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Penguins score 5 goals in 3rd period to rally past Devils | TribLIVE.com
Penguins/NHL

Penguins score 5 goals in 3rd period to rally past Devils

Seth Rorabaugh
Seth Rorabaugh
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Penguins center Sidney Crosby passes the puck away from New Jersey defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler during the first period Tuesday.
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Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson controls the puck next to New Jersey left winger Ondrej Palat during the first period Tuesday.
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Penguins left wing Drew O’Connor and Devils center Nico Hischier vie for the puck during the first period Tuesday.
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Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson (center) celebrates with Michael Bunting (left) and Rickard Rakell (right) after scoring a goal against the New Jersey Devils during the first period Tuesday.
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Penguins left wing Drew O’Connor plays the puck from the ice between the Devils’ Erik Haula (left) and Dawson Mercer during the first period Tuesday.
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Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic stops a shot by Devils left wing Erik Haula during the second period Tuesday in Newark, N.J.
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Devils left wing Ondrej Palat leaps over Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson during the second period Tuesday in Newark, N.J.
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Devils left wing Jesper Bratt reacts after scoring a goal against Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic during the second period Tuesday in Newark, N.J.
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Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) celebrates with Rickard Rakell after scoring a goal against the Devils during the third period Tuesday in Newark, N.J.
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Penguins center Sidney Crosby smiles after scoring a goal against the Devils during the third period Tuesday in Newark.
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Devils goaltender Jake Allen reacts after a goal by Penguins right wing Rickard Rakell during the third period Tuesday in Newark, N.J.

With barely two weeks remaining in the 2023-24 regular season, the underwhelming Pittsburgh Penguins have adopted tunnel vision as to their hopes for qualifying for the upcoming postseason.

While not mathematically eliminated from the opportunity to play in playoff games, the arithmetic required involves plenty of integers and coefficients that would stump Diophantus.

Very difficult. But not unsolvable.

“The conversation that we’ve had with our guys is that we’re not eliminated until we’re eliminated,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said at PPG Paints Arena on March 28. “That’s the way we look at it. We’re going to take the game right in front of us. We’re going to try to stay in this race as best we can.

“Nothing is out of the realm of possibility.”

The Penguins pulled off what was seemingly impossible for them Tuesday as they beat the New Jersey Devils, 6-3, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Scoring five goals in the third period alone to stage the comeback victory, they snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Devils, their longest active losing streak against any one opponent.

With the victory, the Penguins (34-30-11, 79 points) moved within three points of the Washington Capitals (36-28-10, 82 points) for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, third place of the Metropolitan Division — currently occupied by the Philadelphia Flyers (36-29-11, 83 points) — is also visible on the horizon.

“I think we feel like we’ve done some good things. We’re working hard. Everybody’s contributing,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said to the Associated Press in Newark, N.J. “Especially at a big time of year like this, that’s what you need.”

Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson opened the scoring 7:54 into regulation with his ninth goal of the season.

From behind his own net, Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler tried to bank a puck off the right wing boards to clear the zone but had the puck stolen above the near circle by Karlsson. Considering his options for a moment, Karlsson chucked a wrister toward the cage that took a wild adventure off the left leg of Devils forward Erik Haula then the left skate of Devils rookie defenseman Simon Nemec and deflected into the cage. There were no assists.

The Devils tied the game late in the first period at the 19:43 mark when forward Timo Meier found his 25th goal on a power-play sequence.

From the left point of the offensive zone, Devils rookie defenseman Luke Hughes maneuvered a bit to the center point and slid a pass to the right circle where Meier wound up and chopped a one-timer that flanked off the stick of Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson and hopped over the left shoulder of goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. Hughes and forward Nico Hischier had assists.

Devils forward Curtis Lazar’s seventh goal put the hosts up, 2-1, at 9:42 of the second period.

Off the Penguins’ end boards, Devils forward Tomas Nosek shuffled a forehand pass to the slot where Lazar darted in and jabbed a forehand shot by Nedeljkovic’s glove. Nosek and former Penguins defenseman John Marino tallied assists.

The Devils went up, 3-1, at 17:47 of the second frame thanks to forward Jesper Bratt’s 25th goal.

After Penguins defenseman Kris Letang and forward Drew O’Connor overskated a puck in the neutral zone, Hischier claimed it at the center red line and fed a pass to Bratt, springing him on a breakaway. Racing in from the right wing, Bratt approached the cage and fired a wrister by Nedeljkovic’s blocker. Assists went to Hischier and Marino.

Crosby’s team-best 38th goal came on a power-play chance 6:48 into the third period.

Taking a pass low in the Devils’ left circle, Penguins forward Bryan Rust snapped a pass across the slot. After the puck glanced off of Evgeni Malkin’s left skate, Crosby barged in from the right of the blue paint and mashed in a forehand shot behind goaltender Jake Allen’s left leg. Malkin and Rust registered assists.

Things were tied only 67 seconds later via Malkin’s 22nd goal.

Accepting a pass at the center point of the offensive zone, Penguins rookie defenseman Jack St. Ivany backpedaled a bit and whipped a one-timer toward the cage. Malkin drove through the slot and deftly deflected the puck with his stick against the grain, putting it past Allen’s glove. St. Ivany and forward Michael Bunting had assists.

Forward Rickard Rakell’s 13th goal at 16:16 of the final period put the Penguins back in the lead for good.

After Nemec tried to wrap a puck around the boards from behind his own cage, Pettersson corralled it at the left point and chucked a wrister on net. From the inner rim of the near circle, Rakell tipped the puck by Allen’s blocker on the near side. Pettersson had the only assist.

Malkin added an insurance goal at the 16:38 mark of the third.

Malkin beat Hischier on a faceoff in the Devils’ left circle, allowing Rakell to slide the puck to the left point for defenseman P.O Joseph, who then offloaded a pass to the opposite point for Letang. From there, Letang snapped the puck low to the right of the cage for Bunting. Curling back into the right circle, Bunting turned to his right and whipped a wrister toward the cage that Allen initially stopped with his right foot. The rebound hopped up into Malkin’s midsection and bounced into the cage. Bunting and Letang logged assists.

Crosby capped the scoring with an empty net score at 17:07 of the final period. Rust had the lone assist.

“(Malkin) comes up with a huge tip, then (Rakell) and (Malkin) again,” Crosby said to the AP regarding the offensive outburst in the third period. ”We did a great job. We earned that one.”

Making his sixth consecutive start and second start in as many days, Nedeljkovic stopped 23 of 26 shots as his record improved to 14-6-6.

“He battles,” Sullivan said to the AP regarding Nedeljkovic. ”He competes and wills himself to make saves.″

Notes:

• The Penguins’ last win against the Devils was a 4-2 road victory on Feb. 13, 2022. Rust, forward Brian Boyle and defenseman Mike Matheson each had a goal and an assist for the Penguins.

• With this streak wiped out, the Penguins’ longest active losing streak to any one opponent is a six-game stretch against the Edmonton Oilers.

• St. Ivany’s assist was his first career point.

• Rust (366 points) surpassed forward Greg Malone (364) for 17th place on the franchise’s career scoring list.

• Rakell (106 points) surpassed defenseman Duane Rupp (105) for 90th place on the franchise’s career scoring list.

• Nedeljkovic (14-6-6) surpassed Tomas Vokoun (13-4-0) for 32nd on the franchise’s career goaltending wins list.

• Per the team’s X social media account, Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry and rookie defenseman John Ludvig were scratched for the second consecutive game due to undisclosed illnesses.

• Rookie defenseman Joel Blomqvist was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Tuesday and dressed as the backup. This is the second game this season he has dressed and backed up, the previous being a 4-3 road win against the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 9.

• Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves was scratched for the third consecutive game due to a concussion.

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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