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Penguins allow another goal on 1st shot in loss to Bruins | TribLIVE.com
Penguins/NHL

Penguins allow another goal on 1st shot in loss to Bruins

Seth Rorabaugh
Seth Rorabaugh
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AP
Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, shown in December, fell to 12-12-5 with his loss Saturday against the Bruins.

It wouldn’t be fair to suggest goaltending was the primary reason the Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the Boston Bruins at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.

In fact, it’s probably pretty accurate to say Alex Nedeljkovic – who stopped 23 of 25 shots - offered his team the cliched “a chance to win.”

But those chances were limited Saturday when the Penguins allowed the opposition to score a goal on its first shot of the contest for the 13th time this season and the third consecutive game.

If the 2024-25 Penguins have any kind of identity, it’s that they don’t waste time in giving up goals.

Nedeljkovic has allowed five of those “first shot” goals, including the past three games, while his backup, rookie Joel Blomqvist, had yielded two such scores.

Tristan Jarry, largely exiled to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League since mid-January, is still the clubhouse leader with six.

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To be certain, these goals happen through all sorts of avenues. On Saturday, Bruins All-Star forward David Pastrnak scored on a dazzling breakaway.

Two nights earlier, during a 5-4 overtime home win against the Philadelphia Flyers, Nedeljkovic was beaten by forward Noah Cates on a wrister through a three-body screen that glanced off a skate.

There isn’t a regular method to how the Penguins’ opponents are doing this. But it’s obscenely frequent.

“They all happen different ways,” said Nedeljkovic, whose record slipped to 12-12-5. “For a majority of them, it’s just about starting on time, for everybody. Some things are preventable. Some things, they just happen and that’s hockey. Shots are going to go in, get deflected, go off guys or we’re going to have bad bounces, pucks go over sticks or whatever it is. They end up with good looks. I think we need to find a better way of starting on time, playing with a little more emotion from the get-go, and I don’t think you’ll see those types of things happen.

“For myself too, it doesn’t matter if it’s a breakaway or whatever the shot or situation is. I’ve got to be ready for anything. That’s my job.”

Adding to the Penguins’ woes was defenseman P.O Joseph suffering an undisclosed injury. He did not record a shift beyond the 13:05 mark of the first period after absorbing a hit by Bruins forward Mark Kastelic. There was no substantive word on Joseph’s status following the game.

Presumably, Kastelic was attempting to extract a measure of revenge for a hit by Joseph that forced Bruins All-Star forward Brad Marchand to leave the game at 5:56 of the first period with an undisclosed ailment.

Pastrnak produced his 32nd goal 92 seconds into regulation via some poor defense by the hosts.

Off a breakout of the defensive zone, Bruins forward Pavel Zacha backhanded a center pass from the left wing for Pastrnak. Surging past Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson, Pastrnak gained the offensive blue line and attacked the cage down the slot with minimal resistance. Upon approach, Pastrnak juked Nedeljkovic out of position with a deft deke and tucked in a forehand shot. Zacha and forward Morgan Geekie had assists.

“We give up a breakaway to one of the best goal-scorers of the last couple of years,” Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk said. “There’s nothing (Nedeljkovic) can do on that. Obviously, you never want to go down 1-0 that early. (Saturday), we just made it way too easy. And nothing that (Nedeljkovic) could do there. So that’s on us.”

The Bruins scored on their seventh shot at 6:33 of the first period when defenseman Mason Lohrei collected his fourth goal during a power-play scenario.

Controlling the puck just below the Penguins’ right circle, Zacha dished a seam pass to the top of the opposite circle for Lohrei, who advanced a bit then ripped a wrister to the far side past Nedeljkovic’s glove. Penguins forward Noel Acciari inadvertently served as a screen on the sequence. Zacha and Pastrnak produced assists.

In the third period, Pastrnak had another opportunity on a breakaway but was slashed by Karlsson as he approached the cage. Officials awarded a penalty shot to Pastrnak, who had a backhander denied by Nedeljkovic’s blocker on the attempt.

Penguins forward Anthony Beauvillier broke up the Bruins’ aspirations of a shutout by scoring his 13th goal during a short-handed sequence at 14:01 of the third.

Driving the puck up the right wing into the offensive zone, Penguins forward Kevin Hayes pulled up at the right dot, spun off Bruins defensemen Ian Mitchell and Parker Wotherspoon and then fed a pass to the high slot for Beauvillier, who put a wrister behind goaltender Joonas Korpisalo’s glove. The only assist went to Hayes.

Any hopes of a comeback by the hosts were euthanized by the visitors when Bruins forward Charlie Coyle claimed his 14th goal on an empty net during a short-handed scenario at 19:19 of the final frame. Defenseman Nikita Zadorov had the only assist.

Penguins forward Rickard Rakell capped the scoring with his team-best 26th goal during a power-play opportunity at the 19:38 mark with Nedeljkovic still pulled for an extra attacker.

Claiming a loose puck near the right corner of the offensive zone, Penguins forward Bryan Rust drove to the cage but lost possession while making his maneuver. Zacha wound up batting the puck around a bit before Rust kicked it with his left skate to the left circle where Rakell swiped in a wrister through Korpisalo’s five hole. Rust and forward Sidney Crosby collected assists.

“It was a close game, but it wasn’t good enough from myself or this group,” Hayes said. “A pretty vanilla game. Low energy. In order to enjoy ourselves these last couple of months, we’ve got to bring energy to the rink every single night. You never know what’s going to happen. You’ve got to start with energy first.”

Starting without a goal on the opponent’s first shot would presumably aid that pursuit.

“With smarter play, more purposeful play, we don’t give up those types of opportunities,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “The common theme is we need more purposeful play so we’re harder to play against.”

Notes:

• Following the game, Rakell was spotted in the dressing room with a cut/welt under his left eye.

• In 61 career games against the Bruins, Crosby has 75 points (19 goals, 56 assists).

• Penguins defensemen Ryan Graves and Vladislav Kolyachonok as well as forward Boko Imama were scratched.

• Koylachonok has yet to suit up for the Penguins and has been scratched five consecutive games since he was claimed off waivers on Feb. 9.

• In 29 career games against the Penguins, Pastrnak has 42 points (19 goals, 23 assists).

• The Bruins’ last penalty shot attempt against the Penguins was by Marchand. He was denied by goaltender Matt Murray during a 6-5 home overtime win for the Penguins on Jan. 7, 2018.

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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