Same lineup for the Penguins with Stuart Skinner back in the net for this afternoon’s game.
The home Red Wings also keep very similar lines from the last time these teams met on Thursday, also opting to switch their goalies and give John Gibson a go.
The Penguins keep it up with the hot starts, opening the scoring 3:44 in. Detroit turns the puck over in the middle of the ice, before you know it Sidney Crosby is going the other way on the rush. Crosby makes a cross-ice pass to Bryan Rust and a quick shot later eludes Gibson. 1-0 Pens.
It’s all Pittsburgh early, the Pens take a penalty but even then Connor Dewar leads a short-handed rush and then takes a high-stick to the chops to negate Detroit’s power play. The Red Wings get nary a shot for the first 13 minutes of the game.
Ben Kindel catches Detroit in the middle of a change and makes a long stretch pass for Yegor Chinakhov. The newest Penguin makes no mistakes on the breakaway, snapping a hard, low shot by Gibson. 2-0 Pens.
Solid beginning of the game, the Pens are the faster team, they’re holding onto the puck and able to have a lot of success in the early going. Shots are 10-5 PIT, goals are 2-0.
Another good start for the Pens. Rust narrowly misses a wide open net for a glorious chance to add to the total. Pittsburgh stays in charge of the puck for the most part, Detroit only has one shot in the first 15 minutes of the second period. They score on their second. Rutger McGroarty’s shot misses the net and serves as a breakout for Alex DeBrincat. DeBrincat calls his own number and wires a great shot past Skinner. 2-1 game with 4:54 to go, which is startling that Detroit has remained so close on the scoreboard with how little they’ve been able to get going so far.
Tommy Novak opens the door for more by taking a penalty, DeBrincat rings a hard shot off the post, but they can come no closer.
The second period played out a lot like the first, but the crowd and Red Wing team kinda realized for as little as they’ve done, they’re one shot away heading into the third.
The third is much like the earlier two periods. The Pens control the puck, when they don’t have it they cut off passing lanes and knock away almost everything away that Detroit tries to get going.
Detroit pulls the goalie, it doesn’t work out. Crosby chips the puck ahead for Rickard Rakell to skate into and salt the game away at 3-1.
Having nothing else to lose, the Red Wings pull Gibson again and the Pens add one more up on the final score. Dewar hits the open net from long-range. 4-1 game.
The Penguins probably won’t mind trying to stay in the groove and keeping things rolling, and lucky for them they’ll get that opportunity with a quick turnaround to play in Columbus tomorrow afternoon.