When you think of the Penguins, one conjures up images of pristine passing plays, highlight-reel goals and the like. To be sure, there was enough of all that Friday night at PPG Paints Arena, where they beat the Bruins, 5-3.
But no, this win was rooted in something slightly more primal.
"We just wanted a response," Bryan Rust was telling me, referring to the humbling defeat two nights earlier in Chicago. "It wasn't the prettiest, but we had a gutty effort."
After how many losses this season have the Penguins talked about outplaying an opponent and deserving a "better fate?" Well, sometimes you have to chart your own fate. That, essentially, is what happened Friday. From the drop of the puck to the final horn, that anger -- "We played hard for each other," is how one put it -- manifested itself in the form of a staggering 52-35 advantage in hits.
Mike Sullivan much prefers puck possession, as he'd reiterate. Leading in hits is usually an indication that they are chasing the puck, and that was the case. The Bruins outshot the Penguins, 51-38, attempting 81 total shots, and their Corsi For advantage was an equally staggering 69-31.
And you know what? Throw all that out the window.
Because hockey isn't always a nice, tidy equation. At its core, it's still a game of athletes moving at breakneck speeds in a confined space. It's about emotion and momentum swings. The sport has evolved past fighting, but there was no shortage of toughness on display by the home team Friday.
"I thought we were trying to be physical when we had the opportunities," Sullivan said. "We want to be a team that has an element of physicality to our game. I thought our fourth line tonight -- Garrett Wilson, Granter, Cully -- those guys did a real good job of getting us momentum. Willy has the ability to be a real physical guy for us. He finishes every check. Zach Aston-Reese did the same. When we're chipping bodies, we're a more difficult team to play against."
It wasn't just about the hits, either, though this Zach Aston-Reese leveling of Brandon Carlo in the first period was a good example:
It was about getting a rare goal from fourth-liner Derek Grant after serious work on the forecheck by 42-year-old Matt Cullen and, seconds before that, a big open-ice check by Wilson on David Krejci:
It was about -- hey! -- scoring the season's first short-handed goal by the blue-collared Aston-Reese.
It was about surviving the final five minutes without injured Kris Letang.
It was about Rust shattering a foot guard to block a shot moments later:
Even if it was a little out of their comfort zone, the win pulled the Penguins within two points of the second-place Blue Jackets in the Metropolitan Division, with a game tonight against the Kings, the NHL's new worst team.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THREE STARS
My curtain calls go to …
1. Zach Aston-Reese
Penguins left winger
First three-point game of his career. Won't be his last.
2. Casey DeSmith
Penguins goaltender
Made a career-high 48 saves, maybe a dozen of them outstanding.
3. Sidney Crosby
Penguins center
Two-point night. Ho-hum.
THE INJURIES
• Patric Hornqvist, forward, is on Injured Reserve and missed his fourth game with an upper-body injury. He is eligible to come off IR at any time. Sullivan said Friday he is still day-to-day and making progress.
• Dominik Simon, forward, is on IR with a lower-body injury. Sullivan described his status for the first time as "week-to-week."
• Justin Schultz, defenseman, is on long-term IR, out until February with a fractured leg.
THE GOOD
In these parts, there is no debate -- zero -- as to who possesses the NHL's most lethal backhand shot. Statistically, however, the NHL's most prolific backhander is another Nova Scotian: Brad Marchand.
When he's not licking people or low-bridging them, Marchand is also a great talent. No one scores more goals on his backhand than the Bruins' pest. Last season, 10 of his 29 came via the backhand.
Marchand's 11th of this season would have come that way, probably should have come that way too, if not for the quick glove of Casey DeSmith.
In what was among his prettiest saves of the season, DeSmith denied Marchand with 4:26 remaining in the first period to protect what was then still a scoreless game:
DeSmith said he had no book on Marchand. There was no technique involved, either.
"I just sort of fell over and stuck something over there, and thankfully it went in my glove," DeSmith said.
It was one of 48 saves that DeSmith, a New England native who grew up rooting for the Bruins' archrivals, the Canadiens -- made Friday. It was his first win over the Bruins — in his last appearance against them, he was pulled after allowing three goals on five shots March 1 in Boston.
THE BAD
Blowing a 3-1 lead after allowing a pair of goals in a 1:06 span in the third period due to defensive indifference was bad enough but, in the grander scheme of things, Letang's injury is far more concerning.
With 5:04 remaining in the final period, five minutes after he assisted on what proved to be the winning goal, Letang hobbled down the runway after colliding awkwardly with Joakim Nordstrom:
Letang could not put any weight on his left leg after sustaining what appeared to be a knee or thigh injury. Sullivan had no update on his status but it seems very doubtful that Letang will play tonight vs. the Kings.
If Letang is out long-term, it would be a hard loss for the Penguins, who are already missing Schultz, their No. 2 defenseman. The closest thing to a No. 1 left would be Jack Johnson, who has been strong of late but hasn't held that title in years.
"It's always tough to miss a great player like that but, at the same time, things like these are going to happen over the course of the year," Johnson said. "We play a contact sport. We're going to have fluke injuries, bumps and bruises. The season is not going to stop. We're going to carry on."
Following the game, Sullivan expressed confidence in Juuso Riikola and Chad Ruhwedel, the two healthy scratches of late.
"Regardless of who is in the lineup, we believe we have enough to win," Sullivan said.
THE PLAY
After Wagner and David Krejci scored in succession to make it 3-3 at 7:08 and 8:02 of the third period, the Penguins appeared on the precipice of perhaps their most heartbreaking loss of the season.
But, as they did all night, the Penguins made the necessary response.
At the 10:47 mark, Crosby picked Krejci clean in the right offensive zone circle, backhanding the puck to Letang at the top of the point. Letang fired a wrist shot on net that Guentzel deflected through Jaroslav Halak's five-hole to retake the lead for good:
Sullivan said the set play was all Crosby's decision. For his part, Guentzel said all he did was merely put his stick out and Letang hit it.
"I know Tanger is going to shoot it. Just kind of put my stick there and hit it," said Guentzel, who was moved to the right wing on Friday. "Sid kind of gave the nod, so we knew it was coming. Obviously, a great play by Sid on the draw."
THE CALL
After Phil Kessel scored his 13th of the season to make it 2-0, the Bruins appeared to have pulled to within a goal at the 7:38 mark of the second period.
The play started when Chris Wagner tried to drive to the net, cutting across the crease from right to left, but he was met head-on by Johnson, who sent the Bruins forward flying on top of DeSmith.
With the puck landing on the chest protector of DeSmith, who was lying flat on his back, Sean Kuraly took a whack at the puck and it did go in the net.
However, after the play was reviewed in Toronto, it was determined that the play had already been whistled dead.
"That's what they told us," Bruce Cassidy, Boston's coach, said. "We have to accept it."
THE OTHER SIDE
The Bruins saw their three-game winning streak come to an end, but another streak extended in that they're now 0-2-2 in Pittsburgh since last winning here Dec. 15, 2015. They'll get one more chance March 10.
After rallying to tie with a two-goal outburst in the third period, the Bruins had all the momentum on their side until Krejci lost the fateful faceoff to Crosby in his defensive zone. The Bruins won 61 percent of all faceoffs, but not the one that mattered most.
"The way we came back, it felt like the momentum was on our side," Krejci said. "Tough break. I lost a defensive zone face-off. It's back in the net. When you need momentum, that's a momentum killer. It's hard to bounce back."
On a positive note for Boston, Brandon Carlo scored his first goal of the season at 11:53 of the second period, making it a 2-1 game. Actually it was the defenseman's first goal in two seasons. He last scored March 4, 2017, a drought of 115 games.
"It had been a long while," Carlo said. "But I feel like with the way that I'm starting to put the puck to the net a little bit more, the opportunities were coming for me to shoot the puck, tonight especially. I thought it was going to come soon. You hope that they come, but it felt really good to put that one in the back of the net."
With the loss, the Bruins fell to 17-11-4 and into the first wild card spot. They will host the Sabres at TD Garden on Sunday night.
THE SCHEDULE
The Penguins will not hold a morning skate but Sullivan will address the media at 5 p.m., two hours before the puck drops on Saturday night's game against the Kings. Los Angeles is scheduled to hold a morning skate at 11:30 a.m.
THE COVERAGE
Visit our Penguins team page for everything.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Penguins vs. Bruins, PPG Paints Arena, Dec. 14, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS