SUBSCRIBE NEWSLETTERS
ADVERTISE| CLASSIFIEDS| JOBS| E-TRIB
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS NETWORK TRIBLIVE LOCAL
Western Pennsylvania's trusted news source
Penguins' penalty kill struggles again in loss to Ducks | TribLIVE.com
Penguins/NHL

Penguins' penalty kill struggles again in loss to Ducks

Seth Rorabaugh
Seth Rorabaugh
8951261_web1_AP25288129684918
AP
Anaheim Ducks defenseman Olen Zellweger controls the puck past Penguins defenseman Kris Letang during the first period Tuesday.
8951261_web1_AP25288129744469
AP
Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal stops the shot of Penguins center Sidney Crosby during the first period Tuesday.
8951261_web1_AP25288129260984
AP
Penguins right wing Justin Brazeau celebrates his goal with center Evgeni Malkin during the first period against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
8951261_web1_AP25288129431279
AP
Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson shoots during the first period against the Penguins on Tuesday.
8951261_web1_AP25288129281656
AP
Penguins right wing Justin Brazeau celebrates his goal with the bench during the first period against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
8951261_web1_AP25288129539389
AP
Penguins winger Rickard Rakell celebrates his goal with the bench during the first period against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.

There weren’t many areas the Pittsburgh Penguins were expected to be exceedingly stout in entering the 2025-26 campaign.

In fact, it was anticipated that the rebuilding franchise would be one of the NHL’s least impressive clubs this season.

And in at least one aspect, that has been the case.

The penalty kill.

Allowing two goals on six opposing power-play opportunities, the Penguins suffered their second consecutive loss on Tuesday, falling 4-3 to the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Ducks forward Chris Kreider scored the game-winner, his second power-play goal of the contest, late in regulation.

Tuesday’s futility came three days after the Penguins allowed two goals on four power-play opportunities in a 6-1 home loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday.

Through four games, the Penguins have stopped 11 of 15 opposing man advantage opportunities, equating to a success rate of 73.3%.

“It’s still early,” Penguins coach Dan Muse said to reporters in Anaheim via audio provided by the team’s media relations department. “It’s an area we’re going to continue to work to improve.”

Penguins forward Justin Brazeau opened the scoring only 63 seconds into regulation with his fourth goal of the season.

Streaking into the offensive zone on the left wing, Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea settled a deflected pass and chucked a wrister toward the cage. Stationed just to the left of the crease, Brazeau deflected the puck with the shaft of his stick past goaltender Lukas Dostal’s glove on the far side. Shea and Malkin had assists.

Former Ducks forward Rickard Rakell scored his second goal at 7:01 of the first period.

After Penguins forward Sidney Crosby beat Ducks forward Leo Carlsson on a faceoff in Anaheim’s left circle, Shea claimed the puck at the near point, surveyed his options and snapped a wrister toward the net. Darting from low in the left circle, Rakell slipped behind Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe and deflected the puck through Dostal’s five hole. Shea and Crosby collected assists.

The hosts got on the scoreboard when Kreider scored his third goal of the season during a power-play sequence of 9:42 of the opening frame.

Taking a pass on the right half wall of the offensive zone, former Penguins forward Mikael Granlund curled around the top of the near circle, then fed the puck to Carlsson, positioned low in the circle. With a wide open look at the cage, Carlsson slipped a pass to the far side of the crease. Despite sound positioning, Penguins defenseman Matt Dumba was unable to prevent Kreider from tapping a forehand shot by Jarry’s right skate. Carlsson and Granlund generated assists.

Things were tied 2-2 late in the opening period at the 19:25 mark via forward Cutter Gauthier’s third goal.

After Ducks rookie forward Beckett Sennecke poked a puck away from Penguins defenseman Kris Letang in Pittsburgh’s left circle, Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov claimed possession at the near point, surged forward a bit, then slid a cross-ice pass just inside the opposite dot where Gauthier pumped a one-timer past Jarry’s glove on the near side. Assists were merited by Mintyukov and Sennecke.

The Ducks took their first lead of the contest at 9:48 of the second period when defenseman Drew Helleson scored his first goal.

Penguins defenseman Connor Clifton was unable to cleanly play an errant puck behind his own net, allowing Kreider to claim it and deal a pass off the right half wall to the near point, where Helleson golfed a one-timer through a phalanx of bodies and past Jarry’s left shoulder on the near side. Kreider had the only assist.

The Penguins persisted and tied the game again, 3-3, thanks to Anthony Mantha’s first goal of the season (and first as a member of the club) at 17:01 of the middle frame.

Off a line change, Crosby chugged off the visiting bench and into the offensive zone on the left wing with the puck to create a two-on-one with Mantha against Ducks defenseman Olen Zellweger, who opted to devote his focus on the puck carrier. Crosby accepted that charity and fed a pass to a wide open Mantha, who stopped the puck and then whipped a wrister on net. Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba hustled back in hopes of blocking the shot, only to have the puck break his stick and hop over Dostal’s left shoulder on the near side. Crosby and linemate Bryan Rust registered assists.

The Ducks issued a coach’s challenge claiming the sequence was offside but officials found no evidence of malfeasance and the hosts were assessed a delay of game penalty.

Another power-play score by Kreider restored a lead for the Ducks at 18:33 of the third period.

After Granlund won a faceoff against Penguins forward Blake Lizotte in Pittsburgh’s left circle, LaCombe controlled the puck at the near point, then maneuvered to the high slot before offloading a pass to Carlsson at the left point. From there, Carlsson dished the puck to the near corner for Ducks forward Troy Terry, who flicked a clever backhand feed to the lower left hashmark where Kreider leaned down and chopped a one-timer that glanced off of Jarry’s glove before entering the net. Terry and Carlsson had assists.

“We would like our (penalty) kill to be a little bit better,” said Rust, who logged 4:41 of short-handed ice time. “That was the difference in the game.”

Jarry made 16 saves on 20 shots, leveling his record at 1-1-0.

Notes:

• Crosby (1,065 assists) surpassed long-time Detroit Red Wings forward Steve Yzerman (1,063) for ninth place on the NHL’s career assist list.

• Mantha became the 587th player to score a regular season goal for the Penguins.

• Clifton and Dumba each made their Penguins debuts.

• Dumba became the 29th player to wear No. 24 in a game of consequence for the Penguins. His predecessors (via PittsburghHockey.net):

Garry Swain, Rod Zaine, Tim Horton, Eddie Shack, Jean-Guy Legace, Larry Bignell, Mario Faubert, Don Awrey, Bob Paradise, Pat Hughes, Marc Chorney, Pat Graham, Rob Garner, Ted Bulley, Kevin McCarthy, Roger Belanger, Dwight Mathiasen, Troy Loney, Doug Brown, lan Moran, Lyle Odelein, Kris Beech, Matt Cooke, Bobby Farnham, Cameron Gaunce, Dominik Kahun, Ty Smith, Matt Grzelcyk

• Clifton became the second player to wear No. 75 in a game of consequence for the Penguins. His predecessor:

Ryan Reaves

• Penguins rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke was a healthy scratch. Per a social media posting by the team, the 19-year-old was scratched as part of a “development plan.”

• Penguins forward Noel Acciari and defenseman Caleb Jones were also scratched.

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.

Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.

Get Ad-Free >

Categories: Penguins/NHL | Sports
Sports and Partner News