Penguins beat Jets in shootout but lose forward Teddy Blueger

At face value, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 3-2 shootout win against the Winnipeg Jets at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday was all an NHL team can hope for in any game.

A win and two points.

And for the Penguins, it’s been mostly positive as far as the results go. They extended a winning streak to five games, and it was their 16th win in their past 18 games (16-2-0).

But Sunday’s result was something of a pyrrhic victory.

First and foremost, the Penguins lost the services of dependable checking center Teddy Blueger, who appeared to suffer a potential head — or more specifically, facial — injury 11 minutes, 3 seconds into the game.

After chasing down a puck on the Jets’ end boards, Blueger was struck into the boards on a hit by Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon.

Video of the hit appeared to show Dillon’s left shoulder initially making contact with Blueger’s right shoulder then following through to Blueger’s face, causing his head to strike the boards. Blueger was staggered after the hit then fell to the ice. After recovering to his skates, he made his way to the bench then the dressing room, leaving a trail of blood behind him. It took several minutes for arena staffers to clean the ice and even the runway to the dressing room.

There was no penalty for the hit.

Coach Mike Sullivan did not offer a status for Blueger but was curt in describing his thoughts on the sequence.

“I think it’s a hit to the head,” he said.

When asked if he got an explanation as to why there was no penalty, Sullivan indicated the officials did not see the play.

Sullivan was not very jubilant either in how his team played despite claiming a win in its 41st (of 82) game of the season.

“It was a high-event game on both sides,” Sullivan said. “Fortunately, we found a way to win. But I don’t think it was the game we want to play most (days).”

The Penguins needed to overcome a two-goal deficit against an unremarkable opponent to claim victory. They also needed their all-star goaltender, Tristan Jarry, to make far too many dazzling saves on a gaggle of odd-man rushes.

Also, it’s helpful when the opposing goaltender turns the puck over and permits an easy goal to tie the score relatively late in regulation.

As has been the case throughout their past five wins, the Penguins won despite considerable flaws.

“Obviously, we’re not happy about our first two periods,” Penguins defenseman Kris Letang said. “But good teams always find a way. You can’t get discouraged when things don’t go your way. You don’t give up. Just keep going. For this team to come back in a game, it doesn’t take much. We have the talent and the skill to do it. Guys went back to work and played the right way. We got rewarded.”

Goals by forwards Blake Wheeler (his second of the season at 3:28 of the first period) and Kyle Connor (his 22nd at 8:11 of the second period) supplied the Jets with a two-goal lead.

The Penguins tied the contest in a hiccup-quick burst midway through the third period.

First, forward Kasperi Kapanen scored his ninth goal at the 6:55 mark when a pass by linemate Evgeni Malkin deflected off his left skate and into the cage.

Only 9 seconds later, they tied the score after Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck played a dump-in off his end boards to the right corner for no one in particular. Penguins forward Jeff Carter alertly accepted the charity and shuffled a quick forehand shot through an unprepared Hellebuyck’s five hole for his 12th goal.

Following a frantic overtime period that featured plenty of offensive chances and little enforcement of the NHL’s rule book, the contest moved to a shootout. Penguins forward Sidney Crosby scored the lone goal.

Jarry was arguably the Penguins’ best player as he made 27 saves on 29 shots in regulation and overtime and was perfect on all three shots he faced in the shootout. His record improved to 22-7-4.

His teammates know they need to improve, even in victory.

“It was a little too much chance-for-chance, kind of up and down the ice today,” Kapanen said. “It’s been that way for a while now, which is something we’re trying to work on.”