Musings: Penguins Earn Resilient Win Against Predators

The Pittsburgh Penguins earned themselves a resilient victory on Saturday night against the Nashville Predators, with Rickard Rakell tying the game with 1:06 remaining in regulation, followed by Ville Koivunen winning the game in overtime. 

“Everybody who comes in here shows that they want to be a difference maker for us and I think it really shows tonight,” Rakell said. “It’s just not one line going, it’s every line going trying to give us a chance to win the game and also defending hard.”

While the Penguins found themselves trailing 2-1 going into the third period, it wasn’t for a lack of offense. Juuse Saros came up with several high-danger saves, but the Penguins were able to stick with it.

“Being in a game where you get a lot of chances, like, there was a flurry of just Grade-As for us, you know? I think it was early in the second period and I think we kept finding it,” Head Coach Dan Muse said. “You've got to keep looking to do the right things, and I thought for the most part, like, we were able to create some pretty good looks.”

Rakell got a breakaway early in the first period and another late in the third while the team trailed 2-1 but was denied by Saros each time. For Rakell, he has been getting so many scoring chances in this recent stretch and was rewarded with the game-tying goal.

“It felt so good. The amount of looks I had – first off, in this game – my teammates setting me up for all these chances, it definitely feels good to put one in,” Rakell said.

The Penguins were able to build off that momentum going into overtime when Koivunen beat Saros with a beautiful wrist shot in the high slot. Koivunen, who has seen an elevated opportunity with the team’s recent injuries at forward, was a difference maker in the offensive zone on Saturday night.

“He's one of the smartest players I've ever played with,” Avery Hayes said. “The way he can get passes through everyone is special to watch, and to see him get that one at the end, he deserves it.”

While the Penguins seemed to control most of the game, the Predators still got plenty of scoring chances themselves. Coming off a shutout win on Thursday against Florida, Arturs Silovs was once again a difference maker. He stood tall when tested and made a beautiful glove save on Ryan O’Reilly in the second period.

“I thought, tonight, it was more moments, it wasn't long stretches but some moments that we could continue to clean up, but (Silovs) was there for when those happened,” Muse said. “So, it's huge for him. He's been putting in the work. He wants to keep taking steps and we want him to keep pushing for even more."

With the injuries the team is facing at the forward position, Evgeni Malkin was added to that list as he missed Saturday night’s game with an illness. That opened the door for Avery Hayes to be recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and slotted in on the second line with Hendrix Lapierre and Koivunen. For the younger guys like Hayes and Rutger McGroarty, they have done a great job of slotting into the lineup.

“With the amount of guys that we have out and big roles that they’re playing for us, to have them to come in here and take the opportunity to play really well, it means a lot to us,” Rakell said. “Nashville is a good team. Kudos to everybody tonight. I think it was a team effort.” 

With the team’s recent four-game losing streak in the rearview mirror, the Penguins have now won back-to-back games and are getting back to the level of play that they know they’re capable of. 

"We get back off that road trip and everybody is obviously disappointed in the results, we're disappointed in terms of the consistency of play,” Muse said. “I look at it as an opportunity for how can we come together? You have a stretch of games you don't like, it's a choice. You can feel bad for yourself… or you can come together. We needed to play a better brand of hockey. We still have things to clean up, but I think these last two games have been a step in the right direction."