This article was originally published on PGHHockeyNOW.com.
Special teams were key as the Pittsburgh Penguins (30-15-12) defeated the New Jersey Devils (28-29-2) 4-1 on Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena. Before Thursday, the Penguins ranked fourth in the NHL in both penalty kill and power play, and both teams have proven their rankings are well-deserved.
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The power play was 1-2, the penalty kill was a perfect 5-5, and he even scored an empty goal shorthanded.
Their dominance over Metropolitan Division opponents also continued, improving their record against division opponents to an impressive 11-1-5. The Devils, meanwhile, lost their fifth straight game and dropped to a paltry 5-11-2 record against the Metropolitan Division.
The Penguins’ power play got its first chance with 2:34 left in the first quarter and it worked. Evgeni Malkin passed the ball from the right wing to point guard Kris Letang, who one-timed Malkin’s pass into the net. Tommy Novak (12) stayed in position and fired the puck past New Jersey goalie Jacob Markstrom at 18:51 of the first period to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead.
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