Penguins suffer ugly road defeat, extend losing streak vs. Devils
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ formula for saving their withering postseason hopes isn’t complex.
They just have to win.
But easier said than done.
That was evident Tuesday as they lost to the New Jersey Devils, 5-2, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
The result was their seventh consecutive loss to the Devils (0-6-1), a streak that dates to Feb. 24, 2022. It is their longest active losing streak against any one opponent.
Entering Tuesday, the Penguins – now 30-29-9 with 69 points – were six points out of the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
“Whatever the highest level (of desperation), that’s where we’re at,” Penguins forward Sidney Crosby said to the Associated Press in Newark. “I think that’s the situation we’re in, and there’s nothing else to do other than play with some urgency and desperation and try to get a game at a time.”
The Devils – also desperately fighting for the playoffs – inched ahead of the Penguins in the standings and are now 33-32-4 with 70 points.
A goal by forward Dawson Mercer, his 18th of the season, gave the Devils the opening lead 5:35 into regulation.
Pushing play out of his own zone and into the neutral zone, Devils forward Tomas Nosek moved a centering pass from the left wing to Mercer. Gaining the Penguins’ zone with momentum, Mercer surged past sluggish Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves and attacked the cage. Graves managed to get a stick on the puck on the sequence but wound up inadvertently pushing the puck off of Mercer’s stick and through Jarry’s five hole. Nosek and linemate Ondej Palat had assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) March 20, 2024
Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson’s fourth goal tied the game at 7:16 of the second period.
Working out of a puck battle in the Devils’ left corner, Penguins forward Michael Bunting flicked a backhand pass off the end boards that slid through the left circle to the high point. Moving in from the left point, Pettersson clapped a one-timer past the glove of goaltender Jake Allen. Forward Rickard Rakell provided a moving screen as the puck arrived. Bunting and Rakell registered assists.
A season of personal bests ????
This season, Marcus Pettersson has reached career-highs in goals and points. pic.twitter.com/yVbwfzwvJ0
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 20, 2024
The Devils responded with a power-play score when forward Timo Meier found his 20th goal at 14:20 of the second frame.
After Devils forward Nico Hischier beat Penguins forward Lars Eller in Pittsburgh’s right circle, Devils rookie defenseman Luke Hughes took a pass at the right point and then maneuvered to the center point where he offloaded the puck to Devils forward Jesper Bratt, above the right circle. From there, Bratt fed the puck back to Hughes, now above the left circle. Surveying the zone, Hughes chopped a slapper toward the cage. Meier, positioned above the slot between Penguins forward Drew O’Connor and defenseman P.O Joseph, deflected the puck out of the air by Jarry’s glove. Jarry appeared to claim the puck deflected with a high stick but those protests fell on deaf ears. Assists went to Hughes and Bratt.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) March 20, 2024
“It was close,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said to the AP in reference to how Meier scored. “That’s not anything we can challenge. The league looks at that, and they make their best judgment.”
A quick succession of goals in the third period delivered the coup de grace for the Devils.
Devils forward Alexander Holtz’s 15th goal came at the 8:58 mark.
Devils forward Erik Haula beat Crosby on a draw in the Penguins’ left circle and slid the puck back to Hughes at the near point. Maneuvering to the center point, Hughes dished the puck back to the left point for his brother, forward Jack Hughes. Moving into the left circle, Jack Hughes released a wrister that Jarry denied. The rebound was booted to the slot where Holtz fended off a shove by Penguins defenseman Kris Letang and jabbed a forehand shot by Jarry’s left skate. Each Hughes brother had an assist.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) March 20, 2024
That was followed by another goal from Mercer only 16 seconds later.
Off the ensuing faceoff, Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson forced a pass from his own blue line to the Devils’ blue line, only to have it intercepted. Accepting that charity, the Devils dumped the puck into the Penguins’ end boards with Mercer chasing it down and banking a pass to the left corner for Palat. From there, Palat one-touched a forehand pass to the slot for Nosek, who turned to his right and offloaded a pass to the right of the cage where Mercer tapped in an easy forehand shot. Nosek and Palat tallied assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) March 20, 2024
The Devils poured it on at 16:53 of the final frame when Meier scored another power-play goal.
Winning a puck battle against Penguins forward Reilly Smith on the Penguins’ left wing boards, Jack Hughes centered a pass to the slot where Bratt swatted a one-timer. Jarry made the initial save but the rebound hopped over and behind him where Meier, from the left of the cage, bunted the puck into the cage. Bratt and Jack Hughes had assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) March 20, 2024
Penguins forward Bryan Rust’s 21st goal came at 17:14 of the third period.
Off the Devils’ end boards, Crosby stole a puck from Nosek and fed a backhand pass just below the left circle where Rust flicked a backhander between Allen’s blocker and right hip on the near side. Crosby claimed the lone assist.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) March 20, 2024
Jarry stopped 33 of 38 shots as his record slipped to 19-23-5.
Notes:
• According to a team social media account, Sullivan told media in Newark that forward Jeff Carter was scratched due to an undisclosed injury. Carter was labeled as “day to day.”
• With Carter absent, rookie forward Jonathan Gruden replaced him in the lineup after being recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League under emergency conditions Tuesday.
• Pettersson set a new career high for points with 26 (four goals, 22 assists) in only 68 games. His previous high of 25 points (two goals, 23 assists) came in 84 games during the 2018-19 season which he split between the Penguins and Anaheim Ducks.
(Note: As a result of to the timing in being traded from the Ducks to the Penguins on Dec. 3, 2018, Pettersson was able to appear in 84 games, two more than a standard 82-game schedule.)
• Pettersson (119 points) surpassed forward Orest Kindrachuk (118) for 76th place on the franchise’s career scoring list.
• Rakell (112 points) surpassed forwards Nick Harabuk and Warren Young (111 each) for 93rd place on the franchise’s career scoring list.
-The Penguins’ last win against the Devils was a 4-2 road victory on Feb. 13, 2022. Rust was well as forward Brian Boyle and defenseman Mike Matheson each had a goal and an assist for the Penguins while Jarry made 28 saves on 30 shots.
• Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi was a healthy scratch.
• Former Penguins defenseman John Marino was scratched for the third time in four games due to an undisclosed injury, according to the Devils’ website.
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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