The Pittsburgh Penguins fell flat against a depleted New Jersey Devils team.

Momentum was the story of this game, and the Pittsburgh Penguins failed to build it at every corner. They came out strong, creating several high-danger opportunities before eventually opening the scoring with a Bryan Rust breakaway. However, the momentum swung when they allowed a short-handed goal midway through the opening frame.

In the second period, the Penguins grabbed the lead again, only to allow the Devils to tie the game just 38 seconds later. Their failure to capitalize on momentum kept New Jersey in the game long enough for the Devils to take that momentum for themselves and bury the Penguins in the final frame.

Goal Recap

(PIT 1-0) Bryan Rust (8): Jake Guentzel (13) & Marcus Pettersson (5)

(TIE 1-1) Curtis Lazar (3): Erik Haula (4) <SHG>

(PIT 2-1) Bryan Rust (9): Erik Karlsson (11) & Sidney Crosby (10)

(TIE 2-2) Nathan Bastian (1): Erik Haula (5) & Dougie Hamilton (7)

(NJD 3-2) Jesper Bratt (8): Luke Hughes (8) & Curtis Lazar (2)

(NJD 4-2) Alexander Holtz (4): Dawson Mercer (1) & Ondrej Palat (6)

(NJD 5-2) Tyler Toffoli (9): Jesper Bratt (14) & Luke Hughes (9)

Three Stars

3. Bryan Rust

Bryan Rust was the only Penguins player to light the lamp on Thursday evening. His performance is one of the more pleasant surprises of the first month this season. Rust now has nine goals on the season, a feat that took him 33 games to accomplish last season.

2. Dawson Mercer

The Devils were without three top forwards and needed some depth pieces to step up. Mercer took that challenge in stride and was one of the more visible Devils forwards on the ice last night.

Mercer pushed the play and put Penguins defenders in difficult situations. He ended the evening with two points (1G-1A) and picked up an assist on what turned out to be the dagger in the Penguins' hopes and winning streak. His pass fooled Tristan Jarry and set up Alexander Holtz with a wide-open net midway through the third period.

1. Jesper Bratt

If the Devils were without their three best forwards, Bratt is their fourth. Bratt stepped up with the game tied at two to push the Devils over the top in the third period. Bratt's two-point performance gave the Devils the push they needed to end their losing streak and pick up two points against their Metropolitan division foe.

Final Thoughts

The Penguins entered this game with a winning formula but abandoned much of that formula against the Devils. Their defensive structure that helped limit opportunities throughout their five-game win streak was non-existent, leading to several odd-man rushes and high-danger scoring chances.

While the defense struggled to keep the net front clean, Jarry struggled heavily in this one. He allowed five goals on 31 shots.

Up next, the Penguins have a weekend back-to-back against two of the top teams in the NHL, beginning with a road matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes.

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