Tim Benz: How Penguins flipped the script against troublesome Bruins

Normally, Pittsburgh’s obsession with losing to teams from New England is focused on the football field.

This week, it bled onto the hockey rink, too.

Whatever success the Penguins seemed to spin against the rest of the league this season, it had failed to manifest against the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins pushed around the Penguins en route to a 4-1 win on Jan. 16. And they outgunned the Penguins in a 6-4 see-saw affair back on Nov. 4.

Much of last week’s hockey content on the sports radio airwaves and online was centered around how the Penguins could figure out a way to better represent themselves against a franchise that is in good position to win the Atlantic Division and could be an opponent in the postseason.

Sure. That’s getting ahead of ourselves. But since so many Steelers conversations over the years have begun and ended with, “Yeah, but what if they see the Patriots in the playoffs,” who am I to get in the way of good ol’ fashioned New England-induced paranoia?

Especially since there appeared to be something to it.

In one game, Boston played bigger and stronger than the Penguins. In another, they outscored the Penguins.

In both, they won without playing starting goaltender Tuukka Rask. And in both, the dynamic top line of David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron played even better than they normally do. They collectively accumulated a total of 16 points in the two games.

So given how the Penguins stormed back from an early 3-0 deficit at home Sunday to win 4-3, forgive any Penguins fan who may have briefly celebrated some liberation from Boston.

Not exactly cause for dumping tea in the harbor. But maybe reason for an extra Iron City on the North Shore after the game.

“It’s important to play well against a team we didn’t play well against in Boston,” captain Sidney Crosby said. “We wanted to be better. Aside from the start, we did a good job sticking with it.”

Head coach Mike Sullivan was a little less willing to attach any extra significance to the win over Boston Sunday evening, because in his estimation, the first six periods — well, six and a half if you count Sunday’s dreadful start — weren’t as lopsided as others may have felt.

“The first game against Boston, we were the better hockey team,” Sullivan insisted. “We didn’t win the game. But I felt we were the better hockey team. That’s one of the best games we played this season, throw the score aside. The last game, they were the better hockey team.

“I thought (Sunday) we both had our moments. They had a great start. We had a really good response.”

That left Sullivan grasping for an explanation.

“I don’t know that there is a common theme throughout three games,” he continued.

A pair of Penguins who scored goals Sunday offered some more specific reasons for their team’s ability to flip the script against their Eastern Conference rivals.

“We supported each other a lot better,” defenseman Jack Johnson said. “So it was easier to make some plays. We managed the puck a little bit. The last game we definitely weren’t good enough. Once we got a hold of ourselves (Sunday), we played a lot better.”

Forward Teddy Blueger added, “Compared to the last game, we dialed into the details. We won more puck battles. We were first on pucks more. We were able to control some territory more (Sunday). That led to some scoring chances, I think.”

Some other reasons why this result was different for the Penguins?

• In Game 1 against the Bruins this year, Sullivan’s skaters also crawled back from a 3-0 hole, only to give the game back to Boston in a 6-4 defeat.

Once they seized it Sunday, the Penguins carried the momentum until the end.

• On Sunday, those three Bruins stars got off to a great start again, contributing four points on the three first-period goals. But this time, Crosby and Evgeni Malkin kept pace.

Yes, Crosby scored moments into Game 2 last Tuesday. However, like the rest of the team, he struggled to do much the rest of that night. Malkin was a minus-2 and was held without a point.

Malkin did have an assist in the November game, yet Crosby was a minus-4.

But, in this game, Crosby had brilliant assists on the first two goals by Dominik Simon and Teddy Blueger.

First game back: 1G-3A
Second game back: 1G
Third game back: 1G (OT GWG)
Fourth game back: 2A

Just Sid things. Way to knock it in, Teddy! pic.twitter.com/5rPuwju3gb

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 19, 2020

And how, exactly, did Simon score from that angle? ? pic.twitter.com/j7qitONxbo

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 19, 2020

Meanwhile, Malkin was the engine behind Bryan Rust’s eventual game-winner, jarring the puck free with a heavy forecheck behind the end line and making a fine feed for the primary assist.

That's 21 goals on the season for Bryan Rust... in just 35 games. pic.twitter.com/kBtamWrC1A

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 19, 2020

• This time after a tough start against the Bruins, Murray rebounded from an 0-3 hole instead of getting pulled. And he made some fantastic saves in the third period, particularly one on Matt Grzelcyk on a shot that appeared ticketed to tie the game.

DENIED! pic.twitter.com/p7RbzfD3Ws

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 19, 2020

The Penguins are done with the Bruins in the regular season. And if Sullivan’s assessment that this season’s series was essentially nothing more than a split-decision win for the Bruins is right, he can probably live with that.

That’s if Rounds 4-10 don’t present themselves in the playoffs.

If they do, Sullivan may have to be a harsher judge.

And we’ll see if New England playoff paranoia resurfaces on ice once more as it did in 2013 — and as it so often has on grass.