The locker room yielded to the two big stories Thursday as the Pittsburgh Penguins flexed a few areas of their team game and largely controlled the game in a 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils at PPG Paints Arena Thursday.

The Penguins’ sixth straight win.

The win elevated the Penguins to the third-best winning percentage in the Metro Division and sixth-best in the Eastern Conference.

The throng of media quickly crowded around Evgeni Malkin, who played in his first game since Dec. 4, and scored the 5v3 goal in the second period that took the fight out of New Jersey. Malkin also had to adjust to playing on the wing, with Ben Kindel at center on the second line.

The Penguins’ stalwart had a lot on his plate Thursday.

And then the same hoard rushed to speak with goalie Stuart Skinner, who earned “Stu!” chants on every puck touch, whether it was a save or merely setting up the puck for his defensemen.

“It was pretty fun in there. Yeah, I definitely felt the support the whole game,” Skinner said. “I think the guys felt the support the whole game. It was a loud building tonight, and definitely got us going–especially at the start. So, yeah, it was nice. We’ve got to keep it going.”

However, there were a couple of deeper story lines that also bode quite well for the immediate future of the Penguins, beyond Malkin’s return or crowd reaction.

Skinner called the Penguins’ effort “smothering,” as they blocked shots and allowed Skinner to see nearly every shot that got through.

Rickard Rakell delivered a pair of splendid passes to set up the Penguins’ first two goals, first to Erik Karlsson, then a head-man pass to launch Connor Dewar on a breakaway. Then Malkin rescued an otherwise bland 5v3 power play with a heavy blast for a score from the right circle, and Blake Lizotte finished a tic-tac-toe play for a fourth-line goal.

“In the first period, I felt a little bit nervous. Like, I couldn’t breathe,” said Malkin. “But after the first period, I played so much better. And I think we all played better. Yeah, it was a huge goal, a power play. Finally, I could breathe. It gave me confidence for the next games. But I’m just glad that my shoulder is feeling (good) all game.”

The Penguins made a few mistakes, especially in the first period, as their new lineup tepidly found their new spots. But the third issue to watch had everything to do with the Penguins’ approach in the third period.

Penguins Analysis

The Penguins played well, and they kept playing well against a team that was desperate. A couple of Penguins players noted New Jersey’s 9-0 loss to the Islanders Tuesday as a reason to fear them Thursday.

Here’s the very simple analysis.

“You definitely knew that they were going to come out hot. I’ve been on the other end of that, where you do end up losing 9-0, and you tend to be pretty upset about that,” Skinner said. “So the next game, you definitely bring your all. And they definitely did that. You know, they played a really good game. We were just able to score when we got our chances, and just the way we defended was really solid.”

**The Penguins did not need a tactical wrinkle or two to beat New Jersey. Sure, there may have been a few little tweaks hidden within the attack, but what the Penguins did so very well–and increasingly well throughout the game–was hold onto pucks while entering and while in the offensive zone.

The Penguins did not hurriedly throw the puck to corners and chase it. They did not make quick passes to avoid pressure. They showed puck poise and created danger in the offensive zone. Instead of giving up the puck, they made smart passes and worked to the inside.

At times, it was a clinic; a ballet of puck possession and precision passes to create space and chances in the offensive zone.

**The Penguins’ effort in the defensive zone is markedly better since the break, too. There were a couple of breakdowns and a couple of bad-luck miscues. Skinner bailed out his mates with three big saves in the first period, but then the Penguins maintained their structure. For the entire game.

“There’s not one thing right now that I’m going to say is a reason that we came out of this break, and more wins started coming. There were some games prior to the break, we were playing good hockey. We just weren’t consistent with it, and it wasn’t for a full 60 minutes,” Muse said. “I think the group as a whole. I think they came in–it’s a huge credit to them–they came out of that break, we felt refreshed, just having a little bit of time. And now it’s building momentum from one game to the next.”

It can be noted that Muse was up on the microphone in his postgame presser. He spoke with a proud papa smile that couldn’t be hidden or stashed away in a stoic delivery.

Despite being ever-so-close to landing the knockout punch, the Penguins didn’t play risky or, quite frankly, stupid. The third forward stayed above the puck, which prevented New Jersey from ever truly getting momentum, while the Penguins exerted suffocating pressure for minutes at a time in the second period.

For only a brief time in the first period did the NaturalStatTrick.com Game Flow chart favor the Devils. It was the Penguins who attacked, regrouped, and attacked again.

Largely on the rush with puck possession, created by good defensive work.

**The Penguins were outshot 9-5 in the third period. While the numbers may point to the Penguins easing up in the third, they did anything but. The Penguins continued to play stiff and aggressively.

The Penguins’ fourth line with Blake Lizotte, which jump-started the team in the first period, essentially ended the game when Lizotte easily steered a pass from Acciari into the net for a 4-1 lead with 6:34 remaining.

Their yips with the lead have turned into silent determination. At no point in their six-game winning streak have they fumbled or faltered with a lead.

If there is any aspect of the Penguins game to take note of, it is that.

“I also feel like the ebbs and flows of the game are being controlled better, and that’s probably one thing, in terms of there’s a difference between these last six games and maybe the six to 10 games prior. I think it’s that,” Muse said. “And, yeah, that’s part of the season too. You learn from some things that go well, and you learn from the things that don’t.”

Penguins Report Card

Team: A+

It seems like everything is jelling. There will be ebbs and flows in the next 39 games, but the team is laying down undeniable proof that when they play a smart game and continue to play with aggression and some brains in the third period, they will win more games than they lose.

Stuart Skinner: A+

Skinner is getting comfortable and confident with the Penguins. He upped his Penguins save percentage to .893, but he’s looked much better than that. Thursday, he made important saves in the first period, stopping Jesper Bratt’s early breakaway, Dawson Mercer getting behind the Penguins’ defense for a clean rip from the left dot, and Timo Meier’s power-play one-timer that was ticketed for the far post but met Skinner’s right pad instead.

“I felt good right off the get-go. I got a few shots pretty early on, which always gets you into it a little bit quicker,” Skinner said. “So, yeah, I just felt like after making a couple of the first saves, I was feeling really good.”

Evgeni Malkin: B+

The anti-Malkin crowd was active on social media. Malkin made a few mistakes Thursday, which inexplicably led to persistent if not obstinate criticism.

It was Malkin’s first game in over a month. He was playing a new position–a position he admitted on Tuesday that he would struggle with if asked to play.

“In the first period, I played left wing, but you saw in the third period, I played right wing. I don’t know why, but yeah, I need a little bit of time,” said Malkin. “It’s not easy to change your position, but a long time ago, I played wing, I think. After the first, I think with a couple of pucks, I used my stick handle. You know, it felt good, a little better, for sure.”

Also note, when Malkin had the puck, he instinctively cut to the middle, which was something Kindel was easily able to spot and adjust. Malkin may have played all three positions at different times.

Sure, he made mistakes. Of course, he did. But there were easily more good things than bad. His work with Kindel and Egor Chinakhov steadily improved. The line really showed some potential with their zone possession and how they possessed the puck and made creative passes to create space and pressure.

“A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject,”-Winston Churchill.

Erik Karlsson: A

When he’s having a game, he’s so fun to watch. He effortlessly skates past trouble and into offensive situations. The game seems to unfold with the puck on his stick.

Parker Wotherspoon: Heavy

The Penguins had only 10 hits Thursday (because they had the puck a vast majority of the time), but Wotherspoon had five of them. He really engaged in the defensive zone and asserted himself around the net.

Ryan Shea: Solid

Later in the second period, only one Penguins player had more than two shots. It was Shea, with three. There is a lot to like with Shea’s game; the less you notice him, the more effectively he’s playing, but he also has some offensive chops with the game allows.

Rickard Rakell: Unheralded

Rakell is playing extraordinary hockey. His passes changed the game. He is playing with physicality in the defensive zone, and he is setting himself up for dangerous chances in the O-zone.

There isn’t any aspect of the 200-foot game in which Rakell is not excelling.

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