Penguins Have Two Goals Called Back in Loss to Sabres
A pair of goals called back on challenges turned out to be a difference maker in the Pittsburgh Penguins recent loss.
PITTSBURGH – Coming off a wild night in Boston, the Pittsburgh Penguins returned home for a battle with the struggling Buffalo Sabres.
With Tristan Jarry back in net, the Penguins looked to continue their successful stretch sitting just two points out of a playoff spot.
It’s still too early to scoreboard watch, but the Philadelphia Flyers winning earlier in the afternoon made the road in Pittsburgh just a little bit tougher.
First Period
The Sabres didn’t waste much time to find an early lead by catching the Penguins in the middle of a change.
Alex Tuch was left open and labeled a perfect shot over Jarry’s shoulder; it was a great shot from Tuch, but one that needs to be saved by Jarry.
The Penguins looked to answer and applied good pressure in the later stages of the period and that turned into what looked like their first goal of the game.
A great passing set up from Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel led to what looked like a Drew O’Connor goal, but the Sabres challegened the play of offside.
The Sabres won the challenge with Crosby offside upon entry, maintaining their lead.
Crosby and Guentzel thought they got their goal back with just over a minute remaining in the period when Guentzel defelcted a shot from Crosby past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
The Sabres challenged for goalie interference and once again got the goal taken off the board.
The period came to a close with the Penguins finding the back of the net twice, but neither of them counting; they also led in shots on goal 17-8.
Second Period
To open the second period, the Penguins were handed a power play opportunity, but they only recorded one shot and the Sabres made easy work on the penalty kill.
Both teams continued to pepper shots on each other, but Jarry and Luukkonen remained the best players on the ice.
The Penguins piled up 11 more shots to total 28 shots in two periods, but no goals; the Sabres notched 22 through the first 40 minutes.
Third Period
The final framed opened with the two teams dueling at 4-on-4 thank to late penalties to Crosby and Mattias Samuelsson.
Neither team capitalized with the extra open ice maintaining the Sabres' 1-0 lead.
The Penguins were soon given a golden opportunity with a full two-minute 5-on-3 power play advantage.
It took some time, multiple hit posts, and a couple of clears from the Sabres, but Rickard Rakell came through with a tip-in from Erik Karlsson.
Rakell's goal game with eight seconds remaining on the two-man advantage.
The Sabreds wouldn't be denied, however, as they battled back with the tie score and found themselves with a lead with under five minutes in regulation.
Zemgus Girgensons picked up a loose puck before anyone else could and beat Jarry for the late lead.
The Penguins looked to pull Jarry in the dying minutes, but the Sabres quickly attacked the open net to give themselves a two-goal lead.
A diving Jarry couldn't get back in time to stop the shot.
The Penguins riffled off well over 40 shots, but it wasn't enough to beat Luukkonen more than once.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.
- Subscribe to Inside the Penguins on YouTube
- Follow Inside the Penguins on Twitter: @InsidePenguins