Penguins dropped by Canadiens in overtime

On the surface, the five of a possible six points the Pittsburgh Penguins claimed on the three-game road trip they completed on Saturday should be satisfactory through any lens.

The way they attained the fifth point, however, left lots to be desired.

Surrendering the lead on three separate occasions, including twice in the third period, the Penguins were defeated by the Montreal Canadiens, 5-4, in overtime at Montreal’s Bell Centre on Saturday.

A goal by forward Mike Hoffman in overtime gave the Canadiens a victory the Penguins probably should have secured in regulation.

“For the most part, anytime you get five out of six points out of three games on the road, I think most coaches would probably take it. But when it’s there for you to get six (points), it’s a little bit disappointing.”

Saturday’s setback snapped a modest two-game winning streak for the Penguins who broke a hideous seven-game losing streak with a 4-1 road win against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.

Goaltender Tristan Jarry returned to the lineup after serving as the backup to Casey DeSmith during each of those victories. On Saturday, Jarry made 37 saves on 42 shots as his record fell to 4-3-2.

Speaking with media in Montreal following the game, Jarry revealed he had been dealing with unspecified physical “issues” over the past week and that played a role in him not playing in the previous two games.

The Canadiens took an early lead only 1:48 into play with forward Josh Anderson’s fourth goal of the season. Collecting a rebound on the left half wall of the offensive zone, Anderson fended off Penguins forward Jeff Carter and circumnavigated his way to the high slot where he chucked a wrister toward the cage. With Penguins defenseman Chad Ruhwedel battling Canadiens forward Evgenii Dadonov above the crease – and creating a screen – the puck beat Jarry’s glove. Ruhwedel’s left skate appeared to clip Jarry’s right skate on the sequence. There were no assists.

A power-play goal by former Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry tied the game 1:46 into the second period. Gaining the offensive zone on the right wing, Petry fed a pass to the right circle for Penguins forward Rickard Rakell who dealt it back to Petry. From deep in the right corner, Petry forced a pass attempt to the top of the crease for Penguins forward Jason Zucker. Canadiens forward Jake Evans was in a good position to break up the sequence but inadvertently deflected the puck into his own cage through goaltender Jake Allen’s five hole. Petry was credited with his third goal off assists from Rakell and Zucker.

Rakell supplied the Penguins with their first lead only 1:43 later. From the left corner of the offensive zone, Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin tried to pass the puck to Zucker in the right circle but the puck hit off Zucker’s right leg and bounced to the high slot. Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson alertly jumped on the puck and stroked a one-timer toward the cage. The right-handed Rakell coasted through the slot and made an athletic maneuver to reach behind his body to deflect the puck with his stick past Allen’s glove for his sixth goal. Pettersson and Malkin had assists.

It took the Canadiens only 49 seconds to tie the game, 2-2, in the third period with forward Cole Caufield’s ninth goal. Claiming a loose puck on the left half wall of the offensive zone, Canadiens rookie defenseman Guhle dealt a pass to the right point Caufield. Surveying for a shooting lane, Caufield threw a wrister on net that beat Jarry’s glove on the far side. The Penguins issued a coach’s challenge on the basis that Canadiens forward Kirby Dach interfered with Jarry but officials upheld the score and assessed a delay of game penalty to the visitors. The only assist went to Guhle.

The Penguins reclaimed a lead, 3-2, at 3:19 of the third period. After Zucker beat Canadiens rookie defenseman Jordan Harris to a puck on Montreal’s end boards, he fed a backhand pass to the top of the right circle for an on-rushing Malkin who flicked a backhand pass over Allen’s right leg on the far side for his seventh goal. Zucker and Petry tallied assists.

Things were tied yet again at 4:09 of the third when Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki found his 10th goal. Taking a pass in the slot of the offensive zone, Suzuki deked around a spinning poke check attempt by Penguins defenseman Kris Letang and dealt a backhand pass to the right of the crease for Dach who was unable to get a true shot off. As Jarry scrambled to find the loose puck, Suzuki located it on the right side of the crease and swept a forehand shot into the cage. There were no assists.

After a series of penalties morphed the game into a three-on-three showcase, the Penguins took advantage by scoring another go-ahead goal at the 14:02 mark. After beating Suzuki on a draw in the Penguins’ left circle (with some help from Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin), Carter took the puck and simply drove it up ice, creating a two-on-one rush with linemate Brock McGinn against Guhle. As Guhle slid down in hopes of taking away a pass, Carter slipped a pass to the left circle for McGinn who ripped a wrister past Allen’s blocker on the near side for his fourth goal of the season and third in as many games. Carter and Dumoulin had assists.

That lead lasted a mere 40 seconds as Canadiens forward Sean Monahan converted on a power-play opportunity. Taking a pass in the high slot, Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin gripped and ripped a wrister on net. Despite a screen, Jarry made the save but allowed a rebound. Almost immediately, Monahan cleaned it up with a forehand shot for his third goal. Drouin and Dach netted assists.

In overtime, the Canadiens wasted little time – 1:03 to be precise – to claim victory. Controlling the puck behind his own net, Guhle allowed his teammates to make a change at the bench and fed a pass to Hoffman at the near blue line. From in front of the visiting bench, Hoffman moved the puck across the ice to Dach rushing up the right wing past Malkin. Gaining the offensive zone, Dach generated a two-on-one rush with Hoffman against Petry. With Petry providing a minimal impediment, Dach was able to slide a pass to the left of the crease where Hoffman tapped in a forehand shot for his fifth goal. Dach and Guhle had assists.

“A point is a point,” McGinn said. “But I don’t think we had our best game. We had a chance to win the game. It would have been nice to grab two. We’ve got to go in practice the next couple of days and work on some things and come ready to play the next game.”

Notes:

• The Penguins had a streak of 14 successful coach’s challenges snapped. They were 3 for 3 this season entering this contest.

Their last unsuccessful coach’s challenge in the regular season came during a 3-2 road win against the Dallas Stars on March 23, 2019.

At 5:24 of the second period in that contest, former Penguins defenseman Erik Gudbranson appeared to score a goal but officials immediately waved it off, citing goaltender interference by forward Teddy Blueger. The Penguins issued a challenge against the interference call but were unsuccessful.

• Penguins rookie forward Filip Hallander was scratched due to an undisclosed illness according to the team’s Web site. He was replaced by forward Kasperi Kapanen who was a healthy scratch for the previous two games.

• Also scratched were defensemen Mark Friedman (healthy) and P.O Joseph. Speaking with media in Montreal, Sullivan indicated Joseph is healthy enough to play but is still dealing with an undisclosed injury he suffered in Wednesday’s game.

• Penguins forward Jake Guentzel had a four-game goal-scoring streak snapped.

• Penguins forward Ryan Poehling, a first-round pick (No. 25 overall) of the Canadiens in 2017, appeared in his 100th career game.

• Former Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson was scratched due to an abdominal injury that has sidelined him since training camp.

• Game summary.

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