Penguins Report Card: Unheralded Impact; Jarry Down, then Up (+)

MONTREAL — The Pittsburgh Penguins lost their way in the second period. Another fantastic first period was again another second period that more resembled an iceberg in front of the Titanic.

Monday night differed from the Penguins’ 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday as they refocused and re-took the game from Montreal, surging from down 3-2 to a 6-3 win at Centre Bell.

Evgeni Malkin to the Rescue; Penguins Comeback Win Over Montreal

Penguins center Evgeni Malkin is looking better and faster in each game. On his first assist Monday, he showed a strong burst of speed after a loose puck on the right wall. Malkin gained possession and set in motion the play, which ended with him skating backward behind the Montreal goal and sharply putting the puck on Rickard Rakell’s stick for a layup goal.

The Penguins’ game was replete with their best and their worst. All of their strengths were on display, as were their worst. This time, Dr. Jeykll won, and Mr. Hyde was relegated to disappointed spectator in the third.

“(I liked) the refocus after not a good second period,” said defenseman Kris Letang. “I think the fact that it didn’t creep into the third period and there was an urgency to get back into the way we were playing in the first, I thought those was pretty good.”

The game also featured something you probably won’t see again this season.

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