Penguins Rattle Sabres, 5-2

When we were kids growing up in suburban Bethel Park, my brother, Dan, would get so excited at the sight of the gifts under our family Christmas tree he’d start to yell and practically hyperventilate.

Well, last night when Penguins rookie Avery Hayes bolted past Sabres defenseman Jacob Bryson with a shocking burst of speed before blowing the puck by Alex Lyon, I, too, let out a similar yell.

Totally involuntary.

And then it happened again 73 seconds before the first intermission. Again, on a play by Hayes. The plucky 5’10” 180-pounder wheeled through the neutral zone, dumped the puck into the Sabres’ end and crashed 6’4” 230-pound Mattias Samuelsson into the end boards while battling for the puck. Then he peeled off the check, pursued 6’6” 220-pound Tage Thompson up the wall, banged into him, wheeled off that check and bolted to the net just in time to bury a nifty, between-the-legs backhand feed from Anthony Mantha.

Again, I felt something akin to a charge of electricity course through me. Judging by their reaction, I think Avery’s teammates did, too.

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