Michael Bunting’s first goal and point in black and gold came at a crucial time.
The forward – acquired from Carolina ahead of the NHL trade deadline as part of the Jake Guentzel trade – scored with 22.6 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime on Tuesday in Ottawa, helping the Penguins earn a point in their 2-1 loss.
But ultimately, Tristan Jarry is the biggest reason the Penguins were in this one until the end, especially as their scoring woes continued. He was spectacular for Pittsburgh, making 37 stops – including five in extra time.
“He made huge saves. Especially when I fell, that was a huge save,” said Kris Letang, who lost his footing early in overtime. “He gave us a chance at the other net. He’s pretty quick at saving pucks and shooting it up north for us to get going. He played really well.”
The Penguins had a spirited morning skate, and those vibes carried over into the start of their matchup. Bunting’s line with Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust (who led the Penguins with seven shots) set the tone, putting together a tremendous first shift in an overall strong period for the group.
But Ottawa started to tilt the ice after heading to the power play at the 13:07 mark of the second, and while Jarry came up with many quality saves from there on out, the Senators broke through with under nine minutes to go in the third.
It was actually the second time Ottawa had gotten the puck to cross the line, as the Penguins had successfully challenged a goal from Claude Giroux for goalie interference a few minutes earlier.
Bunting’s goal also required a video review to see if there was a missed game stoppage, but fortunately, it stood. Unfortunately, the Penguins couldn’t find another tally. They have now been held to one or fewer goals in five of their last six games, getting shut out in two of those contests.
“I thought we went into the game with real good energy. Obviously, it's been a struggle to score goals lately. We had some looks. We didn't finish,” said Penguins Head Coach Mike Sullivan, who felt that the Penguins needed to do a better job getting to the net-front and fighting for that area of the rink.
“I thought Jars was terrific. He gave us an opportunity to win, especially in the overtime.”
Drake Batherson ended up getting the winner on a sharp angle, as Jarry was playing Tim Stützle, who had a clear shot. But he passed it back door to his teammate, and Batherson was able to shoot the puck before Jarry could get there.
“I thought I was seeing it well… it was just one of those nights. You always wish you could do a little more in a loss,” Jarry said. “I think just bringing that same consistency every night will help the guys and we'll start stringing together some wins.”
The Penguins have now dropped seven of their last eight games, and with each loss, their playoff chances get smaller. But as Sullivan said, the Penguins can’t approach it that way.
“I believe we're still in it. I think until we're not in it, we’re still in it. So, that's how we have to look at it,” he said. “We recognize that it's stacked against us, but we got to control we can and try to win the game right in front of us. That's the mindset, that's where we have to be each and every day.”
