Pittsburgh Penguins’ Three Stars From Home Win Over Detroit Red Wings
By Matt Gajtka
Feb 11, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Blake Comeau (right) celebrates as Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall (55) reacts after Comeau scored a goal during the first period at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
It was a cathartic experience Wednesday night at Consol Energy Center, as the Pittsburgh Penguins prevailed 4-1 over one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Red Wings.
With the win, their third in four games, the Penguins (31-15-8, 70 points) crept within one point of the Islanders for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division with 29 games to go in the regular season.
This game felt like it carried a little extra significance after the Pens were dominated by the Predators and Canucks during the past 10 days. On Wednesday, Pittsburgh burst from the gate against a Wings team that came to town on a 9-1-0 run.
Here are tonight’s three stars…
Third Star – Marc-Andre Fleury
Fleury could’ve fixed a cocktail in the first period as the Pens dominated puck possession, but the Red Wings (31-13-9, 71 points) put him to work for parts of the second and the opening 10 minutes of the third.
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Yes, Fleury’s shutout streak came to an end after a career-best 165 minutes, but he denied several excellent scoring chances among his 23 saves. Detroit could’ve easily gotten back into it early in the third period, only to have No. 29 keep his high-quality season rolling along.
Second Star – David Perron
The January trade acquisition continues to be a terrific fit on Sidney Crosby‘s flank. However, the winger scored a rebound goal Wednesday alongside a different centerman – Maxim Lapierre – as the Pens made it 3-0 while a line change remained incomplete.
Perron fired three shots on net and was one of three Penguins forwards with a positive Corsi For percentage at even strength, meaning that he was on the ice for more Pittsburgh shot attempts than those for Detroit. Considering how strongly the Wings came on late, that shows how well Perron drove play in tandem with Crosby and Chris Kunitz.
First Star – Blake Comeau
Out since Dec. 22 with a broken arm, Comeau made his re-debut with the Penguins in impressive fashion. He racked up a goal and an assist in the opening period, helping Pittsburgh convert on its large early advantage in offensive-zone time.
Comeau showed good energy on Evgeni Malkin‘s left side, augmenting Patric Hornqvist (goal, assist) as well as No. 71. Perhaps just as importantly, Comeau’s return meant that everyone on the depth chart got bumped down a notch.
The Pens looked like a much more complete team with Comeau, who is costing just $600,000 in this, his season of rejuvenation.
Up Next
The Penguins travel north to Ottawa for a 7:30 p.m. faceoff Thursday.