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Penguins nation was buzzing after beating the defending champs in overtime to kick off the second half of the season.
The team's fans were ready for some good vibes after faltering down the stretch, losing 11 of their last 16 games before the All-Star Break and Kris Letang gave it to them.
The Pens scored to tie the game 1-1 with a wild foot deflection from Bryan Rust to send the game to overtime against the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. In overtime, it seemed to be headed the way for Colorado, as Evgeni Malkin headed into the penalty box early on.
They ferociously killed the penalty, and as the clock was hitting full strength, the Penguins were full on the attack. A line with Rust, Crosby and Letang pressured the Avalanche goaltender as Malkin joined in as well.
A one-timer from Malkin sent the Avalanche defense scrambling. Sidney Crosby came up with the puck and circled around the net to find Letang, who buried it.
Penguins fans from across the country praised Letang for his second overtime game-winning goal in the past five games. The last goal came in the Pens' last win, an overtime winner at home against the Florida Panthers in a 7-6 barn burner.
However, tuesday night’s game winner was a horse of a different color, taking the win in a 2-1 goalie duel.
Most praise for the game, however, came in net. Penguins fans have been highly critical of their netminding situation throughout the season. But after a 41 save on 42 shots performance from Pens backup netminder Casey DeSmith, fans were quick to recognize the goalie’s effort in the first game back from the break.
The win marks the first overtime win for the Pens over the Avalanche since January 10th, 2020 when Jared McCann beat Pavel Francouz at Ball Arena to give the Pens a 4-3 win.
In the locker room following the game, Kris Letang, who had the game bucket after an overtime winner before the All-Star Break, found Casey DeSmith to recognize his efforts in the win.
DeSmith addressed the team saying:
“That’s the one we want to come back on boys, let’s build on that one.”
Even local minor league baseball was quick to recognize the goalie’s stellar outing. Frontier league team, the Washington Wild Things, tweeted out recognizing DeSmith, who threw out the first pitch for the Washington Wild Things over the summer.
