Wacky, crazy, fun: Penguins full of adjectives after wild win over Caps
The Pittsburgh Penguins certainly weren't at a loss for words following Monday's 8-7 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals.
"This was kind of a wacky one," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said postgame. "Our mindset was right though. Desperation and winning battles all pays off at the end."
The Penguins scored five straight goals in the second period, a frame in which both clubs combined for nine.
"That second period (was) one of the craziest periods I’ve been associated with," Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, according to Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I don’t even know how to assess it."
Related: Twitter explodes during insane 9-goal 2nd period between Caps, Pens
Evgeni Malkin notched a hat trick in the win, and noted afterward that the game was enjoyable, but not for everybody.
"It's fun for the forwards, but not the goalies," Malkin said.
Penguins netminder Matt Murray and Capitals goalie Braden Holtby likely agreed.
It was the first time an NHL game featured 15 or more combined goals in more than five years, and Murray earned a unique distinction for coming out on top.
Matt Murray is first goalie to play a full game, give up seven goals and earn the win since Dominic Roussel in 1994. https://t.co/sMioz9yxlo
— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) January 17, 2017
The Penguins fell behind 3-0 before rallying with the aforementioned five-goal outburst that turned the game into a track meet. Sullivan seemed happy with the team's response.
"I think the thing we’re most pleased about is the resilience," the head coach said.
"That could have turned into a rout quickly," he added. "And it didn’t. I give our guys a ton of credit for that."