Penguins go quietly against Bruins in 2nd-to-last game of season

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Philip Tomasino was back in the lineup for Sunday’s home contest against the Boston Bruins after missing three prior games due to a concussion.

There were two reasons why he dressed for his team’s penultimate game of 2024-25.

First and foremost, his health allowed him to rejoin his teammates.

Second, and perhaps most profoundly, these final outings of a lost season still command gravity for Tomasino and company.

“Maybe it doesn’t mean too much outside this room,” Tomasino said Saturday in Cranberry. “But in this room, it’s still two big games for our group. That’s the mindset we all have.”

The Penguins’ minds did not appear to be attuned to the right pursuit during Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Bruins at PPG Paints Arena.

Seemingly from the opening faceoff, the Penguins were overwhelmed by the Bruins, another squad that will not be burdened by the pressure of postseason participation this spring.

Coach Mike Sullivan objected to the premise of a query over how sluggish the Penguins were to open play, noting they were languid throughout the entirety of the contest.

“Slow start?” Sullivan asked rhetorically. “It was a slow game, period. We had one guy. I thought our goaltender was terrific.

“The rest of it, it’s hard to find a positive.”

Netminder Tristan Jarry, making his 14th start in the team’s past 16 games, stopped 28 of 31 shots as his record slipped to 16-12-6.

“They just came out more prepared than us,” Jarry said. “They had a little more energy. They were putting a lot of pucks on net from everywhere and kind of generated chances that way. And I think that was hard for us to defend tonight.”

Under assault by the Bruins’ attack for most of the first period, Jarry gave up a goal late in the frame at the 19-minute, 57-second mark when Bruins forward Elias Lindholm scored his 17th goal of the season during a four-on-four sequence.

Bruins rookie forward Fabian Lysell’s first career goal came during a power-play scenario 8:52 into the second period.

The visitors went up by a field goal at 11:56 of the second frame via forward Morgan Geekie’s 32nd goal of the season.

Penguins forward Rickard Rakell got his team on the scoreboard with his team-leading 35th goal — a new career high — during another power-play opportunity at 19:44 of the second.

Upon entry into the Bruins’ zone on the right wing, Penguins rookie forward Ville Koivunen dished a pass to the slot for Tomasino. Veering into the right circle, Tomasino tossed the puck to the far side of the crease where it struck Rakell’s right calf and bounded into the cage by goaltender Joonas Korpisalo’s right skate. Tomasino and Koivunen claimed assists.

Considering his — and his teammates’ — season will come to an end before the week is out, Rakell was in no mood to celebrate individual achievement.

“It doesn’t feel good when we’re not in the position we want to be in,” Rakell said. “That’s what it feels like right now.”

Bruins forward Jakub Lauko capped the scoring with his fourth goal on an empty net at 17:30 of the final frame.

The Penguins conclude their season with a home contest against the rival Washington Capitals on Thursday.

They’ll need to get their minds right — and a lot of other body parts — to finish 2024-25 in a satisfactory fashion.

“It boils down to a conscious choice that you make if you’re committed to play defense,” Sullivan said. “Then it’s about details.

“There’s an honesty to that. That’s a conscious choice that each individual player makes on how much honesty they want to bring to the game.”

Notes: Before the game, the Penguins recognized former general manager Ray Shero, who died Tuesday at the age of 62. Then during the first media stoppage, former goaltender Greg Millen, who died April 7 at age 67, was also recognized. … According to coach Mike Sullivan, defenseman P.O Joseph skated Sunday morning. Currently designated to injured reserve, Joseph has missed the past 19 games with an undisclosed injury.