Penguins' resolve is not enough to overcome errors in loss to Islanders
If the Penguins are to salvage what remains of their final 29 games of the regular season, they’ll need every bit of the resolve they showed Tuesday in their 53rd contest of 2023-24.
They’ll also need to avoid all of the mistakes that led to them suffering a disheartening 5-4 overtime loss to the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena.
After spotting the Islanders a pair of two-goal leads through some of their own errors, the Penguins remained persistent and forced a tie in the third period, only to lose beyond the bounds of regulation.
Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech’s first goal of the season only 57 seconds into the extra frame was the difference.
Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic was blunt in putting the blame squarely on himself.
“I just got beat,” said Nedeljkovic. “That’s not good enough. That’s really all it is. I just got beat.
“We played good the whole night. We deserve two points. We deserved to win in regulation there. I (expletive) the bed.”
Nedeljkovic was hardly at his best — he made 28 saves on 33 shots as his record slipped to 9-4-4 — but he was not alone in coming up short.
Otherwise steady contributors such as defensemen Marcus Pettersson and Erik Karlsson as well as a steadily woeful power play – it was 0 for 3 on Tuesday – also played a role in this loss.
Regardless, the Penguins profess resolve – defiance, even – that they are a playoff-caliber squad.
“We’re ‘no quit,’” said impassioned Penguins forward Lars Eller. “We don’t give up. There’s no quit. We don’t give up. We’ve got to keep the faith and the belief. It’s tough right now when you only get one point. But we showed that we have no quit in us regardless of how things went during the game.
“That’s going to be important going forward, the mentality of never stop fighting.”
The Penguins entered the contest with an altered lineup as their middle-two lines and all three defensive pairings were shuffled around.
“We for sure got to find something here and try to string some wins together,” Pettersson said following a practice session in Cranberry a day prior. “Came in (Monday) and the lines were mixed up. Maybe it will kickstart something with us.”
Pettersson, reunited with Karlsson on the Penguins’ second defensive pairing, kicked off the scoring with his third goal 12:48 into regulation.
From deep on the left wing boards of the offensive zone, Karlsson cranked a one-timer that was denied by goaltender Ilya Sorokin. Corralling the rebound just to the left of the cage, Penguins forward Rickard Rakell sashayed his way to the near corner and slipped a seam pass to the far circle where Pettersson crouched and lifted a one-timer over Sorokin’s glove on the near side. Pettersson’s fellow Swedes, Rakell and Karlsson, had assists. For Karlsson, the helper was his 800th career point.
HOW SWEDE IT IS! ????????
Karlsson, Rakell, and Pettersson connect to give the Penguins the 1-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/robrZxAGcc
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 21, 2024
Pettersson was tortured by Islanders forward Brock Nelson, who scored his 24th goal at 3:40 of the second period.
Taking a neutral zone pass from Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock, Nelson burst into the offensive zone and challenged Pettersson one on one in the left circle. Deking forehand to backhand, Lee fended off Pettersson’s passive poke checks and floated an elegant backhander from below the hashmarks by Nedeljkovic’s blocker. Defensemen Ryan Pulock and Pelech were credited with assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) February 21, 2024
“I lost (a skate) edge a little bit,” said Pettersson, who had his skates adjusted at the bench following the goal. “I can’t be reaching there on Nelson’s goal. Gave him way too good of a look.”
The Penguins’ malfunctioning power play once again looked feeble as it set the stage for a go-ahead goal by Islanders forward Mathew Barzal at 6:37 of the second frame.
Following an unimpressive two minutes by the Penguins in the Islanders’ zone which generated only one shot – by Pulock – Eller fired a bad-angle wrister from the right corner that Sorokin rejected, causing the rebound to strike off the glass on the far boards. That deflection essentially served as a breakout pass for Barzal, freshly liberated from the penalty box. Streaking in on a breakaway from his own blue line, Barzal attacked from the right wing, leveled out and snapped a wrister over Nedeljkovic’s glove for his 17th goal. Sorokin had the only assist.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) February 21, 2024
An outrageous blunder by Karlsson led to Islanders forward Simon Holmstrom’s 13th goal at 13:15 of the second.
From behind his own net, Karlsson fumbled a breakout attempt due to pressure by a forechecking Holmstrom. As the puck clunked off the end boards and slid to the left of the crease. Karlsson tried to recover it but wound up backhanding it off of Nedeljkovic’s stick and into the net. There were no assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) February 21, 2024
The Penguins’ newly reconfigured third line and third defensive pairing generated Eller’s 10th goal late in the second at the 16:35 mark.
Off some strong work along the Islanders’ end boards by Penguins forwards Reilly Smith and Valtteri Puustinen, defenseman Ryan Graves corralled the puck at the left point and slid a cross-ice pass to defensive partner Chad Ruhwedel. Taking a short-area feed from Ruhwedel, Eller lobbed a wrister from the right point that glanced off of Pelech’s right knee and deflected to the far side past Sorokin’s blocker. Ruhwedel and Graves claimed assists.
Keep 'em coming. pic.twitter.com/VHPGrek5H1
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 21, 2024
The Islanders issued an unsuccessful coach’s challenge on the basis of a hand pass and were assessed a delay of game penalty.
The Islanders restored a two-score lead at 10:42 of the third period via defenseman Mike Reilly’s fourth goal.
Retrieving a puck behind his own net, Graves lost it due to forechecking by Barzal, allowing Islanders forward Anders Lee to claim possession along the right half wall. From there, Lee dished a pass above the left circle for Nelson, who then offloaded the puck to Reilly, who ripped a wrister from the top of the left circle by Nedeljkovic’s blocker on the near side. Assists went to Nelson and Lee.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) February 21, 2024
A quick burst of scores by the hosts tied the game again, 4-4.
First came Puustinen’s second goal of the season (and his career) at 12:06 of the third.
Taking a pass at the left point of the offensive zone, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang pumped a wrister from the near half-wall. Sorokin made the initial save but allowed a rebound. Puustinen, hovering to the left of the crease, jabbed at the puck twice with forehand shots, putting the second one between Sorokin’s blocker and his right leg. Letang and Smith tallied assists on the rookie’s goal.
That's Puustin-EN THE NET! pic.twitter.com/wSuTAOxAgP
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 21, 2024
Forward Drew O’Connor found his seventh goal only 56 seconds later with some good fortune.
Off a cycle in the Islanders’ right corner with linemate Evgeni Malkin, O’Connor curled into the right circle and attempted a backdoor pass for a streaking Pettersson, only to have the puck hit off of Lee’s left skate and deflect into the cage. The only assist went to Malkin.
THE DOC IS IN! ???? pic.twitter.com/LJN8KPoF0P
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 21, 2024
That score prompted the Islanders to call timeout in hopes of stunting the Penguins’ momentum.
In overtime, Pelech’s first regular season goal since April 6, 2023 claimed victory.
Taking a simple pass from Barzal behind his own blue line, Pelech rushed through the neutral zone with no resistance, gained the offensive blue line and scorched Nedeljkovic’s blocker with a wrister from the high slot. Barzal and forward Bo Horvat had assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) February 21, 2024
“Saw it the whole way,” said a glum Nedeljkovic. “Just missed it.”
The Penguins are in danger of missing the postseason for the second consecutive season, something that hasn’t happened since the years between the departure of franchise icon Jaromir Jagr in 2001 and the arrival of savior Sidney Crosby in 2005.
With a 24-21-8 record and 56 points, they sit in seventh place of the Metropolitan Division and sixth place with regard to the Eastern Conference’s wild card standings.
Despite the bed they have made for themselves, the Penguins are defiant with their resolve.
“When things aren’t going your way, you can’t quit on your teammates,” Eller said. “And I don’t think anyone quit tonight.”
Notes:
• Pettersson (115 points) surpassed forwards Pete Mahovlich and Terry Ruskowski (114 each) for 77th place on the franchise’s career scoring list.
• Rakell (94 points) moved into a tie for 100th place on the franchise’s career scoring list. He pulled even with defensemen Paul Baxter, Ulf Samuelsson and forward Wally Boyer.
• Each of Puustinen’s two career goals has come against the Islanders. The first was in a 7-0 road win on Dec. 27 against goaltender Semyon Varlamov.
Pittsburgh goal!
Scored by Valtteri Puustinen with 10:12 remaining in the 3rd period.
Assisted by Kris Letang and Marcus Pettersson.
New York: 0
Pittsburgh: 7#PITvsNYI #Isles #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/1q9qj5mZlN— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) December 28, 2023
• Penguins goaltender Magnus Hellberg, rookie defenseman John Ludvig and forward Jesse Puljujarvi were healthy scratches.
• Penguins forward Noel Acciari, currently on injured reserve due to a concussion, participated in an optional morning skate wearing a non-contact jersey.
• The Islanders’ most recent overtime win against the Penguins was a 4-3 road victory on March 9, 2023. Nelson scored the winning goal against goaltender Tristan Jarry.
Brock Nelson scores against the Pittsburgh Penguins to make it 4-3 #PITvsNYI #LetsGoPens #Isles pic.twitter.com/YJmWmDNR24
— nopClips (@nopClips) March 10, 2023
• Jagr, who had his No. 68 retired in an extravagant ceremony at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday, attended Tuesday’s game and provided his signature “salute” from a suite to fans, prompting a standing ovation during the first period.
???? pic.twitter.com/1RNhAO9QCE
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 21, 2024
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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