PITTSBURGH -- All of a sudden, Andy Moog isn't the biggest name in the Pittsburgh Penguin goaltending picture.
Rookie Frank Pietrangelo stopped 31 shots Thursday night to record his first National Hockey League shutout and lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 1-0 victory over the Minnesota North Stars.
It was Pietrangelo's seventh win in nine games since his January recall from Muskegon of the International Hockey League.
'The last three nights the puck has looked like a beach ball,' said Pietrangelo who helped the Penguins, 7-3-0 in their last 10 games, move into second place in the Patrick Division, a point ahead of the idle New York Islanders and Washington Capitals.
'I'm very happy, elated,' Pietrangelo added. 'I'm surprised it (shutout) came tonight after coming close the other night.'
It was the third straight game in which the North Stars have not scored a goal. They have not scored since Basil McRae connected in the first period in a 9-1 loss at St. Louis last Saturday.
'It's like we're snake-bit out there,' said Minnesota Coach Herb Brooks. 'Our shots hit pipes, hit skates. We run into hot goalkeeping. It's not like we're getting blown out or anything. It's been rough. It's a lot like trying to storm Fort Knox. I feel sorry for the guys. They are out there working hard but they don't have anything to show for it.'
Minnesota is 3-7-0 in its last 10 games.
'We knew they had gone a while without a goal,' said Penguin defenseman Doug Bodger who scored the game's only goal on the power play at 11:58 of the first period. 'We knew they haven't won in a while and we wanted to bury them early. We didn't do that, (Don) Beaupre made some big saves, but it was nice to get the shutout, our first all year. You have to give Frank a lot of credit.'
Moog, a free agent playing with Canada's Olympic team, was reportedly headed to Pittsburgh as a part of the Paul Coffey trade. The Penguins were to give the Oilers, who own Moog's rights, a No. 1 pick. Penguin General Manager Eddie Johnston, however, says he may have to re-evaluate the deal because of the play of Pietrangelo, the Penguins' No. 4 choice in the 1983 entry draft who played at the University of Minnesota.
Pietrangelo made a number of key saves, and also had help from the goal post when a tipped shot by Dennis Maruk hit the post and bounced away with the North Stars on the power play in the third period.
'After one or two games, it doesn't bother you that much,' said Maruk of being shut out, 'but when you get to three, I get kind of worried myself, when are you going to get a goal. We have good goal scorers, it seems like everyone getting chances but they are not getting them in.'
Mario Lemieux, the league's leading scorer, didn't get a point last night for the first time in 18 games.
