The Pittsburgh Penguins ended Seattle Kraken's nine-game winning streak with a 3-0 win on Monday. Sidney Crosby, the Penguins' seasoned forward, netted two of the goals, which not only sealed the victory but also brought him within one goal of Hall of Famer Mark Recchi on the all-time goals list.
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, who credited the team's success to reading the game effectively, praised Crosby’s performance. "Sometimes we marvel at what he does out there," Sullivan said.
Coach Sullivan expressed that he admires Crosby’s creativity in scoring goals in many different ways. "I think he's the best player in the game, the best player in the world, and has been for a long time, in and around the blue paint,” he continued. “His ability to think it, it has to start in his brain first before he executes some of these things."
Crosby’s performance was supported by goaltender Tristan Jarry, who displayed the team’s solid defense strategy by thwarting all 22 shots he faced and securing his fifth shutout of the season. Jarry kept the Seattle Kraken scoreless and limited their offensive opportunities throughout the game.
"They're a really good team. They've won a lot of games as of recently,” Jarry said about the Kraken. "I think that was just our game plan coming in. Making sure that we keep the chances to a minimum, making sure we keep the rushes to a minimum. I think we did a really good job of that tonight."
This marked a positive turn of events for the Penguins, who snapped a two-game losing streak by bouncing back from recent overtime defeats against Vancouver and Carolina.
Few chances
The game itself was characterized by few high-percentage chances, with the Penguins managing to score just enough goals through Crosby's efforts. The team's strong start from the opening faceoff in the first period, despite not scoring any goal in the first period.
Pittsburgh then experienced a surge in offensive momentum during the second period. Left winger Drew O'Connor kicked off the scoring with a goal, assisted by Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust. Shortly after, Sidney Crosby netted his first goal of the game.
As the game progressed into the third period, Crosby secured his second goal with an assist from Rickard Rakell, solidifying Pittsburgh's lead.
Kraken's roster is filled with former Penguins, including two-time Stanley Cup winner Brian Dumoulin. The match saw Kraken’s defenseman face his former team for the first time since leaving as a free agent last summer.
Kraken’s struggle
The Seattle Kraken struggled against the determined Penguins, with all 22 shots defended by Jarry. The team played without their defenseman and leading scorer, Vince Dunn, who was unexpectedly sidelined due to an unspecified injury. In addition, Dunn’s partner Adam Larsson left the game because of an illness in the first period, leaving the Kraken to finish the game with five defensemen.
The team was also missing forwards Matty Beniers and Andre Burakovsky, who both departed from the team's previous game due to undisclosed injuries.
Seattle coach Dave Hakstol remarked, "Those guys did a pretty good job. Our did a pretty good job, the five guys that were in tonight. We didn't manage the puck well enough up front."
Looking ahead, the Pittsburgh Penguins are set to embark on a western road trip for two games, starting in Las Vegas on Saturday. On the other hand, the Seattle Kraken will continue their Eastern Conference tour, facing the New York Rangers on Tuesday in their upcoming matchup.