Michael Bunting scores 1st goal with Penguins in overtime loss to Senators
Michael Bunting doesn’t necessarily have grand aspirations on what he can bring to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
He just wants to be part of the solution.
“I just want to play my game and contribute where I can and wherever coach (Mike Sullivan) wants me to be,” Bunting said Friday in Cranberry, hours after the Penguins acquired him in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes. “I’m ready to go, and whenever I’m called on, I’m ready to go.
“I’m just coming in, and I want to learn a lot from obviously the guys have been through everything together, and I’m excited to be joining this group.”
On Tuesday, Bunting — the primary return in a less-than-popular transaction that sent popular forward Jake Guentzel to the Hurricanes — gave his new team something to be jubilant about, albeit temporarily.
Bunting scored a goal with less than half a minute remaining in regulation to force overtime. Despite Bunting’s first goal with his new team, the Penguins fell, 2-1, when forward Drake Batherson scored his 23rd goal of the season at 3 minutes, 13 seconds of the extra frame.
While the Penguins have lost seven of their past eight games (1-6-1) — including four consecutive losses (0-3-1) — Ottawa snapped a seven-game losing streak (0-6-1).
The Penguins’ offense largely was stymied despite putting a healthy 35 shots on goal. Including Tuesday’s game, the Penguins have averaged 33.8 shots over this difficult eight-game stretch.
While the quantity of shots was presumably acceptable, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan suggested quality was lacking based on the geography of their origin.
“I didn’t think we did as good a job tonight getting to the net front,” Sullivan said to the Canadian Press service in Ottawa. “We’ve got to do a better job fighting for that area of the rink.”
The Senators appeared to take the contest’s first lead at 4:08 of the third period via a goal by forward Claude Giroux, but the Penguins issued a coach’s challenge claiming goaltender interference by Senators forward Mathieu Joseph. Following a review, officials confirmed those suspicions and wiped out the score.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) March 13, 2024
A legal goal was scored at 11:06 of the third frame by Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson, his eighth of the season.
After gaining the offensive zone on the left wing, Giroux pulled up on the near wall and dished a cross-ice pass. The feed was off the mark and hit off the right wing boards but was corralled by Joseph, who allowed Sanderson to glide into the slot and dished the puck to him. Taking the puck, Sanderson snapped an immediate wrister by Jarry’s blocker. Joseph and Giroux had assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) March 14, 2024
Bunting struck at the last minute — literally — with his eighth goal of the season at 19:37 of the third period.
With Jarry pulled for an extra attacker, Penguins forward Sidney Crosby corralled a puck in the right corner of the offensive zone and sent a pass to forward Evgeni Malkin above the left circle. Despite his stick breaking in the process, Malkin directed a slapper that former Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson deflected on net from the lower rim of the left circle.
Goaltender Joona Korpisalo made the initial save with his left leg, but the rebound deflected to the top of the crease where Bunting was able to clean it up with a forehand shot. Karlsson and Malkin claimed assists.
Pittsburgh goal!
Scored by Michael Bunting with 00:23 remaining in the 3rd period.
Assisted by Erik Karlsson and Evgeni Malkin.
Ottawa: 1
Pittsburgh: 1#PITvsOTT #GoSensGo #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/ToC7Sffsbd— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) March 13, 2024
Batherson cleaned up in overtime.
After Senators rookie forward Zack Ostapchuk — making his NHL debut — stole a pass in the Ottawa zone from Penguins forward Bryan Rust, he backhanded it to Sanderson in the neutral zone and went to the bench to make a change, allowing Stutzle to jump onto the ice.
Sanderson offloaded the puck to Batheson, who gained the offensive blue line at the center point and then dished a backhand pass back to Sanderson. From the high slot, Stutzle slid a forehand pass to the right circle for Stutzle. Pulling up to avoid a poke check from a backchecking Malkin, Stutzle slipped a seam pass to the lower left circle where Batheson blasted a one-timer that found an avenue between the near post and Jarry’s right hip. Stutzle and Sanderson secured assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) March 14, 2024
Jarry made 37 saves on 39 shots - including five saves on six shots in overtime - as his record fell to 18-22-4.
“A loss is a loss at the end of the day,” Jarry said to the Canadian Press. “We’re in a tough spot, and that’s the only way you can look at it at this time of year. It’s tough to be in this position, and we need the wins and maybe one more save might have done it.”
Notes:
• Bunting became the 568th player to score a regular season goal for the Penguins.
• Penguins rookie defenseman John Ludvig recorded a fighting major for the second consecutive game when he fought Senators forward Mark Kastelic only 2:17 into regulation. The bout was initiated by Kastelic in response to Ludvig slamming Senators forward Jiri Smejkal to the ice with a heavy check.
• Ludvig is up to five fighting majors this season. Per Hockey Fights, the last time the Penguins had anyone record that many fighting majors in a season came during the 2017-18 campaign when forward Ryan Reaves (six) and defenseman Jamie Olekisak (five) each reached that figure.
During Sunday’s loss to the Oilers, Ludvig fought forward Warren Foegele.
• The Penguins have lost four consecutive games to the Senators (0-2-2). Their only longer active losing streaks to any specific opponent are to the Oilers (0-6-0) and the New Jersey Devils (0-5-1).
The Penguins have also lost four consecutive games to the Florida Panthers (0-3-1).
• The Penguins’ last loss to the Senators also happened in overtime. Stutzle scored the winning goal in a 5-4 home win on Dec. 23.
???? Lässt die Ottawa Senators jubeln: Tim Stützle mit dem OT-Winner gegen die Pittsburgh @Penguins! ???? #GoSensGo | @senators | @timstuetzle18 |#Stutzle | #Stützle pic.twitter.com/VBZLbw7GuT
— NHL Deutsch (@NHLde) December 24, 2023
• The Penguins were swept in a regular season series by the Senators (0-1-2) for the second time in franchise history. The first occasion happened in the 2005-06 season (0-4-0) during Crosby’s rookie campaign.
• Penguins forward Drew O’Connor returned to the lineup after missing three games due to a concussion.
• The Penguins recalled defenseman Ryan Shea from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League and assigned rookie forward Jonathan Gruden to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
• Earlier in the day, Gruden cleared waivers.
• Shea and Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi were each healthy scratches.
• In 10 career games against the Penguins, Batheson has 14 points (seven goals, seven assists).
• Prior to the game, the Senators recalled Ostapchuk from Belleville of the AHL. In his NHL debut, Ostapchuk logged 12:44 of ice time on 17 shifts, recorded two shots on two attempts and was 2 for 6 (33%) in faceoffs.
• After the game, the Senators assigned Smejkal to Belleville.
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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