CALGARY, Alberta — Despite being 2000 miles from home, the Pittsburgh Penguins heard the chants of “Stuu!” for goaltender Stuart Skinner.

The chants were well earned, but the Penguins also earned praise for overcoming the loss of their top two defensemen, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson, to overpower the rigidly defensive Calgary Flames 4-1 at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday.

It was the Penguins next to last visit ever to the Saddledome, which has a long history dating back to 1983, including the 1988 Olympics, a 1989 Stanley Cup championship, and (to those afraid of heights) the most unique walk to the press box in hockey, as media must traverse the famous narrow catwalk well above the ice.

The Penguins dug in their heels Wednesday, allowing just 19 shots to the offensively challenged Flames, who traded their top defenseman, Rasmus Andersson, to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, and played without top winger Jonathan Huberdeau, who is injured.

Of course, the Penguins were not at full strength, either. But they worked within the structure of the game in which space was simply not available. Like Seattle on Monday, Calgary was extraordinarily stingy.

“Credit to Calgary, the way they played, and they made it hard (too) in that game back in Pittsburgh (on Jan. 10) for us, but I thought we were better with it tonight. It wasn’t perfect,” said Muse. “There are definitely some things I think we’re going to continue to look at when we’re playing against teams like this, things that we can continue to clean up. But I think that the intentions were better. And so that’s a good thing. It’s a good step in the right direction.”

In the battle for space and some offense–ANY offense–the Penguins needed a healthy dose of patience. As a testament to the team’s emerging ability to play on a muddy track, the only goal in the first period was Evgeni Malkin’s deflection from the slot, and the goal that put the game away was a net-crashing tally by Bryan Rust, with Sidney Crosby also digging for the puck near the crease.

The goal was eventually awarded to Rust.

By the time Tommy Novak dazzled with a telegenic top-shelf backhand goal midway through the third period, the Penguins had already asserted themselves and left no doubt about the eventual outcome.

“I think the first period was great. They didn’t have a lot, and then the second period was a little bit more back and forth, some extended D-zone time,” Rust said. “We didn’t really love our play, which we took to heart, and I think we were just kind of looking heavy response.”

Penguins Locker Room

There is little need for a tactical analysis of the Penguins’ win. It was ugly. The Penguins did what they needed to do. They reduced their mistakes to a negligible level and outlasted Calgary’s defensive shell with superior talent and hard play.

There was a sequence later in the second period that could have changed the game. Stuart Skinner made a knob save that knocked his stick out of his hands. As the stick got knocked around, it slid to the corner, leaving the Penguins’ netminder out of a paddle for about 90 seconds.

That’s usually bad news. Worse, no Penguins defenseman gave up his stick for the stick-less goalie. That’s usually bad form.

However, Skinner did not want a twig from the boys.

“It felt like two years,” quipped Skinner. “No, I don’t want a stick–I’d rather my defenseman have a stick.”

The Penguins’ goalie has won six of his last seven starts, allowing only 11 goals in that time. His one loss since the holiday break was a 1-0 loss to the Boston Bruins. In that time, he also has a .933 save percentage and a 1.58 goals-against average (hat tip to Penguins historian Bob Grove for the math).

“Yeah, I’m not too sure what it is exactly. I mean, it always goes around with the whole team, myself, and everybody in this room. In order to win games … you need a full team effort for 60 minutes, and that’s what these guys are giving every night,” Skinner said.

Another Penguins player who rose to the challenge of playing without Letang and Karlsson was clearly Parker Wotherspoon, who adopted the top defenseman role and did so with a feisty streak and a good first step.

It might have been Wotherspoon’s most physical game of the season. By the third period, several Flames wanted an extra piece of the Penguins defenseman.

“Yeah, for sure. I mean, we got caught out there a couple of times where they just kept crashing,” Wotherspoon said. “That was just a lot of just boxing out and trying to let Stu (Skinner) see the pucks, and we did a good job of that tonight.”

Despite Novak’s beauty, perhaps the most impressive goal on Wednesday was Egor Chinakhov’s goal at 12:32 of the second period.

Yes, Evgeni Malkin made a great pass through the slot to Novak. Yes, Novak made a perfect bump pass to Chinakhov. But there are very few in the game who can shoot like Chinakhov.

The wrist shot was a blur. His release was faster than the eyes could keep up. And he did it across his body.

Penguins coach Dan Muse lit up when asked about Chinakhov’s shot. Oh, that shot.

“Yeah, it’s, I mean, you see it? We see it every day in practice, too,” Muse beamed.

Penguins Report Card

Team: B

It was far from the Penguins’ best, but we’re grading on a specific and singular curve: The Penguins today vs. the Penguins of the last three years.

There is no longer an impatient push that includes errant passes into traffic, players trying too hard to make individual plays, and overwhelming, corrosive (and obvious) frustration. These Penguins keep chipping away and keep playing.

Their game on Wednesday wasn’t very good–Muse said he didn’t like their second period, at all–but they remained steady, and answered their failures with an early goal in the first minute of the third period.

Chinakhov-Kindel-Malkin: A

The forwards scored two goals and were on the ice for three. As Muse noted, they could have had more. This line is still a work in progress and isn’t always in sync, but they make it work–sometimes like a jam band.

Chinakhov has four goals in 10 games with the Penguins. He had three in 26 before the trade from Columbus.

Stuart Skinner: A

He was not tested often, and Calgary did not pressure him for long periods. However, part of the reason the Penguins were able to escape the defensive zone was Skinner’s rebound control. Near perfect.

Steady, calm, poised. Even without a stick, there was no panic. That presence spreads to the rest of the team.

Penguins Defense: B

Without Letang and Karlsson, it was going to be a different game. The Penguins didn’t have an overtly offensive defenseman capable of providing that seasoned offensive push.

Wotherspoon played very well and was gritty. Ryan Shea was also pretty good, too. Ryan Graves was a bit lucky; he made too many little mistakes that a better team could have made into big mistakes. Jack St. Ivany was inconsistent, with good moments and some sketchy sequences that put him in a bad spot.

Sidney Crosby’s Athletic Supporter: A

After more than 20 years, many tape jobs and much sewing, the grizzled veteran piece of equipment survived direct contact in the first period, even if its owner had to leave the ice in obvious, breathless pain.

The Penguins have a short Alberta turnaround, playing the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday at Rogers Place. The Penguins will have a much different game on Thursday as Edmonton will assuredly not clog the zone and try to play slow.

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