Endgame: Penguins 5, Hurricanes 3
RALEIGH, N.C. — On the night the Pittsburgh Penguins clinched the Atlantic Division championship, three newcomers grew a little more comfortable in their roles.
Forwards Jussi Jokinen, Brenden Morrow and Jarome Iginla all chipped in on the score sheet in a 5-3 win against the Carolina Hurricanes, and all expressed their gratitude for being part of this front-running team.
In a League where late-season trades are an annual reality, it was endearing to hear the newest Penguins still dealing with the quirkiness of joining a new team. “They’ve been very successful for a while,” Iginla said, perhaps still thinking of the Calgary Flames as ‘we’. “They’re used to winning in tight spots. It’s a very confident group. They’re very talented, but they compete very hard, too.”
Iginla shares those traits, and they were on display on the game-winning goal. After knocking down a puck in the neutral zone, he played pitch-and-catch with Evgeni Malkin, who finished by knocking in Iginla’s rebound at 10:02 of the third period. “Malkin made a nice play to me, gave me a chance to shoot it,” Iginla said. “I got a good look and shot it. With his long reach at the net, it was nice to see him poke that one in.”
It was the second of two goals in 13 seconds, as Pittsburgh rallied from a 3-2 deficit. Beau Bennett had scored on a backhander moments earlier. Carolina started the scoring early in the first period on a goal from defenseman Joe Corvo, but two more Pittsburgh newbies combined to tie the score just 1:32 later. Jussi Jokinen, playing his second game since being dealt from the Hurricanes, collected a loose puck and sent a backhand to Morrow for his first as a Penguin. The two previously played parts of three seasons together with the Dallas Stars. – Continue Reading
