You could not have scripted a better, if not more more heart-tugging, night in Pittsburgh than Tuesday's game at PPG Paints Arena. It had Marc-Andre Fleury wiping away tears during his emotional return. It had Ryan Shazier getting a standing ovation and the Steelers' linebacker standing right along as the 18,644 in attendance who shelled out triple-digits roared its approval.
And, oh yes, it ended with a Penguins win.
Don't forget that last one. Kind of important.
The unlikely trio of Ryan Reaves, Ian Cole and Jake Guentzel, the subjects of either scorn or trade rumor of late, scored in a seven-minute span in the second period as the Penguins rallied, and then hung on, for a 5-4 win over Fleury and the no-longer-surprising Golden Knights.
The win, the Penguins' fifth in six games, pushed them within four points of the first-place Capitals in the Metropolitan Division.
TAP ABOVE FOR BOXSCORE, STANDINGS, HIGHLIGHTSIt's not every decade you use a game against an expansion team as a measuring stick but, hey, here we are. Here is a much better place than where the Penguins were in mid-December when they lost to the Knights, 2-1, in Sin City. Then, there were questions -- some of them very legitimate -- about fatigue, confidence and their compete level.
If nothing else, Tuesday night's win showed emphatically just how far they have come in the last 54 days. Down 2-0 following the emotional Fleury tribute and the inspirational public appearance by Shazier, and down two forwards due to injury, the Penguins dug deep to earn a win against the NHL's second-best team.
"As I always say to our guys, we're never out of it with the talent that we have in our room," Mike Sullivan said. "We always have the ability to come back. We just have to play the game the right way and have a certain resilience to our mindset that we don't let the momentum changes in the game affect us. That's what I really like about our team in the last month or so. We're showing signs of that resilience when we're just playing. We're not vulnerable to the emotions in the game. The puck goes in against us or we don't get puck luck, things don't go our way, we just play the game. And that's an important aspect of our team identity."
Another part of that identity is its star power, of course. Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel scored and assisted on each other's goals in the third period and Sidney Crosby had two assists. No, Crosby didn't get goal No. 400 against Fleury, but you can't get everything.
"We feel so lucky to be part of this team and watch some of these guys," said Matt Murray. "They're so special, some of the best ever to play the game. Growing up as a kid, you dream about the opportunity to play with guys like this. It's pretty cool."
1. Murray should be Ian Cole's agent.
Officially, Kevin Magnusson is Cole's representative, but Murray made a pretty good sales pitch for the defenseman after the game. Said the goalie of Cole: "He's one of the most underrated, under-appreciated guys on our team and in the league."
Hmmmm ... wonder who wouldn't appreciate Cole? Oh, that's right.
A constant source of trade speculation, Cole played his fifth straight game after being a healthy scratch the previous seven. What has he done since being reinstated to the lineup? Try three assists and this goal, his third of the season and first since Dec. 14, also against Fleury:
Cole said he originally wanted to fake the slap shot and feed Dominik Simon with a backdoor pass. After seeing the Vegas defense bite on the shot, Cole took a few steps in and fired the shot past Fleury's blocker. Pretty good for a defensive defenseman, no?
Cole insists that he hasn't changed his game a bit, saying his success only coincides with his team's. The Penguins are 4-1 since he returned in place of Matt Hunwick, who was first injured, and then quietly made a healthy scratch.
"As a professional, you just try to play the best you can in every situation," said Cole, who has been paired with Jamie Oleksiak to make a pretty good shutdown pair. "You certainly want to play as well as you can and show people that you belong out here. I don't think that's unique to just myself or my situation in the past couple months."
With the NHL's trade deadline less than three weeks away and given the play of Cole and his team of late, Jim Rutherford might want to reconsider any potential trade for Cole. Either way, Cole -- a pending UFA -- is going to get paid by somebody this summer. Ask Murray.
2. There were, in fact, two goalies in this game.
Much love was shown Fleury, and rightfully so, but there's a reason why Murray was the No. 1 goalie the last two springs when the Penguins won back-to-back Stanley Cups. He is the better goalie, and was again Tuesday.
Murray made 21 saves on 25 shots and, no, he wasn't perfect. He did give up this no-angle, short-side goal to Jonathan Marchessault in the third period that pulled Vegas back to within a goal:
But Murray was good enough, making the most timely save of the game on William Karlsson, stopping the NHL's third-leading goal-scorer on a breakaway at the 12:28 mark of the second period.
It was the second emotional start for Murray in a little over a week but in far different circumstances. On Jan. 30, Murray made his return from a leave of absence following the death of his father. Murray won both those games and has now won three starts in a row. Most importantly, Murray has re-established himself as the guy. Don't underestimate that.
"I thought both goaltenders did a terrific job," Sullivan said. "I think it was every bit emotional for Matt Murray as it was for Flower. I thought both of them handled themselves extremely well, as they always do. They are two really good pros, two really good people."
3. Reuniting Kessel and Malkin has to be very, very tempting.
The Phil and Geno show captured the hearts of Pittsburgh last spring but the NHL's version of The Odd Couple has been split up of late as Sullivan has looked to balance out his scoring lines.
That strategy has been largely effective but due to the injuries to Carter Rowney and Tom Kuhnhackl, Malkin and Kessel were reunited for much of Tuesday's game. The results? There was this slow-developing but effective 2-on-1 in the third period:
And then, three minutes and change later, Malkin returned the favor to Kessel with this backdoor beauty:
Kessel has been the Penguins' MVP -- and a fairly compelling argument could be made that he should win the Hart -- but Malkin is the best player right at this moment. The Russian has now scored goals in five straight games (nine over that span), while Kessel is on a six-game scoring streak.
There's just a remarkable chemistry between the two that cannot be denied. They just instinctively find each other. If Rutherford acquires a third-line center, maybe Malkin and Kessel will be reunited full-time.
In the meantime, Murray is just grateful he doesn't have to face the barrage that Fleury saw Tuesday.
"Can't be easy going against us," Murray said. "Especially when certain guys are playing the way they are. To be honest, I don't think I want to find out."
4. Riley Sheahan best serves as the fourth-line center.
Again, Rutherford will need to get that third-line center for that to happen, but Reaves is clearly at his best with Sheahan on his line. Sullivan shortened his bench to nine forwards following the injuries, allowing Reaves to play 10:15, or 4:28 more than his season average, and mostly with Sheahan.
"It's fun," Reaves said of playing with Sheahan. "Every time I've played with Riley this year, we seem to create some offense and a little bit of energy."
Reaves has just three goals this season but his last two have come with Sheahan as his center. Goal No. 3 came at the 11:08 mark of the second when Reaves pulled the Penguins to within 2-1.
Sheahan's work on the forecheck started the play and Reaves finished it. The plan, Reaves said, was to shoot the puck off Fleury's pads and for Guentzel to get the rebound. Instead, Reaves showed a finisher's touch, beating Fleury under his catching glove:
"These are the kind of games I have to take advantage of," Reaves said. "Obviously sat out four games in a row (after playing the previous 49 in a row). Have something to prove now. With the extra minutes, you definitely have to take advantage."
Given more time and talent around him, Reaves can play this game. With Patric Hornqvist out week to week, Reaves can also bring energy in bundles.
"Obviously, that's something that I do," Reaves said. "I've got to amp it up a little bit more. Whether that's yelling on the bench or playing physical, it's a little extra now."
5. Opportunity knocks for Zach Aston-Reese.
When Sullivan went down to nine forwards, Simon was not among them. But, interestingly, Aston-Reese -- a "grizzled veteran" of one NHL game -- was. That says something.
Sullivan said he chose to go with nine, instead of the 10 available, because he felt his team had "settled into a flow" with three lines and because the coaching staff "liked" Aston-Reese's game.
Aston-Reese took a regular shift, playing 10:47, including 2:03 on the second power play unit, while registering one shot, one block and three hits. If Kuhnhackl and Rowney are out for any length of time, it could be an opportunity for last year's Hobey Baker finalist at Northeastern.
"I think you can see that Zach isn't going to wow you with brilliant plays, he's just a real solid player," Sullivan said. "He's a stiff player. He's good in the battle areas. He defends hard and he can make a play. He's good in front of the net. He's tough."
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Penguins vs. Golden Knights, PPG Paints Arena, Feb. 6, 2018. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS