The Pittsburgh Penguins (7-11-4) were hoping to turn the month of November around when they welcomed the Utah Hockey Club (7-9-3) to PPG Paints Arena for their first ever meeting.
The Penguins were 3-4-3 in the month of November until Utah came in and dismantled them 6-1, making the Penguins’ record 3-5-3 for the month.
Karel Vejmelka was outstanding for Utah, making 27 saves in his second win of the season. Utah’s power play was dangerous against the Penguins, going 3-for-4 in the game.
Recap of the game
The Penguins had an early onslaught, putting up seven before Utah got the first one. Surviving that early pressure from the Penguins, Utah found itself in the lead, scoring two goals in a span of four minutes and 13 seconds.
Jack McBain opened the scoring at 8:54 with just their second shot, followed by Mikhail Sergachev at 13:07. Utah took a 2-0 lead into the locker room.
On a 5-on-3 power play of the second period, Sidney Crosby scored his 600th career goal at 3:11 to make it a 2-1 game.
Related: Sidney Crosby Scores 600th Career Goal
At 10:37, Utah took advantage of its power play opportunity. A shot from Michael Kesselring deflected off Nick Bjugstad’s shin pads and back into the net. Despite holding an 11-8 advantage midway through the frame, the Penguins found themselves trailing 3-1 with 20 minutes left to find a way to tie the game.
The Penguins got off to a good start to start the period, winning on the power play just four minutes in. He ended up squandering that opportunity at 5:21 when Matt Grzelcyk was sent to the box for tripping.
In the second with three power play opportunities, Utah converted Dylan Guenther’s team-leading eighth goal of the season. Alexander Kerfoot assisted on the goal to make the game 5-1.
After extending their lead to four goals, Utah controlled the pace and played the remainder of the period. With constant pressure on the power play, Guenther scored his second goal of the game.
Fortunately for the Penguins, they have the next three days off before returning to action against the Vancouver Canucks for the fifth and final game of their homestand. Utah will head to Toronto to face the Maple Leafs in the second game of a back-to-back.
Source link
