Carolina 6, Pittsburgh 2
When: 1:30 PM ET, Sunday, March 8, 2020
Where: PPG PAINTS Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Referees:
Jake Brenk, Dan O'Halloran
Linesmen:
Ryan Galloway, Brad Kovachik
Attendance:
18548
By Field Level Media
Justin Williams and Morgan Geekie each scored twice Sunday as the visiting Carolina Hurricanes moved into an Eastern Conference wild-card spot with a 6-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It was the NHL debut for the 21-year-old Geekie.
Jake Gardiner had a goal and an assist, and Jaccob Slavin also scored for Carolina (37-25-5), which won for the second time in two days.
Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, playing in his sixth NHL game, picked up his second career win. He made 28 saves.
Patrick Marleau and Evgeni Malkin scored for the Penguins (39-23-6), who lost for the second time in two days and have dropped eight of their past 10.
Tristan Jarry made 30 saves.
It was the first meeting of the season, and the first of four in 21 days, for the clubs.
Marleau, acquired at the trade deadline last month, opened the scoring at 9:19 of the first with his first goal for Pittsburgh. He came off the bench, got a pass from Conor Sheary, split the Carolina coverage and sent a backhander between Nedeljkovic's pads.
Geekie, promoted after Ryan Dzingel was injured on Saturday, tied it 33 seconds later with his first NHL goal. He deflected a shot by Gardiner past Jarry.
On a five-on-three power play, Malkin gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead at 16:33 of the first. From the top of the slot, he used a Patric Hornqvist screen and boomed home a one-timer.
That gave Malkin two goals and eight points in four games.
Slavin tied it once more for the Hurricanes, on a floater from the right point at 13:07 of the second.
Carolina got its first lead at 18:04 of the second period. Gardiner's one-timer from the top of the slot on a power play got past Jarry's glove to make it 3-2.
At 8:03 of the third, Williams scored for the fourth game in a row to give the Hurricanes a 4-2 lead. On Haydn Fleury's shot from the left point, Williams deflected the puck backward between his skates and under Jarry's pads.
Williams struck again, from in tight, at 15:02 of the third to boost the Carolina lead to 5-2, and Geekie got his second score at 16:19.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Carolina |
|
Pittsburgh |
|
Morgan Geekie 3 |
Points |
Evgeni Malkin 1 |
|
Morgan Geekie 2 |
Goals |
Evgeni Malkin 1 |
|
Haydn Fleury 2 |
Assists |
Bryan Rust 1 |
|
Jake Gardiner 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Evgeni Malkin 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Alex Nedeljkovic .933 |
Save Percentage |
Tristan Jarry .833 |
|
Alex Nedeljkovic 28 |
Saves |
Tristan Jarry 30 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Carolina
|
36 |
6 |
1-4 |
6-7 |
14 |
29 |
| Pittsburgh
|
30 |
2 |
1-7 |
3-4 |
8 |
41 |
Upcoming Games
-
Pittsburgh will play their next game on the road against New Jersey. The Penguins have a W/L % of .590 after a win and .552 after a loss.
-
Carolina will play their next game on the road against Detroit. The Hurricanes have a W/L % of .556 after a win and .548 after a loss.
For more information, contact us