Pittsburgh Penguins outlast Carolina Hurricanes for 4-2 win in Metro Division game
The Carolina Hurricanes gave it everything they had Sunday at Pittsburgh.
Playing their second game in less than 22 hours, the Canes pushed the Penguins hard at PPG Paints Arena before losing 4-2 in the Metropolitan Division matchup.
The Canes had 43 shots, 20 in the third period when goals by defenseman Brett Pesce and center Sebastian Aho gave them a chance to win. They were perfect in penalty-killing in the game. There was no late letup, no lack of stamina.
“We played a good game,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “I’m happy with this game other than the result. I mean we played hard, especially considering the turnaround. We actually got better as the game went along.”
It took 41 saves by Pens goalie Tristan Jarry to hold off the Canes (41-13-5), the Metro leaders. The Pens (36-15-9) led 1-0 after the first period and 2-0 after two, but Carolina was at its best in the third, forechecking intensely and constantly attacking the net.
Even after the Canes pulled goalie Antti Raanta for a sixth attacker with two minutes left in regulation and Sidney Crosby quickly scored for the Penguins with a 182-foot shot into an empty net, the Canes kept pushing. Aho scored to make it 3-2 and it wasn’t over until the Pens’ Zach Aston-Reese scored a second empty-netter with 12 seconds remaining.
“It was a good effort. Guys worked hard,” said Aho, who scored his 27th of the season. “That’s our thing, what we build on -- guys working hard. The effort was there but obviously you’ve got to be a little bit sharper. Just a little sharper on the details and having that killer instinct when you have a scoring chance.”
Pesce, who had a career-high seven shots, finally beat Jarry after a strong forechecking shift by Vincent Trocheck’s line, ripping a shot from the top of the slot. That made it 2-1 at 4:40 of the third, the Pens having gotten goals from forwards Brian Boyle in the first period and Danton Heinen in the second.
“We had a ton of shots on net, it felt like,” Pesce said. “I thought we played a good game. We didn’t get the bounces. We had plenty of opportunities to win that game. Just sometimes, it’s the way it is.”
It was the third and final game of the regular season between the Penguins, who stand second alone in the Metro with 81 points, and the Canes, who have 87. Carolina won the first two games, both with Raanta in net.
After Frederik Andersen returned Saturday to beat the Philadelphia Flyers at PNC Arena, Raanta was back Sunday for the second half of the back-to-back. Raanta had 36 saves Thursday in shutting out the Colorado Avalanche 2-0 -- the Avs’ first blanking in 100 games -- but had his three-game win streak end Sunday.
The Pens’ first two goals came after the Canes failed on chances to clear their zone, Boyle getting a shot in the low slot and Heinen tipping in a shot by Mike Matheson.
The Canes had too many attempts miss the net in the first two periods. One of the biggest misses was a shot by Steven Lorentz in the final seconds of the second, Jarry then using his body to shield Jesperi Kotkaniemi from the puck at the post after it hit the end boards.
But Carolina outshot the Penguins 20-4 in the third.
“It’s been like that all year, been like that all four years,” said Brind’Amour, who is in his fourth season as head coach. “The guys play hard and they don’t ever stop playing hard. That’s what I appreciate the most. We’re down in that game but it’s all about that next shift.
“The guys just come out and try and play our game. We stuck with it the 60 minutes. It didn’t work out but it certainly could have.”
This story was originally published March 13, 2022 at 4:10 PM.
