The Penguins stopped their slide with a 2-1 shootout win over the Stars, and this one looked nothing like the three games that came before it. The pace was tighter, the mistakes were fewer, and Pittsburgh spent most of the night looking like a team that had figured out it could not afford another loose, open game.
The breakthrough came early in the third period. At 1:57, Connor Dewar turned a scoreless game with a strong solo effort, carrying the puck through the neutral zone before cutting across the high slot in Dallas territory. With no real passing lane available, he flipped a backhander that took a touch off Liam Bischel’s stick and floated over Jake Oettinger’s blocker.
That lead almost held. But with Oettinger pulled for an extra attacker, Tyler Seguin got a piece of a Jason Robertson shot and sent it past Arturs Šilovs to tie the game with 30 seconds left and force overtime.
The shootout probably felt like a rough place for Pittsburgh to be headed, given the goalie numbers and the track record of the shooters. Instead, Šilovs came through, stopping two of Dallas’ four attempts. Ben Kindel, Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell all scored for the Penguins, giving them the extra point.
Pittsburgh actually had the better of the chances overall. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Penguins finished with a 68-54 edge in shot attempts, while the Stars held a 25-20 advantage in shots on goal.
Šilovs finished with 24 saves and came within one goal of his second shutout of the young season. Dewar’s goal was his first of the year and it snapped Oettinger’s run of eight straight shutout periods. Seguin’s tally was also notable, coming as his first goal since he tore his ACL last December.
Coach Dan Muse made two lineup changes. Spencer Stastney stepped in for the injured Trevor van Riemsdyk on the third defense pair, while Elmer Söderblom moved into Ville Koivunen’s spot on the third line.
Both gave the Penguins useful minutes. Stastney leaned on his skating and outlet passing and posted a 64.71 Corsi with an 80 xGF% in 12:58 of ice time. Söderblom used his size and reach to protect the puck and win battles along the boards, finishing with a 66.67 Corsi and a perfect 100 xGF%.
Koivunen’s case remains strong. He has been on the ice for five 5v5 goals and none against.
Hendrix Lapierre has three for and five against. Still, the former Capital is likely to keep getting a long look, thanks in part to Kyle Dubas having acquired him and to his previous connection with assistant Todd Nelson in Hershey.
Tommy Novak, Evgeni Malkin and Egor Chinakhov have been the Penguins’ most reliable line so far, but the top unit has not produced. Crosby, especially, is off to the worst start of his career, with no goals, two assists and a minus-4 in six games. The shootout goal could help him shake loose.
The power play, meanwhile, has gone cold. After going 4-for-8 against the Flyers and Canadiens to open the season, Pittsburgh is 0-for-12 since then, a stretch that looks a lot like the 2023-24 season under Todd Reirden. The penalty kill has been much stronger, sitting at 94.1 percent and tied for second in the league.
The Penguins are now 3-2-1 as they head into a four-game road trip. It starts Tuesday night against the struggling, Connor Bedard-less Blackhawks, and then continues through Colorado, Vegas and Utah, a stretch that comes with a combined record of 12-5.
In Other News...
Sabres Just Added A New Concern To Their Blue Line Depth
Buffalos blue line depth took another hit with a minor trade on Tuesday, as the Sabres and Penguins swapped organization-level defensemen in a move that could still ripple beyond the AHL roster. Pittsburgh picked up Ryan Johnson, while Buffalo brought in Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch, with all three players currently assigned to minor league teams. For the Penguins, it is a low-risk way to add another young defenseman to the system and see whether Johnson can carve out a path within a different organization.
For Buffalo, the deal closes the book on Johnsons time in the organization after a long run that began when he was drafted in 2019. Jones is the name most likely to matter in the short term, since he is expected to give the Sabres some defensive insurance while injuries continue to test the teams depth. The rest of the move is more about rearranging pieces than making an immediate NHL impact, but it is the kind of transaction that can quietly shape what a team has available when the season starts to wear on. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Head Into Tough Trip With One Big Question Still Unsettled
After a rough start to the week against Winnipeg and Washington, the Penguins steadied themselves enough to pick up three of a possible four points in back-to-back games against Columbus and Dallas. The Dallas showing in particular offered a better snapshot of where the group can be when it is skating with purpose, and now the next test arrives quickly as Pittsburgh opens a difficult road trip in Chicago.
The trip brings the usual lineup and goalie questions into sharper focus, especially with the Penguins trying to keep momentum while making small adjustments around the edges. The Blackhawks have been struggling through a poor season and a low expected goal share, but there is still some uncertainty around whether Connor Bedard will be available Tuesday, leaving Pittsburgh to prepare for more than one version of the matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Just Added A Blue Line Piece Worth Watching
Pittsburgh continued its blue line shuffle by bringing in Ryan Johnson from Buffalo, a move that adds another young defenseman to the mix as the Penguins keep sorting out their depth on the back end. Johnson has spent parts of four professional seasons working between the NHL, the AHL and college hockey, and his background gives the Penguins a player with some mileage but still room to grow.
For a team that has been looking for useful pieces on defense, Johnson arrives with a manageable cap hit and some runway left on his contract. The question now is how quickly he can carve out a role in Pittsburgh after getting a longer look in Buffalo, where he logged 47 NHL games before this change of scenery. [Read more 🡒]