Endgame: Penguins 4, Capitals 3
The tremendous displays of patience and vision by Maatta looked like they were coming from a player much older than his 19 years of age.
“I have not seen that from a 19-year-old,” head coach Dan Bylsma said. “He was pretty impressive tonight. You don’t see a 19-year-old defenseman play with this kind of poise and composure.”
“I’ve been working on (the shot fakes),â Maatta said. âIt’s something I really want to be on a blueline. It makes it harder to predict what I’m going to do there and block the shots.”
Maatta wasnât the only Finnish-born player to have a fantastic game, as Jokinen scored the tying goal in addition to his assist.
“He (Jokinen) was feeling it tonight,â Maatta said of his Finnish Olympic teammate. âYou know he’s a really dangerous player when he’s feeling it. He’s really good skater and he can see the ice well and make plays.”
The two certainly combined to make it quite a Finnish.
Kris Letang rounded out the scoring for the Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves to extend his league-leading win total to 27. Fleury is now 11-2 in his last 13 starts and 31-3 in his last 34 home decisions. >> Read more >>
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Post Game: Olli Maatta
Post Game: Jussi Jokinen
Post Game: Taylor Pyatt
