Molinari’s Penguins Six-Pack: Overlooked Key, Getting a Grip (+)

The Pittsburgh Penguins spent the better part of 20 minutes digging a deep hole for themselves Thursday night, then the 40 that followed trying to climb out of it.

They finally get did get even with Vancouver, which had built  a 3-1 lead during the first period at PPG Paints Arena, in the final half-minute of regulation, only to lose in overtime, 4-3.

Coach Mike Sullivan praised his players for the commitment they showed while managing to salvage a point — “I give the guys a lot of credit for competing and digging in and finding a way to grab a point,” he said. — but only after skewering them for their dismal start.

“I didn’t think that we played with the energy that we needed to in the first period,” he said.

Some quality work by Tristan Jarry, who stopped 19 of the 20 shots he faced after replacing starting goalie Alex Nedeljkovic at the start of the second period, and two goals by Sidney Crosby made it possible for the Penguins to extend the game past the third period and avoid having the evening be a total loss.

Here are some of the highs and lows from the game: