College Football

Friday, January 18, 2019

Breaking Down the Penguins West Coast Road Trip


By Drew Hreha 
Photo creds to Party City

When the Penguins left Pittsburgh for Anaheim last week, they were rolling.
They had won 11 of their last 13 games, shooting the team back into contention in the Metropolitan division.

A daunting five-game road trip, however, awaited Pittsburgh. Heading out west, the Penguins would be making stops in Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Arizona and Las Vegas. The trip is crucial to Pittsburgh maintaining momentum before a string of eight straight Eastern Conference
matchups.

After continuing the winning in Anaheim, Pittsburgh dropped both matchups with the Kings and the Sharks. They will look to pick up victories against Arizona on the 18th and Vegas on the 19th. In the meantime, here is a summary of the first three games of the trip.

Pittsburgh def. Anaheim 7-4
The Penguins began the road trip dramatically, overcoming a three-goal deficit to defeat the Ducks 7-4. The Penguins took advantage of a struggling Anaheim, delivering the Ducks their tenth straight loss. The Ducks used a strong first period to take an early 3-0 lead.

Anaheim scored off poor Pittsburgh defense and a Kris Letang turnover to dominate the opening frame. The Penguins converted on two power play opportunities and a Ducks turnover to tie the game in the second. Phil Kessel would break a 4-4 tie in the third, and the Penguins would ride a Jake Guentzel hat trick to a victory.

Los Angeles def. Pittsburgh 5-2
The next night in LA, Guentzel stayed hot. He scored both of Pittsburgh’s
goals, both on power plays. Ultimately, however, the difference in goaltending doomed the Penguins. Jonathan Quick stopped 38 shots and played lights out.

Casey DeSmith didn't play as bad as the numbers would make you believe. DeSmith gave up four goals on 24 shots, with the addition of an empty-net goal for the Kings. However, goals were scored off a poor Kris Letang pass and lazy defensive play.

San Jose def. Pittsburgh 5-2

At the beginning of the week, the Penguins ran into a buzz saw in San Jose. The Sharks were riding a six-game win streak heading into Tuesday, and their streaky play continued. San Jose doubled Pittsburgh’s takeaways (20-10) which put extra pressure on Matt Murray throughout the night. Murray made many spectacular saves but couldn't hold off Tomas Hertl, who scored a hat trick. San Jose found most of its success screening Murray’s
vision, opening up shot lanes.

Moving Forward
Currently, the Penguins sit in fourth in the Metropolitan division with 56 points. Just three points behind the division-leading Capitals and Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh is still very much in the thick of things. With a ton of Eastern Conference games ahead, picking up steam is essential.

The Pens will travel to Arizona first on Friday to face the Coyotes. Arizona is seventh in the Pacific division with 45 points. Pittsburgh will round out the road trip at the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, who sit in third in the Pacific with 60 points.

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