Sloppy Penguins have just 12 shots in a shutout loss to Jacob Markstrom, Devils

Matt Vensel, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Dec 21, 2024

Published in Hockey

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NEWARK, N.J. — Add Saturday’s loss to the list of ugly games here in New Jersey.

The Penguins’ hearts seemed to be in the right place as they chased after a third consecutive victory. The execution? Not so much. Their passing and finishing were off all night and they lost, 3-0, against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center.

Jacob Markstrom had to only make 12 saves to get the shutout. Saturday was the third time this season the Penguins were blanked and the first occurrence since Oct. 25.

The Devils were hardly crisp either but got two grimy goals in the final 23 minutes to beat the Penguins again in New Jersey. The visitors fell to 1-4-1 in division games.

The opening period was fast-paced but very sloppy, which explains how the game stayed scoreless through 20 minutes despite promising rush chances for each team. The puck rolling off Evgeni Malkin’s stick on a breakaway was emblematic of that.

It was more of the same in the second, with poor ice conditions seemingly a factor.

Sidney Crosby was in position to break the scoreless tie early in the period when he pulled the puck around Markstrom on the edge of the crease. But the Devils goalie sprawled to get a piece of Crosby’s shot, which hit the post and stayed out.

Markstrom later made another flashy glove save to deny Malkin on a one-time try.

The Devils pushed hard late in the second and finally broke through with 2:28 left in that period. Nico Hischier spun out of an Owen Pickering check, then whipped a backhand pass through the crease to Stefan Noesen, who scored on Tristan Jarry.

Hischier put the game out of reach with 12:13 left. Jarry couldn’t get a cover, and the Devils whacked away until Hischier scored. Later, Timo Meier added an empty-netter.

Ice chips

— Pickering did not play in the third period after suffering an upper-body injury. His last shift came near the end of the second period. In the third, fellow blue-liner Matt Grzelcyk also got banged up but returned to the game.

— Pierre-Olivier Joseph played his first game for the Penguins since they reacquired him Wednesday. He replaced Ryan Graves on the third pair. Graves was a healthy scratch for the ninth time this season. Kevin Hayes and Jesse Puljujarvi were inactive, too, as coach Mike Sullivan stuck with the same forward lineup as Thursday’s victory.

— Jarry made his second consecutive start and his ninth in the last dozen games.

— The Penguins have given up the first goal of the night in six consecutive games.

— Erik Karlsson received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during the first period. Let’s just say Sullivan let the officials know he didn’t agree with the call.

— The two teams combined for just nine shots in the first. That was the lowest total of shots in any period of a Penguins game this season, per SportsNet Pittsburgh.

Coming up

The Penguins have the day off Sunday. They are back on the ice Monday when they host the Philadelphia Flyers in their last game before the NHL’s Christmas break.