Kyle Dubas President of Hockey Operations and GM | Pittsburgh Penguins
Kyle Dubas President of Hockey Operations and GM | Pittsburgh Penguins
In Friday's game against the Winnipeg Jets, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby engaged in a brief altercation with Kyle Connor at the start of the third period. The exchange followed some physical play and resulted in both players being separated by referees. Despite this, the confrontation energized fans at PPG Paints Arena as the Penguins trailed 3-0.
Michael Bunting noted Crosby's impact on his teammates: "I think he definitely motivated the whole bench," Bunting said. He later scored Pittsburgh’s only goal, narrowing Winnipeg's lead before Connor secured their victory with his 13th goal of the season.
Matt Grzelcyk acknowledged frustrations but found positives in their performance against a strong opponent: "We responded pretty well. But we just gave them too much time there in the second period to operate."
Tristan Jarry, making his third start since returning from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, recorded 26 saves despite an early defensive lapse that allowed Winnipeg to score within two minutes. Reflecting on the game's challenges, Jarry emphasized a need for better preparation: "It's tough going down a goal that early... It's hard to come back from that."
The Penguins managed a solid penalty kill against Winnipeg’s top-ranked power play but struggled offensively until later in the game. Bryan Rust praised Winnipeg's work ethic: “They’re a team (that) works really hard... It’s tough when they don’t give you anything.”
Crosby's actions were seen as inspirational by coach Mike Sullivan, who often refers to him as the team's heartbeat. Jarry echoed this sentiment: "It's just a wakeup call... Him doing that is just raw emotion."
Although Evgeni Malkin set up Bunting for Pittsburgh’s lone goal during a power play, it was insufficient to overcome their recent struggles. The Penguins have now failed to secure two points in five of their last six games.
Sullivan expressed a desire for more physical engagement from his team: “We’ve got to continue to push... We’ve got to get into people more on the defensive side and we’ve got to get over pucks on the offensive side.”
The Penguins aim for improvement as they work towards earning more ice time and power plays through increased offensive pressure.