Penguins Ride Crosby’s 2-Goal Game to Beat Canadiens 3-1 – Hockey Writers – Pittsburgh Penguins

Sidney Crosby once again led the way for the Pittsburgh Penguins, scoring twice in a 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. In net, Alex Nedeljkovic earned his second win of the season and totaled 26 saves on the night.

With the win, the Penguins moved to 5-7-1 on the season, while the Canadiens fell to 4-7-1 after Nedeljkovic was shut out for most of the game.

Recap of the game

The first half ended with the Penguins leading 1-0. They controlled most of the offensive zone games, with more than twice as much offensive time as the Canadiens. A strong forecheck throughout the period was eventually rewarded, with Rickard Rakell forcing a turnover and giving Crosby a quick shot at the post that beat Sam Monutembeault. The biggest reason why the period ended with less than a one-goal lead was due in large part to a great save from Canadiens goaltender Montembeault. The biggest scoring threats the Penguins faced came from Nedeljkovic’s turnovers trying to play the puck, but he was able to recover and make the save.

In the second half, the Penguins power play got on the board thanks to Crosby again, who benefited from a nice play by Kris Letang to get him the puck at the top of the circle to beat Montembault. Going into the third quarter, Penguins fans are worried about the lead, as the team came into the game with six losses (the most in the NHL). While the Canadiens made a push throughout the period, including Christian Dvorak’s first goal of the season, a strong defensive position held against the Canadiens. Offseason acquisition Blake Lizotte scored an empty netter for his first goal in a Penguins jersey to put the game away.

The Penguins will be away until November 5, when they head to New York to face the Islanders, while the Canadiens will return home to face the Calgary Flames on November 5 again.