In the past decade the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Chicago Blackhawks have accounted for six Stanley Cup Championships (3 a piece). Naturally that fact makes their regular season matchups must see events for any NHL fan, and especially for the fan bases of these two franchises. Add on the star power of both teams (i.e. Toews, Kane, Crosby, Malkin, etc.) and you have the makings of a money rivalry for the league. However, this "rivalry" has been incredibly and astonishingly one sided.
Last night was the latest installment of this yearly 2 part slaughter. The Blackhawks beat the Penguins 5-3 in Pittsburgh on a night that seemed to have all the makings of a Penguins victory. The Pens were honoring the 10-year anniversary of their 2009 Stanley Cup Championship team, it was a nationally broadcasted game, it was the first Sunday since the Steelers season came to an end, and the Penguins were on an 8 game win streak. To top it all off the Penguins jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first.
After taking a 2-1 lead into the first intermission the Penguins were outplayed by a 26th place Blackhawks team. Both Chris Kunitz and Duncan Keith netted their first goals of the season, and Erie Otters alumnus Alex Debrincat and Dylan Strome netted the other two before Toews tacked on the empty netter.
That loss marks the 10th straight loss for the Penguins against the Blackhawks dating back to a game on March 30, 2014 where the Penguins won 4-1. The game winning goal of that game came in the first period by Pens 1st liner Lee Stempniak. Since then it hasn't seemed to matter the circumstances of the game, the Blackhawks have the Penguins number. A standout from that skid is the 10-1 thrashing the Penguins took in Chicago at the start of last season. The Hawks looked like they were in a completely different league scoring at will on Anti Niemi and shutting down the Penguins top scorers.
Take this season for example, in the first meeting the Blackhawks had lost 5 straight games and the Penguins had just started to hit their stride. Bryan Rust, who had 1 goal on the season, scored a hat trick but the Penguins still lost 6-3 in Chicago. Then last night the Penguins lost an 8 game win streak to the still sinking Blackhawks.
Although its not part of this current 10 game streak the Pens also lost to the Hawks at Soldier field 5-1 in the 2014 Stadium Series game, their only victory in 6 outdoor games. During the Crosby era the Penguins are 4-9-5 against the Blackhawks.
To make things even more confusing the game prior to this one was a 4-0 win for the Penguins over the Winnipeg Jets, the best team in the Western Conference. The Pens had last years' Vezina finalist Conor Hellebyuck on his heels the entire game, but last night they were smothered by the goaltending of 34-year-old Cam Ward. The Pens this season were able to sweep the season series against a major Stanley Cup Favorite but were unable to find success against a Blackhawks team who is only above the Blues and the Kings in the West.
The frustration I have for this weird control Chicago has over the Pens is not mine alone. It always feels like games between these two teams means a little more, no matter where they sit in the standings. It is extremely comparable to the "rivalry" between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots. Both teams have mega stars, both teams have been very successful in the last decade, and both teams seem to be the perennial team to beat in the league. The only problem in both instances being the Pittsburgh team rarely comes out on top. The Steelers were able to beat the Patriots this season, but the Penguins will have to wait until next year to get another chance. Hopefully when they meet next season Crosby & Co. can flip the script and take at least 2 points from the season series.
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