Shootout woes continue for Penguins, Arturs Silovs in loss to Devils

With a lineup that is perforated more than an NJ Transit ticket, the Pittsburgh Penguins were defeated by the New Jersey Devils, 2-1, in a shootout at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Saturday.

Shootout goals by forwards Paul Cotter and Jesper Bratt were the difference.

Penguins forwards Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby were denied on both of their team’s shootout attempts against goaltender Jake Allen.

Rookie goaltender Arturs Silovs stopped 23 of 24 shots in regulation and overtime then was beaten on both shootout attempts he faced. His record slipped to 4-2-3.

This season, Silovs has largely struggled in shootouts, losing all three games he has participated in which have gone that far. In total, he has allowed seven goals on eight shootout attempts.

“It’s a part of the game,” Silovs said to reporters in Newark via audio provided by the team’s media relations department. “I can be better.”

The Penguins entered the contest with six players on injured reserve including forwards Noel Acciari (undisclosed), Justin Brazeau (undisclosed), Filip Hallander (blood clot) and Rickard Rakell (left hand) as well as goaltender Tristan Jarry (undisclosed) and defenseman Caleb Jones (suspected left foot).

Forward Tommy Novak nearly joined that sextet after absorbing a check at 10:32 of the first period from Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon, a player with a lengthy history of maiming members of the Penguins.

As Novak (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) leaned down to play a puck out of the Penguins’ zone at the left point, Dillon (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) walloped him with a thunderous hit. Replays appeared to show Dillon’s right arm initially striking Novak’s chest as the principal point of contact.

As Penguins forward Anthony Mantha fought Dillon in response, Penguins athletic trainer Kevin Elliott attended to Novak and escorted him to the dressing room. Novak rejoined his teammates by the start of the second period.

Devils rookie forward Arseni Gritsyuk opened the scoring 19:12 into regulation thanks to an ugly turnover by Penguins defenseman Kris Letang.

Collecting a loose puck in the neutral zone, Letang retreated to the defensive zone. As Gritsyuk applied light pressure, Letang daringly attempted a backhand pass from his the left circle right into the stick of Gritsyuk who accepted the charity and lifted an easy forehand shot by Silovs’ blocker. There were no assists.

GRITSYUK STEALS, GRITSYUK SCORES! ????

What an effort from the rookie! pic.twitter.com/6afM1w4OXN

— NHL (@NHL) November 8, 2025

An unlikely source tied the game when Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves – four days after being recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League – scored his first goal of the season at 12:33 of the second period.

Controlling the puck below the Devils’ goal line, Crosby swirled back and forth along the end boards before offloading a pass to Rust in the left circle. Turning to his left, Rust dished the puck to the near point where Graves leaned down and used a seven iron to chop a one-timer. The puck took off like a P-51 Mustang and as it entered the left circle’s airspace, it struck Devils forward Ondrej Palat’s chest and fluttered into the cage over goaltender Allen’s right shoulder on the far side. Rust and Crosby collected assists.

“It was kind of a lucky bounce,” said Graves, who matched the goal total he accumulated in 61 games last season. “But I will definitely take those.”

GRAVES GOAL ‼️ pic.twitter.com/sfX2rclGqu

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) November 8, 2025

Allen finished with 33 saves on 34 shots as his mark improved to 6-2-0.

In the shootout, Cotter scored on a forehand shot after avoiding a pokecheck attempt by Silovs then Bratt buried a wrister past Silovs’ right skate.

Allen’s left leg snuffed out a forehand shot by Rust then a backhander by Crosby.

Notes:

• Prior to the game, the Penguins formally activated forward Kevin Hayes from injured reserve. He had missed the first 15 games of the season due to a suspected left shoulder injury he suffered on the first day of training camp Sept. 18. Hayes opened the contest as center of the third line.

• In a corresponding transaction, the Penguins formally designated Hallander to injured reserve a day after it was announced he would be sidelined a minimum of three months due to a blood clot in a leg.

• Silovs’ start on Saturday came after he opened Thursday’s 5-3 home win against the Washington Capitals. It marked the first occasion this season the Penguins had the same starting goaltender in consecutive games. Prior to Saturday, the team alternated every start between Silovs and Jarry.

• Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson appeared in his 1,100th career game.

• Penguins defensemen Matt Dumba and Harrison Brunicke as well as forward Philip Tomasino were healthy scratches.

• This was not the first time Dillon has run into (or over) Penguins players.

In February of 2024, while playing for the Winnipeg Jets, Dillon was given a match penalty and was suspended three games for striking Acciari in the head:

Brenden Dillon is assessed a match penalty for an illegal check to the head on Noel Acciari and is done for the night.

Acciari skated off with help from teammates and headed to the Penguins' locker room to get checked. pic.twitter.com/Z7aBfUji3k

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 7, 2024

Roughly 13 months earlier in January of 2023, Dillon fought former Penguins forward Jason Zucker:

In January of 2022, Dillon broke the jaw of former Penguins forward Teddy Blueger with a shoulder check. There was no in-game or supplemental discipline over that hit:

ICYMI, here’s the hit that Brenden Dillon delivered to Teddy Blueger that landed the Penguins center on IR. pic.twitter.com/xsyjQmgZJ7

— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) January 24, 2022

As a member of the Washington Capitals, Dillon fought Blueger in May of 2021:

And half a decade ago in February of 2020, Dillon battered Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin with a series of punches: