Penguins Rally Late Again, But Fall Short in Shootout Against Blue Jackets
PITTSBURGH - This one had a little bit of everything: a sluggish start, a mid-game surge, a late-game rally, and ultimately, another shootout stumble. The Pittsburgh Penguins once again found themselves clawing back from a third-period deficit against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and just like they’ve done twice already this season, they managed to force overtime. But for the second time this month, the comeback didn’t quite go the distance.
Sidney Crosby, ever the heartbeat of this team, delivered the game-tying goal with just 61 seconds left in regulation. It came with the extra attacker on the ice, and it was classic Crosby - a sharp deflection in front that brought the crowd to its feet and his arms to the sky. But in the shootout, the Penguins’ struggles resurfaced, and Charlie Coyle’s fourth-round tally sealed a 4-3 win for Columbus at PPG Paints Arena.
Goaltender Arturs Silovs, who’s now 1-6 in shootouts this season, managed to stop two of the four attempts he faced. Egor Chinakhov was the only Penguin to find the back of the net in the shootout.
The Penguins had their chances in overtime. Ben Kindel broke free early with a clean look, and Evgeni Malkin followed up with a pair of dangerous wrist shots from close range. But Columbus netminder Elvis Merzlikins was locked in, turning away each chance with the kind of poise that kept Pittsburgh from completing the comeback.
A Game of Runs
This one was a rollercoaster from the opening puck drop. Pittsburgh looked completely out of sync early - disjointed, reactive, and a step behind.
The Blue Jackets capitalized right away, and it was a familiar face doing the damage. Former Penguin Zach Aston-Reese, back in the lineup after sitting as a healthy scratch, pounced on a loose puck in the slot and buried it just 2:42 into the game.
But the Penguins eventually found their footing. Once they settled in, they began dictating the pace and took control of the first period. They didn’t allow a single Columbus shot on goal over the final 12 minutes of the frame and scored twice to flip the scoreboard.
Connor Clifton got the Penguins on the board with a well-placed wrist shot from the right circle, his first of the season, after a puck slid fortuitously through traffic and landed on his stick.
Then came a highlight-reel play from the top line. Crosby read a Columbus rim-around perfectly, intercepting the puck in the corner and zipping a pass to Rickard Rakell in the slot. Rakell adjusted his body mid-stride and redirected the puck over Merzlikins’s glove to give Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead with just over two minutes left in the period.
The Penguins outshot Columbus 11-4 in the first (though that number was later adjusted a few times), and it looked like they were ready to run away with it.
Momentum Swings Again
The second period told a different story. Columbus came out with renewed energy and spent much of the period pinning the Penguins in their own zone. They tied the game midway through the frame when Kirill Marchenko jumped on a loose puck in the neutral zone, blew past Crosby and defenseman Brett Kulak, and ripped a wrister past Silovs from the right circle.
Then, late in the period, another former Penguin made his mark. Danton Heinen muscled his way to the front of the net and got a piece of Erik Gudbranson’s point shot, tipping it past Silovs for a 3-2 Columbus lead. Egor Zamula, who had a brief stint in the Penguins organization last month before his contract was terminated, picked up the secondary assist.
Late Push, Familiar Ending
Despite the back-and-forth nature of the game, the Penguins didn’t go quietly. With time winding down in the third, they pulled Silovs for an extra attacker and turned up the pressure. Crosby’s deflection at 18:59 - his latest in a long line of clutch moments - gave Pittsburgh life and sent the game to overtime.
But once again, the shootout proved to be their Achilles’ heel. The Penguins couldn’t solve Merzlikins beyond Chinakhov’s lone tally, and Coyle’s winner gave Columbus a hard-fought road victory.
Looking Ahead
The Penguins have now come back from third-period deficits against Columbus three times this season, but they’ve only managed to win two of those games. Saturday’s loss drops them to 1-6 in shootouts this year - a stat that looms large as the playoff race tightens.
There’s no questioning the fight in this team. The resilience is there. But if Pittsburgh wants to stay in the mix down the stretch, they’ll need to find a way to turn those late rallies into full two-point nights.