For a brief moment, the Pittsburgh Penguins held a wildcard spot, thanks to a 3-2 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Kings at PPG Paints Arena on WWE Night.
Unfortunately, after the Ottawa Senators’ win in Seattle, the Penguins dropped one point out of their playoff spot.
Related: Sidney Crosby Career Assists Tracker: How Close Is The Penguins Captain To 1,033 Assists?
However, it was a good night for the team as they climbed back .500 with a 14-14-5 record. Thanks to some players breaking their goalless droughts, the Penguins managed to pot three goals on a team that rarely gives up that many regularly.
Pittsburgh’s win on Tuesday night should set the stage for success on their upcoming two-game road trip to Nashville and New Jersey.
Penguins Become 10th Team to Score Three on LA
Heading into their meeting on Tuesday, the Kings were tied for the fewest goals against (75) and tied with the lowest team goals-against average (2.70).
After 30 games, the Kings have given up three or more goals on 11 occasions, with two teams, San Jose and Vegas, achieving the feat twice.
Unlike their previous game against Ottawa, where they rallied from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits but lost in overtime, the Penguins showed resiliency against a top Western Conference team and defeated Los Angeles while scoring three.
Since coming to the Kings in the offseason, Darcy Kuemper had only surrendered three or more goals on four occasions until Rickard Rakell tipped home the game-winner.
Nedeljkovic Bounces Back From Brutal First Goal Against
In the case of Deja vu, the Kings put the Penguins on their heels in the first minute when Adrian Kempe scored just 33 seconds into the game.
It was a bad goal for Alex Nedeljkovic to give up, but he responded by keeping Los Angeles at bay the rest of the night, turning away 29 shots for a .935 SV% for his fourth-best performance of the season.
Considering how threatening the Kings’ offensive attack is, Nedeljkovic was up to the task on Tuesday, giving the Penguins the best chance to win.
Although he’s only played once this month, he shook off the rust and the first goal, surrendering only one more goal in the next 59 minutes.
Goal Droughts are Over
Matt Grzelcyk hadn’t scored yet this season; that streak is finally over. Evgeni Malkin hadn’t scored in five games; cross that one off the list.
On a night when Pittsburgh was facing a top team from the Western Conference, they needed some players to step up and slay some of their goalless streaks.
Related: Inside The Numbers: Penguins Players And Their Goal Droughts
This time, it was Grzelcyk who tallied his first goal as a member of the Penguins, and it couldn’t have come at a bigger moment in the third period.
Meanwhile, Malkin knotted the contest up at 1-1 with a goal that bounced off the post and inside Kuemper’s legs.
Naturally, the Penguins’ leading goal scorer, Rakell, tipped home the game-winner in overtime for his 14th of the year. Since being snubbed from Team Sweden at the 4 Nations Cup, he’s scored four goals with eight points.
Penguins & Kings Trivia Answers
How did you score in our Game Day Trivia quiz? Here are the answers.
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Mario Lemieux
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Jaromir Jagr
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The Binkleys
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Jean Pronovost
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Marc-Andre Fleury
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Bryan Watson
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Jeff Carter
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Ken Wregget
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Al McDonough
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Blake Lizotte
