Penguins-Bruins postgame

Sunday, 17 March 2013 17:20

Written by Dave Molinari

Final score: Penguins 2, Bruins 1.

Why it matters: The Penguins stretched their winning streak to nine games, fifth-longest in franchise history, and reclaimed first place in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Montreal. They played the final two periods without defenseman Kris Letang, who apparently aggravated a leg injury that has been bothering him for a while. The injury does not appear to be serious, although the Penguins have not offered a prognosis for his return.

In a nutshell: Sidney Crosby gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead with his 13th of the season at 12:06 of the opening period, but Tyler Seguin countered for the Bruins at 16:38. Joe Vitale got what proved to be the game-winner with 31.8 seconds to go before the first intermission, as he flipped a Craig Adams rebound past Boston goalie Tuukka Rask while diving to the ice. Seguin's goal, which came after a point shot was deflected to him in the left circle, was the only one Boston got, and proved to be all that prevented Penguins goalie Tomas Vokoun from record his 50th career shutout. That's something only 25 goalies in NHL history have accomplished.

Turning point: With about six minutes left in regulation, a Tyler Seguin shot from the left side skidded the length of the goal line, but ended up going wide of the far post. Boston had kept the play in the Penguins' end for much of the previous 35 minutes or so, and a tying goal then might have given the Bruins the impetus they needed to pull out a victory.

Under the radar: Defenseman Brooks Orpik, who has not performed to his customary level at times this season, played 23:58 and led the Penguins in blocked shots (six) and hits (seven). He also picked up the second assist on Vitale's game-winning goal.

Worth noting: The Penguins have won eight consecutive home games. ... The Penguins have played five sets of games on consecutive days, going 4-1 in both the first and second games. ... The Penguins have scored first in 21 of their 29 games. ... Joe Vitale's goal with 31.8 seconds left in the opening period was his first in 38 games, a streak dating to Feb. 26, 2012. ... The Penguins are 7-1 on Sundays this season and 6-1 in day games. ... The game attracted a crowd of 18,659th, the largest ever to attend a game at Consol Energy Center and the Penguins' 268th consecutive sellout.

The brightest star: Vokoun stopped 31 of 32 shots and, after sputtering through a stretch where he lost two consecutive starts and was pulled from a third, has won four starts in a row.

The last word: Vokoun on the process of getting acclimated to being Marc-Andre Fleury's backup: "It's always an adjustment when you're used to playing (as a No. 1). When you have a bad game, you play the next game again and you can play your way out of it. When you don't play (that often), it's a little bit harder. ... With this shortened season, it's hard, especially for goalies. (Position) players need to rest, and we don't get the kind of practices where you can work on things. Practices are short, but really demanding. When you get tired, you sometimes get bad habits. But it's up to you to manage it, and I'm old enough to know what to do."