Bradford's five thoughts: Oleksiak's weird day ended well enough

This was not a last-place team like the Flyers, nor a team that had lost four in row like the Islanders.

These were the Bruins, the best team in the NHL over the past six weeks or so. And, like the Flyers and Islanders before them, the Bruins became the latest to lose to the Penguins, who, don't look now, are starting to resemble -- maybe not a Stanley Cup three-peat threat just yet -- a legitimate playoff team. After the first 43 games of this roller coaster of a season, it's an improvement.

What Sunday's overtime win over the Bruins lacked in defense or goaltending prowess it more than made up for in entertainment value, including a Brad Marchand penalty shot denied by Matt Murray with 1:01 left in regulation and an OT winner from Evgeni Malkin.

After a few forgeries, the Penguins may have authored an actual, honest-to-goodness signature win. They blew a two-goal lead and they overcame a two-goal deficit. They even replaced their starting goalie. And yet they won.

"I think we're on the right path," Kris Letang said. "A character win. We were up 3-1. We could have given up, but we kept going. Our leaders took over."

If they are going to get back into the playoffs and at least have a chance to defend their title, the Penguins need their stars -- their leaders -- to be stars. On Sunday, they were.

Sidney Crosby and Malkin had three points each while Letang and Phil Kessel had two each.

It was their third win in their last four games and pushed them back into the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference as they begin their league-mandated bye week.

"I give the players so much credit for just staying with it and just staying in the fight," Mike Sullivan said. "That's something that we talked about a lot within the last couple weeks. Just making sure that we control our own attitude and our own pushback when things don't go your way during the course of a game, and they certainly displayed that tonight."

1. Jamie Oleksiak had a really crazy day.   

Oleksiak says he owed Murray "a six-pack of waters" ... or at least a six-pack of, um, something.

It was Oleksiak who took down Marchand to give the Bruins star a penalty shot with 61 seconds remaining in regulation of what had been a tied game. Murray bailed out the big blueliner by closing the five-hole to deny Marchand.

"For me, it was a big relief," Oleksiak said, "(Murray) stepped up big there. It's tough to step in the game halfway through, he did a great job. That was, ... if your heart doesn't beat for that game, you don't have a pulse. That was a crazy one."

It was no less crazy for Oleksiak who, earlier in the day, seemed destined to sit this one out as a healthy scratch for the first time since being acquired from Dallas on Dec. 19. During the morning skate, Oleksiak skated on a fourth pair and, afterward, Sullivan appeared to fault Oleksiak's decision making.

"I think when (Oleksiak) keeps the game simple and takes what the game gives him and doesn't force things, I think that's when Jamie's at his best. All of our defensemen, for that matter," Sullivan said. "We have those discussions daily with our defense corps. We're looking for smart, efficient, calculated decisions back there. When we play that way, I think we're hard to play against because we don't turn the puck over as much. That's what we're asking all our defensemen to do, and Jamie's no different."

Well, Oleksiak was in the lineup as Ian Cole was scratched for the first time in eight games.

"Kind of a wait-and-see situation," Oleksiak said. "That's part of being a pro. You have to be ready at all times."

Oleksiak was ready and he justified Sullivan's faith in him by scoring his second goal in his nine-game Penguins career to knot the score at 1-1 at 3:53 of the first period:

"It's nice to contribute but I know my job is to be strong defensively and be a physical presence. But it's definitely an encouraging start," Oleksiak said. "Try to build off that."

With eight healthy defensemen available, including Chad Ruhwedel, who skated with his teammates earlier Sunday, Sullivan will have a tough decision to make. Oleksiak made that decision even harder. Surely, this is one problem the coach won't mind having.

2. Not all faceoffs are created equal. 

A lot gets made about an individual player's faceoff win percentage but, in fact, winning the draw usually has as much to do with the wingers winning a 50/50 battle for a loose puck as it does the center.

Except, of course, on these two goals set up beautifully by a pair of future Hall of Famers.

First, Crosby won this draw against David Krejci to -- to himself, no less -- and set up Letang's one-timer at 13:27 of the first period:

Not to be outdone, Patrice Bergeron -- widely recognized as one of the best ever in the faceoff circle -- beat Riley Sheahan clean, and backhanded the puck to Marchand, who lasered this shot past Tristan Jarry at 7:18 of the second:

Crosby, who was 34th in the NHL at 53.1 from the dots, won 16 of 27 on Sunday (59 percent).  Bergeron, who was sixth in the league at 57.7, won 14 of 25 (61 percent)

Remember, it's not how much you win as much as it is when and where. Crosby and Bergeron, two players with a flair for the dramatic, showed once again why they're two all-time greats.

3. A power play like no other. 

Sullivan says he and his coaching staff will often share a laugh at how other teams must try to prepare for his team's power play. Good luck with that.

During their past three wins, the Penguins' top-ranked power play (25.8 percent before Sunday) has converted on five of seven chances, including two of three on Sunday.

Even when they're not scoring, they've been scary, like Kessel knocking the mask right off of Tuukka Rask's head:

Kessel didn't miss on his next shot, though. Below, he took two strides to his right to find the open lane and beat Rask to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead.

"I just think they're so dynamic. They're instinctive. They have a scheme. There is a framework there," Sullivan said of his power play. "But what separates them from other power plays is their movement and instinctive play when they go off the grid a little bit."

Crosby and Malkin went way, way off the grid with four seconds remaining in the second period that brought the Penguins to within 5-4. Seriously, how do you defend against Crosby's no-look, backhand pass from the corner?  You can't. This pass is only further evidence that the captain is the best playmaker the NHL has seen in a generation.

Obviously it helps that the top unit of Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, Letang and Patric Hornqvist has been together for a few years to build chemistry, but that's just a ridiculous amount of talent on the ice at one time.

"I'm not sure if it's possible (to defend) because sometimes we don't even know what they're going to do," Sullivan said. "I think it's an indication of their talent level and the instincts they bring to the table. These guys are all difference-makers."

4. Do not repeat the 'F' word again. 

"Fatigue" is one word that makes Crosby bristle.

Admittedly, the Penguins have had bad starts, they haven't played consistently, they haven't played with a sense of urgency, etc., but their pedestrian 22-19-3 record isn't because they're tired, as Crosby explained:

No one wants to make excuses but it's a fact that they've played 254 games -- playoffs included -- over the last two-and-a-half years, and that they've played more games this season than all but one team and that they've played in 10 back-to-backs, including Friday's.

All of that is true. But it can't be a factor moving forward.

The Penguins, who received a three-day break for Christmas, will now begin their five-day bye week. They won't play again until next weekend when they host the Red Wings and Rangers. Then they will get four days off at the end of the month for the All-Star break.

Sullivan said the break is a positive and a chance for guys to get their bodies or minds right -- whatever the case might be -- for the stretch run.

"When we all come back we should be excited to play, excited about what's in front of us and the opportunity that's in front of us," Sullivan said.

5. Kris Letang is starting to look like Kris Letang ... sometimes. 

Yes, Letang's giveaway led to David Pastrnak's goal which gave Boston a 4-3 lead at 12:14 of the second (although Jarry should have stopped this shot to the short side, but that's another matter):

With a goal and assist, Letang recorded his first points since missing three games last month with a lower body injury. It was also his first multi-point game since Dec. 2.

Baby steps, folks.

The Penguins may have won a Cup without their top defenseman last year, but they won't be able to do it again without him.

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY