Just a great night at the Sprint Center thanks to a good game and a large, electric crowd. It turns out the Penguins are huge in Kansas City—who knew? Must be the residual effects of Lemieux and Crosby? I had no rooting interest either way, and just wanted a good game. I got one.
The Penguins were flat footed for the entire first period. The Kings carried the play but only came away with a 1-0 lead. The Penguins showed up in a big way halfway through the game, and dominated the rest of the night. Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier did well to hold them to two goals, and the Kings managed to bang in a late one to send the game into OT. The 4-on-4 had fantastic flow and back and forth chances, but neither team could put the other away, leading to an eight round shootout. I am generally not a big fan of the shootout (deciding a hard-fought team game based on a few plays by individuals doesn't make a lot of sense), but in the preseason, it was right at home and a blast to see live.
This game felt totally different than the previous two games at the Sprint Center, and it had everything to with the crowd. Tonight, Kansas City was an NHL town.
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| Evgeni Malkin on Twitter |
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Penguins official in-game blog
Photos
LA Kings Insider game blog
The Royal Half game preview
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