Marcus Pettersson’s overtime winner in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Montreal capped off a storybook sort of night for Lars Eller, who became the first Danish player to appear in 1,000 NHL games.
“The most important thing in my mind was getting the two points, and that's what I'm the most happy about,” he said. “These points were crucial for us going into this break with a little bit of a better feeling, getting three out of four in the last two (after Friday’s 3-2 shootout setback on Friday).
“I think everyone likes and appreciates recognition, but I don't necessarily like all the spotlight. I see myself as a good soldier. It's weird, in hockey, it's always about the team and you win together and you lose together. Certain nights, it's a little bit more about the individual, it’s odd for us players. But a fantastic night, I wouldn't have had it any other way.”
It began with Eller being honored by his teammates and hockey operations in the locker room, where he received gifts to commemorate the occasion before taking a group photo.
After all of the Penguins wore Eller's No. 20 jersey in warmups, he then took the ice for a pregame ceremony with his wife Julie, daughter Sophia, and son Alexander, where they watched a tribute video of his career that’s featured stops in St. Louis – who drafted him 13th overall in 2007 – Montreal, Washington, Colorado, and now Pittsburgh.
“That's kind of what it's all about, sharing the special moments with these guys in here and the people that are closest to me. It couldn’t have been better," Eller said.
The crowd booed good-naturedly when congratulatory messages from Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson played, and they erupted in cheers when the first footage of Eller as a Penguin got shown.
“I think it'll be great. It'll be great energy. It's great for Lars,” Head Coach Mike Sullivan had said before the game. “I know he's got a contingent of people here to celebrate an incredible achievement. I think he's in elite company. There aren’t a lot of guys that play 1,000 games in this league.
“I think it speaks volumes for his passion for the game, his competitiveness, his durability, and his ability to play at an elite level for a long time. So, I think it's an incredible milestone and it's a worthy acknowledgement, and I think all of our guys feed off of it.”
That was the case, especially after Eller found the board in the second period to even the score at 1-1, banging home a rebound off a shot from Valtteri Puustinen.
“Sometimes you get lucky, you get the bounces, but you gotta work to be in the right areas to get those rebounds, and I was at the right place at the right time there,” said Eller, who saw some time on Evgeni Malkin’s line with how well he played in the contest.
The Penguins pushed from there, creating plenty of chances on Canadiens goalie Jake Allen before the Canadiens headed to their first power play of the game late in the middle frame. Juraj Slafkovsky, the first overall pick in 2022, banked a shot off Ryan Graves.
Pittsburgh responded well, with Eller getting a great look at the blue paint in the final minutes of the middle frame. And midway through the third, Jake Guentzel scored the equalizer off a beautiful setup from Sidney Crosby, who will be playing in the All-Star Game at this time next week.
“It was incredible. It’s one of the better ones that we've seen in a while,” Sullivan said. “He just has eyes in the back of his head. I don't know how he knows he's there or saw him. We just grow accustomed to it. He makes so many good plays throughout the course of the games here. But that was certainly a highlight-reel goal, and the timing of it was critical.”
Pettersson, typically known more for his strong defensive play, then scored a goal scorer’s tally in the overtime period when he went down the ice with his best friend Rickard Rakell on a 2-on-1 rush.
“I thought he was going to pass to his fellow Swede, but just an unbelievable shot,” Guentzel said.
Pettersson said that at first, he tried to “hide myself on the wall, I wanted (Rakell) to have it,” he laughed. “But yeah, I was a little ahead of him, so he gave it over. Then I saw it was (former Penguin Mike Matheson as the lone defender back), and he’s good at kind of faking you into thinking you have to pass it, so I figured I could shoot it and luckily, it went in.”
Now, the Penguins can go into the bye week/All-Star break feeling good about themselves, and are planning to rest and recuperate before returning to action on Feb. 6 versus Winnipeg at PPG Paints Arena.
“It felt huge going into the break, get two points, battle back once again – but this time, come out on the right side,” Pettersson said. “Bring some juice into the break, so to speak. Gotta take advantage of it and come back good.”
