NEWARK, N.J. — It took two months and several key injuries for Jared McCann to earn a spot on the Penguins’ top power play. But almost from the instant he was promoted, the puck has been finding the back of the net.
Is it possible the replacement has become the catalyst?
During Friday’s 6-4 victory at Prudential Center, the Penguins scored twice with the man-advantage. McCann netted one goal himself and was credited with the primary assist on Bryan Rust's power-play goal.
That production, coupled with some depth scoring, a three-point night from Sidney Crosby and a performance from Casey DeSMith that looked a lot better than the stats would suggest, helped lift the Penguins past the Devils.
The Penguins (26-13-2, 54 points) have now won back-to-back games during their four-game road trip to keep pace in a competitive East Division.
Early on, some of the defensive miscues that led to the Penguins’ recent two-game losing streak reared their ugly head, as the net-front defense was exposed. Miles Wood got position on Kris Letang near the blue paint. He muscled his way to a loose puck and shoveled it in to give New Jersey a 1-0 lead.
Then, the power play began to become a difference-maker exactly half way through the first period. Crosby rifled a shot from the point. McCann found the rebound on the doorstep and buried it.
Over the last eight games, the power play has scored 10 goals. McCann netted five of them himself. His big, deceptive shot is a weapon on its own. The threat of it stresses different angles of the penalty kill and forces opponents to respect the shot at all times.
It’s worth wondering if there’s more to it than that, though. The Penguins have talked often about encouraging movement and positional interchangeability to make themselves unpredictable for opponents. That was one of the big points of emphasis when assistant Todd Reirden took the reins this season.
One wonders if taking Evgeni Malkin out of the picture — and out of the right circle where he’s almost always glued as he waits for one-timers — has freed up the unit to become exactly what Reirden has asked.
Whatever the change is, it’s working and it will give coach Mike Sullivan a lot to think about when some of the regular firepower returns to the lineup.
While a myriad of tactical factors went into the power-play goal, the Penguins took the lead, 2-1, thanks to a little luck and a simple example of how good things happen when you put the puck on net. As the public address announcer at the Prudential Center declared there was one minute remaining in the first period, Brian Dumoulin flicked the puck on net. The shot hit Devils defenseman Janne Kuokkanen in the arm and changed direction, fooling goalie Mackenzie Blackwood.
DeSmith returned to the crease after back-to-back subpar performances. On April 1, he leapfrogged Andrei Vasilevskiy to take the NHL lead in save percentage. However, in the previous two outings he allowed 10 goals in fewer than 100 minutes, while stopping just 76.6% of the shots he faced.
He mostly returned to form on Friday night. One of the few exceptions was in the second period, when a couple juicy rebounds allowed three consecutive scoring chances for the Devils. Jack Hughes, the 2019 first overall draft pick, converted on the third to tie the score at 2.
However, soon after that goal, DeSmith made arguably the Penguins’ highlight-reel save of the season. The Devils raced ahead in transition during an odd-man rush. Rust blocked the initial attempt, but it deflected directly to Jesper Boqvist in the right circle. Down and out, DeSmith somehow recovered and leapt to punch the puck out of the air, like a soccer goalie breaking up a corner kick.
Later in the second, the Penguins reclaimed the lead, 3-2. Letang’s initial shot was denied by Blackwood. As the puck floated, Colton Sceviour batted it out of the air, over Blackwood and into the net, almost like a tennis player quickly reacting to return a volley backhanded.
Then, in the third period, the power play stretched the lead to 4-2. Rust lined up a slap shot from the top of the right circle. McCann earned the primary assist on the play.
The Penguins got a little breathing room thanks to their captain. From below the goal line, Jake Guentzel set up Crosby beautifully, as the Penguins took a 5-2 lead.
Then things got strange. A bad bounce off of Letang’s skate momentarily gave the Devils hope. Then, his regular defensive partner, Dumoulin, attempted to clear the puck and put one off DeSmith and into the Penguins' net to make it a one-goal game. But Rust cliched the game with an empty-netter, his second goal of the game.
The Penguins close out their four-game road trip through New York and New Jersey on Sunday when they again play the Devils.
