Penguins crumble late in 3rd, fall to Kings

For the majority of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ eventual 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday at PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins were in control, leading by a goal and looking good to cap Jaromir Jagr’s jersey retirement night on a high note.

If only hockey games were 54 minutes instead of 60.

In the last 6:11 of regulation, the Penguins crumbled, allowing two goals by Adrian Kempe in a span of 3:01.

Los Angeles goal!

Scored by Adrian Kempe with 06:11 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Drew Doughty and Viktor Arvidsson.

Pittsburgh: 1
Los Angeles: 1#LAKvsPIT #LetsGoPens #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/HnJX0Z9bxi

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) February 19, 2024

OK GO OFF JUICE!!!!! pic.twitter.com/2f20HR5YHL

— LA Kings (@LAKings) February 19, 2024

The Penguins were unable to respond, leading to a costly loss with zero points accrued and dropping them to 24-21-7 on the season.

With 30 games remaining in the regular season and the Penguins on the outside of the playoff picture, letting one slip away at home stings.

“That’s the most upsetting part about this one,” forward Bryan Rust said. “Judging where we are, we can’t be letting those things happen.”

After Kempe scored the equalizer with 6:11 to play, a deep shot near the offensive blue line that deflected its way past Tristan Jarry, he burned the Penguins again a few minutes later. He ripped a short-handed snapshot past Jarry with 7 seconds remaining on the Penguins’ fifth and final power play of the night.

“In the third, we just didn’t really have a response to their push when they scored the equalizer,” said defenseman Erik Karlsson.

For the vast majority Sunday, Sidney Crosby’s 31st goal of the season, scored on the man-advantage with 1:17 left in the first period, was the game’s only score.

The goal, Crosby’s eighth on the power play this season, came on a one-timer, with Karlsson and Rust collecting assists.

Power play goal, Sidney Crosby! #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/PSBnkw1ddK

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) February 18, 2024

Jarry, solid for most of the night, finished with 31 saves on 33 shots.

Before things spiraled late in the third, Jarry made several key saves that kept the Penguins in front, including a denial of Quinton Byfield up close in the second period that came after a turnover by Marcus Pettersson.

Early in the third, Jarry made a pad save on Pierre-Luc Dubois, who fired a wrister all alone from 22 feet.

“We would have liked to control territory a little more,” coach Mike Sullivan coach. “I think that’s an important aspect of playing with a lead, is playing on your toes and playing on top of teams. I thought we could have done a better job as a group.”

Sunday was the Penguins’ 15th one-goal loss this season.

In those games, the power-play has gone a combined 7 for 64 (10.9%), with the Penguins scoring once on five tries Sunday.

“We just got a little too passive,” Sidney Crosby said of the power play. “We held onto pucks a little too much. The first couple, we definitely had more of an attack mentality, Moved our feet, got pucks through. As the game went on, we didn’t do a good job of that.”

While much of the game was bereft of scoring, special teams chances were frequent.

Converting them, however, largely proved a bridge too far for both clubs.

The Penguins took three penalties, killing off every power-play try by the Kings, whose man-advantage ranked 14th in the NHL entering the game.

On the Penguins’ first power play, which came with 7:34 left in the first period, Evgeni Malkin whiffed on a few looks at the crease that Kings goaltender Cam Talbot almost certainly wouldn’t have been able to deny.

But other than that sequence, as well as Crosby’s tally, the Penguins’ power play struggled to establish itself in the offensive zone and put pucks on net.

“We don’t execute on the entry, and then we don’t make good decisions when we’re tracking,” Sullivan said.

Sunday was the opening contest of a four-game homestand for the Penguins. Up next are the New York Islanders, who visit Tuesday night.

Notes:

•Forward Jansen Harkins, activated from injured reserve Sunday after missing the Penguins’ last two games due to a concussion, re-entered the lineup vs. Los Angeles, deploying at left wing on Jeff Carter’s fourth line alongside Colin White. Harkins played 5:11 in the loss, recording two shots, two hits and a blocked shot.

•Matthew Phillips, a waiver acquisition from Washington earlier this week, made his Penguins debut, flaking Lars Eller on the third line at right wing with Jesse Puljujarvi. Phillips was on the ice for 11 minutes, including 2:59 on the power play, registering a shot, hit and blocked shot.

•The Penguins reassigned forwards Vinnie Hinostroza and Jonathan Gruden to Wilkes/Barre-Scranton of the American Hockey League Sunday afternoon before puck drop.