Ottawa brings out the worst in the Penguins…again

The Pittsburgh Penguins showed what they are capable of during their 5-3 win against Edmonton on Thursday.

They did it again against Ottawa less than 48 hours later.

Just in a completely different and infinitely less impressive way.

The Senators embarrassed them, 5-0, at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday, denying the Penguins a chance to at least temporarily claim one of the wild-card playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

The Penguins (18-18-8) are 0-3-3 in their last six games against the Senators, who had been in a 1-5-1 rut before traveling here.

Although a strong start had been one of the keys in the Penguins’ win against Edmonton, which was 7-1-1 in its nine games before facing the Penguins, they didn’t come close to replicating that against Ottawa.

In fact, quite the opposite.

defense of the senators Tyler Kleven He put his team ahead to stay when he beat goalie Alex Nedeljkovic from the left side of the high slot at 3:16 of the first period on Ottawa’s first shot of the game, a recurring problem for the Penguins this season.

Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk and Ottawa center Tim Stutzle had been fighting in the box near Nedeljkovic when Kleven scored, and the Penguins questioned whether Stutzle was guilty of goalie interference.

The challenge was rejected after a video review, and the Penguins were assessed with a minor delay in automatic play.

They went through the first 1:58 of the penalty without allowing a shot, but Shane Pinto made the one at the 5:14 count, firing a shot past Nedeljkovic from just above the right hash.

Former Pittsburgh Penguins foe Claude Giroux got the primary assist on both goals.

The Penguins had a chance with the extra man when Ottawa’s Drake Batherson was ejected by Noel Acciari at 8:55, but the power play never seemed to be in sync and generated only one shot against Senators goalie Leevi Merilainen.

Although the Penguins’ Matt Nieto was penalized for cutting at 11:18, the Senators’ power play lasted just 25 seconds before Stutzle was called for tripping Acciari.

The Penguins had their second chance with the man advantage when Neldeljkovic and two Senators, Cole Reinhardt and Batherson, received minor unsportsmanlike conduct after exchanging unpleasantness at 15:19.

Ottawa had barely regained full strength when winger Nick Cousins ​​was called to board. Blake Lizette at 17:53. This time, the Penguins not only failed to score, but they gave up a goal shorthanded.

Pinto did it with 55.9 seconds left in the intermission, burying a shot behind Nedeljkovic from inside the right circle to cap a two-on-one breakup against Erik Karlsson.

It was only the second shorthanded goal the Penguins gave up in 2024-25.

The Penguins then put an exclamation point on one of their worst 20-minute stretches in recent memory by having Sidney Crosby collect a minor cut when the period expired.

Ottawa needed 41 seconds in the middle to capitalize on that, when the puck was fired toward Batherson and he dumped it into the net after a long skirmish in and around Nedeljkovic’s box.

Nedeljkovic thought he had a blocked puck in the crease at 7:06, but Stutzle saw it was still loose and put it in the net to make it 5-0.

That led coach Mike Sullivan to replace Nedeljkovic, who allowed five goals on 17 shots, with Tristan Jarry.

Jarry is expected to start when the Pittsburgh Penguins face Tampa Bay on Sunday at 5:08 pm at PPG Paints Arena.