Empty Thoughts: Penguins 4, Flyers 3 (OT)

Observations from the Penguins’ 4-3 win against the Flyers:

This has been a season of first for Bryan Rust.

To wit:

• This is the first time he’s reached 20 goals.

• This is the first time he’s had substantial time on the top power-play unit.

• This is the first time he’s led the team in goal scoring.

Despite all of that success, one thing he had not done this season prior to Friday is play on the left wing.

At least to the best of his recollection.

“I think this is game one,” Rust said. “Maybe game two.”

As far as any documentation shows, Rust has been exclusive to the right wing this season. In years past, he’s flipped back and forth to the left wing as the situation dictates.

On Friday, with Dominik Kahun sidelined due to a concussion, Rust was moved to the left wing of Evgeni Malkin’s line and produced a fairly key goal, albeit on the power play.

While Kahun appears to be well on his way to recovery - he has been skating on his own in recent days - Rust figures to be bolted onto the left wing - his off side - for the foreseeable future.

Will that impact the outstanding production he has enjoyed this season?

“Honestly, I have no idea,” Rust said. “Haven’t really thought about it. Not something I’m really trying to think about it. I’m just trying to go out there and do the same things that I’ve been doing.”

Rust isn’t unique in displaying such selflessness. The nature of hockey doesn’t really allow for too much narcissism.

But few players are so capable of filling in when needed in so many important roles such as Rust.

His goal on the power play is evidence of that considering he’s basically a fill in for the injured Jake Guentzel.

Rust is having a career year as he’s up to a team-best 22 goals. But that’s not what defines his career.

Versatility is.

“He’s played like that since he got here on day one,” said forward Sidney Crosby. “His speed and his work ethic allow him to make those plays. His all around game is unbelievable. When he’s making plays like that, guys are going to benefit, if not himself too.”

What happened

The Flyers took the first lead of the game late in the first period at the 19:31 mark. Working on a power play, Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim fired a one-timer from center point. The puck struck Flyers forward Sean Couturier above the crease. After Flyers forward Joel Farabee dug at the rebound but failed to corral it, the puck slid to the right dot where former Penguins defenseman Matt Niskanen slid a subtle pass to forward Jakub Voracek, low in the opposite circle. As goaltender Tristan Jarry scrambled in vain to his right, Voracek roofed an easy wrister for his 11th goal of the season. Niskanen and Farabee netted assists.

(Video courtesy NHL)

Things were tied, 1-1, 3:55 into the second period. Chasing down a loose puck on the left half wall of the Flyers’ zone, Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist chucked a wrister towards the cage. Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov swatted at the puck but ended up deflecting it to the far side of the crease past goaltender Brian Elliott’s glove hand. Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin deadened the puck with his left skate and pushed it past the stick of Niskanen into the cage for his 16th goal. The lone assist went to Hornqvist.

(Video courtesy NHL)

A power-play goal only 81 seconds later gave the Penguins their first lead of the game. Taking a pass low to the right of the cage, Hornqvist snapped a pass to the slot for Malkin who one-touched the puck to Crosby in the left circle. Crosby settled the puck with his left skate then fed a pass to the right of the crease where Rust lifted wrister. Sanheim blocked the shot partially but not enough as it slid into the vacant net. Assists went to Crosby and Malkin.

(Video courtesy NHL)

It became a 3-1 game with another power-play goal at 11:03 of the second. From the center point, Malkin fed a pass to Crosby on the left half wall. Surveying the offensive zone, Crosby snapped a cross-ice pass to Letang, slinking his way up the right wing. Moving in towards the cage, Letang lifted a wrister that deflected off Elliot’s left leg and into the cage for his 11th goal. Crosby and Malkin registered assists.

(Video courtesy NHL)

The Flyers responded at 16:29 of the second. Corralling a puck deep in his own right corner, Letang made a careless backhanded pass attempt up ice which was easily intercepted above the right circle by Niskanen who then fed the puck to Flyers forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel below the left dot. With Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson scrambling to defend, Aube-Kubel slid a pass to the left of the crease where forward Tyler Pitlick lifted a wrister past Jarry’s glove hand on the far side for his fifth goal. Aube-Kubel and Niskanen had assists.

(Video courtesy NHL)

It became a 3-3 game only 2:20 into the third. Settling a puck on the right half wall, Flyers forward Kevin Hayes ripped a wrister into a forest of legs above the crease. The puck glanced off a skate of Pitlick and deflected to the left of the crease where Flyers forward Scott Laughton easily tapped in a forehand shot for his seventh goal. Assists went to Pitlick and Hayes.

(Video courtesy NHL)

The Penguins claimed victory only 55 seconds into overtime. Letang handed the puck off to Crosby above the left circle. With the benefit of open ice during three-on-three play, Crosby looped around to the right circle and sniped a wrister past Elliott’s blocker for his ninth goal. Letang and forward Jared McCann collected assists.

(Video courtesy NHL)

Statistically speaking

• The Flyers led in shots, 30-20.

• Couturier and Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk each led the game with four shots.

• Forward Dominik Simon, Hornqvist, McCann and Rust each led the Penguins with four shots.

• Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov led the game with 27:13 of ice time on 27 shifts.

• Letang led the Penguins with 24:48 of ice time on 30 shifts.

• The Flyers controlled faceoffs, 27-23 (54 percent).

• Couturier was 10 for 17 (59 percent).

• Malkin was 7 for 15 (48 percent).

• Hornqvist led the game with three blocked shots.

• Defensemen Justin Braun, Philippe Myer and Provorov each led the Flyers with two blocked shots.

Historically speaking

• Malkin (1,055 points) surpassed Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Denis Potvin (1,052) for 71st place on the NHL’s career scoring list.

• Penguins rookie forward Anthony Angello made his NHL debut. He logged 4:13 of ice time on eight shifts and was credited with one blocked shot.

• Angello became the fifth player in franchise history to wear No. 57. He was preceded by forward Chris Ferraro, defenseman Shawn Heins, forward Marcel Goc and forward David Perron.

• Angello became the 16th “Double A” - players with A as their first and last initial - in NHL history:

Useless Stat of the Night: Penguins forward Anthony Angello is expected to make his NHL debut.

He would be the 16th player in NHL history with “A” for his first and last initial.

His predecessors: pic.twitter.com/3CGrNMydcL

— Seth Rorabaugh (@SethRorabaugh) January 31, 2020

• Voracek scored his eighth career power-play goal against the Penguins. Among active players, only Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin (16) and Canadiens forward Ilya Kovalchuk (11) have more power-play goals against the Penguins.

Randomly speaking

• Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz returned to the lineup after missing 16 games due to an undisclosed injury. He logged 16:57 of ice time on 24 shifts.

• There was a sequence late in the second and early in third periods where Schultz’s primary partner, Chad Ruhwedel, was absent from the game. He returned from the dressing room fairly early in the third period. He appeared to take a big hit late in the second period and left afterward. There was no official word on why he was absent.

• When he was on the ice, Ruhwedel primarily was used on the left side of a third pairing with Schultz.

After the morning skate, Sullivan somewhat explained why that decision was made:

“Chad is a good player, ” Sullivan said. “He’s got a simple game. He’s a real mobile skater. … We think he’s capable of playing the off side. … One of the things we like about Chad’s game his is mobility for one. Skating is one of his assets which would allow him to play the off side. But his simplicity as well. He understands what he is. He plays the game within himself. He’s a real, safe, reliable player for us.”

• The Penguins went 2 for 2 on the power play.

Publicly speaking

• Crosby on the importance of this win, especially considering it game 10 days after a poor loss in Philadelphia:

“We’ve got a lot of division games, tough opponents. Every point is crucial. You always look at this time of year when your team has to elevate your game, everyone else is doing the same. We’re going to try to do that. Coming off a break, to get the first two points there and build off of that is important.”

• Schultz was pragmatic about the victory, even if they gave up a two-goal lead:

“We got the two points, right? Obviously, it didn’t go our way in the third. We’ve want to clean that up. But for the most part, it was a pretty good game.”

• Crosby was asked if anything in particular was clicking on the power play:

“Nothing specific. The effort I think was the biggest thing. (Rust) keeps the puck alive there on the goal he ends up scoring. He’s the one who retrieved the puck and kept it alive. Then the other one, we found a way to (Letang) through there. He made a great play, a great read. I think it was more our worth ethic than our execution or our Xs and Os.”

• Rust on his goal:

“We were in the (offensive) zone for a long time on the power play. Then, we ended up causing a turnover at the top of the zone. All five guys might have touched it before it went in the net, or at least four guys did. Sid made a really nice play to me on the back door. I think it went over the line by two inches.”

• Sullivan on the power play:

“The power play was real good tonight. We supported the puck, we won puck battles, we didn’t force things, we took what they gave us. They were a high-pressure kill and I thought the guys did a great job. There was a lot of movement. … When the puck’s moving and people are moving, that’s when our power play is at its best and I thought there was a lot of motion tonight.”

• Sullivan on Schultz’s return and his pairing with Ruhwedel:

“(Schultz) was fine. It’s never an easy thing when you miss the amount of time that he’s missed then you jump right into a game like that that was pretty intense. But I thought he did a real good job. He gets a grade-A scoring chance on his very first first shift. That would have been terrific but he makes a hell of a shot.

“I thought the pair was decent. It’s not ideal. It’s not what we would prefer but there’s no perfect scenario right now based on where we’re at. Chad did a pretty good job on that left side. That’s not easy to play the off side, especially when you’re not used to it. We asked Chad to embrace that role for us. One of the things we love about Chad is whatever we ask of him, he accepts it and just goes about his business. The pair was decent tonight. Justin, being his first game back, was decent.”

Visually speaking

-Game summary.

-Event summary.

-Highlights:

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