscored their opponents, 29-14.
The best part of the latest win, by far, was the return of Matt Murray, who made his first start in net since Jan. 4 and his first appearance since Jan. 7. He was clearly emotional after stopping 40 shots in his first game since he buried his father, James.
“It was a great feeling, obviously, getting back to normal,” Murray said, so quietly that you could barely hear him.
The Penguins didn’t play their best game in front of Murray, at least not in terms of being disciplined. They took four penalties in the second period, much to Mike Sullivan’s annoyance. But they didn’t allow that to stop them. They overwhelmed the Sharks with their skill.
Evgeni Malkin scored three goals, including an empty-netter, but his 12th career hat trick might have been his easiest. Phil Kessel set him up for his first goal — the Penguins’ most important goal — with a terrific backhanded pass that enabled the team to tie the score, 2-2, with 4.1 seconds left in the second period. Patric Hornqvist set up Malkin for a tap-in goal — the winning goal — at 6:01 of the third period after eagerly accepting a turnover by goaltender Martin Jones behind the San Jose net.
The passing on Bryan Rust’s two goals also was fabulous. He scored his first after taking a cross-ice pass from Riley Sheahan and beating defenseman Justin Braun around the corner before beating Jones with a backhanded shot. His second goal came after the best pass of the night from, of all players, Tom Kuhnhackl. You would have sworn it was Sidney Crosby delivering the backhanded pass through his legs if you didn’t know it was Kuhnhackl.
“That’s a regular thing with this team,” Murray said. “It’s fun to watch and fun to be a part of. I think each and every one of us in this dressing room feels lucky to be a part of this team, to be able to play with these players.”
Malkin certainly is having fun. It’s not just because his 12 goals lead the NHL in January. It’s also because he likes the way the Penguins are trending and expects better things to come. What else would he expect under Sullivan? The team went 20-8-6 after the All-Star break a year ago and 24-9-1 after the break in 2016.
“We’re back to playoffs, for sure,” Malkin said.
Well, not quite. But the Penguins appear to be on their way. February starts Thursday. I’m thinking it’s going to be a lot better around here than it was in January.
Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com and Twitter@RonCookPG. Ron Cook can be heard on the “Cook and Poni” show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.
First Published: January 31, 2018, 4:54 a.m.
