The Pittsburgh Penguins concluded their road schedule for the 2024-25 NHL season with a win over the New Jersey Devils, demonstrating resilient play despite having already been eliminated from playoff contention. Pittsburgh found themselves down by two goals early in the game but clawed back to secure a 4-2 victory in Newark.
Penguins forward Bryan Rust remarked on the team’s effort, stating, “To be in that hole, especially early in this game and a game that many could say was kind of meaningless – for both sides, they’re kind of locked into their (playoff) spot, and we’re kind of locked into our spot, which isn’t great – we could have easily kind of just rolled over there and just tried to go through the motions.”
The turnaround began with a late first-period goal from Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins capitalized further in the second period, with Valtteri Puustinen scoring a power-play goal during his first game after being called up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Penguins’ Head Coach Mike Sullivan commented on Puustinen’s play, saying, “I think Puusty has decent offensive instincts. He thinks the game pretty well.”
The momentum continued with captain Sidney Crosby scoring his 33rd goal of the season on another power play, assisted by Matt Grzelcyk. Rust sealed the victory with an empty-net goal, his career-high 29th of the season.
Sullivan praised goaltender Tristan Jarry’s performance, particularly in the third period, highlighting his “resilience” and “stick-to-it-iveness.” He also acknowledged Jarry’s competitiveness and emphasized the importance of his play saying, “It’s all about the next save.”
Sullivan also took note of Rust’s achievements, stating him as a quintessential “Pittsburgh Penguin born-and-bred,” as Rust set new personal records in points and goals. Rust expressed personal pride in achieving career highs over his ten-year career, noting, “That means you’re probably doing something right.”
Before the game, both teams honored former general manager Ray Shero, who previously led both franchises. The teams wore helmet decals for Shero, who passed away on Wednesday, and a moment of silence was observed in his memory.
