Penguins Report Card: Pens Tank in Chaos; Refs Whiff on Big Goals

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators played hockey on Saturday. During the first 30 minutes, there were far more special teams than even strength play as the teams decided it was time to scrap, and men in ugly shirts with orange armbands attempted to wrestle control from a rotating cast of 12 angry men.

By the mid-way point of the game, only two Penguins players and two Ottawa players had played more than five minutes at even strength. Most of the grizzled combatants played between three and four minutes at 5v5 because the game was primarily a special teams contest.

The Penguins were 0-for-6. Ottawa was 2-for-4.

“We needed to score some power-play goals. That usually settles things down,” said Sidney Crosby.

Ottawa took 20 minutes in minor penalties. The Penguins took 16.

Yet it was the missed calls (or controversial if using reporter jargon) that put three of Ottawa’s first five goals on the board.

For the 10th time this season, the Penguins gave up a goal on the first shot of the game. However, replays clearly showed Tim Stutzle in the crease, and his skate made contact with Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic’s skate, causing the goalie to be momentarily unbalanced as defenseman Tyler Kleven’s shot careened toward the goal.

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan requested a video review. In fairness, Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk was in the neighborhood so perhaps Stutzle couldn’t leave the crease with the same desire he got there. Or any desire, really.

The refs declined Sullivan’s polite request to reconsider the goal, meaning the Penguins were shorthanded. Shane Pinto scored a pretty power-play goal to give Ottawa a 2-0 lead just 5:14 into the game.

Watch the last of the replays; you’ll see Stutzle’s skate contact Nedeljkovic’s pad. However, predicting goalie interference is always a crap shoot.

Tyler Kleven gives Ottawa the lead! #GoSensGo

Pittsburgh challenges for goalie interference; not even close. Great play by Stützle to start this one. pic.twitter.com/YhsxqHvujZ

— Everyday Sens (@EverydaySens) January 11, 2025

“I spoke to (general manager Kyle Dubas) after the game. He got some explanation (from the league). They didn’t think it interfered with (Nedeljkovic’s) ability to play his position,” Sullivan said. “And I respectfully disagree. I thought the player went into the blue paint of his own volition. He made contact with Ned’s leg. Therefore, we felt strongly that it impeded (Nedeljkovic’s) ability to play his position.”

It was a big swing, but far from the end of the fun or the end of controversy.

The Penguins’ power play was given ample opportunity in the first period. However, they were 0-for-4 in 6:25 of man-advantage time, with only six shots on goal and precious few dangerous scoring chances.

The Penguins slumbering power play was indeed the biggest cause for defeat.

Yet three of five goals that were controversial, if not incorrect, played a pretty big role, too.

The fourth Ottawa goal was a clear violation of a few NHL rules as Brady Tkachuk put his head down and bull-rushed defenseman Marcus Pettersson with the puck nowhere in the area. Tkachuk lost his helmet in a net-front scrum with Pettersson but continued playing–actually taking a step back and then charging into a two-handed shove on Pettersson. No whistle. Nedeljkovic was sprawled in the crease amidst the illegal battle, unable to get up. Drake Batherson was able to skate around the fray toward a loose puck and put it into a yawning cage.

Take your pick–no helmet and no attempt to retrieve it, interference for shoving a defenseman onto the goalie, but the goal stood. Make no mistake, Pettersson was holding his ground, but holding ground is harder when a player gets to step into a two-handed shove.

The goal was a gong show goal more fitting of the ECHL than the NHL.

Just to add insult to injury, midway through the second period, Nedeljkovic appeared to stop Claude Giroux’s wrist shot. The puck lay between Nedeljkovic’s pads as he held the butterfly, waiting for a whistle, which never arrived. Stutzle reached between Nedeljkovic’s crouched legs and poked the puck into the net.

Pettersson, who was earlier one of the recipients and givers in the punching battle with Tkachuk, stood in disbelief before shooting the puck the length of the ice. When exactly is the puck dead? That’s the 50/50 call. Replays were inconclusive on Nedeljkovic’s degree of possession.

There are bad days when every call goes the wrong way. Saturday was just such a game. Of course, the Penguins failed to score, so any result would have been against them. Ottawa is now one point behind with two games in hand.

Penguins Xs and Os

What Xs and Os? The game was played on special teams until it was out of reach.

The Penguins’ power play did not execute well. Not even a little bit. They found themselves skating around the perimeter and fighting for space instead of pressuring Ottawa’s penalty kill. Ottawa challenged the Penguins’ entries beginning at the red line, and the power play, despite significant practice during the game, didn’t solve the equation.

Conversely, the recently beleaguered Penguins penalty kill was victimized for a pair of goals against—one of which was a perfect play by Ottawa. Shane Pinto popped out of his net-front spot to the crease and was immediately rewarded with a one-timer as he fell backward.

Perfect timing, great goal. The second power-play goal was indeed the Tkachuk scrum.

Ottawa well protected their embattled goalie, Leevi Merilainen. The Penguins had 30 shots but only seven high-danger chances (at 5v5) and just one attempt off the rush.

Penguins Grades

Team: F

They lost the special teams battle. It’s almost impossible to grade them at even strength, but this team’s fight and willingness to stand up for teammates was ever present, though those characteristics were lacking in past years.

However, Sullivan wasn’t happy with his team’s overall performance.

“We get scored against. We challenged for goalie interference (because we) thought it was a really fair challenge. We don’t win the challenge. They score on the powerplay. It’s a two-goal swing,” said Sulivan. “That’s why I’ve never been a big fan of the rule, quite honestly. You know, it’s pretty punitive for something that is a difference of opinion. In other words, it’s not black and white, right? So it’s a two-goal swing, but there’s a lot of hockey left. I just I just think we get outplayed tonight. We didn’t we didn’t play well enough.”

The score will sting. Perhaps the bonding in the battle will be a boost. Or perhaps some players weren’t happy with Michael Bunting’s agitating antics. See the final quote below.

Power Play: F

Six chances should have resulted in one, if not more, goals. Surely, more than six shots on goal should have resulted. The power play lacked aggressiveness, instead scrambling in the neutral zone and offensive zone as Ottawa pressured.

Penalty Kill: D

They’re struggling. Nothing is smooth, and they’re not attacking as well as they were just two weeks ago. Either teams have figured out a seam in the strategy, or the players are slumping.

Coach Francis Anzalone dug into the struggles on our YouTube channel.

Alex Nedeljkovic: C-

Those weren’t bad goals. His skate was kicked on the first one. The second was a clean one-timer from the slot that happened in a flash. He could have made another save or three. We’ll call it a below-his-expected performance.

Michael Bunting: A

Here’s why: He stirred the pot. Double toil and trouble. Burn and caldron bubble. He dragged the Penguins into the fight, and even if Sullivan didn’t heap praise upon him, we will. It’s up to the Penguins to harness that energy, not be distracted by it.

However, here’s the quote from Karlsson.

“This sucks. Obviously, we lost control of our temper, and we focused on a lot of things, not involving playing hockey and playing our game. That’s something that shouldn’t happen no matter what happens in the game,” Karlsson said. “There are some things we can control and some we can’t. They scored two goals. It could have been zero. You know, that’s that’s obviously unfortunate for us. But, you know, it shouldn’t throw us sideways the way that it unfortunately did today.”