Colorado Avalanche @ Penguins 2-1 - Monday, December 11, 2017
Jonathan Bernier made 39 saves to help the Colorado Avalanche defeat the Penguins 2-1 at PPG Paints Arena. Bernier bounced back from allowing four goals on nine shots in his last appearance on Dec. 3, a 7-2 loss to the Dallas Stars. He made 15 of his 39 saves in the third period. With the Avalanche getting outshot 9-1 to start the third period, Mark Barberio scored on their second shot of the period. He sent a slap shot off Penguins forward Riley Sheahan and past Tristan Jarry to give Colorado a 1-0 lead at 6:17. Blake Comeau scored into an empty net to make it 2-0 at 18:31 before Phil Kessel cut it to 2-1 at 19:48. Losing what would have been his second shutout of the season and 16th of his NHL career disappointed Bernier, but he was more focused on the result. Jarry made 26 saves. He is 3-2-0 in six starts since goalie Matt Murray sustained a lower-body injury against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 27. Colorado (14-13-2) has won two straight games after losing its previous four (0-4-0). Pittsburgh (16-13-3) lost three of five games (2-3-0) on its season-long homestand. It has lost its past two games and three of its past four after winning four straight from Nov. 25 to Dec. 2. Despite the loss, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan was more complimentary of Pittsburgh's effort than he was Saturday, when he criticized its poor start in a 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Penguins allowed three first-period goals in that game.
The Avalanche seemed to take a 1-0 lead when Nathan MacKinnon fought through Kris Letang inside the blue line before going backhand to forehand through Jarry's five-hole at 15:56 of the first period. The goal was disallowed following a coach's challenge, where the play was ruled offside. Despite getting outshot 13-6 in a scoreless first, Colorado might have had the best scoring chance when MacKinnon took three wrist shots from just outside of the Penguins crease between 8:48 and 8:50. Jarry stopped the first and third, and Letang blocked the second. Jarry made another impressive save at 10:35 of the second period, after he turned the puck over to Comeau, who passed to Carl Soderberg with Jarry retreating to his crease. Jarry made a glove save on Soderberg's wrist shot to keep the game 0-0. The Avalanche had another chance in the second period when J.T. Compher stole the puck from Sidney Crosby during a Penguins power play. Compher went on a breakaway, but Jarry made a blocker save on his snap shot at 18:37.
Avalanche forward Alexander Kerfoot left in the second period with an undisclosed injury after playing 7:41. Bednar did not update his status following the game. … Hornqvist played two days after leaving 49 seconds into the third period against the Maple Leafs on Saturday. He sustained an apparent injury when a puck struck him in the side of the head.
"We're disappointed we didn't get the result, but there were a lot of things I liked about the game. We established a lot of offensive zone time. The power play wasn't quite as sharp as it's been, but that's going to happen over the course of 80-plus games. We've got to find ways to find success 5-on-5. We just couldn't find the back of the net tonight." Sullivan said.
"I think it was one of the games where I wanted to bounce back and I wanted to play better than the night before. I think that's been my mindset since I started the season here." Tristan Jarry
Penguins @ Vegas Golden Knights 1-2 - Thursday, December 14, 2017
Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves in his first game against his former team, and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Penguins 2-1 at T-Mobile Arena.
It was Fleury's first win since Oct. 10. He missed two months recovering from a concussion before returning Tuesday in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
"It's different. You didn't know what to expect," Fleury said. "I was quiet [during the game]. I don't know why. I always yelled at [the Penguins] in practice and whatnot."
James Neal and Jon Merrill scored for the Golden Knights (20-9-2), who won for the fifth time in six games and became the fastest team in NHL history to reach 20 wins in its inaugural season.
Ian Cole scored for the Penguins (16-14-3), who have lost three games in a row. Matt Murray made 24 saves in his return after missing six games with a lower-body injury.
"They just work so hard and that's where they caught us by surprise, especially on the forecheck," Murray said. "They're definitely a hardworking team and fast team, and they're good in transition."
Fleury played his first 13 NHL seasons for Pittsburgh before being selected by Vegas in the NHL Expansion Draft. He has the most wins (375) and shutouts (44) in Penguins history, and helped them win the Stanley Cup three times (2009, 2016, 2017).
"Everyone played hard for 60 minutes, and I was very happy to get that win," Fleury said. "I thank them for playing such a great game."
Merrill scored his first goal of the season in his fifth game at 8:17 of the third period to put Vegas ahead 2-1. He took a drop pass from Erik Haula on a rush and beat Murray with a one-timer from above the left face-off circle. Merrill took two penalties in the game, for interference at 2:08 of the first period and for delay of game for smothering the puck at 15:05 in the second.
Neal put the Golden Knights up 1-0 when he scored on their first shot at 1:41 of the first period. Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta blocked Colin Miller's shot, and the puck bounced to Neal, who beat Murray top shelf. Neal, who played 199 games for Pittsburgh from 2011-14, has 15 goals, tied with William Karlsson for the Vegas lead. Cole scored at 12:04 of the first to tie it 1-1. Pittsburgh, which is fourth in the NHL on the power play (25.61 percent), went 0-for-3.
Fleury could play his first game as a visitor at Pittsburgh on Feb. 6.
"For a little while, I can be relieved," Fleury said. "We've still got another one to go [in February]. I'm glad it's over and we got the win."
Sullivan remains one win shy of his 100th as Penguins coach. ... Haula has three goals and four assists during a five-game point streak. ... Golden Knights forward David Perron had an assist on Neal's goal. He has a goal and four assists during a four-game point streak since returning from an upper-body injury that caused him to miss two weeks.
"When they got the go-ahead goal, we pressed a little bit to try to create some offense, and when we do that, sometimes we become a high-risk team. When you're only one shot away, you gotta stay with it and stay with the game plan and make sure you defend." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan
James Neal and Jon Merrill scored for the Golden Knights (20-9-2), who won for the fifth time in six games and became the fastest team in NHL history to reach 20 wins in its inaugural season.
Ian Cole scored for the Penguins (16-14-3), who have lost three games in a row. Matt Murray made 24 saves in his return after missing six games with a lower-body injury.
"They just work so hard and that's where they caught us by surprise, especially on the forecheck," Murray said. "They're definitely a hardworking team and fast team, and they're good in transition."
Fleury played his first 13 NHL seasons for Pittsburgh before being selected by Vegas in the NHL Expansion Draft. He has the most wins (375) and shutouts (44) in Penguins history, and helped them win the Stanley Cup three times (2009, 2016, 2017).
"You see [Fleury] there, it's a little different," said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, Fleury's teammate from 2005-17.
Merrill scored his first goal of the season in his fifth game at 8:17 of the third period to put Vegas ahead 2-1. He took a drop pass from Erik Haula on a rush and beat Murray with a one-timer from above the left face-off circle. Merrill took two penalties in the game, for interference at 2:08 of the first period and for delay of game for smothering the puck at 15:05 in the second.
Fleury could play his first game as a visitor at Pittsburgh on Feb. 6.
"For a little while, I can be relieved," Fleury said. "We've still got another one to go [in February]. I'm glad it's over and we got the win."
Sullivan remains one win shy of his 100th as Penguins coach. ... Haula has three goals and four assists during a five-game point streak. ... Golden Knights forward David Perron had an assist on Neal's goal. He has a goal and four assists during a four-game point streak since returning from an upper-body injury that caused him to miss two weeks.
"When they got the go-ahead goal, we pressed a little bit to try to create some offense, and when we do that, sometimes we become a high-risk team. When you're only one shot away, you gotta stay with it and stay with the game plan and make sure you defend." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan
Penguins @ Phoenix Coyotes 2-4 - Saturday, December 16, 2017
Olli Maatta was just trying to get the puck to the net. He was as surprised as everyone else when it went into the net. Maatta scored the tiebreaking goal on a slap shot from the left point with 14.8 seconds remaining, and the Pittsburgh Penguins ended their three-game losing streak with a 4-2 win against the Coyotes at Gila River Arena.
"It's nice to get some puck luck," Maatta said. "We gave them two freebies and we shouldn't do that, but we just hung in there and kept going."
Carter Rowney, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby scored for the Penguins (17-14-3), who rebounded after blowing a two-goal lead. Nick Cousins and Max Domi scored for the Coyotes (7-23-5), who lost their sixth straight game and are 1-7-2 in their past 10.
Malkin made it 2-0 with 1:02 left in the second when he knocked the rebound of his own shot off Raanta's stick paddle and into the net.
Domi tied the game 2-2 at 9:43 of the third period with his third goal, second since the season opener at the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 5. He hadn't scored since an empty-net goal in a 4-1 win at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 20.
The Coyotes have the best penalty kill in the NHL since Oct. 31 (89.23 percent; 58-for-65 in 23 games). Crosby scored into an empty net with 5.1 seconds left to make it 4-2.
"It was a little discouraging when they tied it up. I thought we controlled a lot of the play for a lot of the night. It was just one of those nights. I really liked out stick-to-itiveness. We just went back to work." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan
"That's the life of the Coyote right now. We have to build off these experiences. We're going to build character on these losses." -- Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet on losing the game on a late goal
Coyotes forward Christian Fischer played with a full shield to protect a cut on his face after a puck hit him in a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. … Crosby, who has 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in his past 12 games, has 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) in 16 games against Phoenix.
Carter Rowney, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby scored for the Penguins (17-14-3), who rebounded after blowing a two-goal lead. Nick Cousins and Max Domi scored for the Coyotes (7-23-5), who lost their sixth straight game and are 1-7-2 in their past 10.
Malkin made it 2-0 with 1:02 left in the second when he knocked the rebound of his own shot off Raanta's stick paddle and into the net.
The Coyotes have the best penalty kill in the NHL since Oct. 31 (89.23 percent; 58-for-65 in 23 games). Crosby scored into an empty net with 5.1 seconds left to make it 4-2.
"It was a little discouraging when they tied it up. I thought we controlled a lot of the play for a lot of the night. It was just one of those nights. I really liked out stick-to-itiveness. We just went back to work." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan
"That's the life of the Coyote right now. We have to build off these experiences. We're going to build character on these losses." -- Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet on losing the game on a late goal
Coyotes forward Christian Fischer played with a full shield to protect a cut on his face after a puck hit him in a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. … Crosby, who has 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in his past 12 games, has 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) in 16 games against Phoenix.
Penguins @ Colorado Avalanche 2-4 - Monday, December 18, 2017
Tyson Barrie scored two goals to help the Colorado Avalanche defeat the Penguins 4-2 at Pepsi Center. J.T. Compher and Mikko Rantanen also scored for the Avalanche (16-15-2), who completed a three-game homestand 2-1-0. Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves. Evgeni Malkin and Chad Ruhwedel scored for the Penguins (17-15-3), who ended a three-game trip 1-2-0 and are 1-4-0 in their past five. Matt Murray made 33 saves.
The Penguins closed to 3-2 at 1:25 of the third period when Malkin scored his 11th goal from a sharp angle in the right circle. Rantanen scored his 10th into an empty net with 1:33 remaining to make it 4-2. Colorado swept the season series, winning 2-1 in Pittsburgh on Dec. 11. Compher batted in the rebound of Sven Andrighetto's shot at 18:20 of the second period to put the Avalanche in front 3-1. The goal was Compher's fifth and first in nine games. Barrie's second goal of the game, and fourth of the season, came on a power play at 5:56 of the second period and gave the Avalanche a 2-1 lead. Rantanen passed to Barrie just inside the blue line for a shot past Murray, who was screened by Colorado's Carl Soderberg. Pittsburgh killed its previous 23 penalties covering eight games.
Barrie gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead at 5:04 of the first period with a shot from the top of the circles after he took a pass from Matt Nieto. The goal was Barrie's first in 27 games.
Said Murray: "I picked it up by the time it was a couple of feet in front of me, I just wasn't able to react quick enough. He put a pretty good shot on it. I watched the replay and I thought I was in pretty good position."
The Penguins tied it 1-1 at 10:39 on Ruhwedel's first goal, his third in 94 NHL games. Carter Rowney won a face-off in the right circle and drew the puck off the boards to Ruhwedel, whose shot trickled in behind Varlamov.
"You can see we did not play great. We tried, but not [for] 60 minutes. It's not working anymore. In the first period we had [18] shots but one goal. We can't score anymore." -- Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin
Penguins forwards Patric Hornqvist (upper body) and Dominik Simon (illness) were scratched. ... The Avalanche killed all three Penguins power plays and have killed 16 straight in the past seven games.
Barrie gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead at 5:04 of the first period with a shot from the top of the circles after he took a pass from Matt Nieto. The goal was Barrie's first in 27 games.
Said Murray: "I picked it up by the time it was a couple of feet in front of me, I just wasn't able to react quick enough. He put a pretty good shot on it. I watched the replay and I thought I was in pretty good position."
The Penguins tied it 1-1 at 10:39 on Ruhwedel's first goal, his third in 94 NHL games. Carter Rowney won a face-off in the right circle and drew the puck off the boards to Ruhwedel, whose shot trickled in behind Varlamov.
"You can see we did not play great. We tried, but not [for] 60 minutes. It's not working anymore. In the first period we had [18] shots but one goal. We can't score anymore." -- Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin
Penguins forwards Patric Hornqvist (upper body) and Dominik Simon (illness) were scratched. ... The Avalanche killed all three Penguins power plays and have killed 16 straight in the past seven games.
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