Penguins reach season’s midway point with overtime loss to Carolina
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In the most antiseptic of terms, Saturday’s entanglement between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes was simply Game No. 0657 on the NHL’s 2023-24 calendar.
But from a more philosophical perspective, it represented the midway point of the Penguins’ season as it was their 41st game of the campaign.
Whatever significance the occasion truly offered, it did not come under jubilant circumstances for the Penguins as they fell 3-2 in overtime at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C.
A goal by Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce at 1:41 of overtime was the difference.
The result sunk the Penguins’ record to 20-15-6, well below even the most modest of hopes management harbored when it reconfigured the roster substantially this past offseason.
“When we’re going playing as a unit — doing little things right as a unit out there — we’re doing really well,” Penguins forward Bryan Rust said following a practice session Friday in Cranberry. “The problem is the consistency of that. It’s tough. … The more we can get to it consistently, we’re going to be way better.”
The Hurricanes had the best of things early in this contest as Pesce scored his second goal of the season 6:12 into regulation.
Digging a puck out of the Penguins’ left corner, Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho slid a pass from the left circle to the right circle where Pesce lifted a wrister. The puck glanced off the left glove of Penguins forward Lars Eller and deflected under the raised blocker of goaltender Tristan Jarry on the far side. Aho and linemate Andrei Svechnikov had assists.
Less than three minutes later at 9:04 of the first period, forward Jordan Martinook’s fourth goal put the hosts up by a pair.
Under pressure from forechecking Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal, Penguins defenseman Chad Ruhwedel flung an ill-conceived backhand clearing attempt from his own right corner. The puck was intercepted on the near half-wall by Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield. Chatfield tried to rim the puck along the boards, but it ended up striking off the left skate of Ruhwedel and deflected toward the cage, allowing Martinook to jab a quick forehand shot on net. After Jarry made the initial save with his right leg, Martinook followed through on the rebound and pushed another forehand shot by Jarry’s blocker. The lone assist went to Chatfield.
Following a scoreless second period, Penguins forward Jake Guentzel got his team on the scoreboard with his 19th goal at 6:45 of the third period.
After Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson pinched in and forced Pesce into a turnover on the Hurricane’s left half-wall, forward Bryan Rust kept the puck in the offensive zone by chopping it from the left point. Penguins forward Sidney Crosby corralled the puck on the near wall, settled play a bit and slipped a clever cross-ice pass to the low right circle where Guentzel leaned down and lifted a one-timer on the near side by the glove of goaltender Antti Raanta. Crosby and Rust registered assists.
Rust tied the score at the last minute – literally – with his 11th goal at 19:07 of the third frame to force overtime.
With Jarry pulled for an extra attacker, from the right point of the offensive zone, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang slid a pass to the center point where defenseman Erik Karlsson boomed a one-timer. Raanta made a save with his left leg but booted out a rebound to the lower right circle which Rust cleaned up with a forehand shot. Karlsson and Letang claimed assists.
Pesce secured victory with his second score of the contest during three-on-three play.
Gaining the offensive zone on the right wing, Hurricanes forward Tuevo Teravainen veered toward the slot and left a drop pass above the right circle. Pesce jumped on it and ripped a wrister that found an avenue between Jarry’s blocker and his right hip on the far side. Teravainen and forward Seth Jarvis had assists.
Unofficially, Jarry made 32 saves on 35 shots as his record fell to 11-12-4.
“(Raanta) was great but their guy was phenomenal,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said to the Associated Press in Raleigh, referring to Jarry. “He kept them in the game and then, obviously, we were able to pull it out.”
The Penguins’ power play was 0 for 5 and limited to two shots.
Notes:
• Earlier in the day, the Penguins recalled forward Colin White from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. He made his debut with the NHL club as he replaced forward Noel Acciari, who was an unexpected scratch. Per the team’s X account, Acciari is sidelined due to an undisclosed injury.
• White logged 7:21 of ice time on 12 shifts and was 0 for 1 on faceoffs.
-White became the 16th player in franchise history to wear No. 36 in a game of consequence. His predecessors:
Jock Callander, Pat Neaton, Greg Andrusak, Corey Foster, Brad Lauer, J.J. Daigneault, Matthew Barnaby, Tom Kostopoulos, Andre Roy, Connor James, John Curry, Jussi Jokinen, Bryan Rust, Joseph Blandisi, Filip Hallander
• The Penguins are now 1-5 in games determined in overtime this season. They are 2-1 in games determined in shootouts.
• Penguins forward Reilly Smith (undisclosed injury) was also scratched.
• The Penguins’ last overtime loss to the Hurricanes was a 4-3 home loss on Dec. 22, 2022. Defenseman Jaccob Slavin scored the winning goal on Jarry.
• The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins recalled forward Jordan Frasca from Wheeling of the ECHL.