Surprising Penguins Comeback; Crosby & Jarry Fork Devils

NEWARK — While the Pittsburgh Penguins (33-35-12) were dancing in the dark, the New Jersey Devils (41-31-7) were born to run.

For the 15th time this season, the Penguins were on the ice but mentally absent. Erik Haula (10) left Penguins defenseman Connor Timmins out on the street, breezing past for a breakaway goal just 15 seconds into the game. The shots reached 9-2 by midway through the first period, but the Penguins settled down and scored four unanswered goals for an impressive 4-2 win over New Jersey at the Prudential Center.

Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry stopped 26 of 28 shots for the win.

New Jersey is much closer to their glory days than the Penguins and raced to a 2-0 lead in the first 6:17 when the Penguins defense let Ondrej Palat have a free skate around the net, and Palat (15) deflected former Penguins winger Cody Glass’s shot for a 2-0 lead.

But before you realized you still have 57 channels and nothing on, the Penguins rediscovered their hungry heart. The Penguins turned the game in their favor for the remainder of the first period and kept the game even in the second period.

Evgeni Malkin (16) swiped the puck from New Jersey goalie Jake Allen near the crease and chipped the puck over his skate onto the goal line, but it was New Jersey defenseman Luke Hughes who accidentally knocked it into the secret garden at 16:10 of the first.

The Penguins had no surrender. Early in the second period, the river of momentum continued when New Jersey defenseman Brett Pesce took a hooking penalty, leading to a Penguins power-play goal. Just five seconds into the power play, Valtteri Puustinen (2), who was recalled Thursday, redirected Malkin’s shot with his skate blades to tie the game at 1:05 of the second.

Through two periods, none of the goal scorers were born in the U.S.A.

I know, I know, I’m on fire.

Despite a horrible start, which probably had Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry screaming “cover me,” the Penguins had every chance to win the game in the third period, in large part because of Jarry.

The Penguins’ netminder made a handful of outstanding saves in the first and second periods. However, the second period was far from a thunder road, as both teams registered just four shots on goal.

When tied after two periods, the Penguins were 7-1-4, while New Jersey was a mere 6-7-3.

True to form, the Penguins peppered New Jersey goalie Jake Allen in the third period, ripping a few high-danger scoring chances, but Allen made the saves.

What looked like it could become an ugly game finally settled into a spirited contest. Sidney Crosby scored the winner in vintage fashion when he dropped to one knee to deflect Bryan Rust’s hard pass into the net at 13:21. It was a power-play goal and the team’s second man-advantage tally.

Crosby made a spinning backhand pass to Rust (29) for the empty-net clincher. Rust’s tally set a career high.

Penguins Notes

Crosby, Rust, Matt Grzelcyk, and Malkin had two points. Grzelcyk had two assists.

Before the game, New Jersey held a moment of silence for former Penguins and Devils GM Ray Shero, who passed away this week at the age of 62.

Ray Shero Tribute, New Jersey Devils, April 11, 2025