May 21 is certainly a day with historic good vibes for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Tuesday marks the 15th anniversary of Evgeni Malkin’s hat trick against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference finals.
The third goal was Malkin’s famous blind backhand that beat goalkeeper Cam Ward.
On that memorable play, Malkin earned a draw against future teammate Matt Cullen. He then galloped away from defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, went behind the net before masterfully lobbing the puck by Ward.
That was Pittsburgh’s sixth goal of the game. Tyler Kennedy would add an empty-net goal to give the Pens a 7-4 victory after winning Game 1 by a 3-2 finish. Malkin scored a goal and also had an assist in that one.
Geno tortured the Canes for six goals and three assists en route to a four-game sweep of the Penguins. They then beat the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final, and Malkin took the Conn Smythe Trophy after a 36-point performance in the playoffs.
Tuesday also marks the 32nd anniversary of Kevin Stevens’ four-goal performance against the Boston Bruins in the 1992 Wales Conference Final.
Bryan Trottier scored the other goal, and the Penguins went on to win 5-1 to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. They would go on to sweep the Bruins to win the conference and eventually sweep the Chicago Blackhawks to claim their second straight Stanley Cup.
Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux each finished with three assists on the night. Look at some of those highlights, the pass from him to Stevens was disgusting.
May 21 brings other great memories for the Pens. In 2017, they defeated the Ottawa Senators 7-0 to take a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference finals, a series they would eventually win in seven games.
Matt Murray pitched a shutout. Seven different penguins scored the seven goals.
It’s also the day the club tied the 1991 Stanley Cup Final against the Minnesota North Stars thanks to a 5-3 victory at the Met Center. Stevens, Lemieux and Joe Mullen each scored two points.
The Penguins would win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup four days later.
Hey, it’s been six years since the Penguins won a playoff series and two years since they qualified. So why not remember the good old days when NHL playoff hockey was common around here?
I have a feeling that may not be the case for a while. Enjoy the memories.
Tim Benz is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via x. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless otherwise specified.
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