The Pittsburgh Penguins entered Thanksgiving with a win and returned from the one-day holiday with a big 2-1 victory against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Black Friday.
Despite controlling the tempo for much of the match, some missed assignments and sloppy play kept the match close, with Tristan Jarry sitting almost perfectly between the pipes.
Fortunately, an unlikely hero emerged in the third. Newcomer Philip Tomasino, who scored his first goal of the season and first as a Penguin, earned Player of the Game honors for his lamplighter, which came out on top.
Let’s discuss some takeaways.
Penguins play Jekyll and Hyde Defense
The Penguins defenseman looked like a dog chasing cars in the first period. They had no idea what was happening around them. Instead, they focused on one or two things as the rest of the game continued, especially when Charlie Coyle was left wide open for the first goal of the game.
It looked like another disaster was in the making, but as the game progressed, Pittsburgh’s defenders saved their goalie and made some key blocks, helping them maintain a tie and lead late in the third period.
Ultimately, their play on Friday night wasn’t pretty, but at some points it was brilliant, and at others it was a train wreck. The win against the Bruins was indeed a total team effort.
A redemption game for Jarry
Jarry held off the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night and did the same against the Bruins on Friday, earning his first back-to-back wins since February…of last season.
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Despite his struggles since the opening game, Jarry has had some great moments, some of which have been somewhat questionable. Although he wasn’t exactly on point at TD Garden, he made the necessary saves when called upon and pulled off a one-goal victory.
Unfortunately, some will say that the Bruins are a struggling team, and the Penguins got lucky. However, Jarry must use this win on Friday night as a confidence boost and be ready for his next start as he looks to help his teammates continue their quest to turn the ship around.
Rakell is without a doubt the team’s MVP
How does someone stand out on a team with future Hall of Famers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin? Score goals in time.
Can anyone imagine how bad the season would be if Rickard Rakell wasn’t leading the team in the lamplighters?
Additionally, Rakell is the only regular on the roster with a positive plus/minus rating, a sign of his value at every spot he has placed in the lineup.
It’s certainly a safe bet to assume that Pittsburgh would be at or near the bottom of the standings if Rakell hadn’t scored nine goals during his 18:32 per night average.
After two dominant periods on Friday, the Penguins had nothing to show for it on the scoreboard until Crosby fed Rakell for a much-needed goal in the final second of the middle period.
Unbeknownst to him at the time, his goal was the turning point of the match.
