The Pittsburgh Penguins concluded their brief Canadian tour by securing three out of a possible four points. After a decisive 9-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, they faced an overtime defeat against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
In the game against Ottawa, Blake Lizotte and Kris Letang found the net, while goaltender Tristan Jarry made 28 saves in his fourth consecutive start. The Penguins were challenged by the loss of defenseman Marcus Pettersson, who left the game after a collision with the boards in the first period. Head Coach Mike Sullivan had no update on Pettersson’s condition post-game.
Jarry acknowledged Pettersson’s absence: “He’s tough guy to replace. He plays a lot of minutes,” he said. Despite this setback, Jarry praised his teammates for stepping up and contributing to earning a point from the game.
The Penguins gained momentum during the second half of the second period but struggled against Senators goalie Linus Ullmark. Sullivan noted, “I thought Ottawa defended their netfront really hard all night.”
Ullmark, recognized as one of NHL’s top goalies, was pressed into action following an injury to backup Anton Forsberg during warmups. Matt Grzelcyk contributed significantly to tying the score with assistance from Matt Nieto and Blake Lizotte.
Grzelcyk explained their strategy: “Just trying to make him work as much as possible,” he said about Ullmark. The Penguins’ persistence paid off when Letang scored unassisted after Drake Batherson had given Ottawa a lead with a controversial goal that was not challenged by Sullivan.
Sullivan commented on his decision: “the league checks whether it’s a kicking motion or not… I didn’t think it was worth it.”
Despite starting overtime with possession, Brady Tkachuk secured victory for Ottawa at 1:46 into extra time. Grzelcyk remained optimistic about his team’s performance: “I think we’re starting to come together more as a team… Showed a lot of resilience there.”
