Takeaways: Several Penguins Step Up, Seize Two Points Against Ottawa Senators Despite Crosby Injury

If there's one thing for certain about the 2025-26 Pittsburgh Penguins, they've sure dealt with their fair share of adversity throughout the season. They've also managed to follow up some of their worst performances of the season with some of their best.

Well, they were forced to endure more adversity on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators in a huge game standings-wise, as anything but a regulation loss would have kept the Penguins in the playoff picture. Without their captain and best player for the vast mojority of the evening, the Penguins also needed their best on Thursday to beat a desperate team. 

And thanks to a couple of players in the midst of a tear and a stellar goaltending performance, they were able to deliver.

Despite the sore sight of Sidney Crosby exiting Thursday's contest early in the second period with what was later designated as a lower-body injury, the Penguins rallied forces to beat the Senators, 4-3, in a critical shootout win. With a Columbus Blue Jackets regulation loss and a New York Islanders regulation win, the Penguins jumped back into second place in the Metropolitan Division and remain one point ahead of each team.

There wasn't just one player who wore the cape for the Penguins in this one. A few of them did. But, perhaps, none stood taller than goaltender Stuart Skinner, who made ten-bell save after ten-bell save in third-period and overtime onslaughts by the Sens, as he stopped 26 of 29 shots on the evening. 

And right behind Skinner in the hero line were a pair of Swedes. 

The Senators got off to an early 1-0 lead when Drake Batherson took advantage of a struggling Penguins' penalty kill and netted his 28th of the season on the power play not even five minutes in. The Penguins began to tilt the ice a bit after that, though, getting several chances of their own - many of which were generated by the Penguins' first line at the time of Crosby, Rickard Rakell, and Bryan Rust. 

Well, they were finally rewarded later in the first when Erik Karlsson had an excellent zone keep at the right point, and he recognized Rakell winding up for a one-time opportunity in the high slot right away. Karlsson dished it to Rakell, who hammered it home for his 16th of the season to make it 1-1.

But, once again, the Sens responded in the second period. Just like they scored on their first shot in the first period, they also scored on their first shot in the second period less than two minutes into the middle frame when Nick Cousins snuck one past Skinner along the goal line to restore Ottawa's lead - and this was after an apparent collision between Cousins and Crosby along the boards, which appeared to be the play that took Crosby out of the game. 

The Penguins didn't wait long to respond to Cousins's tally, though. Less than two minutes later, Ben Kindel briefly took over first-line center duties and joined Rakell and Rust on a good offensive zone shift. Kindel got the puck to Rakell, who played it off himself high in the zone to work his way around a few defenders, eventually resulting in a nice toe-drag move to pass the puck to Karlsson on the right side. Karlsson zeroed in toward the middle, picked his spot, and sniped one past Linus Ullmark to knot the game up at 2-2.

The Penguins dominated the second period, and a late-period penalty by Dylan Cozens for tripping carried over into the third. Just 22 seconds in, Artem Zub cleared the puck over the glass, and the Penguins got a glorious five-on-three opportunity for almost a minute and a half. 

For a second, it looked as though they might not take advantage. But, nearing the end of the two-man advantage, Karlsson and Rakell connected yet again when Karlsson fed Rakell for a fading one-time blast from the left circle that beat Ullmark and gave the Penguins their first lead of the game, 3-2. 

But, just as Pittsburgh responded quickly in the second, Ottawa did the same in the third, and it was Batherson again. With the score tied at 3-3 - and after yet another failed goaltender interference challenge by the Penguins - the Senators made a strong push in the back half of the third period, forcing Skinner and the Penguins' defense to stand on their heads and be up to the task. 

And, it was the same story in overtime. Although there were chances at both ends, the Sens largely controlled possession, but the Penguins and Skinner were able to hold them off to force a shootout - and same with Ullmark, who stopped Tommy Novak on a breakaway opportunity with just 11 seconds to go in the extra frame. 

Then came the shootout, where the Senators were 3-0 in stark contrast to the Penguins' abysmal record of 2-10 going in. Batherson was able to get one past Skinner to open things up, and Ullmark stopped Rakell on the first shot. Skinner then stopped Tim Stutzle before Egor Chinakhov - we'll get to him later - went five-hole on Ullmark to tie things in the shootout. And, once again, Skinner was able to stop Shane Pinto, leaving things in the hands of the Penguins' third shooter.

That third shooter happened to be the 18-year-old rookie Kindel, who scored in his last shootout attempt. With the game on his stick, the young center was able to live up to the moment, as he snuck one through Ullmark to give the Penguins a much-needed two points in a building they hadn't won a game in since February 10, 2022 and against a goaltender they had never won against.

Here are some takeaways from this inspiring team win by the Penguins.

- Well, let's get the bad news out of the way. 

Muse said after the game that Crosby's injury was lower-body and that he was still being evaluated. And this came after the Penguins were already missing Evgeni Malkin and Blake Lizotte to injury. 

If the Penguins want to make any kind of noise down the stretch and into the playoffs, should they get there, they absolutely need to get a bit healthier. The win was inspiring, obviously - as many this season have been when the Penguins were faced with adversity out of their control - but they can only overcompensate for so long without their best players and without true center depth, as Lizotte is also out, likely, for the rest of the regular season. 

You've just got to hope that Crosby avoided the worst. They need him.

- Or, in the short-term, at least, maybe they don't. Because those two aforementioned Swedes have stepped up in a massive way.

Rakell now has six goals and 14 points in his last 11 games, and this was his best performance of the season. He was everywhere in all three zones all night long, and it was easy to tell he wanted desperately to be the guy to step up without 87.

He's been very good since the Olympic break for the Penguins, and even though he has quietly racked up points and gone about playing a really solid two-way game since then, it's nice to see him have a very loud game like this one. 

As for Karlsson? I mean, what else can you say? He is now up to 12 goals and 57 points in 67 games overall, and he has the second-highest point total (22) in the National Hockey League since Feb. 28.

He's just been absurd. I have not seen a Penguins' defenseman play at this high a level since the pre-Crosby days. And that's nothing against Kris Letang, who is an all-time great Penguin. Karlsson is this team's MVP this season, and I don't really think it's all that debatable.

If the Penguins make the playoffs, hand the man a lifetime contract extension.

- Another guy who was magnificent in this game? Chinakhov.

I'm not kidding when I say he could have had five goals if not for Ullmark and if not for the iron. Right after Karlsson's goal, Chinakhov put a scorching wrist shot off the post, and he had about three or four high-danger scoring chances in the second period alone. 

Everyone knows by now that the Penguins got a good player in Chinakhov, as he's undoubtedly been one of their best players since his acquisition. But I actually think the Penguins may have a star winger on their hands in Chinakhov.

It's not like the things he's doing aren't very sustainable. He backchecks hard, he has speed, he uses that speed to create chances, and he isn't reliant on others to create. He has looked good next to Malkin, he's looked good next to Novak, next to Kindel, next to Rakell and Rust...

It doesn't matter where you put this guy. He's a threat nearly every time he takes the ice. And if you take his combined skill set and emphasize the fact that he has a world-class shot, the Penguins certainly have something special here.

- That was some special stuff from Kindel. 

He has had an outstanding rookie season with 17 goals and 33 points in 69 games. And he's only going to be more productive as time goes on and has he plays a bigger role in the lineup with better players. 

But the fact that he stepped on the ice to take a potential season-altering shootout shot - smiling while doing so - and was able to drown out the noise and bury it at 18 years old speaks volumes about this kid's poise and confidence. 

It may not count on the scoresheet, but it was a huge goal from the rookie. I expect him to be a huge part of these final 10 games for the Penguins, especially if Crosby and Malkin are out.

- Not going to spend a lot of time on the goalie interference ruling. I thought the challenge was a bit of a questionable one from Dan Muse only because - even if there was unprovoked contract from Claude Giroux on Skinner - it was minimal, and the risk of having to go on the penalty kill in a tie game during the third period was a big one. 

But what I will say is this: If the ruling that called back Justin Brazeau's goal against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday was setting any kind of bar - even if it's the wrong one - for consistency with the rulings, Batherson's should have been called back as well. They were nearly identical plays, as Giroux's skate and stick made minimal contact inside the blue paint with Skinner, arguably throwing him off enough that he couldn't make the save.

The Penguins are now 0-for-9 in goaltender interference challenges. It's truly remarkable.

- Skinner was lights-out in this game, and he is the biggest reason they were able to come away with the two points. He was making key point-blank save after point-blank save in the first part of the first period, and he was simply outstanding in the third and beyond.

I know the Penguins have done a goaltender rotation all season long that has mostly worked for them. But with just 10 games left and the playoffs on the line, it's time for them to commit to whoever has the hot hand. 

As of Thursday, that's Skinner. So, he should start Saturday against the Dallas Stars. And if he plays well against the Stars, he absolutely should get the net in what will be the biggest game of the season against the Islanders on Monday.  

Should anything change, going right back to Silovs is fine. But Skinner stepped up when his team needed it most on Thursday, and he needs to be rewarded for that. 

- The Penguins cancelled their scheduled practice on Friday, so we are unlikely to get an update on Crosby until at least Saturday. 

Stay tuned. But if the Penguins can rally like they did Thursday for the rest of the season, maybe they'll be okay after all.

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