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Penguins fall apart in 2nd period in Vancouver, lose 5th straight | TribLIVE.com
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Penguins/NHL

Penguins fall apart in 2nd period in Vancouver, lose 5th straight

Seth Rorabaugh
Seth Rorabaugh
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Canadian Press via AP
Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson and Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson vie for the puck during the first period Saturday.
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Canadian Press via AP
Penguins winger Bryan Rust and the Vancouver Canucks’ Quinn Hughes vie for the puck during the first period Saturday.
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Canadian Press via AP
Penguins winger Michael Bunting passes the puck as the Vancouver Canucks’ Erik Brannstrom defends during the first period Saturday.
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Canadian Press via AP
Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek and Penguins winger Michael Bunting vie for the puck during the first period Saturday.

The Pittsburgh Penguins lost their fifth consecutive game (0-4-1), falling to the Vancouver Canucks, 4-3, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Saturday.

The Penguins took a 2-0 lead early in the second period before giving up three goals in 65 seconds to fall behind for good.

Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic made 30 saves on 34 shots as his record fell to 0-2-1.

“We’ve just got to kind of dig deep and commit to playing a full 60 minutes right now,” Nedeljkovic said to reporters in Vancouver via audio provided by the Penguins’ media relations staff. “We’ve had good efforts. It’s not for a lack of effort or anything like that. It’s just we’re not as detailed as we can be. We’re not playing a winning system right now, winning hockey. … It’s hard to put together a full 60 minutes when you go about it that way.”

Beyond the scoreboard, the Penguins also lost the services of forward Bryan Rust, who did not record a shift past the 3:34 mark of the third period. Per one of the team’s social media accounts, Rust suffered an undisclosed injury. Following the game, coach Mike Sullivan did not provide a substantive update on Rust’s status.

The Penguins’ last losing streak of five contests or more was a six-game stretch (0-4-2) between Dec. 22, 2022 and Jan. 5, 2023.

Penguins forward Anthony Beauvillier opened the scoring on Saturday 7:48 into regulation with his third goal of the season.

From the Canucks’ left circle, Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin backhanded a pass to the left point where Penguins defenseman Marcus Petterson chopped a one-timer. Stationed near the lower left hashmark, Beauvillier, who spent parts of the past two seasons with the Canucks, re-directed the puck with his stick by goaltender Kevin Lankinen’s blocker on the near side. Pettersson and Malkin had assists.

The Penguins doubled their lead at 1:56 of the second period via Rust’s third goal.

Gaining the offensive zone on the left wing, Malkin dished a pass to the top of the left circle for Beauvillier, who shuffled an immediate forehand shot wide on the near side. The rebound clacked off the end boards and was recovered by Rust, who swooped to the right of the cage and shoveled in a backhanded wraparound by Lankinen’s left skate. Beauvillier and Malkin accrued assists.

The Canucks responded furiously with three goals in a span of 65 seconds in the second frame.

Forward Elias Pettersson got the hosts on the scoreboard at the 4:06 mark with his first goal.

After Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk rimmed the puck from his own end boards to no one in particular, Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers jumped on it near the right half-wall and offloaded a pass to the left corner for Canucks forward Conor Garland. Sashaying his way to the opposite side of the cage, Garland slipped a pass to the left circle where Elias Pettersson stepped up and sizzled a wrister to the far side that scorched Nedeljkovic’s glove then rung off the far post and bounded into the cage. Garland and Myers garnered assists.

Only 43 seconds later, defenseman Kiefer Sherwood’s second goal tied the contest.

Rust tried to gain the offensive blue line but lost the puck due to a poke check by the long reach of 6-foot-7 Canucks defenseman Vincent Desharnais. Sherwood jumped on the loose puck and poked it to the neutral zone where it was claimed by former Penguins forward Teddy Blueger. Generating a two-on-one rush with Sherwood against Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, Blueger entered the Penguins’ zone on the right wing and then slid a pass to the left hashmarks where Sherwood stroked the puck to the near side by the left skate of a helpless Nedeljkovic. Blueger and Desharnais collected assists.

Forward J.T. Miller, a native of Coraopolis, gave the Canucks their first lead at the 5:11 mark with his fourth goal.

After Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek knocked Penguins forward Drew O’Connor off the puck along the right wing boards of Vancouver’s zone, Canucks forward Brock Boeser claimed possession in the right circle and slid a stretch pass to the far blue line, springing Miller on a breakaway. Attacking from the right wing, Miller fired a wrister from the near circle that Nedeljkovic rejected with his glove. On the ensuing rebound, Miller bulled over Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson and made contact with Nedeljkovic, causing the goaltender to inadvertently kick the puck into the cage with his left leg. Boeser had the only assist.

Rookie forward Arshdeep Bains’ first career goal put the Canucks up, 4-2, at 9:58 of the second.

Rushing up ice from the defensive zone, former Penguins forward Daniel Sprong skated past Karlsson as if he were a turnstile at the center red line and gained the offensive zone on the left wing. From the left circle, Sprong fired a low wrister that Nedeljkovic kicked out with his left leg. With Penguins forward Kevin Hayes sluggish on a backcheck, Bains drove the slot and tapped in an easy forehand shot on the rebound. The lone assist went to Sprong.

“We’re giving up too many easy scoring chances,” Penguins forward Rickard Rakell said in reference to the second period. “There was obviously some tough bounces for us but we’ve got to prevent that. That was just one after one after one. We’ve got to find a way to settle down and restart.”

Malkin found his third goal at 13:21 of the third period.

From the slot of his own zone, Malkin lost the puck due to pressure by Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk. The puck slid all the way to the Vancouver blue line, but before Hronek could cleanly handle it, Rakell darted in and chopped it free, allowing Malkin to reclaim possession and generate a breakaway off the right wing. Attacking the net, Malkin deposited a smooth backhander by Lankinen’s left skate before crashing into the cage. Malkin remained on the ice in discomfort for several moments before recovering to his skates and returning to the bench. He remained in the contest. Rakell and Grzelcyk registered assists.

Notes:

• Prior to the game, Sullivan indicated forward Cody Glass would be scratched due to an illness. During a 4-0 road loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Friday, Glass left that contest prematurely due to his malady.

• With Glass unavailable, forward Valtteri Puustinen returned to the Penguins’ lineup and appeared in his second game this season. He had been scratched in eight of the team’s first nine games of the season. Logging 8:15 of ice time on 11 shifts, Puustinen had no shot attempts and recorded one blocked shot.

• Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea was a healthy scratch.

• Malkin now has 29 career points (13 goals, 16 assists) in 23 games against the Canucks.

• Boeser now has 16 career points (11 goals, five assists) in 12 games against the Penguins.

• Elias Pettersson now has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 10 career games against the Penguins.

• A native of Surrey, British Columbia, Bain is of Indian heritage. Hockey Night in Canada’s Punjabi broadcast chronicled his goal:

• Sprong rejoined the Canucks’ lineup after being a healthy scratch in that club’s previous contest.

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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