CALGARY, Alberta — Evgeni Malkin snapped a cross-ice pass through defenders to Tommy Novak, who made a deft touch pass to Egor Chinakhov in the slot.
Chinakhov unleashed a cross-body wrist shot that could only be seen after the goal light flashed. The Pittsburgh Penguins (24-14-11) took what looked to be a commanding 2-0 lead over the Calgary Flames in a game in which space was a more precious commodity than midtown Manhattan.
That goal stood as the game-winner as the Penguins beat Calgary 4-1 at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday.
The Penguins have points in five straight games, with three wins, including two straight, and are 9-2-2 since the holiday break. The Penguins’ win also vaulted them into second place in the Metro Division.
Calgary finally got a little bit of offense late in the second period when Yegor Sharangovich used his torso to deflect a shot past Penguins goalie Stuart Skinner at 19:57 of the second period.
The shot was only Calgary’s 14th of the game, though the Penguins were little better with only 19 after 40 minutes.
The first period was not a display of offensive talent, nor was there an abundance of offensive pressure for either team. The first period shot tally was 11-5 in the Penguins’ favor, and the scoreboard tilted their way, too.
Calgary didn’t get its first shot until 8:17 of the first period, and the Penguins kept Calgary from getting a shot on goal within 29 feet for the entirety of the period.
In fact, both teams were missing significant cogs in their offensive attack. Calgary badly missed winger Jonathan Huberdeau.
Conversely, the Penguins were trying to find speed out of their own zone without their top two defensemen, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang, both of whom were out with injuries.
In a slow, clogged game, it was fitting that the Penguins’ goal in the first period slowly glided across the line. From the slot, Evgeni Malkin (11) deflected Ryan Shea’s point shot, but took most of the speed away from the blast, and it achingly slid toward the opposite post and into the goal at 7:49.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby appeared to suffer an injury on the first shift of the game. Crosby absorbed a deflected puck in the midsection, or a little bit lower, but returned with his legacy intact.
Crosby was later credited with the Penguins’ third goal. In the first minute of the third period, winger Bryan Rust circled the Calgary net. His shot eventually crossed the line through a scrum while Crosby poked at it at :50 of the third.
Scorers later changed it to Rust (18) as an important bit of breathing room. Crosby and Rickard Rakell did get an assist.
The highlight reel moment of the game was in the middle of the third period. Tommy Novak kept the puck and finished a three-on-one with a nifty top-shelf backhand deke at 9:19 of the third for a 4-1 lead.
Skinner stopped 18 of 19 for his sixth win in his last seven starts. Skinner has allowed only 11 goals in that time. Calgary netminder Dustin Wolf stopped 21 of 25.
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