NEWARK — The Pittsburgh Penguins tilted the ice for long stretches during the first and second periods, but neither the Penguins nor the New Jersey Devils were able to light the lamp more than once. The Penguins’ control limited New Jersey to just 15 shots in the first 40 minutes.
In a battle for first place in the Metro Division, Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs earned his keep with several saves on a late power play, and the teams needed overtime … then a shootout.
The Penguins had the first four shots over four minutes in overtime, but their shootout woes continued with a 2-1 shootout loss to New Jersey at the Prudential Center on Saturday.
The teams traded chances in the third period, though referees continued to be stingy with giving the Penguins power plays, as they had only one. New Jersey pushed in the final minutes of regulation, aided by that power play in the final 10 minutes.
New Jersey’s lone goal was late in the first period. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang momentarily took leave of his hockey senses in the final minute. As Letang returned to the defensive zone with the puck to reset a Penguins attack, he delivered a blind drop pass, but there were no Penguins in the area. Or region.
Letang’s pass quickly became a short breakaway goal for Arseny Gritsyuk (3), who chipped a top corner wrister over Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs’s glove at 19:15 of the first period.
The goal ended the Penguins’ growing domination of the game.
The Penguins took several minutes to gain momentum in the second period, too. However, once they did, they again tilted the ice.
The hockey gods rewarded the Penguins with a fluky goal in the middle of the second period. After extended offensive zone time, defenseman Ryan Graves’s (1) slapshot to the net glanced off New Jersey forward Ondrej Palat’s face and into the net at 12:33.
After being waived following training camp, Graves was playing in just his second NHL game this season.
Silovs kept the score tied with a brilliant lunging glove save on Jack Hughes with 45 seconds remaining in the second period.
Midway through the first period, Penguins nemesis Brendon Dillon delivered a high hit on forward Tommy Novak, which knocked him out of the rest of the period. Penguins winger Anthony Mantha quickly fought Dillon, but the referees did not call an extra penalty on Dillon for the hit.
Novak missed the remainder of the first period but returned for the second. In fact, despite some questionable moments, the Penguins’ top-rated power play in the league did not get an opportunity in the first two periods.
The Penguins outshot New Jersey in each of the first two periods, 12-6 and 11-9, respectively. According to NaturalStatTrick, the Penguins outshot New Jersey XX at even strength.
The Penguins also outchanced New Jersey 20-14 in the first 40 minutes and 25-19 at the final horn.
Silovs stopped 22 of 23 shots. New Jersey goalie Jake Allen stopped 29 of 30 in regulation. However, Silovs’s struggles in the shootout continued.
Before Saturday, Silovs had stopped only one of six shootout attempts. He allowed goals on the first two attempts Saturday, and when the Penguins (Bryan Rust, Sidney Crosby) failed to score on either of their first two attempts, a third New Jersey attempt wasn’t necessary.
Categorized: Penguins Postgame
