The Pittsburgh Penguins hit the ice against the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 13. They looked to get themselves back in the win column after an overtime loss on Jan. 11 against the Vancouver Canucks. But thanks to a rough start to the night, the Penguins found themselves on the losing end once again in an overtime finish, 3-2.
Rough Start for the Penguins
The first period has been a problem as of late for the Penguins, and in their game against the Hurricanes, that trend continued. The Hurricanes’ offense was all over the Penguins right off the bat. Not even 20 seconds into the game, the Hurricanes got a breakaway that Tristan Jarry made a big save on.
On the flip side, the Penguins’ offense could not get anything going for themselves. The defense played by the Hurricanes limited any zone entry thanks to their defensemen pinching up in the neutral zone and cutting down the time and space the Penguins had.
While the Penguins had plenty of pressure in the defensive zone, bounces did not help their cause either. Both goals that the Hurricanes scored in the first period came off of some sort of deflection. Jarry did not have much of a chance of saving the shot.
Jarry Keeps Pens Alive
Without the stellar play from Tristan Jarry, the Penguins would not have had a chance to get themselves in a position to make a comeback. After coming in as relief against the Canucks on Jan. 11 for Alex Nedeljkovic, Jarry has seemingly gained confidence in his play and was by far the Penguins’ number-one star of the game.
When the Penguins’ offense struggled throughout the first two periods of the game (even with getting their fair share of shots), Jarry stood tall when called upon to keep the game to a two-goal deficit. Without this strong play, the Penguins could have easily found themselves down by four or five goals.
Even though the team lost, Jarry’s play over the last two games he has played in is a major bode of confidence, especially seeing he signed a long-term contract extension this past offseason. Overall, he made 32 saves in the overtime loss.
Top Line Leads the Comeback
Not coming as much of a surprise, the comeback that the Penguins were able to pull off to tie the game was spearheaded by their top forward line. Originally, coach Mike Sullivan had Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, and Rickard Rakell together on the top line, but they shifted Bryan Rust into that spot instead of Rakell in the third period.
Crosby, Guentzel, and Rust have had success together, and they were able to have more of it in the matchup against the Hurricanes. In some form or another, these three factored into both of the goals that the Penguins scored in the third period to send the game into overtime. The strong forechecking of Rust was on display, leading to a turnover and sustained offensive zone pressure. Crosby found himself in the right place at the right time once again, leading to a smooth cross-ice pass to Guentzel to finally get the Penguins on the board.
Related: Sidney Crosby Having Most Impressive Season Yet
The play of this trio in the period seemingly gave the rest of the team some much-needed energy and momentum, leading to another late-game goal to send the game to overtime. Rust found himself getting on the scoreboard thanks to some solid play from the team’s defense (Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang). Karlsson got himself a shot on the net after struggling to hit the net throughout the night, and a big rebound bounced right to Rust for a quick shot. The hope is that with Rust getting more involved offensively, he can bounce back from a somewhat down season last season and help lead the Penguins to a playoff spot.
Other Game Notes
- The loss marked the first road game that the Penguins have lost in their last four road games (3-0 heading into the game against Carolina).
- The powerplay has hit a speed bump once again, going 0-4 in the game.
- Bryan Rust’s game-tying goal ended a drought that saw him go nine games without lighting the lamp.
What’s Next for the Pens
The Penguins return to the ice as they return home for a mid-day matchup against the Seattle Kraken on Jan.15 before heading west to take on the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan.20.
