Penguins Unravel in Loss to Devils

The Pittsburgh Penguins just couldn't keep up in the final frame against the New Jersey Devils.

PITTSBURGH – Just about every game since the Christmas break has been a must-win for the Pittsburgh Penguins. As the playoffs draw closer and the Penguins stay in the hunt, the severity of each game continues to grow.

Not only are the games getting more critical for the Penguins, but the same goes for their opponents. The Penguins traveled to New Jersey to take on the Devils, who were only one point behind the Penguins in the standings.

The Penguins looked utterly unprepared to play hockey from the opening puck drop. The Devils attacked early, getting multiple scoring chances and taking a big early lead in shots on goal.

While carrying that momentum, the Devils capitalized to take the game’s first lead. Dawson Mercer danced around Ryan Graves and squeezed his shot through Tristan Jarry to give the Devils a 1-0 lead.

The Penguins managed to find their footing and gain a little ground but couldn’t reach the back of the net. The first period ended with the Devils up 1-0 on the scoreboard and 14-12 on the shot clock.

The second frame started with a much slower pace than the first, but the Penguins were doing the best they could to create some offense. They took the lead in shots but couldn’t beat Jake Allen in net.

After continuing their pressure, the Penguins finally broke through to tie the contest. A block from Bryan Rust at one end opened a chance for Michael Bunting to set up Marcus Pettersson with a massive drive from the blue line. Rickard Rakell provided a perfect screen to ensure Allen didn’t see what was coming towards him.

The Devils got a chance to reclaim their lead when Evgeni Malkin was called for hooking. Timo Meier deflected a point shot from Luke Hughes and was nearly called for a high stick, but officials ruled it was a good goal.

Both teams traded a few more chances, but no more goals were counted in the second frame. The Devils carried their 2-1 lead into the third period.

Heading into the final frame, the Penguins were already credited with 30 shots on goal, yet Allen was standing strong for the Devils. Jarry was playing well in his own net for the Penguins, despite the two goals against.

History wasn't on the Penguins' side, either as they've only had one third-period comeback in New Jersey in franchise history. According to Bob Grove, that came all the way back in 1983.

The Devils added to their lead not once, but twice to all but seal a win with two goals in about 15 seconds. They swept up a rebound in front of Jarry for their third goal of the night, then immediately followed that with an attack on the following face off.

Things unravelled rather quickly for the Penguins after keeping things interesting for most of the night. The Devils added to the score taking a 5-1 lead with a power play goal from Meier.

Bryan Rust picked up a garbage time tally to make it a 5-2 score with just under three minutes remaining. The Penguins followed that goal by pulling Jarry for the extra attacker.

The Devils failed to score on the empty net, but they secured their seventh consecutive win over the Penguins. Not only did their winning streak against the Penguins extend, but the Devils also leapfrogged them in the race for the playoffs.

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