After regrouping from a humbling loss against Dallas on Monday to earn a point against Detroit on Wednesday, the Penguins fell to the Blue Jackets by a score of 6-2 on Friday at Nationwide Arena.
“We're looking for consistency, obviously,” Sidney Crosby said. “Now, we gotta commit to playing the same way, and that's not always easy to do. There's a lot of things that can affect that. So, we can't allow anything to change the way we play. We just got to go out there with that mindset and find a way to do it for a full game.”
Tristan Jarry got his first NHL start since Oct. 16 after going to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League for a conditioning stint to rediscover his form.
Jarry faced some adversity right away, as a puck deflected off the body of former teammate Zach Aston-Reese and in just 2:20 into play. It was the first shot of the game for Columbus.
The Blue Jackets built on their lead seconds into their first power play of the night, when Zach Werenski wound up and blasted home a slapshot that glanced off Noel Acciari’s jersey on the way in.
“Obviously, their game plan was to get a lot of pucks to the net, get a lot of bodies to the net, and just battle,” Jarry said. “I think they got to a lot of pucks before we did, and it was tough to recover. I think they kept the pressure on throughout most of the game. We got some momentum back in the second, but they just kept pressing, and it was hard for us to defend.”
After Anthony Beauvillier got a big goal against the Red Wings, Mike Sullivan said, “I hope he can continue to help us there because certainly, we're going to need it. Those are the reasons we've tried him with Sid or the top six. Regardless of where we play him in the lineup, he's going to bring that element."
The captain registered an assist on Beauvillier’s first-period tally, when he tipped a puck out of midair to trim the deficit to 2-1. Beauvillier extended his goal streak to three games, his longest goal streak since the 2020-21 season.
He’s now tied with Crosby and Rickard Rakell – his linemates for the game – for the team lead in goals (6). Beauvillier also matched his 2023-24 goal total that he had in 60 games last season split between Vancouver (2), Chicago (2) and Nashville (1).
The longtime Islander bet on himself with a one-year deal after bouncing around last season, with Penguins President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas saying they just needed to provide the right environment for the 26-year-old. Beauvillier came into it trusting his game and in a good place mentally after a strong summer, and it’s paying off on the scoresheet right now.
“Sometimes the puck just finds you, and you got to ride the wave when that happens,” he said. “It seems like I'm going to the right place at the right time. So, try to keep that up.”
There were a lot of good moments after that, particularly in that middle frame. Drew O’Connor moved to the middle, a position he’s comfortable at even though the Penguins haven’t utilized him there much, and his new-look line with Jesse Puljujarvi and Sam Poulin was impactful in the offensive zone.
“I thought they were terrific all night,” Sullivan said. “They did virtually everything but put it in the net.”
Michael Bunting, who had a challenging start to the season production-wise, has worked hard to get himself out of it. He got his fourth goal in six games after going scoreless in his first 12 and being a healthy scratch on Oct. 20 in Winnipeg. It came 12:06 into the second, while Bunting was working with the second power-play unit, from the area where he does his best work – right around the blue paint.
Jarry came up with a big save after that tally, and helped the Penguins kill off a penalty shortly after. But after Columbus regained their lead late in the second, they came out hard to start the final frame, outshooting Pittsburgh 19-4 and scoring four unanswered goals.
“I think they got in on us, they got in on the forecheck,” Marcus Pettersson said. “We didn’t break out the puck well, and from there, they spent some time down there… those second opportunities, we got to clean up way better than that.”
“Obviously the biggest point in the third period was we didn't defend our netfront,” Sullivan agreed. "You look at a couple of the goals they score, they're outside shots where the rebound lays there. We're either puck watching or we don't get into people. We got to be harder at our netfront, and we got to make ‘em work harder for those types of goals.”
NOTES:
- Kris Letang missed the game due to illness.
- Matt Nieto returned to NHL game action for the first time since Nov. 30, 2023. It’s been a long road back for the 32-year-old forward, in the second year of his two-year deal. He had reconstructive MCL surgery on his left knee in May after undergoing laparoscopic surgery to his right knee in January. “We're thrilled for him. Couldn't be happier, you know?” Sullivan said. “He's gone through a lot to get himself back into this position. He's just a terrific teammate. He's a popular guy in our room. He brings juice when he plays. For him to go through what he's gone through – multiple surgeries and all the rehab that he's gone through – to get himself to this point is remarkable, and we're all thrilled for him.”
