Penguins struggle to beat the Coyotes - again

Penguins struggle to beat the Coyotes - again

For the second time in just over a week the Pittsburgh Penguins faced the Arizona Coyotes and for the second time they struggled to beat them. Last week in Phoenix they edged out a 3-1 win thanks in part to a fluke goal by Sutter and an Empty net goal by Sidney Crosby. Today they won thanks to a dominant performance by Crosby in the third period which helped change the game in the  Penguins favour with them scoring three goals 4:08 minutes apart. 

The Penguins dominated on the shots again but Mike Smith stood firm to deny the  Penguins as much as possible, including some acrobatic saves. The Penguins were buoyed by the return of Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist before the game, which softened the blow of Perron missing out due to illness, but their first period play felt flat. The first period was quite even with the shots only just 14-13 in Pittsburgh's favour and the Coyotes wasted a good chance to go in the lead with a 5 minute power-play after Comeau was ejected due to what was perceived to be a boarding major.

The Penguins played with a lot more intent and purpose in the second completely wiping out the Arizona offense with a 13-3 shot differential. The Penguins started to get more extra skater opportunities as well with two powerplays in the period. The Penguins old issues of passing too much returned though and they failed to convert. Late in the second Kris Letang was involved in an unfortunate collision with Shane Doan which saw him fall into the boards. As a result Letang left the game and was taken to Hospital for an overnight observation, losing Letang for a prolonged period doesn't bare thinking about.

The third period was where the Penguins took control with another dominant shot difference, this time 19-8. The Penguins benefited from more penalties on the Coyotes thanks to Stone's double minor on Brandon Sutter and Campbell's high sticking on the same player. Crosby was the main beneficiary in the third with a goal, primary assist and secondary assist. His goal was under review due to a potential kicking motion but Toronto decided it was good.

The points put Crosby on 78 points from 70 games with just seven left. There is still an outside chance of him getting 90 points due to the Penguins final game being against the Sabres whom he scored five points against in one game earlier in the season. I hope he is able to hit 90 points.