Penguins return from break with win over Bruins to snap 4-game losing streak

The Penguins’ six-day break in the schedule for the All-Star Game event was badly needed.

After all, they were fatigued mentally and physically from playing a tightly compacted sequence of games in a finite portion of their schedule.

“The break came at a good time for us,” Penguins’ defenseman Marcus Pettersson said to media in Boston. “Kind of regroup, get away from it a little bit. You know it’s a sprint now. Everybody has had their rest. Just got to get back to it quick and not try to ease into it. Back on the horse.”

The Penguins looked like they hit the exacta Tuesday as they staged a 4-2 comeback road win against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Their victory snapped a season-worst four-game losing streak.

An ugly scene near the end of regulation marred just about everything else that occurred his contest, however.

At 19:35 of the third period, Bruins forward Brad Marchand was assessed a match penalty and a roughing minor for attacking Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry.

After Jarry froze a puck, he appeared to say something to Marchand, who responded by punching Jarry in the head. As linesman Andrew Smith tried to escort Marchand to his bench, Marchand then jabbed Jarry in the helmet with his stick.

Per NHL rules, a match penalty carries an automatic suspension pending a review from the commissioner. Marchand is no stranger to supplemental discipline having been suspended seven times – equating to 22 games – over his 13-year career.

The Penguins said little on the matter. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy made no attempt to defend his star forward.

“Brad’s a leader on our team and he’s got to control his emotions,” Cassidy said.

The Penguins displayed little to no emotion – unless lethargy qualifies as an emotion – in the first two periods as they surrendered a two-goal lead within the first 20 minutes.

A power-play goal 2:01 into regulation supplied the Bruins with the contest’s first lead.

After a weak clearing attempt from his own right circle by Penguins defenseman John Marino was intercepted at the right point, Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron swept the puck back into the same circle to Bruins forward Taylor Hall. Going from his backhand to his forehand, Hall fed a pass to the left dot for Bruins forward David Pastrnak, who cranked a one-timer that glanced off Jarry’s right leg then hit twine. It was Pastrnak’s 23rd goal off the season. Hall and Bergeron had assists.

Another goal by Pastrnak put his team up, 2-0, at 15:34 of the first.

After Penguins defenseman Kris Letang pinched then fanned on a shot attempt in Boston’s right circle, Pastrnak claimed the puck and generated a three-on-one rush with linemates Hall and Erik Haula against Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin. Taking a pass from Pastrnak, Haula gained the offensive blue line on the left wing then fed the puck to Hall above the right circle. Waiting for Dumoulin to slide down on a block attempt, Hall lifted a wrister from inside the circle. Jarry fought off the puck with his glove but allowed a rebound that Pastrnak batted in out of midair into Jarry’s left hip and into the cage. Hall and Haula collected assists.

“They came out a little harder than us,” Penguins forward Danton Heinen said. “We weren’t happy with that and we turned it around.”

Heinen was a major factor in that course correction as the former Bruins forward scored twice in the early stages of the second period.

Heinen’s first goal of the game – and his first in 10 games – came at the 4:18 mark.

After a turnover at the center red line by Hall, Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson pitchforked it up the right wing for forward Brock McGinn. From the right circle of the offensive zone, McGinn backhanded a saucer pass to Heinen cutting in from the left circle. Making a heavy deke from his forehand to his backhand, Heinen was able to tuck in a shot past goaltender Jeremy Swayman’s left skate for his 10th goal of the season. Assists went to McGinn and Matheson.

Heinen scored again only 28 seconds later.

From the high slot, Marino fed a pass to the right circle for Heinen. Surveying the zone for a moment, Heinen elected to lift a rising wrister on net. Swayman was handcuffed after initially denying the shot a bit with his right shoulder. The rebound hopped over his head, and Swayman inadvertently batted it into the cage with his left arm. Marino and forward Evan Rodrigues were credited with assists.

Penguins forward Sidney Crosby got in on the act with a power-play score – his 13th of the season and 499th of his career – at the 12:53 mark of the middle frame.

Controlling the puck at the left point, Letang faked a slapper then slipped a pass to forward Jake Guentzel in the left circle. Despite a wide-open look at the net, Guentzel dished the puck to the right of the cage for linemate Bryan Rust, who put a quick wrister off the near post.

Collecting his own rebound, Rust swooped behind the cage and fed a tight pass to the left of the cage for Crosby, who leaned down and swatted in a one-timer past a scrambling Swayman. Rust and Guentzel netted assists. The score extended a streak of games with a power-play goal to six for the Penguins.

The Bruins were dealt a blow at 8:44 of the third period when Bergeron, their captain, collided with Crosby after their skates made contact and tumbled into the boards awkwardly. Bergeron left the contest and did not return. Cassidy did not offer an update on his status.

An empty net goal by Rust – who endured a rough game physically thanks to a handful of collisions and at least one blocked shot that appeared particularly painful – secured victory by scoring his 15th goal on an empty net at 18:31 of the third period. Guentzel had the only assist.

Jarry was stout making 43 saves on 45 shots – not including the right cross he absorbed from Marchand – and improved his record to 24-8-6.

Cassidy offered high praise of Jarry while being critical of Swayman, who lost after stopping 21 of 24 shots.

“They got saves,” Cassidy said. “We didn’t. That’s my take.”

The Penguins took a victory Tuesday despite a performance coach Mike Sullivan labeled as “sloppy in so many areas.” They matched a season-worst with the 45 shots they allowed.

“We didn’t have a good start at all,” defenseman Brian Dumoulin said. “In the first period, they came to play and we didn’t. They pushed the pace. … I thought we got better as the game went on. (Jarry) made some big saves. We had some chances too. Definitely got better.

“That’s going to be obviously a point of emphasis (for Thursday’s game) in Ottawa, starting a little bit better.”