Penguins manage 12 shots in loss to New Jersey, lose Owen Pickering to injury

In late October, as his team bumbled its way to appalling loss after appalling loss, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan offered a solution to his squad’s woes.

Defense.

“We’re going to defend our way out of this,” Sullivan said at PPG Paints Arena on Oct. 29. “We’re not going to score our way out of this. That’s what we’re trying to work at. It starts with a mindset. It starts with an attitude and your intentions need to be in the right place.”

On Saturday, the Penguins saw plenty of defense as they were shut out by their longtime nemesis, the New Jersey Devils, 3-0, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

The contest was a largely tepid defensive affair, particularly for the Penguins who were limited to 12 shots, one short — or tall — of the franchise record for fewest in a game.

In the 57-year history of the Penguins, they were limited to 11 shots on seven occasions.

It was the third occasion the Penguins were shut out in 2024-25.

“We (did) not push hard enough,” Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin said to reporters in Newark via audio provided by the team’s media relations staff. “It’s a tough loss.”

Amplifying the Penguins’ doldrums on Saturday was an undisclosed injury rookie defenseman Owen Pickering suffered during the second period. Speaking with reporters in Newark, Sullivan did not provide a substantive update on Pickering’s status.

While the result was antithetical to a strong stretch of play as of late for the Penguins (8-2-1 in their previous 11 games before Saturday), it was largely congruent with their woes within the confines of the Metropolitan Division. Saturday’s loss dropped their divisional record to 1-6-1 on the season.

The Penguins’ lone victory against a Metropolitan Division rival this season was a 4-2 road win against the Washington Capitals on Nov. 8.

After a scoreless first period, former Penguins forward Stefan Noesen’s 15th goal of the season put the Devils in front 17:32 into the second period.

Claiming a loose puck in front of the visiting penalty box, Devils forward Timo Meier gained the offensive zone with speed on the left wing then veered to the slot where he offloaded a puck to the right half-wall for linemate Nico Hischier. Spinning backward to his left, Hischier juked Pickering out of orbit and pushed the puck toward the near corner before backhanding a laser-guided pass across the front of the crease to the left of the cage where Noesen bunted the puck out of the air past goaltender Tristan Jarry’s blocker on the near side. Hischier and Meier had assists.

New Jersey goal!

Scored by Stefan Noesen with 02:28 remaining in the 2nd period.

Assisted by Nico Hischier and Timo Meier.

New Jersey: 1
Pittsburgh: 0#PITvsNJD #NJDevils #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/2TnQlzNuGQ

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) December 22, 2024

Pickering did not record a shift after that score.

Hischier put the Devils up by two with his team-leading 17th goal at 7:47 of the third period.

Chasing down a loose puck at the Penguins’ right point, Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton whacked a one-timer at the cage that Jarry stopped. A furious scramble unfolded on the ensuing rebound as Jarry failed to smother the puck. As Noesen and Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea exchanged shoves and punches, Hischier fished the puck out of the chaos to the right of the crease by dragging the puck with his stick to his right skate then tapped a forehand shot through Jarry’s five hole. Assists belonged to Hamilton and defensive partner Brenden Dillon.

New Jersey goal!

Scored by Nico Hischier with 12:13 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Dougie Hamilton and Brenden Dillon.

New Jersey: 2
Pittsburgh: 0#PITvsNJD #NJDevils #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/7pQJfrzTdj

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) December 22, 2024

Meier capped the scoring with his 12th goal on an empty net at 18:27 of the third period. Forward Jesper Bratt and Hischier had assists.

Empty net goal for New Jersey!

Scored by Timo Meier with 01:33 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier.

New Jersey: 3
Pittsburgh: 0#PITvsNJD #NJDevils #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/6F9ol34FNV

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) December 22, 2024

Jarry’s record tumbled to 7-5-2 after he made 25 saves on 27 shots.

Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom improved his mark to 17-6-2 as he recorded his second shutout this season.

“For two and a half periods, I thought we competed hard,” Sullivan said. “We were right there.”

Note:

• Defenseman P.O Joseph made his season debut for the Penguins after being reacquired via trade from the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday. He opened the contest on the left side of the third pairing with Shea.

• Joseph, 25, spent the previous five seasons of his professional career as part of the Penguins organization before leaving as a free agent this past offseason.

• With Joseph back in the lineup, Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves was a healthy scratch for the ninth time in the past 16 games.

• Penguins forwards Kevin Hayes and Jesse Puljujarvi were also healthy scratches.

• The Devils’ last shutout of the Penguins was a 3-0 win at what was then called Consol Energy Center on March 24, 2016. Goaltender Scott Wedgewood made 39 saves in that victory.

• The last time the Penguins had 12 or fewer shots in a game came in a 2-1 road loss to the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 28, 2008. Forward Ruslan Fedotenko scored the Penguins’ lone goal in that contest.

• All of the Penguins’ previous games when they recorded 12 or fewer shots in a game, including Saturday:

March 27, 1977 – Boston Bruins 3, Penguins 0 (11 shots).

Oct. 13, 1984 – Montreal Canadiens 4, Penguins 3 (12 shots)

March 22, 1985 – Buffalo Sabres 3, Penguins 1 (11 shots)

Dec. 16, 2001 – Carolina Hurricanes 7, Penguins 0 (11 shots)

Oct. 10, 2003 – Los Angeles Kings 3, Penguins 0 (11 shots)

Dec. 18, 2003 – Hurricanes 2, Penguins 1 (11 shots)-*

Dec. 26, 2003 – Penguins 3, Ottawa Senators 3 (11 shots)

Oct. 28, 2008 – Sharks 2, Penguins 1 (11 shots)

Dec. 21, 2024 – Devils 3, Penguins 0 (12 shots)

*-Overtime

• In 23 career games against the Penguins, Hischier has 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists).

• In 14 career games against the Penguins, Meier has 14 points (eight goals, six assists).