PITTSBURGH — How would they respond to whatever the heck happened the other night?
That was the question that fans, media and other unbiased observers pondered after the Penguins held on to survive Tuesday’s historic meltdown against the New Jersey Devils. Their head coach was probably wondering about that, too.
But in Thursday’s rematch with the Devils, it took the captain just 41 seconds to let everybody at PPG Paints Arena know exactly how the night was going to go.
Sidney Crosby set the tone with a booming check and beautiful goal on the game’s first shift and delivered a dominant performance in a 5-1 victory. The Penguins led, 5-1, through two periods but there was no letdown this time around.
Seconds after the puck dropped, Crosby crushed Devils defenseman Ryan Murray. He then nearly batted the puck out of midair for a goal. When the Devils tried to escape their zone, he poked the puck from Pavel Zacha and snapped a shot over Aaron Dell’s right shoulder to give the Penguins an early 1-0 lead.
That was Crosby’s 13th career goal in the opening minute of a game. He is now tied with Hall of Fame center Mark Messier for the most in league history.
After Matt Tennyson beat Tristan Jarry from the point to tie it up at 1-1, Cody Ceci’s shot from long distance made it past Dell about five minutes later. A well-timed screen from Zach Aston-Reese probably had something to do with that.
Crosby was omnipresent in that opening period and with slightly better luck could have had put up three or four points in the first 20 minutes alone. In the second period, Crosby and linemates Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel kept it up.
Rust rifled home a pass from Guentzel on a 2-on-1 to put the Penguins up by two. Kasperi Kapanen scored and Teddy Blueger added a short-handed tally to chase Dell, who was replaced by Scott Wedgewood, and make it 5-1 after two.
What one would give to know what was said by coach Mike Sullivan then …
If you somehow missed Tuesday’s game and all the grumbling afterward from fans, media and your frustrated neighbor, they led, 6-0, through two periods.
“We just took our foot off the gas pedal,” Evan Rodrigues said Tuesday.
Rodrigues left out the part where the Penguins also took their hands off the wheel, their eyes off the road and at one point climbed into the backseat to take a nap. Even after the Devils pulled within 6-3 and then 7-5, the Penguins were unable to regain control of the game. The Devils simply ran out of highway.
Pittsburgh’s 7-6 victory was the first time in NHL history that a team allowed five or more goals during the third period and somehow still won the game.
Speechless in the immediate aftermath at his press conference, Sullivan had plenty of words for his Penguins players at the start of Wednesday’s practice.
“For me, it’s more symptomatic of the mindset than anything,” Sullivan told reporters after practice was over. “That’s really the most important aspect. … It’s not like this group doesn’t know how to play and doesn’t know the details of the team game that gives us the best chance to be successful out there.”
Apparently having a ticked-off Crosby gives them a good chance to win, too. He had two points and was credited with two hits and a team-high four shots Thursday. With him leading the way, the rest of the Penguins fell in line.
During the third period, the Penguins kept the car in gear and on the road. And Jarry, whose focus waned while allowing six goals in the final period of Tuesday’s terrifying win, was sharp when called upon. Noteworthy was his right pad save on Andreas Johnsson’s one-timer from the slot six minutes into the third.
Kapanen, back in the lineup after a four-week absence, had a goal and an assist in his return. The winger spent most of his evening on the third or fourth line.
The Penguins conclude their three-game set with the Devils at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday afternoon. They then host the Boston Bruins here a day later.
