After a wild 7-6 win over Philadelphia on Sunday, the resilient Penguins came away with another gutsy victory on Tuesday in Vancouver to begin their four-game road trip out West.
Erik Karlsson scored 1:42 into overtime to defeat the Canucks 4-3 at Rogers Arena, while Tristan Jarry made 32 saves. During regulation, Rickard Rakell tallied twice before Lars Eller got the game-tying goal.
"It wasn't a pretty one, but they are one of the best teams in the league,” Karlsson said. “We hung in there all the way until the end. Even though we didn't have the start we wanted, we didn't get discouraged. We just kept going - and good things happen sometimes. We earned it."
The challenges began before the puck even dropped, as Mike Sullivan said that Bryan Rust is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury suffered on Sunday against Philadelphia. The red-hot forward – who had scored six goals in his last seven games before getting hurt – joined fellow star winger Jake Guentzel on the shelf.
“That means opportunities for some other guys on this team, and myself included. Just try to do our best with it,” Rakell said.
The Penguins winger stepped up with a pair of big goals to even the score after the Canucks had taken a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. Pittsburgh’s special teams turned out to be both a blessing and a curse for the second game in a row in that middle frame.
After Rakell scored his first of the night with Pittsburgh converting a sequence that started with a turnover from former teammate Teddy Blueger, the Penguins headed to the man-advantage… which became a two-man advantage just three seconds in.
The first group over the boards for Pittsburgh consisted of Karlsson, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jeff Carter, and Rakell – who capitalized relatively quickly on another setup from the captain.
The Penguins winger has now scored three times in his last two games after getting on the scoresheet against the Flyers. That snapped the second long drought of what has been an uncharacteristically challenging season from a production standpoint for the five-time 20-goal scorer.
Unfortunately, the good feeling didn’t last long, as the Canucks ended up scoring shorthanded during Pittsburgh’s remaining power-play time, with J.T. Miller burying a breakaway chance after winning a puck on the blue line. It’s the second straight game the Penguins have surrendered a shorthanded tally.
Sullivan always preaches having a ‘stay in the moment’ sort of mindset regardless of what the situation is – but especially now, with the Penguins in a dogfight for their playoff lives. They remained even keeled going into that final frame, which ended up serving them well.
“It was like, things didn't really go our way at the start of the game, but it was still just a one-goal game. That gave us hope. Just try to come back in this game and do everything we can, and I think that's what we did,” Rakell said. “I thought every line was fighting really hard today and would do anything to get back in this game. Tonight was a real team effort.”
Eller stepped up with a critical tally just under halfway through the period, with Sullivan calling the veteran center a big-game player who’s played in lots of high-stakes environments.
“I think he embraces that challenge. He's been good for us on both sides of the puck. We're using him all around the lineup,” Sullivan said before adding with a smile, “I bet he leads the league in linemates.
“He's on the power play, he’s one of our first over-the-boards penalty killers. He's just been a valuable player for us. So, guys like that, that we rely on in tough situations like the penalty kill, when they get a chance to score goals, I think it means a lot to the whole group. And it’s nice to get contributions throughout the lineup, so that's an important aspect of winning consistently in this league.”
Eller went on to earn the primary assist on Karlsson’s game-winner, which had been immediately preceded by a lights-out save from Jarry on Brock Boeser. Jarry was rock solid between the pipes throughout the ups and downs of this game, radiating a calmness that his teammates fed off of.
“Just to stop as many pucks as I can,” Jarry said of his own personal mindset going into the final stretch of the game. “I think that's everyone's job. Everyone's job is just to play a little bit harder and to bear down a little bit more, especially when it's during those key times in the game. I think you want to give everything you got, and I think that that helps us when we're trying to string together some games.”
As for Karlsson - he's the reigning Norris Trophy winner as the league's top defenseman for a reason. Tonight was a prime example.
"I thought he really stepped up tonight. He was an impact player for us," Sullivan said. "I think when you see him take his game to that level, that's the game I think we all get excited about."
The Penguins continue their four-game road trip out West with a game against the Kraken on Thursday.
