Penguins fall in overtime to Sharks, 3-2
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Sharks forward Patrick Marleau scores in overtime on Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and defenseman Zbynek Michalek during Wednesday's game at Consol Energy Center.
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The Penguins lost another one-goal game Wednesday night.
Lost another high-profile player to injury, too.
The real issue, though, might be whether any of this still qualifies as news.
Ultimately, the most significant thing might not be that Patrick Marleau gave San Jose a 3-2 victory by flipping a shot past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury with four seconds left in overtime.
Instead, it might be that defenseman Brooks Orpik was hurt with about two minutes left in the first period, when he was struck on the right hand by a Marleau shot.
Orpik went directly from the ice to the locker room, and did not return. Although there was no immediate word on the nature or severity of Orpik's injury -- "We'll probably have a better update [today]," coach Dan Bylsma said -- he was spotted after the game with a wrap on his hand.
Losing him would be a serious blow to a team that already is operating without forwards Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz, Mark Letestu and Dustin Jeffrey, among others.
The Penguins also were missing defenseman Paul Martin, who sat out his second consecutive game because of an unspecified injury he got when knocked into the boards from behind Sunday in Chicago.
They have lost three consecutive games by one goal, and giving up the winner so late in overtime clearly stung.
"He just put it over my pad," Fleury said. "I wish we could have made it to the shootout. Four seconds left. That's tough."
Exactly one minute earlier, Fleury had prolonged the game by denying Marleau on a breakaway.
"He's a Stanley Cup champion for a reason," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said.
The chance on which Fleury foiled Marleau came about after defenseman Matt Niskanen, making his Penguins debut, lost the puck to Sharks center Joe Thornton in the neutral zone.
"Bad turnover by me," Niskanen said. "I was trying to be aggressive and make the play. The puck bounced on me. He picked my pocket, and they were off to the races.
"That's an area at that time of the game that I've got to be better. I can't turn the puck over at that blue line. But [Fleury] was there for me. He made a heck of a save."
That glaring blunder aside, Niskanen had a fairly sound first game, especially for a guy whose ice time spiked to unexpected levels after Orpik was injured. Niskanen ended up logging 19 minutes, 33 seconds.
First Published February 24, 2011 12:20 am
