Penguins Move Closer to Playoff With Win Over Red Wings

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PITTSBURGH – It’s been said a ton, but it bears repeating that this game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings is the biggest game of either team’s season. Massive playoff implications were on the line as the Penguins and Red Wings entered this game just one point out of the playoffs.

The Penguins are riding a nine-game point streak and once again turned to Alex Nedeljkovic between the pipes for the 10^th consecutive time.

First Period

With so much on the line, the Penguins got off on the right foot early with a huge opening goal just under three minutes in. Sidney Crosby got the play started with slick stick handling behind the Red Wings net before forcing the puck out front. Drew O’Connor pounded home his 15^th of the season and Crosby’s 999^th career assist.

The Red Wings didn’t take long to capitalize on a few blunders from Kris Letang to equal the score still in the early stages of the first period.

Letang made sure to make up for his previous mishaps by capping off a great passing play from Michael Bunting and Rickard Rakell. The goal secured Letang’s 50^th point of the season and breathed new life into the Penguins.

The Penguins were close to taking a 2-1 lead into intermission, but Lucas Raymond capitalized on another brutal pass from Letang. It was Raymond’s second goal of the night, sending the game into the first intermission tied at one.

Second Period

Kicking off the second period, the Red Wings appeared to carry the pace of play, keeping the Penguins on their heels for most of the opening minutes. The Penguins weathered the storm and managed to reclaim the lead.

A perfect pass from Byran Rust found a breaking Crosby on the back door for his 41^st goal of the season. The point also pushed Crosby into a tie with Phil Esposito for 10^th in NHL history with 1,590 points.

Minutes later, Rust tacked on a goal, adding to his own legend of being a big-game player. The Red Wings were upset by what they believed was a missed trip against Marcus Pettersson, but Reilly Smith hopped on the loose puck and found an open Rust, who picked the corner.

Having a two-goal lead was good for insurance, but the Red Wings once again beat Nedeljkovic in the final minute of the period. Former Penguins defenseman Jeff Petry rifled a perfectly placed shot to keep the Red Wings within one.

Third Period

The Penguins took an early penalty to start the third period and gave the Red Wings a golden opportunity to knot the game. The Red Wings hit a post on their attack, but the Penguins ended up making the most of the two minutes.

Jeff Carter created a great chance for himself and ripped an unassisted short handed goal. The huge tally put the Penguins back up by two in the final frame.

The Red Wings were down, but not out as their captain Dylan Larkin scored to make it a one-goal game with plenty of time to spare. And it was enough as Raymond capped off a hat trick to knot the score at five.

With the score tied, the clock ran down and allowed both teams to secure at least a. standings point.

Overtime

The Penguins just suffered a brutal overtime defeat at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and just haven’t been a good team in the extra frame this year. With the season on the line, they were going to need to need huge play from everyone.

The Penguins maintained most of the possession through the overtime period and were finally rewarded with a huge tally from Erik Karlsson. The goal not only gave the Penguins a win, but notched Crosby’s 1,000th career assist.

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