What a game for the fourth line, right?
The trio of Adam Johnson, Matt Cullen, and Garrett Wilson were the best line on the ice in the Penguins' 3-1 win over the Hurricanes at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday night. It was a huge win for the team, gaining two crucial points in the playoff race, but it was also quite a big deal for these guys to finally be rewarded on the scoresheet after grinding the past several games.
Wilson scored the first goal of the game 10:45 into the first period. It was the 28-year-old's second career NHL goal, and his first goal since Feb. 9. It was just the type of dirty goal Wilson was known for in Wilkes-Barre:
Not a pretty goal, but it's those kinds of goals that end up being difference-makers in the playoffs. Cullen and Johnson picked up the assists on the goal, Johnson's first point in the NHL.
"Any time we can chip in is huge," Wilson said afterwards. "It helps a lot, it takes a little bit of the load off the big guys."
With 1:15 remaining in the period, Cullen extended the lead:
Johnson doubled his career point total with the primary assist.
"This is the time of year it's important to get depth scoring," Cullen said after the game. "These are tight games, I think if we can get four lines going, it's important for us. It's important every night."
The three were clicking all through the game, starting with this chance on their first shift. Cullen raced to a loose puck and fed it to Wilson behind the net, who fed it to an open Johnson:
Wilson's a hard worker. His point-per-game pace in the AHL hasn't translated to the NHL at all, really, but the effort is still there. In this forecheck that enabled a line change in the second period, Wilson battled to maintain possession until he could get a shot off:
The Penguins outhit the Hurricanes 44-37, and eight of the hits came from the fourth line -- five from Cullen and three from Wilson. This second-period hit from Cullen forced a turnover to start the puck heading in the other direction:
Johnson, while not the most physical player because of his size, still had a strong defensive game. Johnson blocked this shot early in the third period to get the puck out of the defensive zone:
Mike Sullivan was pleased with what the fourth line brought to the game.
"They just play with so much energy. Their 'care' factor, their 'try' factor, they're all competitive guys," he said. "Cully's a guy that is a big-game player. When the stakes are high, he plays his best. I thought he was terrific tonight. ... Willy knows exactly what he is, what his role is, and he brings it every single game. Adam Johnson has quietly done a nice job. He brings some speed, he gets in on the forecheck, he creates some turnovers, he's responsible defensively. That's what we're asking of that line."
If there was any time for the fourth line to step up, it was now. This game wasn't a true "must-win" game for the playoff push, or even to secure the third spot in the standings, but a loss would have bumped the Penguins down to a wild card spot and put them in a tough spot to close out the regular season.
"Going into today, in the room it had a playoff feel," said Cullen. "We sit yesterday and watch everybody that we're battling with win. We're sitting here after a loss seeing the gap close. ... It was a huge two points."
While the line is clicking now, it's hard to imagine a scenario in which it sticks together for very long. When the Penguins are fully healthy, Johnson is the obvious first choice to come out of the lineup and return to Wilkes-Barre. Still, Cullen and Wilson both offered heavy praise for Johnson, who brings a lot of speed to their line.
"I've been just so happy with him on the wing," Cullen said. "So happy for him. He's a great kid, he's earned everything he's gotten. He's just got that dynamic speed, he's so good at getting in on pucks and helping us go from defense to offense. He's a fun player to watch, and it's exciting to see him playing at the level he can. He adds a dimension to our line — and just to our entire lineup —of speed that is important for us."
"Adding Johnny has been huge," said Wilson. "He adds a lot of speed, and he really helps me and Cully out coming in on the forecheck and stuff like that, getting pucks back. He's been a great help, and we've been playing well right now so we've just got to keep it going here in the last little bit."
And for Johnson? He believes he's made a bit of a case to stick around.
"I've been feeling good," Johnson said of his game. "I was feeling a little nervous at first, I'm kind of settling in now and hoping I'm showing (coaches) that I can be here and make an impact."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THREE STARS
My curtain calls go to …
1. Adam Johnson
Penguins forward
Assists on both fourth-line goals for his first NHL points. You have to be happy for the kid.
2. Matt Cullen
Penguins center
The game-winning goal.
3. Garrett Wilson
Penguins forward
It was a close call between Wilson and Patric Hornqvist for third — both ended droughts. The fourth line as a whole was just so strong.
THE GOOD
Sidney Crosby was locked in.
That's almost weird to say on a night when Crosby didn't actually record any points, but he was quietly just on his game on Sunday. He was the best player on the ice in the faceoff circle, going 21-for-32, and 15-for-23 during five-on-five.
He recorded 5 shot attempts -- the second-most on the team -- and just two shots on goal. Not impressive work looking at the scoresheet, but it's plays like this ...
... or this perfect pass to Justin Schultz ...
... that really stood out. It wasn't just his offensive playmaking, either. He was incredible defensively, prompting Sullivan to call him "the best 200-foot player in the game" for the second time in a week. Plays like this, jumping in the air and batting a puck down with his hand to keep it out of the Penguins' zone, had something to do with that:
"He's such a consistent player for us," Sullivan said of Crosby after the game. "He could have had four assists in the first 30 minutes of the game. I thought he was a force in the offensive zone. There could have been a handful of penalties called on him with the way he hangs onto the puck, he's so hard to defend against. ... He was the one guy dominant in the faceoff circle. I thought his defensive effort was on display tonight."
THE BAD
Really, there's not a lot to choose from in the actual game. This was a solid game against a good team. It was a tight game, but games tend to be tight this time of year.
My one real issue: Why was Hornqvist, who already has two concussions this season, allowed to return after this hit from Dougie Hamilton that caused Hornqvist to hit his head?
Hamilton backed off, and it looked like he didn't actually hit Hornqvist that hard. But still, his head went into the boards. He immediately grabbed his head and skated to the bench before briefly going down the tunnel to get checked out. He returned in almost no time, seemingly not enough time for the full concussion protocol testing. He probably shouldn't have been in the middle of everything when things got a little chippy not long after:
Angry Patric Hornqvist scares the living heck out of me, and I assume everyone watching him toss Justin Williams. #DKPS #Pens #Canes #CARvsPIT pic.twitter.com/ey3DHcenqg
— Matt Sunday (@mattsunday) March 31, 2019
Hopefully, there was no injury suffered on the hit and none of this matters. But with Hornqvist's history, should there have been more care given?
THE OTHER SIDE
The loss put the Hurricanes four points behind the Penguins in the standings. With the Blue Jackets' win over the Sabres, the Hurricanes fell to the second wild card spot, trailing the Blue Jackets by one point. The Canadiens sit on the outside of the playoff picture by just a point. By no means is a playoff spot guaranteed for the Hurricanes.
"We have to pick our pieces up and focus on the next one," Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour said after the game. "Obviously, we have to win our next three."
The Hurricanes lost defenseman Calvin de Haan to injury in the second period, and he will not continue on the Hurricanes' road trip.
"It's not good," Brind'Amour said of de Haan's injury.
The Hurricanes will travel to Toronto, where they'll have a 7:30 p.m. game against the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. They have one home game remaining in the season, against the Devils on Thursday. They'll close out the season in Philadelphia on Saturday.
THE DATA
• The Penguins' magic number to clinch a playoff spot is now two. A Penguins win in Detroit or a Canadiens regulation loss to the Lightning Tuesday would officially clinch a spot.
• The Penguins have now earned points in 11 of their last 12 games against Metropolitan Division teams.
• Adam Johnson became the 607th player to ever record at least one point in a Penguins uniform.
• The Penguins outhit the Hurricanes, 44-37. Bryan Rust had the most with six. Nick Bjugstad and Cullen each had five.
• Brian Dumoulin led the team with four blocked shots.
THE INJURIES
• Kris Letang, defenseman, missed his third game with a new upper-body injury. He is day-day, according to Sullivan, and has resumed skating.
• Evgeni Malkin, center, missed his seventh game with an apparent rib injury. He’s been skating on his own and has had one team practice in a non-contact jersey.
• Zach Aston-Reese, forward, missed his 10th game with a hip injury and is considered to be out longer-term. He skated with the other injured players for the first time Sunday morning.
• Chad Ruhwedel, defenseman, missed his 16th game with an upper-body injury and is also considered to be out longer-term. He is skating on his own.
THE LINEUPS
Sullivan’s lines and pairings:
Guentzel — Crosby — Rust
Simon — Bjugstad — Kessel
McCann — Blueger — Hornqvist
Johnson — Cullen — Wilson
Maatta — Dumoulin
Johnson — Schultz
Pettersson — Gudbranson
Simon and Bjugstad were paired with Hornqvist, and McCann and Blueger were paired with Kessel for the third period.
• And for Brind'Amour’s Hurricanes:
Niederreiter -- Aho -- Williams
Svechnikov -- Staal -- Teravainen
Ferland -- Wallmark -- Martinook
Foegele -- McGinn -- McKegg
Slavin -- Hamilton
Pesce -- Faulk
de Haan -- Van Riemsdyk
THE SCHEDULE
The Penguins will have a travel day to Detroit on Monday. They'll have a morning skate prior to Tuesday's game against the Red Wings. Sunday and I will take that one. They'll practice in Cranberry on Wednesday at 12 p.m., and play the Red Wings again at home at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
THE COVERAGE
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MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Penguins vs. Hurricanes, PPG Paints Arena, March 31, 2019 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS