Penguins Can’t Stop Making Mistakes; Blow Chance in Loss to Jets

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Pittsburgh Penguins (3-4-0) were poised to end the undefeated streak of the Winnipeg Jets, claiming a two-goal second-period lead. However, the Penguins have not yet figured out how to get out of their own way this season, and more mistakes begot more Winnipeg Jets (5-0-0) goals and another Penguins loss.

What could have been became another anger-inducing event. Winnipeg won 6-3 at Canada Life Centre on Sunday.

Coach Mike Sullivan put the Penguins’ lines in a blender and came up with four new combinations, but Lars Eller was the one player who fought against the slipping trend.

Eller (3, 4) scored a pair of goals Sunday, one in front of the net, but a more important third period marker on a strong individual effort off the wall to the net that gave the Penguins a tie game 3-3 and a chance.

The Penguins quickly gave back the chance with dreadful coverage following Sidney Crosby’s faceoff loss. Winnipeg had several people near the net, and the Penguins had none.

Adam Lowry (2) easily put back the rebound with Penguins defenseman Kris Letang in tow.

The third period backbreaking mistake was courtesy of Marcus Pettersson, whose up-pass into the neutral zone was intercepted, creating a Winnipeg rush with superior numbers and too many trailing Penguins. Mason Appleton (2) was next in line for the easy goal. Winnipeg led 5-3 at 7:41 of the third.

The Penguins goalie roulette settled on Alex Nedeljkovic Sunday. Sullivan declined to name a starter pregame, but Nedeljkovic made his first NHL start of the season after one rehab start with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Friday.

Sullivan also changed all four forward lines and one defensive pair, inserting Valtteri Puustinen into the lineup for Michael Bunting.

Read More: Sullivan Drops the Patience, but Dodging Questions

Nedeljkovic was sharp. His numbers may not look spectacular, stopping 30 of the first 35 shots, but his team did him few favors. Winnipeg has 11 official shots in the first period, but it seemed like double that as the new Penguins lines needed a few moments to jell. The Penguins had seven giveaways in the first period, which was scoreless.

Both teams had 16 shots in the second period.

Despite fighting through a bit of an adjustment period, the Penguins claimed a 2-0 lead early in the second period. Things looked good … until they didn’t.

On a power play that carried over from the end of the first to the second, Penguins center Lars Eller won a puck battle near the net, allowing Rickard Rakell to slice the penalty kill with a cross-ice pass to Kevin Hayes (3) for a one-timer tally at 1:30.

Nearly four minutes later, Eller’s line pinned Winnipeg in the defensive zone. Eller (3) quickly turned a rebound into a red goal light at 5:21 for a multi-goal lead.

However, more defensive mistakes, miscues, and whoopsies meant the Penguins ended the second period in a 3-2 hole.

The Penguins dominated the first 12 minutes of the second period, getting 14 shots on goal, including a pair of tallies, but a mistake by Jesse Puljujarvi proved costly.

On the delayed penalty called on Puljujarvi for tripping, Kyle Connor snapped a one-timer through Nedeljkovic’s five-hole at 12:18.

The Penguins’ defensive gaffes were just beginning, as was Winnipeg’s push.

The Penguins’ gaps were more spacious than the Manitoba prairie, but it was Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves who made the ultimate mistake later in the second period. Graves knocked Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele to the ice near the net but lost sight of Scheifele, who popped up and buried an uncontested rebound at 17:36.

The tie game didn’t last long.

Playing four-on-four, the Penguins sprung from the defensive zone as if Eller had the puck. The ever-so-minor problem was that Eller didn’t reach the puck before Nikolaj Ehlers swooped in and took the puck to the net, essentially a two-on-none.

Ehlers fed linemate Vladislav Namestnikov (2) for the easy tap-in and a 3-2 Winnipeg lead.

A good Penguins period became more of the sloppy same. The Penguins had 14 shots in the first 12 minutes of the second period but just three more in the final eight minutes while allowing three goals.

In the first period, the Penguins put eight shots on Winnipeg goalie  Eric Comrie but waited until the final minutes of the period for a good scoring chance. Sidney Crosby evaded defenders below the goal line and sprung Bryan Rust toward the net.

Comrie was strong in the third period when the Penguins pushed back later in the period.

Give me fuel, give me fire, give me Nino Neiderreiter scored the empty netter.

Penguins notes

Ryan Graves added to his league-leading takeaway total with a swift swipe near the blue line in the first period. The Penguins penalty kill dominated that battle and did not allow Winnipeg to set up in the zone.

Winnipeg’s power play was 50% (7-for-14) before that. Winnipeg’s power play was 0-for-2, including a power play in the final minute.

Winnipeg fans are known for some creative chants. They took the third period lulls to mock Penguins prospect Rutger McGroarty, who spurned his drafting team–the Jets–forcing a trade this summer. “Where is Rutger?” chants broke out, followed by “Yager’s better,” jeers.

The Penguins traded their top prospect, Brayden Yager, for McGroarty in August.

If the Penguins season doesn’t turn around, Penguins fans may also be chanting, “Where is Rutger?”

Joel Blomqvist backed up Nedeljkovic. Tristan Jarry was a healthy scratch. Sullivan broke from protocol and did not publicly announce his starting goalie before the game.