Jarry makes 30 saves, Letang scores twice for Penguins in win against Canadiens

PITTSBURGH -- Tristan Jarry made 30 saves and Kris Letangscored twice, helping the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday.

Drew O'Connor had a goal and an assist, and Erik Karlsson had two assists for the Penguins (25-21-8), who had lost five of their previous six (1-4-1).

“I think we played well enough to win,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. “I know we’re capable of playing a better game. I think we played well enough to win. Our power play gets an important goal for us. Hopefully that’ll help those guys moving forward. I think the good thing for our group, the last couple of games, when you look at it, we’re getting contributions offensively through our lineup.”

Mike Matheson scored, and Cayden Primeau made 23 saves for the Canadiens (22-27-8), who have lost four straight and six of seven, including 3-2 to the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday.

"I think it's a bit of a case where we have a lot of good stretches of hockey throughout each game,” Matheson said. “Then just kind of one little stretch that bites us. That's the most difficult thing is to be consistent. That's what every team is searching for, is that perfect 60 minutes. You know you'll never get there, but you want to get as close as possible."

Matheson put Montreal ahead 1-0 at 9:05 of the first period, intercepting a pass from Letang and scoring on a snap shot from the high slot. He has gotten a point (one goal, three assists) in each of his four games against the Penguins since they traded him on July 16, 2022.

"It's always a weird feeling. It's always a lot of mixed emotions coming back,” Matheson said. “You recognize a lot of places. It brings back a lot of memories. So, it's always kind of an odd feeling. You feel comfortable but very uncomfortable at the same time."

Letang tied it 1-1 at 11:24 with a shot through traffic from the point.

Bryan Rust gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead at 11:30 of the second period, deflecting a point shot from Karlsson six seconds into a power play. It was his fourth goal in six games.

O’Connor then scored 21 seconds later on a wrist shot from the high slot to make it 3-1 at 11:51.

O’Connor has scored in each of the past two games following a 10-game drought.

“He’s been playing phenomenal,” Rust said of O’Connor. “He’s been skating really, really well. He’s in on the forecheck, causing turnovers. An unbelievable shot on his goal tonight. He’s playing with a lot of confidence. We’re going to need more of that out of him. He’s been fantastic.”

Letang scored an empty-net goal from the other end of the ice with 1:25 remaining for the 4-1 final.

The Canadiens were 0-for-3 on the power play, including 0-for-2 in the third.

"I thought the special (teams) unit did the job, so we didn't give them a power-play goal,” Letang said. “Power play got us a big one. ‘Jars’ has been really good since the beginning of the year. ... Tonight, I think it represented the game pretty much.

"It's a loose team on the other side. They have a lot of creativity. They play with some swag and it's tough to read, so to have a good defensive posture all game was key."

Montreal forward Colin White had one shot on goal in 11:11 of ice time after being claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh on Thursday. White, who played 11 games for the Penguins this season, participated in their optional morning skate.

"Yeah, it's pretty crazy,” White said. “A lot of those guys waking up from naps were like, 'What the heck is going on, we're playing you now?’ Those are great guys. And the team here took me in real well so far, so it's really exciting.”

NOTES: During the game, the Penguins acquired forward Emil Bemstrom in a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Alex Nylander and a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Bemstrom, 24, has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 32 games this season. ... Penguins forward Noel Acciari had one shot on goal and two hits in 15:10 in his return after missing six games with a concussion.