The Pittsburgh Penguins had a rough week visiting Metropolitan Division rivals but ended their mini three-game road trip with a 4-2 victory over the Washington Capitals.
After an embarrassing performance on Thursday, the Penguins didn’t waste time jumping out to a 2-0 lead with their rookie netminder between the pipes. Even though they would eventually lose that lead, they held on in the third period, with some veterans lighting the lamp to get a much-needed two points.
Let’s discuss Pittsburgh’s latest triumph.
Blomqvist Fearless in the Crease
Alex Nedeljkovic started four consecutive games, the first Penguins goalie to get that many starts in a row this season. Even though he wasn’t to blame for Pittsburgh’s 5-1 loss on Thursday, he wouldn’t play both back-to-back games.
That’s because Blomqvist needed to get some playing time in. He last skated against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 29. Despite not seeing any action for over a week, Blomqvist bailed the Penguins out of their Friday night contest and stood on his head to earn his third victory.
Joel Blomqvist against the “wagon” Washington Capitals —
• Stopped 32/34
• 2.2 GSAx
• .941 sv% / 2.01 GAA
• 12/13 high-danger saves
• 4-2 win.Easily his best game of his young career thus far. 22-years-old. He is the future. pic.twitter.com/Ki1HJwWPRh
— ChelPenguins (@ChelPenguins) November 9, 2024
As much as Capitals’ netminder Charlie Lindgren was acrobatic with his saves to give his team a chance, Blomqvist was up to the task at the other end, matching his veteran counterpart with highlight-reel stops. Even facing the game’s greatest scorer didn’t faze him, as he looked fearless in the crease.
Penguins Finally Win Important Contest
Pittsburgh’s season is only 16 games old, but out of their six wins, at no point did anyone say that was a significant victory. They’ve bounced back to win some contests after a losing streak and then clawed their way to an overtime win against Buffalo on a night when Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin celebrated milestones.
Yet, nothing felt as important as Friday night’s tilt against the Capitals. As the home team was looking to extend their win streak, the Penguins pounced early and gutted out a pivotal 4-2 win, even keeping Alex Ovechkin off the game sheet.
The Penguins had a rough start to the week. They have some critical matchups coming up on home ice next week, so leaving Washington with some confidence must be nice….