PENGUINS REBOUND BEHIND ZUCKER
Letang, Jarry torment Canadiens again, too
Jason Zucker was tough on himself after his Penguins debut Tuesday, saying, “My hands were terrible. I mishandled pretty much every puck I touched.”
In his second game, it felt like pretty much every puck he touched might go in.
Two of his shots did Friday. The new guy scored twice in the span of 102 seconds, propelling the Penguins to a 4-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens at PPG Paints Arena and reassuring them that they made the right move Monday when they gave up two of their top future assets to get him from the Minnesota
Wild.
Not that they needed it. The Penguins were confident that among all the wingers available before the Feb. 24 trade deadline perhaps none would fit better here than Zucker, who has good speed, a sneaky shot and a nose for the net.
“You can see his ability to finish. He had two real good goals tonight,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “We’re excited about having him. He’s only going to get better.”
During the second period, Zucker, who had five shots in his Penguins debut Tuesday, cruised down the left wing and got Carey Price to drop to his knees. But after pulling the puck around Price, he couldn’t steer it in for his first Penguins goal.
Zucker would get that later in the second period. On a 2-on-2 rush, Sidney Crosby patiently waited for a passing lane to open up then sent a pass across the crease to Zucker, who whacked a onetimer off the tip of Price’s glove and in.
“I was just excited,” Zucker said. “It was a great pass by him. Sid obviously makes great plays every time he’s on the ice. But that one was outstanding.”
The Canadiens scored with 54 seconds left in the second to pull within 2-1. But before the horn sounded, Zucker hammered home a pass from Marcus Pettersson, working the Friday night home crowd into a frenzy. Zucker on that play carried the puck across the blue line before fighting his way to the front of the net.
“He knows when it’s time to pull up and open up for a shot or go hard to the net,” Crosby said, adding, “His speed really pushes guys back. … He did a great job of getting his stick on pucks and being in position to put the puck in the net.”
Those two goals meant a lot to Zucker, whose wife and two of his children flew in from Minnesota to watch the game. The goals were also a big deal as it relates to Crosby, who desperately needs a reliable wingman after losing Jake Guentzel.
Friday marked exactly one month since the captain returned to the lineup after missing more than two months following sports hernia surgery. In his previous 10 games, Crosby had 14 points, sixth-most in the league over that span.
But he had been far from dominant at even strength. The Penguins had a 44.6% shot share with Crosby on at 5-on-5, according to NaturalStatTrick.com, with 23 high-danger chances compared to 32 for opponents in those games.
Crosby and Zucker developed some chemistry as the 2-1 loss Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning unfolded. After Zucker finally had his first practice with the team Thursday, it continued to build during the win over the Canadiens.
Crosby, with three assists, had his second multi-point game in nearly four weeks.
“It’s getting there,” Crosby said of his play overall. “It’s nice to get a flow of games here. It’s kind of been off and on since I came back. … It will be good to just play games consistently, and I think with that things will get better. I think it’s trending the right way. and I just need to make sure I continue to get better.”
The win wasn’t just about those two. Kris Letang and Tristan Jarry also shined.
Letang, on the first ever “French Language Night” at PPG Paints Arena, was once again tres bon against his hometown team, the Canadiens. In the second period, with the Penguins on their first power play of the night, the All-Star defenseman snapped a shot over the glove of Price to put the Penguins up, 1-0.
Letang now has 28 points in 35 career games against the Canadiens.
Jarry, meanwhile, was in goal after
Matt Murray played Tuesday.
Jarry’s previous start was six days earlier, when he stopped 33 of 35 shots in a 3-2 win in Florida. The All-Star was gunning for his third consecutive win against Montreal.
Jarry made eight saves in the first period while Pittsburgh rarely set up shop in the Montreal zone. In the second, with the Penguins up a goal and on the power play, he stared down Joel Armia on a shorthanded breakaway. After Jarry scrambled to thwart one chance in the third, the “Jarry! Jarry!” chants started.
Zach Aston-Reese scored an emptynetter to seal the victory.
That goal, just his second in the past 31 games, snapped his 14-game scoreless streak.
“It’s a lot easier when there’s no goalie there, obviously,” the winger said.
The Penguins, who have lost just five of their 29 home games this season in regulation, will play host to the Detroit Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena Sunday afternoon.