Practically everything that needed to be done to ignite a slumping team was executed last night by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Their thrilling overtime victory proved that the coaching staff preached a "back to the basics" sermon that the players took to heart.
First, I liked the move of starting Johnson instead of Fleury. Not that Fleury was to blame, or the recent skid but, we lost with him so why not gamble without him. Anything to shake things up and maybe create a spark.
Second, pinching the defense throughout the game really paid off. It really paid off for Jay McKee as he scored for the first time in eighty-four games. Newcomers Ben Lovejoy and Deryk Engelland even got into the act with Lovejoy getting an assist and Engelland pressuring deep. Deryk even dropped the gloves to try to light a fire early for the Penguins.
All of last night's defense corps contributed as Eaton scored a goal and Skoula received an assist in the overtime period.
Third, Matt Cooke was a body in front of the net. This is something the Penguins have been very reluctant to do. His work helped in getting Thomas off his game and allowed the Pens to p ...
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Article written by Scott Barner
Going Back To the Basics Nets Pens A Much Needed Win
November 15th, 2009 by Scott Barner Leave a reply »
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