Penguins Circle the Wagons, Stave Off Blackhawks, 5-3

No, it wasn’t pretty. At times it felt like General Custer and his troops circling the wagons in an attempt to hold off the Sioux Nation. But the results? Sheer beauty.

Indeed, thanks to a scrambly 5-3 victory over Chicago last night, the Penguins closed out a challenging opening chapter to their season that included 13 of 19 games on the road and five sets of back-to-backs (with four away from PPG Paints Arena).

Not only did we survive, we finished on a mild upswing by sweeping our recent three-game road trip. Talk about rising to the occasion!

As for the game itself, it was clear from the outset both clubs had played the night before. In describing the action, the words sloppy, disjointed…