Pittsburgh Penguins defeat Chicago Blackhawks in battle of Stanley Cup winners
When high-scoring Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin is healthy, it’s time to run for cover. That was what the Chicago Blackhawks did when they dropped a 4-1 exhibition game to
the Penguins on Tuesday night.
The defending Stanley Cup champions have been having a rough pre-season thus far, with a record of 1-3 in four games played. They only managed to light the lamp once against the 2009 Stanley
Cup winners, with Kyle Beach scoring the lone goal.
Malkin, the powerful Russian sniper, was one of four Penguins to put the rubber into Chicago’s net. He was the first to strike at 12:21 of the first period. Dustin Jeffrey scored on a
tip-in during the second period, while Nick Johnson and Mark Letestu responded in the third. Both of their goals went into the Blackhawks’ net off of defender Brent Seabrook. Defenceman Paul Martin led the scoring with a pair of assists on the night.
Pittsbugh outshot Chicago by a margin of 39-22 in the game, which provided a lot of work for the Blackhawks’ netminders. Alec Richards started in the Chigago net and played for the first
40 minutes of the game. He was replaced by Hannu Toivonen in the final period. Richards faced 20 shots from the Penguins, of which he saved 18, while Toivonen stopped 17 of 19. The Pens started backup goaltender Brent Johnson, who played for the entire game.
He stopped 21 of 22 shots to earn the win.
Both teams were without a number of their regular players in this game. The Penguins listed captain Sidney Crosby, defenceman Brooks Orpik, and starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury as healthy
scratches before the game. The Blackhawks didn’t dress their captain either, with Jonathan Toews taking a seat in the press box for this game. Joining him were sniper Marian Hossa, and new starting goalie Marty Turco, who signed a one-year contract to play
in the Windy City during the offseason.
Chicago hopes to defend their Stanley Cup title this season, but the loss of numerous key players due to salary cap issues may hinder their progress. With players like Kris Verteeg, veteran
Brent Sopel, fan favourite Dustin Byfuglien and playoff hero Antti Niemi now gone, the Hawks may find themselves in a difficult situation this season.
Pittsburgh’s roster remains relatively unchanged, but the team did add free-agent centre Mike Comrie and defenceman Paul Martin during the offseason. Rookies like defenceman Ben Lovejoy
and centre Mark Letestu have played well during the pre-season, and may earn roster spots as a result.
The two teams will clash again on Friday, with the game scheduled to get under way at 20:30.
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