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Penguins Report Card: Puck Support, Finish & Honest Hockey. Who Shined? (+)
The Pittsburgh Penguins have won two of three games and done so without their top two centers, one of their top-four defensemen and a couple of wingers. Saturday night, they blew out the undisciplined Chicago Blackhawks, 5-2 at PPG Paints Arena.
The Penguins chased Chicago starting goalie and forever Penguin Marc-Andre Fleury with four goals in just over 11 minutes in the first period.
Chicago defensemen pinched. And pinched. And pinched… The Penguins covered it, transitioned, and scored. And scored.
Chicago top pairing d-man Connor Murphy was all over the ice. Sometimes that is a good thing. Saturday night, it was decidedly not, and the Penguins burned him like marshmallows on a campfire.
The Penguins played a smart, simple game. Call it a product of necessity, or intelligent hockey that exposed a loose team. Mostly, call it another impressive win.