https://triblive.com/sports/penguins-fall-to-panthers-in-shootout-dealing-further-hit-to-waning-playoff-chances/
Penguins fall to Panthers in shootout, dealing further hit to waning playoff chances
The Pittsburgh Penguins need a lot that is outside of their domain to go right if they are to even flirt with qualifying for the postseason.
As far as what they control with the remainder of the regular season, their approach is simple.
“We’re doing everything we can to try to find a way to climb into the playoffs,” coach Mike Sullivan said in Cranberry on Saturday. “Until we’re mathematically eliminated, we’re going to approach it that way. We’re trying to win the game in front of us. Our guys are competing hard. We’re playing a spirited game.”
“We’re just competing hard. That gives you a chance when your competitive spirit is high.”
Their already limited chances were damaged further on Sunday as they fell to the Florida Panthers, 4-3, in a shootout at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla.
Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov scored the lone goal in the shootout.
With a 29-32-11 record and 69 points, they remain six points behind the idle Montreal Canadiens (33-27-9, 75 points) for the final Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference.
Dampening the already gloomy forecast for them even more is that the Penguins have fewer games remaining (10) than just about nearly every other team in the NHL.
“We’re in here to keep playing hard,” Penguins forward Bryan Rust said to reporters in Sunrise via audio provided by the team’s media relations staff. “It doesn’t really matter where we are (in the standings) or what’s going on.”
Goaltender Tristan Jarry made 27 saves on 30 shots in regulation and overtime as his record slipped to 12-9-5.
Panthers forward Sam Reinhart opened the scoring 11:25 into regulation with his 34th goal of the season.
Off a pass from his own end boards by Penguins defenseman Conor Timmins, Rust lost possession of a puck on his own left half-wall due to pressure by Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling. Reinhart swooped in to accept the charity and ripped a wrister from the left circle by Jarry’s glove on the far side. Forsling had the only assist.
Florida goal!Scored by Sam Reinhart with 08:35 remaining in the 1st period.
Florida: 1Pittsburgh: 0#PITvsFLA #TimeToHunt #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/xaE1E1FMg2
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) March 23, 2025
Rust made amends for the turnover by scoring a pair of goals to close out the first period. His 24th of 2024-25 came during a power-play sequence at the 14:26 mark.
Corralling a rebound off Florida’s end boards from a missed shot, Penguins forward Sidney Crosby backhanded a pass from low in the left circle to the near point. Accepting the puck, Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson backpedaled a bit toward the center point and snapped a forehand pass to Rust low in the right circle. Deking past kneeling Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt, Rust elevated an emphatic backhander by goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky’s blocker. Karlsson and Crosby collected assists.
Power play goal for Pittsburgh!Scored by Bryan Rust with 05:34 remaining in the 1st period.
Assisted by Erik Karlsson and Sidney Crosby.
Florida: 1Pittsburgh: 1#PITvsFLA #TimeToHunt #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/lq5SozVcLp
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) March 23, 2025
Rust struck again at 19:25.
Following a neutral zone turnover by Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis, Penguins forward Rickard Rakell chopped the puck up ice, allowing Crosby to gain Florida’s zone on the right wing. Pulling up on the near half-wall, Crosby chipped the puck to the top of the slot where Rust darted in and tapped a one-handed backhander by Bobrovsky’s blocker. Crosby and Rakell recorded assists.
Pittsburgh goal!Scored by Bryan Rust with 00:34 remaining in the 1st period.
Assisted by Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell.
Florida: 1Pittsburgh: 2#PITvsFLA #TimeToHunt #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/oFtawVVYlb
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) March 23, 2025
The Penguins scored on another power-play opportunity 6:51 into the second period when forward Evgeni Malkin registered his 15th goal.
As Panthers forward Nico Sturm operated without a stick, Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk accepted the puck above Florida’s right circle, maneuvered a bit to the slot and dished a feed to the lower left circle for Rust. Backing up a bit, Rust one-touched the puck to the near dot where Malkin dropped the hammer on a one-timer that burrowed its way through Bobrovsky’s five hole. Rust and Grzelcyk generated assists.
GENO MACHINO ????Vote Evgeni Malkin to the #NHLQCTeam by sharing his name and the hashtag or head to https://t.co/OxUkS3fSt9! pic.twitter.com/fCOFJA3tyI
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 23, 2025
Reinhart found the back of the net again during a power-play scenario at 9:25 of the second frame.
Breaking the puck out of the defensive zone, Barkov dished a simple short-area pass at his own blue line to Reinhart. Taking the puck, Reinhart made a dash through the neutral zone and gained the offensive blue line on the right wing. Facing resistance from sluggish Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves, Reinhart made a pedestrian maneuver toward the near hashmarks and shuffled a wrister through Jarry’s five hole. Assists belonged to Barkov and Bobrovsky.
Sam Reinhart goes coast-to-coast for his second goal of the night. ❤️???? pic.twitter.com/VpeSOgyGeC— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 23, 2025
Panthers forward Anton Lundell’s 16th goal tied the game at 14:29 of the third period.
Settling a loose puck in the Penguins’ right circle, Schmidt spun to his right and offloaded it to Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen at the center point. Advancing toward the slot, Luostarinen slipped a clever pass below the right dot where Lundell leaned down and pumped a one-timer by the blocker of a scrambling Jarry. Luostarinen and Schmidt logged assists.
Anton Lundell strikes in the third! Tie game!#TimeToHunt pic.twitter.com/l4LNVMf67D— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) March 24, 2025
In the shootout, Rakell, Crosby and Rust were rejected by Bobrovsky. Jarry denied Lundell and Reinhart on their chances.
The Penguins are 1-6 in shootouts this season.
“Just keep going,” Jarry said to reporters in Sunrise regarding his team’s poor shootout results. “That’s all we can really do is keep practicing at it.”
Notes:
• Karlsson (106 points) surpassed forward Craig Simpson (105) for sole possession of 90th place on the franchise’s career scoring list.
• In 53 career games against the Panthers, Crosby has 68 points (30 goals, 38 assists).
• In 48 career games against the Panthers, Malkin has 52 points (19 goals 33 assists).
• Bobrovsky is the second goaltender to record an assist against the Penguins this season. He was preceded by Joey Daccord of the Seattle Kraken in a 4-2 victory at PPG Paints Arena on Jan. 14.
• Penguins forwards Emil Bemstrom (undisclosed injury) and Tommy Novak (undisclosed injury) as well as defenseman Ryan Shea (suspected left hand or wrist) were scratched.
• Former Penguins defenseman Dmitry Kulikov was among the Panthers’ scratches. He has missed the past three games due to an undisclosed injury.
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