The Penguins played what Head Coach Mike Sullivan called "one of the better games we played all year" in a 5-1 win over Los Angeles on Monday at Crypto.com Arena, which was especially impressive considering the circumstances.
It was their third game in four nights, with the team traveling coast to coast on Sunday after a weekend back-to-back in Buffalo and Washington.
They were facing the NHL’s No. 2 defensive team without their leading scorer, as Rickard Rakell – who paces the team with 23 goals – returned to Pittsburgh for family reasons and did not play.
Not to mention it was the Kings’ first game back at home since the southern California wildfires began, honoring first responders as part of an emotional night.
"Obviously, there's a lot going on outside of the game right now here,” said Alex Nedeljkovic, who made 25 saves for his second win in a row. “It was their first game back since everything, since the fires. So, I thought we did a great job taking it to them, not letting them get to their game.
“Anytime they got any sort of momentum, a shift or two in our end, we seemed to respond the right way every time. We'd spend five minutes in their end and more times than not, we'd put a goal in the back of their net. So, I thought it was great. Best defense is good offense, and we did a lot of that tonight."
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Kris Letang filled in on the first power-play unit over the boards, which converted its first opportunity around the midway point of the first period. Kevin Hayes got his eighth goal of the season, his fourth on the power play.
“It’s just a chance when I get to help out the team,” said the veteran forward, who’s scored four times in 10 games since returning to the lineup after a lengthy stretch as a healthy scratch.
“During my career, I've kind of been a power-play guy. It allows you to build confidence in your game. I just think that playing some of the players that we have on these units makes it a lot easier. When you get touches on the power play, it makes your overall game feel a lot better.”
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said transitioning Hayes from wing to center has helped him find his game, not to mention he’s been moving his feet more.
“His offensive capability is evident both at 5-on-5 and on the power play, and he has a certain swagger to him. He has a confidence about him that I think is good for our team,” Sullivan said before adding with a smile, “The mustache is good too.”
For context, Hayes told the guys to show up with mustaches to start their seven-game road trip for some new mojo, and they’ve won two of three.
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At even strength, Anthony Beauvillier moved up to the top line alongside Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. He picked up an assist on the captain’s goal, which was Pittsburgh’s second of the night, and came exactly four minutes after Hayes scored. He later found one of his own to ice the victory.
"He was really good,” Crosby said. “Showed some speed, obviously gets one in around the net there. Had a couple chances besides that. I thought everybody played really well, really solid on both sides of the puck. Hopefully we can string some together."
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After Evgeni Malkin built a 3-0 lead for Pittsburgh in the second period, who else but Adrian Kempe to get Los Angeles on the board? The Swedish forward has quickly become a Penguins killer, as he now has 10 goals in 14 career games against them, including a four-goal game in this building. It came during a 5-on-3 power play for the Kings, who got some more chances during the rest of that power play. Once it was killed off, the Penguins regrouped, and Cody Glass put home a setup from Hayes.
The Penguins have asked Glass, the seventh overall pick in 2018, to play a different role than what he’s been accustomed to. As Kyle Dubas put it, “he’s been an offensive guy his entire life… but he’s come in here and he's also been very good on the penalty kill, and sort of adapted, (after) being a power play guy (his) whole life.”
The production had fallen off a bit as Glass got used to his new duties, but the 25-year-old is starting to get some traction in that area of the game. After posting one goal in his first 35 games, Glass has tallied twice in the last three.
“Goals will come. They come in bunches. I'm not too worried about it,” Glass said. “If I'm doing the right things defensively, things will come... if I can just play a good 200-foot game and help both ends of the ice, good things will happen.”