DENVER – The Penguins forged ahead Wednesday night without Pascal Dupuis, their longtime emotional leader who retired a day earlier because of blood clotting issues.
Each player had a No. 9 decal affixed to his helmet in honor of their friend and teammate, whose skates, jersey, and gear hung in his stall for one last night in the locker room.
It inspired a 4-2 come-from-behind win over the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center.
In a fitting tribute it was Beau Bennett - skating in Dupuis’ place on the club’s top line – who scored the tying goal at 7:19 of the third period, before Olli Maatta scored a wild one at 9:24 for the game winner.