The Pittsburgh Penguins just didn't have enough against the Boston Bruins in another crucial contest.

PITTSBURGH – In yet another most important game of the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins faced off against the mighty Boston Bruins. The Penguins entered the day in the second wild card spot, but they entered their game again on the outside looking in.

The Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals won their games, overtaking the Penguins in the standings.

Following the celebration for Erik Karlsson, who was playing in his 1,000^th career game, the Penguins and Bruins dropped the puck.

First Period

Through the opening stages of the period, the Penguins did a solid job of determining pace and holding their own against a tough Bruins team. An early man advantage came and went as the Penguins continued to sport one of the worst power plays in the NHL.

The Bruins got a power play opportunity of their own that Alex Nedeljkovic stood tall against to keep the scoreboard empty.

As the period raged on, tempers flared a bit, and Michael Bunting seemed to be at the center of it all. As the first period came to an end, officials saw multiple obvious penalties and just let them go.

The first period ended with no goals, and both goalies looked strong.

Second Period

While the Penguins again kept up with the Bruins, it was the visiting team who finally broke through for the game’s first goal. Nedeljkovic stopped an initial shot, but the puck sat just under him, and Jake DeBrusk poked it through to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead.

Just 14 seconds later, the Bruins made it 2-0. Again, Nedeljkovic made the initial save, but a huge rebound bounced to Pavel Zacha, who had the whole net to work with.

The Penguins and their first line had an answer about two minutes later. A great passing play from Sidney Crosby and Drew O’Connor set up Bryan Rust to tie his career high with 28 goals on the season.

Despite a sign of life from the Penguins and the crowd re-engaged, the Bruins scored again to take a 3-1 lead. After the third goal, Nedeljkovic was pulled, and Tristan Jarry was put back in the net for the first time in over two weeks.

The Penguins got a chance to gain some momentum back with a power play chance, but the first shot Jarry faced turned into a short-handed goal for Bruins captain Brad Marchand.

While still on their man advantage chance, the Penguins showed more signs of life. Bunting squeezed a shot through Linus Ullmark from his office in the goal crease.

The second intermission arrived with the Penguins down 4-2 and again getting no outside help. The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime to leapfrog themselves over the Penguins in the standings.

Third Period

Down by two and getting no outside help, the Penguins needed an absolutely massive 20 minutes or have everything work against them in the playoff race.

The Bruins had a chance to put the game away with a power play opportunity, but the Penguins got a short handed goal of their own. O'Connor put together an outstanding individual effort to beat Ullmark and pull the Penguins within one.

The Penguins weren't able to capitalize on any added momentum from O'Connor's tally, but were back by just one into the later stages of the period.

With time starting to wind down, the Bruins got their two-goal lead back to put a dagger into the Penguins.

The Penguins pulled Jarry in hopes of late-game magic, but it wasn't meant to be. Former Penguin Danton Heinen picked up the empty net tally to put the Bruins up 6-3.

Heinen's empty net goal wasn't the final blow, however, as Bunting scored a late goal to make it a 6-4 game with about a minute remaining. The Penguins pulled Jarry again looking for that magic, but to no avail.

The final buzzer sounded on the Penguins first regulation loss in over two weeks and put a big damper on their playoff hopes.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

Penguins Celebrate Star Defenseman's Milestone Game

Penguins vs Bruins: Forward Promoted to Top Line

Penguins Defenseman Helped Change Game of Hockey

Penguins Scoreboard Watching Ahead of Big Game

Penguins Stick With Hot Goalie in Critical Game

• undefined
• undefined