Short-handed Penguins struggle to muster offense in shootout loss to Stars

The Pittsburgh Penguins knew things would be difficult to open the 2021-22 season without the services of superstar centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

That dilemma was amplified with forwards Zach Aston-Reese and Jake Guentzel each being sidelined for a game or two because of covid-19. And defenseman Mike Matheson’s absence for the first three games of the season because of an undisclosed injury didn’t help.

And now, forward Bryan Rust, a steady 20-goal scorer, will be hobbled for a handful of weeks because of an unspecified ailment.

Those impediments appeared to finally stymie the Penguins on Tuesday in a tedious 2-1 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars at PPG Paints Arena that featured little in the way of offensive fireworks.

Shootout goals by Stars forwards Joe Pavelski and Alexander Radulov were the difference.

Much of the Penguins’ meticulous adherence to the detailed schematics installed by coach Mike Sullivan and staff was largely present in a contest that saw tight defensive tactics by both teams.

“It was a tighter checking game,” Sullivan said. “Dallas defends hard. They block a lot of shots. They have good size. The second period, for example, we had a lot of offensive zone time. We had a number of looks. But based on the amount of offensive-zone time we had in the second period, we would have liked to have generated a little bit more. … We had some looks we didn’t finish on.”

In all, the Penguins put 28 shots on net against Stars goaltender Braden Holtby. But it would be a stretch to say there were as many quality scoring chances as the Penguins’ first three games in which they accumulated 15 goals.

“It was played a lot in the neutral zone,” Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry said. “Both teams had some good offensive chances. Just maybe capitalizing on one or two might have made it a different game. It could have went either way. They’re a good team. They play defense hard. We saw that out there.”

Part of that could be attributed to the lack of special teams. Aside from two offsetting roughing minors at 9:26 of the third period, there were no penalties in this contest.

“No special teams or anything,” lamented Penguins defenseman John Marino. “Just five-on-five the whole time. Both teams were playing hard. You were able to roll all four lines too. It was a hard game.”

The Stars took the lead with 10 seconds left in the first period. Gaining the offensive zone on the left wing, Stars forward Radek Faksa surveyed for a moment, then slid a cross-ice pass to the right circle for forward Michael Raffl, who chopped a one-timer past Jarry’s glove on the near side for his second goal of the season.

Things were tied 1-1 at 5:26 of the second period. Settling a puck at the left point of the offensive zone, Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson shuffled a pass to the right circle for forward Brock McGinn, who immediately fired a one-timer. Holtby kicked out a rebound to the right of the crease. Marino, down low in the zone, jumped on the puck and lifted a quick wrister between Holtby’s right arm and right leg for his first goal of the season.

“Just kind of a fortunate bounce,” Marino said. “Right in the middle.”

Jarry made 28 saves on 29 shots in regulation and overtime as his record fell to 2-0-1. Forward Jeff Carter scored the Penguins’ lone shootout goal, but forward Jake Guentzel and defenseman Kris Letang were denied on their attempts.

The Penguins were largely denied much in the way of offensive opportunities for most of Tuesday night.

“I didn’t think the game, there (weren’t) as many transition opportunities,” Sullivan said. “(The Stars) stayed above the puck a lot. Our guys, for the most part, stayed above the puck a lot. There were a few flurries here and there. But not as much as the first few games we had.”

Note: The Penguins paid tribute to former broadcaster Mike Lange throughout the game. Lange, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, retired this past summer after 46 years in that capacity.