Going into their game against Vancouver on Thanksgiving Eve, the Pittsburgh Penguins were mired in a three-game losing streak and really needed a game to break their way.
And they got exactly what they were hoping for on Wednesday.
With Pittsburgh’s top line leading the way in a first-period onslaught, the Penguins defeated the Canucks, 5-4, to earn a much-needed win and give them some momentum going into a weekend back-to-back against Boston and Calgary.
“I think we played with a lot of pace, and we had a good jump in our mindset,” said defenseman Erik Karlsson, who had three assists on the night. “I just think we executed on the plays when we had the puck, which makes us look fast. We capitalized on the chances that we got early in the game, which obviously took us all the way to the end.”
In his first game back from injury, forward Blake Lizotte opened the scoring just three minutes and 59 seconds into the game. Defenseman Ryan Shea banked a shot-pass off the boards behind Canucks goaltender Arturs Silovs, which Lizotte directed towards the net, and the puck trickled through.
For a while, that was the Penguins’ only shot on goal in the period. Then, the first line of Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell, and Bryan Rust had a great shift in the offensive zone to ignite a spark. Rakell scored on the following shift by providing a net-front finish on a beautiful feed from Rust, and the line really catalyzed everyone else.
Kevin Hayes added a power play goal later in the period before Bryan Rust scored his first goal of the game off of a Crosby feed on a two-on-two, and Rust added another early in the second period off a great passing play by Karlsson and Crosby.
“They were huge catalysts for our team,” head coach Mike Sullivan said about the first line. “When they control play like they did tonight, I think it just increases our opportunities to win exponentially. I thought they were a threat. Every time they were going over the boards, you felt like something good was going to happen. And I think that’s what they’re capable of. They had a really strong game tonight, and obviously, they’re a big reason why we had the success we did.”
Karlsson also gave a glowing endorsement of the trio on the top line.
“Obviously, when they’re playing like they did today, every time they’re on the ice, they’re going to control play,” he said. “That’s what you want from your first line on any team, I think. They had a strong performance today, and I think they’ve been good for the most…