Penguins Keep the Good Times Rolling

WHAT HAPPENED

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

While the Penguins were thrilled with their perfect 3-0 swing across the border with stops in Montreal on Thursday, Toronto on Saturday and Winnipeg on Monday, they knew they had to stay hungry heading into tonight's matchup back at home.
"That road trip in Canada I think was really good for us," Aston-Reese said. "The first two games we played really well. Got away from it a little bit in Winnipeg, but we were able to learn from that and coming back home after a road trip like that, you've got to dial it in that much more. I think Coach will be happy with the way we played tonight."
Mike Sullivan admitted the coaching staff was a little concerned about a letdown in this game with a tough travel day on Tuesday and a quick turnaround, but he thought the guys played with a lot of energy, which he was pleased about.
He was a little less pleased about the fact that the group wasn't quite as tight defensively as they had been up north, where they gave up just one goal in those three games. Fortunately, Jarry was there to make the timely saves and ensure that the Penguins would give up just two goals in their past four games.
"I think that's something that we've got to take from this and just make sure that that we make better decisions with the puck and that we don't get in a chance for chance game," Sullivan said. "I thought Tristan was terrific again tonight. We gave up a fair amount of high-quality chances, and we got a fair amount ourselves, but I thought we I thought we gave up more than we prefer. And Tristan was there."
A 'chance for chance game' was a perfect description of the first period, where the Penguins put 16 pucks on Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko - who stood on his head to keep the game scoreless - but gave up nine shots as well, including a shorthanded breakaway.
But credit to the Penguins for coming out even harder in the second period, getting a power play tally from Rust just 49 seconds in and continuing to push from there. They would score three unanswered goals to take a 3-0 lead into the intermission, and kept their foot on the gas for the third period, getting an empty-netter from McGinn with a minute left to play.
"It's a quick team," Canucks head coach Travis Green said. "They've got four lines, they can roll them over, they're pretty deep. I thought we struggled with the pace of the game tonight."

OTHER THOUGHTS, MUSINGS AND OBSERVATIONS

- "JARRY! JARRY!"
The Penguins netminder continues to stay red-hot. He has responded so incredibly well from Pittsburgh's 6-0 loss on Nov. 14, something Jarry said he took personally. Since then, he has given up just four goals in his last five starts, stopping 133 of 137 shots over that span. Overall, Jarry has started six in a row and 11 of the past 12.
"He's seeing it right now," Sullivan said. "He looks really comfortable in the net. His rebound control is really good. His handles have been more decisive. He's making good decisions when he does handle the puck. He's playing extremely well for us. That's one of the reasons why we've kind of rode him here over the last stretch of games. He's been playing extremely well."
For more on Jarry's mentality and mindset, click here.
- BIT OF TRACTION
Hopefully, both Rust and the power play can gain a bit of traction. His tally was just his second of the season, and first since the season opener.
"First of all, thanks to you guys for not bringing it up before tonight," Rust joked to the media after the game. "But second of all, I've been there before, gone through streaks where I haven't produced or haven't played well. You got to just kind of stick with the process, you almost got to just simplify, and you just got to keep working."
And tonight, he got rewarded for that, saying you could tell by his celebration it was certainly a relief. To be fair, Rust did miss seven games from Oct. 15 to Nov. 4, but the Penguins winger struggled to be consistent upon returning, saying there are times when he's making plays and feeling good, along with times when he's had lapses.
But Rust said that Sidney Crosby's return would certainly help him as an individual and their line with Jake Guentzel as a whole, and that right now, they're building.
"I think for the most part, we're trending in the right direction," Rust said. "We're working as a unit out there, we're staying close and getting our opportunities."
That applies to the power play as well, which was ranked last in the league entering tonight's game with just six goals in 54 attempts. It went 1-for-4 tonight.
"It's been a little bit of a struggle this year," Rust said. "We have been moving the puck, and I thought tonight, we were moving around well, we were working hard for each other. We were getting some opportunities, and we were rewarded with a goal. So hopefully we can take some lessons from that, keep working off each other and hopefully get a few more of those."
MONKEY OFF THE BACK
Another Penguin who broke through was Aston-Reese, who got his first of the season. It looks like all the Northeastern alum needed was to go against Thatcher Demko, a product of Boston College.
"It felt really good," Aston-Reese said. "Kind of seemed like nobody really wanted the puck, guys were joking about it. But Ginner made a nice play, and I think going back to college, I've had Demko's number. It seems like I've scored on him since every level of college. Happy to get the first one out of the way, and hopefully a lot more to come."
It was yet another strong effort from his line as a whole, as McGinn finished with a goal and an assist while Teddy Blueger collected two apples. Getting contributions like that from the bottom-six makes the Penguins that much more difficult to play against as it provides more balance to their lineup.
"We rely on them a lot in some of the tough minutes and the defensive zone starts and killing penalties and blocking shots," Sullivan said. "They do a lot of those thankless jobs that don't necessarily show up on the scoresheet, but they help teams win. So for them to get rewarded with some goals, for me, I couldn't be happier for them because I know how hard they work."