Dustin Penner F FA Wed 5/23/12 8:46 AM
Dustin Penner
F FA
Coach Darryl Sutter decided to stick with Dustin Penner during Tuesday's 4-3 victory over Phoenix and the move paid off in the end when the big winger scored the game-winning goal in overtime to send the Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals.
"He had a journey tonight. I stuck with him," Sutter said. "He struggled early in the game. Stuck with him." Penner, who is playing with Mike Richards and Jeff Carter on Los Angeles' second line, had a goal and an assist in the contest to give him 10 points in 14 playoff games. He said the marker was the "biggest" of his career so far. Penner has enjoyed a much better showing in the postseason than he had in regular season, where he generated seven goals and 10 helpers over 65 games.