Crosby’s exit occurred several minutes prior to the Penguins ruling him out. He took the opening shift of the second period, skated 38 seconds, then immediately went down the runway to the locker room after exiting the ice. To add insult to injury, just over a minute after Crosby exited the game, Nick Cousin’s gave Ottawa a 2-1 lead thanks to a fortuitous bounce where Cousins only had to slide a loose puck into an open cage.
Thankfully for the Penguins, when ‘Superman’ exited, a pair of ‘Robins’ – better known to Penguins fans as Karlsson and Rakell – stepped to the forefront to assume the hero’s role. Sensing it might be their time to shine once again, Karlsson and Rakell went to work to change the trajectory of the evening on what would have been Crosby’s very next shift.
At the end of a dominant offensive zone sequence, Rakell corralled the puck along the yellow of the far boards, danced between three Senators, then hit Karlsson skating towards the right circle. From there, it almost looked like a flashback of what we’ve seen several times over the past week.
Karlsson unleashed a wicked wrist shot from the right circle past Linus Ullmark to knot the game at 2-2. Like Freddie Andersen and Connor Hellebuyck before him, Ullmark, who had been 8-0 all-time against Pittsburgh prior to Thursday, had no chance.
That time, it was Karlsson, the beneficiary of a Rakell’s playmaking exploits. On the Penguins’ first and third goals, it was the other way around.
Karlsson’s hockey IQ and sublime puck skills shone brightly on the Pens’ opening goal. Most defenders would have retreated from their point when Ottawa blueliner Tyler Kleven took the puck behind his net. Instead, Karlsson held his ground, keeping Kleven’s stretch pass in the zone at the right point. Karlsson teed up Rakell for a one-time bullet to equal the score at 1-1.
Early in the third period, the Penguins found themselves on a 1:27-minutes two-man advantage. The Karlsson to Rakell connection ensured Pittsburgh wouldn’t waste its golden opportunity. Rakell unleashed another one-timer off a Karlsson setup, beating Ullmark to the short side for Pittsburgh’s first lead, 3-2.
It was only fitting that during the Penguins’ post-game locker room celebration, reigning helmet owner Karlsson tossed the baton to Rakell. We won’t know Crosby’s status moving forward. But if he and Evgeni Malkin, who missed his second-straight game, miss any of the upcoming three games in four nights situation, the Penguins might have to continue relying on Karlsson and Rakell to carry the load.
Rakell’s three-point effort gives him points in 10 of his last 11 games (6G-8A-14PTS). Karlsson has been even more en fuego, producing eight goals, 14 assists and 22 points over his last 15 games.
The scoring binges by Karlsson and Rakell have allowed the Penguins to not only stay inside playoff position, but to continue their strong play without their top-two offensive threats in Crosby and Malkin. Since the Olympic Break, the Penguins have gone 2-1-2 in the five full games that both missed together. They went 5-3-3 in the 11 contests that Crosby sat out. Factor in tonight’s win when they only received 6:39 minutes from Crosby, these Penguins should feel very confident they can find ways to scrap and claw their way to victory.
“It’s everybody,” Karlsson said of what needs to happen for the Penguins to continue having success sans Crosby and Malkin. “I think when Sid leaves the game, obviously we have two options: we can hang our heads and admit defeat, or everybody can just say to themselves that I'm gonna do my absolute best every time I get out there.
“And I think we did that today. Not only myself, but everybody really chipped in and played in a way that we've been successful throughout most of the year. Today was another one of those, even though we were on our heels in the third quite a bit. Stu played unbelievable for us. It’s a big two points for us. And hopefully, you know, both of the big guys can come back here shortly.”
