Gonchar's 1st goal gives Bylsma his 1st NHL win
PITTSBURGH — Dan Bylsma promised the Pittsburgh Penguins were going to be the Penguins again, with an aggressive style of play, plenty of speed and an up-and-down game that played to their strengths.
He didn't promise it exactly this way, but a team that badly needs every victory was eager to grab one despite blowing three leads.
Sergei Gonchar, playing only his third game of the season, scored on a slap shot after Pittsburgh quickly squandered a two-goal lead in the third period and the Penguins beat slumping Montreal 5-4 Thursday night for Bylsma's first NHL coaching victory.
"Our guys were energized, focused and ready to go," Bylsma said. "I think they had a real clear understanding of what was at stake and the way we wanted to play. While it wasn't perfect, I think they sent a message loud and clear."
The Penguins had lost three of four before Ruslan Fedotenko fed Gonchar in the high slot, then went down low to screen goalie Carey Price in front to create the fifth goal in the first 7:18 of the third period. Evgeni Malkin and Max Talbot scored in the period's opening 3 minutes for Pittsburgh, but Andrei Kostitsyn and Tomas Plekanec scored less than 4 minutes apart to tie it at 4.
"We were playing aggressive and took advantage of some good chances. It was a pretty high tempo, and that's the way we want to play," said Sidney Crosby, whose quick pass across the slot set up Malkin's 26th goal. "We were reacting out there pretty well, but at the same time we still have a few kinks to work out."
Plekanec scored his 13th and 14 goals and had an assist and Kostitsyn had two assists to go with his 22nd goal, but the Canadiens — who have fallen from third in the Eastern Conference to sixth in a month — lost their second in two nights and 12th in 15 games.
"We need to start tightening things up, and realize from here on out it's not going to get any easier." said Montreal's Josh Gorges, who broke his stick seconds before Gonchar scored. "We need to stop this from here on out. We've waited too long already."
Following Gonchar's first goal since he injured a shoulder during the preseason, the Penguins finally protected a lead after failing to hold advantages of 1-0, 2-1 and 4-2. That was one of the problems that led to former coach Michel Therrien's firing and Bylsma's hiring Sunday night. Pittsburgh lost to the Islanders 3-2 in a shootout the following day in Bylsma's debut.
Pittsburgh is 19-7-6 when leading or tied after two periods, with an alarming seven losses in 21 games when they were ahead going into the period.
"It was not really deflating — yes, they were coming back but ... I don't think guys were worried, guys were still confident and nobody really had their head down going, 'Here we go again,"' Talbot said.
The Penguins closed to within four points of the Eastern Conference's eighth and final play spot as Buffalo and Florida, currently occupying the final two spots with 66 points apiece, each lost.
Bylsma, previously the coach at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL), promised a more aggressive team in both zones and a faster pace and the Penguins provided it, if only in the third period.
"The third period was kind of weird, it was up and down hockey," Plekanec said.
Weird? Not to Bylsma it wasn't. It was exactly the style he wanted, although he would prefer better goaltending and not so many opposition scoring chances.
"It's definitely a more fun way for us to play," Orpik said. "It's going to take time to get used to and we were a little sloppy at times, but I thought the work ethic was the best we've had in a while."
