Red Wings outlast Penguins to 3-2 overtime win – Hockey Writers – NHL News

In what became a bitter rivalry in the late 2000s, the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins faced off with both teams looking to get on track and stay out of their respective divisions. The back-to-back game saw both teams’ goalies stand tall and push the game into overtime, where the Red Wings pulled out a 3-2 win. With the win, the Red Wings improved to 7-7-1, while the Penguins fell to 6-10-2 on the season.

Recap of the game

A scoreless first period saw the Red Wings dominate most of the period with good and quick moves from all three spots, keeping the Penguins on their toes. Alex Nedeljkovic of the Penguins kept his former team waiting, however, when he was tested, which he was 12 times, many came in crowded and dangerous places. The Penguins gained offensive momentum in the final minutes of the period, thanks to the relentless play of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. However, they came up empty against Red Wings netminder Cam Talbot, who made 10 saves in the first frame.

The second half saw more action, with both teams scoring twice to regain the stadium at the end of the period. Jonathan Berggren got things going for the Red Wings in his season opener with a great feed from Vladimir Tarasenko. It didn’t take long for that to make it two, with Patrick Kane netting a power play goal as Dylan Larkin battled the Penguins on the boards to find an open Kane for a 2-0 lead. The Penguins did not fold after falling to the Dallas Stars on November 11, 7-1, instead they showed a push with a quick goal. Bryan Rust beat Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider in the net on a tight defensive play and beat Talbot to get the Penguins back up just under halftime.

The final goal of a back-and-forth second-half scoring spree came on an unusually smooth play by the Penguins, which led to Crosby finding Marcus Pettersson, who jumped on a chase. Pettersson found a wide-open Anthony Beauvillier in the net after losing the Red Wing defense for an open net to tie the game 2-2 heading into the third period.

Another scoreless period, the third saw the Penguins control most of the game after gaining momentum on a strong power play opportunity. The Red Wings got a few chances from Nedeljkovic late in regulation, but he and Talbot stopped short to send the game into overtime.

In overtime, both teams took advantage of this open ice. Malkin got a Grade A opportunity on Talbot but was robbed in the pad defense. The Red Wings scored the game-winning goal from young defenseman Simon Edvinsson assisted by Alex DeBrincat and Kane. In the victory, Talbot reached 250 career wins.

Both teams will return to the ice on November 15, with the Penguins heading to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets. The Red Wings will travel to the West Coast to face the Anaheim Ducks.