ST. LOUIS -- There was no shortage of superlatives in the Penguins' latest victory, 6-1 over the Blues, Saturday night at the Enterprise Center.
Consider the following:
• Juuso Rikkola scored his first NHL goal.
• Sidney Crosby matched a season-high with three points.
• The power play converted four times on four chances, making it the first time it scored more than twice in a game this season.
• Kris Letang turned in yet another virtuoso performance that should finally start to get him into the Norris Trophy conversation, even in his home and native land.
• Zach Aston-Reese not only scored a highlight-reel goal upon being bumped to the top line but also got into his long-awaited first NHL scrap.
But whatever you do, don't let that final score fool you. As wonderful as all of the above is, none of it -- none -- happens without the brilliant play of the guy whose job it is to stop the puck: Matt Murray.
Don't believe me?
"It's not even close to a 6-1 game," Crosby was saying. "He made some huge saves to allow us to make plays and put pucks in the net. He's been unbelievable, especially during this stretch."
Indeed, the Penguins are now on a season-best five-game winning streak, as well as a 10-2-1 roll:
Though there are myriad reasons for this December to remember, the improved goaltending has been the catalyst. While Murray and Casey DeSmith might share starts, the two-time Cup winner reminded once again that he is the No. 1 for a reason.
Since returning from a lower-body injury that had sidelined him for 13 games, Murray has stopped 165 of 172 shots for a .960 save percentage and 1.38 goals-against average.
All Murray did on Saturday was make 30 saves as the Penguins were outshot (31-30) and lost the possession battle (65-35 Corsi For percentage at even strength).
Sure, Murray got some help from his posts, but it's not all luck. Those pucks don't bounce harmlessly off of the iron if Murray isn't making himself bigger in net and cutting down the angles. That's when he's at his best.
"I don't know, man, it just hit the post," says Murray.
This stop on Jaden Schwartz, where he barely gets a piece of it with his glove with 3:59 remaining in the opening period to protect a one-goal lead, was clearly his best of the night:
"He kept the puck in front of his body so I could tell he was gonna cut back," Murray explained when I asked. "I was down on the right side of the net and he made a nice move. I just tried to reach and get whatever I could over there."
However, the second period was when the Penguins needed their goalie most. Despite giving up three goals, the Blues were at their best, outshooting the Penguins 12-6 in the middle period.
"He was great," Mike Sullivan said of Murray. "He's been so solid since he's come back off the injury. He's made timely saves for us. I thought when we got up a few goals early in the second period, we stopped skating. They took it to us pretty good in the second period."
How good was Murray in the second period?
With 8:48 left, he stopped Pat Maroon from the side of the net while down on the ice. Then with :17 left, after a defensive breakdown, he denied Brayden Schenn, who was left all alone in front of the net:
Murray, who made another 11 saves in the final period to put the game away, seems to be playing with a confidence not seen this season. Of course, it helps that he's finally healthy. The two don't have to be mutually exclusive.
"I'm just trying to get better as I go here, and trying to feel better and better and compete harder and harder," Murray said. "Everything's going in the right direction. Just need to stay focused on what's important."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THREE STARS
My curtain calls go to …
1. Sidney Crosby
Penguins center
Three more points. That's eight in the last three games. He's now 14th in league scoring. Need I say more?
2. Matt Murray
Penguins goaltender
For all the reasons stated above.
3. Kris Letang
Penguins defenseman
Scored a goal and two assists. ... Check that. In a late scoring change, Patric Hornqvist got credit for the goal at 9:25 of the second. Oh well, Letang still had three assists.
THE INJURIES
• Justin Schultz, defenseman, is expected to be out until mid-February with a fractured leg. Sullivan said earlier Thursday that Schultz is progressing as hoped and that the next step will be taking the ice.
• Bryan Rust did not return for the second period after suffering what is believed to be a lower-body injury.
THE GOOD
So much for the Penguins not getting calls, eh?
The team that, until recently, had the fourth-fewest power play chances, drew one just nine seconds into the first period when Alex Steen was whistled for a high stick on Bryan Rust. Thirty-eight seconds after that, Crosby brought a 1-0 lead with a no-angle shot from the right side of the net.
The Penguins, who entered the night with the NHL's ninth-ranked unit (No. 3 on the road), have gone 6 for 7 the past two games after going 0 for 5 the two games before that.
Other than believing that the Penguins have done a better job of not forcing plays, Crosby was at a loss to explain the sudden surge. It's not like the Penguins have had a lot of practice time with a busy December schedule and then the Christmas break, he said.
Letang weighed in with his thoughts:
But perhaps the best explanation came from Sullivan... sort of.
"One of my former coaches, Pat Burns, God rest his soul, he always used to say a power play is like a cat: You can't train it," the coach said. "Sometimes they're hard to figure out. I know our guys are so capable. They have the ability to be lethal when they're on the same page and they execute and they do the little things and hunt loose pucks and are willing to shoot the puck. I think we're doing that."
THE BAD
OK, nitpicking a little bit here. Marcus Pettersson has matched or exceeded any and all expectations since arriving in Pittsburgh just 26 days ago. However, Saturday was unquestionably his roughest outing in a Penguins uniform.
Besides taking a holding penalty on Oskar Sundqvist in the first period, Pettersson was a little sloppy in the defensive end. Remember that 70.0 Corsi For percentage the other night against Detroit? On Saturday, that number dropped to 30.0. That's entering Brassard-like territory (but that's another story).
Keep in mind that, despite that scraggly beard, Pettersson is just 22 years old and there's going to be some growing pains along the way.
THE PLAY
I'll get into Letang's work on Aston-Reese's goal -- and Hornqvist's -- a little more in Drive to the Net, but Riikola is deserving of some special attention here.
If not for Oleksiak somewhat surprisingly sitting out after being cleared through the concussion protocol, Riikola wouldn't have even been in the lineup. Before Oleksiak went down, the 25-year-old had been a healthy scratch eight of the previous nine games.
Naturally, Riikola made the most of his opportunity.
The goal is noteworthy on a few fronts. Not only was it his first in the NHL, it was also the game-winner and it was also the only power play goal that the No. 1 unit didn't score.
At 5:13 of the second period and the power play down to its final 11 seconds, Riikola took a huge wind-up, his stick pointing to the rafters, and unleashed a 42-foot slap shot from above the left circle that beat Jake Allen's glove:
What made it so special was the reaction by Riikola, who after realizing it went in, skated over and banged the glass (remember, this is the same guy who once hit two posts in one shift earlier this season). But the reaction of his teammates at the bench was priceless (yes, Jake Guentzel retrieved the puck for him).
Afterward, the soft-spoken Finn was a man of few words:
"It was great for him," Sullivan said. "He had a smile ear to ear. He got a great ovation after the game. We recognized his first NHL goal and that's something that he'll never forget. No one ever forgets their first NHL goal. It's a big deal and we're thrilled for him."
THE CALL
OK, Murray wasn't impenetrable. David Perron did manage to get a puck past the Penguins' goalie but only after a little controversy.
At 14:36 of the second period Jay Bouwmeester fired a slap shot that Murray was able to make the initial stop on. However, the rebound squirted out to Ryan O'Reilly, who fired a nice backhanded pass from the slot to the right circle where Perron one-timed the shot past Murray, who tried in vain to get a piece of it with a backhanded windmill of his left arm.
However, Murray stood no chance after taking a stick up high as Brian Dumoulin and Alex Steen jousted at the top of his crease.
Sullivan challenged for goalie interference but after a review -- and a wonderful sing-along from the St. Louis crowd of The Beatles' "Let it Be" -- the on-ice call was upheld. Later, Murray even agreed with the call.
It was the first challenge that Sullivan had lost since Nov. 26 at Colorado. He had won three in a row and is now 4-for-7 this season after going 3-for-5 in 2017-18.
THE OTHER SIDE
Just when the Blues appeared to be taking a step forward, they took two steps back Saturday.
The five-goal margin of defeat matched their season high, accomplished three times already.
Allen, who had been good during much of the Blues' recent 6-3-1 run, surrendered four goals on 17 shots and was pulled for Jordan Binnington, who fared little better, giving up two goals on 13 shots over the final 27:36.
St. Louis' 11th-ranked penalty kill proved to be its undoing. The Blues' PK has allowed 11 power-play goals in six of the past seven games. They surrendered three on Dec. 16 against the Flames.
"They got one early, but what did they score, four power-play goals?" said Alex Pietrangelo, who returned after missing 11 games with a broken right hand. "Penalty-kill wasn't good enough. They don't get those chances, you do the math; it's 2-1, a much closer game. Tough to give those guys that many opportunities."
Perhaps the most telling stat of the night: The Penguins blocked 23 shots to the Blues' five.
The Blues have now lost three straight against the Penguins at home. That had never happened before Saturday.
THE SCHEDULE
The Penguins will practice today at 2 p.m. Eastern time at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., where Sullivan will give an update on Rust. The Penguins will face the Wild at 6:08 p.m. on New Year's Eve.
THE COVERAGE
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