Penguins Stay Hot Behind Kindel’s Two Goals, Skinner’s Heroics in Tight Win Over Canucks
VANCOUVER - The Penguins are rolling, and Sunday night in Vancouver, they showed again why they’re one of the NHL’s hottest teams since the holiday break. With two goals from rookie Ben Kindel, a slick setup from the Novak line, and some late-game brilliance from goaltender Stuart Skinner, Pittsburgh held off a late Canucks rally to secure a 3-2 win at Rogers Arena - their fourth straight victory.
They’re now 11-2-2 since Dec. 27, and while this one got a little dicey in the third, the Penguins never lost their grip thanks to timely scoring and Skinner’s steady presence in net.
First Period: Disallowed Goals and a Bit of Luck
Early on, both teams thought they had the game’s opening goal - and both were left frustrated by reviews. The Penguins nearly struck first when Tommy Novak slipped through the neutral zone and orchestrated a sharp give-and-go with Evgeni Malkin and Egor Chinakhov.
Chinakhov’s rebound putback trickled past Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen, but Vancouver challenged the play for offside - and won. No goal.
Later in the period, the Canucks thought they had their own breakthrough when Conor Garland’s shot found twine. But officials waved it off, ruling that Teddy Blueger had interfered with Skinner in the crease. It was a borderline call, but one the Penguins didn’t mind getting, especially after being on the wrong side of similar decisions earlier this season.
The first period ended in a scoreless tie, with both teams registering eight shots on goal. But the scoring floodgates opened in the second.
Second Period: Kindel’s Coming-Out Party
Evgeni Malkin got the Penguins on the board just over five minutes into the second, finishing off a textbook 2-on-1 with Novak. Malkin’s 13th of the season came off a feathered pass that he buried with ease - a reminder of just how dangerous he still is when given space.
Then came Ben Kindel.
The 18-year-old Vancouver native, playing in front of a massive group of family and friends - reportedly close to 200 strong - delivered a performance to remember in his hometown. First, he got his stick on a Ryan Shea centering pass and redirected it past Lankinen at 8:24 for his ninth goal of the season.
Then, with just under three minutes left in the period, Kindel struck again. This time, he took a pass from Justin Brazeau off a seemingly harmless zone entry and ripped a 39-foot wrister through Lankinen’s five-hole. It was a clean, dead-center shot that zipped into the net so fast, officials had to pause to reset the in-net camera.
Kindel’s second of the night - and 10th of the season - gave the Penguins a 3-0 lead and had the Rogers Arena suite packed with his supporters rocking.
Third Period: Skinner Slams the Door
Vancouver didn’t go quietly. The Canucks pushed hard in the third and finally broke through midway through the period. Jake DeBrusk chipped in a loose puck at 6:29, capitalizing on a chaotic sequence in front of the net that saw Elias Pettersson fall on top of Skinner.
Not long after, Teddy Blueger - the former Penguin - made it a one-goal game, cleaning up another net-front scramble.
Suddenly, a game that felt out of reach was very much in doubt. But Skinner rose to the moment.
The Penguins netminder, who’s been lights-out since the break, made a series of critical saves down the stretch, including a sprawling, last-minute denial on what looked like a sure tying goal. It was the kind of save that wins games - and keeps win streaks alive.
Skinner stopped all 18 shots he faced through the first two periods and finished with another strong performance, improving to 7-1 since the holiday break. He’s been a stabilizing force in net, and his consistency has been a major reason why Pittsburgh has surged up the standings.
Not Their Best, But Good Enough
This wasn’t a perfect game from the Penguins. They had stretches - especially in the third - where they let Vancouver back in. But when you’ve got a hot goalie, a red-hot rookie, and veterans like Malkin making plays, you don’t always need perfection.
It also helped that they were facing a Canucks team that’s currently sitting at the bottom of the NHL standings, with a sizable gap between them and the next-worst club.
Notes and Numbers
- The Kindel family and friends contingent was estimated at 192 people - the largest player support group anyone on the Penguins could recall.
- Defenseman Kris Letang returned to the lineup after missing the first three games of the road trip.
- Jack St. Ivany exited the game in the first period with an upper-body injury, forcing the Penguins to play with five defensemen the rest of the way.
- With the win, Pittsburgh holds a four-point lead over the New York Islanders for second place in the Metropolitan Division. Both teams have played 51 games.
The Islanders face the Flyers on Monday.
The Penguins are finding different ways to win - whether it’s the young guns like Kindel stepping up, the veterans delivering in key moments, or Skinner locking it down in net. That’s the kind of formula that builds momentum, and right now, Pittsburgh’s got plenty of it.