NEW YORK -- Seriously, Zach Aston-Reese insisted that only "nine or 10" of his closest friends and family members made the 25-minute journey aboard the ferry to Manhattan. Judging solely by the crowd noise though, there seemed at least 1,000 times that amount inside Madison Square Garden when one of Staten Island's favorite sons scored in the second period Wednesday night.
Aston-Reese's goal opened the floodgates, the first of four second-period goals in the Penguins' latest victory, a sloppy-but-still-convincing 7-2 win over the Rangers.
The Penguins have now won seven in a row, matching their longest winning streak since Dec. 1-14, 2016, the season they successfully defended their Stanley Cup championship. There are numerous reasons for the turnaround, special teams and goaltending chief among them.
And, indeed, they got a third-period power play goal from Tanner Pearson on Wednesday and have now scored on eight of their last 10 chances. Matt Murray was outstanding yet again, particularly early, and he is now 6-0 since returning from injury.
But do not for a second underestimate the role that secondary scoring has played in this remarkable run. Wednesday was just the latest example. Over the last six games, they've received points from 17 different players who've played at least two games during the streak.
Sure, in addition to Pearson, the Penguins also got goals Wednesday from usual suspects Jake Guentzel, Kris Letang, Sidney Crosby and even one from Evgeni Malkin.
The Penguins' win on Wednesday was not because their stars own Henrik Lundqvist, who has now been pulled in six of his past 13 starts against this particular opponent. Despite a flat performance, they won because as Mike Sullivan said, they were "opportunistic." They got timely goals from guys like Aston-Reese and Simon, guys not paid millions to do so, but whose contributions are vital.
"It's huge when you can spread your offense through your lineup," Sullivan was saying. "It just gives you a better chance to win. We're getting contributions throughout our roster and it's no coincidence we're getting the results of it. These guys are stepping up at key times. For me, that's an indication that we're starting to become a team. And that's really important for us down the stretch."
You may remember that the Penguins were hoping that Aston-Reese and Simon would be the 2018 answer to Bryan Rust in '16 and Guentzel in '17. That never quite materialized, of course, but better late than never.
Both youngsters are being placed in important situations. Simon is skating on the second line, and though Aston-Reese was bumped to the fourth line with Rust returning to the lineup, he's been an integral part of the penalty kill and is now showing he can play physical (see fight in St. Louis) and can score consistently.
Aston-Reese's goal at 6:29 of the second period may have been his biggest to date, both personally and professionally. It woke the Penguins from their first-period slumber:
Matt Cullen, who now has assists in consecutive games, made a slick backhand saucer pass out front to Aston-Reese, who said he didn't realize it had gone in until he saw the goal light. It was his sixth of the season and first against any of the three Metropolitan New York teams.
Here, Aston-Reese explains Cullen's role on his goal:
"This was an incredible feeling," the 24-year-old said. "When I got back to the bench it sunk in. It's one of the biggest stages in the world: New York City. A local kid from the Island, that's something you dream about when you're little."
It's almost too bad he has to go back to Pittsburgh. Aston-Reese is now on a career-best, three-game points streak, picking up a point in each of the Penguins' three wins on this road trip which concluded in Midtown Manhattan.
Simon's goal at 15:45 of the second period, was the Penguins' fourth goal on six shots to start the second period. It was also his first in 16 games.
By no means is Simon a finisher, but when he's playing a second-line role and he receives this kind of pass from Malkin, he has to score. He did:
"Feels great," Simon was saying. "There were some chances, many games that I didn't score. I don't think I was playing bad or something, it just wasn't going in. Yep, feels good to score a goal."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THREE STARS
My curtain calls go to …
1. Kris Letang
Penguins defenseman
Was one of six Penguins with two points but the only defenseman. Man, somebody should vote this guy into the All-Star Game or something.
2. Matt Murray
Penguins goaltender
Another game, another win. Stopped 28 of 30.
3. Evgeni Malkin
Penguins center
Two even-strength points. Hadn't done that since Dec. 4 at Colorado.
THE INJURIES
• Justin Schultz, defenseman, is out until mid-February with a fractured leg. Sullivan said Thursday that Schultz is progressing and that the next big step for him will be to get back on the ice.
THE GOOD
Much like Murray's last game, Saturday night's win in St. Louis, the goalie was far better than the team that played in front of him. Also like the Penguins' last win, the five-goal margin of victory was very deceiving.
Murray had to be sharp early as the Rangers controlled possession and territory. He made 12 of his 28 saves in the opening period, including this one on Vladislav Namestnikov's partial break with 8:20 remaining:
In the regular season, Murray is now 8-0 against the Rangers and 6-0 in the Garden.
Why does he love New York?
"I don't know," he replied to that. "It's, obviously, a cool building, a lot of history and stuff like that. Growing up, you never thought you'd get the chance to play at Madison Square Garden, but I try to compete whatever rink I'm in."
THE BAD
No, the Penguins did not celebrate New Year's Eve in Times Square or anything crazy like that. Following Monday's game against the Wild, they stayed overnight in the Twin Cities.
They did not practice on Tuesday as to avoid having to go on the ice for five straight days. For a team that was on the end of a long road trip, the Penguins looked it. You could even see it during the morning skate that they didn't have their legs.
Predictably, they were out-played in the first period. If not for Murray, the streak could have come to an end. Despite losing by five, the Rangers held a 20-point lead in Corsi For percentage in all situations on Wednesday.
In effect, the Penguins simply out-talented New York.
"I don't think we were at our best," Sullivan said. "That's no disrespect to the Rangers. I thought it was a way closer game than 7-2. It just was. I thought we were opportunistic on our side. The opportunities we got, we finished on them. I think we know that. I think our players know that. But the ability to win when you're not at your best is an indication that we have the potential to become a really good hockey team."
THE PLAY
Malkin's third period goal. That's my Drive to the Net.
THE CALL
With 2:08 remaining in the first period, the Rangers were exiting their defensive zone when, inexplicably, the horn sounded from the scorer's table at the World's Most Famous Arena. It resulted in the Penguins earning an offensive zone draw, which Derick Brassard promptly lost.
As strange as that was, it's no stranger than the Rangers' new-look power play.
David Quinn, New York's coach, isn't just a friend and former Boston University teammate of Sullivan, he's a progressive young mind in the hockey world, or at least in the NHL. Under Quinn, the Rangers have taken to using five forwards on their 14th-ranked power play (20.7 percent).
It's a strange setup, to be sure, much like the Tampa Bay Rays using a relief pitcher to start baseball games. But, hey, whatever works, right? Well, it didn't on Wednesday as the Penguins' sixth-ranked PK was outstanding again. They went 2-for-2 and have killed off 16 of the last 17.
THE OTHER SIDE
Of the Rangers' 38 previous games this season, 20 of them were one-goal games. That was in large part due to the work of Lundqvist, who, despite his track record against the Penguins, is still one of the NHL's premiere goaltenders.
On Wednesday, he wasn't.
“Overall I thought we played a pretty good game, it’s just the goaltending was not very good,” Lundqvist said. “It was probably my worst game.”
Lundqvist was mercifully pulled after giving up six goals on 18 shots over the first 44:40. That was after he had 39 saves against the Blues and 34 against the Predators in New York's two-game winning streak which was snapped.
Quinn, who probably should have put in Alexandar Georgiev for the start of the third period, said he was to blame for even playing his veteran goaltender at all after such a busy stretch.
“I contemplated it for sure, but it was a decision that I made and I regret it,” Quinn said. “I shouldn’t have put him in that position. … This certainly is way more on me than it is on him, to put him in that position. Lesson learned.”
The Rangers had been one of the bigger surprises of the season in the early going but are now 17-15-7 and sit six points behind Montreal for the final wildcard spot.
THE SCHEDULE
The Penguins have scheduled an off-day for Thursday. They will host the Winnipeg Jets at PPG Paints Arena on Friday night. DK, Taylor Haase and Matt Sunday will take that one.
THE COVERAGE
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