BUFFALO, N.Y. — With a whiteboard in his hand and the game slipping out of reach on the scoreboard, Penguins assistant coach Todd Reirden drew something up.
The Penguins had been largely out-shot and out-played by the Buffalo Sabres for the overwhelming majority of the night. The frustrating forecheck hemmed the Penguins into their own zone. Poor puck management didn’t help matters.
But with less than five minutes remaining and the Penguins down by one goal, coach Mike Sullivan called a timeout to keep the top power play unit on the ice. Then, Reirden choreographed a play in which Evgeni Malkin fed the puck from below the goal line that found Kris Letang atop the right circle. The scoring defenseman tied the score, 3-3.
