PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins faced off against the Winnipeg Jets for the second time in five days. This time north of the border, the Penguins looked to remain undefeated in the second half of back-to-backs this season.
Tristan Jarry was given the nod between the pipes for the Penguins, and he himself was looking to keep an undefeated streak alive. In five career games against the Jets, Jarry has a perfect 5-0 record.
The Penguins made a couple of lineup changes before puck drop, looking for more scoring and added physicality with the return of John Ludvig on the blue line.
First Period
Jarry pitched a shutout earlier in the week against the Jets, but it didn’t take long for him to lose another shutout bid. After a poor passing decision from Jake Guentzel was stolen, the Jets put together an easy 2-on-1 break and beat Jarry for the game’s opening goal.
The Penguins allowed numerous odd-man rushes to kick off the game, and it eventually bit them on the opening goal.
The Jets took a 2-0 lead following a dump that very well could have been called icing, but the officials let the play roll along. A shot from the point bounced off the wall behind the Penguins' net and onto the stick of Nino Niederreiter, who beat Jarry to extend their early lead.
At the end of 20 minutes, the Jets carried their 2-0 lead into the intermission, giving the Penguins a tough uphill battle.
Second Period
The Jets maintained their lead for a good chunk of the second period, but the Penguins were doing everything they could to crawl back into the contest. The game reached well past the midway point before the Penguins finally struck and found the score sheet.
A shot from Erik Karlsson was deflected by Bryan Rust perfectly past Connor Hellebuyck to get the Penguins on the board and make it an interesting third period.
Third Period
The Penguins entered the third period down without forward Jansen Harkins who exited the matchup before the end of the second.
Jarry stood strong as the period rolled along, giving the Penguins ample opportunity to knot the game. The Penguins were getting their chances, but Hellebuyck worked just as hard.
With about seven minutes remaining, the Penguins were given a chance with their third power play opportunity of the night, but they once again fell flat and stayed behind in the game. Not long after the man advantage expired, the Penguins took a penalty of their own, giving the Jets a chance to seal the contest.
The Penguins killed off the penalty and only had about three minutes to find a tying goal. Jarry was pulled for the extra attacker with a minute remaining. It wasn't enough, as the Penguins dropped their second straight one-goal game.
Two games in two nights, and the Penguins come up empty-handed in both contests.
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