Pittsburgh Review

The Pittsburgh Penguins faced a challenging defeat against the Ottawa Senators, losing 5-0 at PPG Paints Arena. The team struggled to maintain momentum following their victory over Edmonton.

Post-game sentiments from the Penguins locker room indicated they were outplayed. Sidney Crosby remarked, “We just weren’t good enough for whatever reason.” Bryan Rust echoed this sentiment, saying, “I’m not sure why, but we just didn’t have it in any capacity.” Rickard Rakell added, “They outworked us, and they just played better than us.”

The loss was particularly disappointing given the competition for a Wild Card playoff spot. Erik Karlsson acknowledged the significance of the match-up: "We know what's on the line," he said. "Anytime you throw a lay an egg like we did tonight... it's going to hurt a little bit more."

Ottawa scored early in the game and capitalized on a failed goalie interference challenge by Pittsburgh. This led to a delay of game penalty that Ottawa converted into a goal. Head Coach Mike Sullivan commented on the challenge: “We thought it was a really fair challenge... It's pretty punitive for something that is a difference of opinion.”

Sullivan also discussed post-game conversations with Penguins President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas regarding the league's explanation for not calling interference: “They didn't think it interfered with Ned's ability to play his position, and I respectfully disagree,” Sullivan said.

The game saw numerous penalties, with 15 assessed in the first period alone. Sullivan emphasized maintaining composure: “We lost our control and our temper... That’s on us,” Karlsson noted.

Pittsburgh's special teams struggled significantly; Ottawa scored twice on power plays and once shorthanded during the game. Despite six opportunities, Pittsburgh's power play failed to score.

Crosby stated, “You start scoring on the power play... But we didn’t do that.” Claude Giroux contributed three assists for Ottawa, including one leading to Tim Stützle's goal after Alex Nedeljkovic misjudged a shot change direction.

Karlsson reflected on maintaining focus despite adversity: “In the third we tried to stay as positive as we could,” he said. The Penguins face Tampa Bay next as part of their homestand.

Karlsson expressed hope moving forward: "Today, we were on the wrong side of it... luckily, we can go home... and wake up tomorrow and kind of move on."