Penguins’ Rally Comes Up Short Against Devils in Shootout

It seems as if there’s never a good time for the Pittsburgh Penguins to play New Jersey.

Especially at PPG Paints Arena.

The Devils, after all, entered their game there Tuesday with victories in their previous five visits to the Penguins’ home rink.

New Jersey extended that streak to six with a 3-2 shootout win and, in the process, thwarted the Penguins’ bid to win three games in a row for the first time since they ran off four consecutive victories Nov. 27-Dec. 3.

The Penguins, though, were able to overcome a 2-0 deficit and salvage a point by taking the game past regulation.

The loss came in the first of seven games in a row against Metropolitan Division opponents for the Penguins, who are 3-8-4 inside the division and 22-24-9 overall.

In the seven-round shootout, Rickard Rakell and Anthony Beauvillier scored for the Penguins, while Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust, Kevin Hayes, Kris Letang and Cody Glass were stopped. Timo Meier, Paul Cotter and Dougie Hamilton got goals for New Jersey, but Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Tomas Tatar and Luke Hughes were denied.

This was the Penguins’ final home game before the league shuts down for the Four Nations tournament. They will visit the New York Rangers Friday and Philadelphia Saturday before the break begins.

Crosby left the game after a multi-player collision early in the third period, but returned with about 8 1/2 minutes remaining in regulation.

The Penguins trailed, 2-1, at the second intermission, but Hayes pulled them even — and ultimately, forced overtime — at 7:53 of the third, taking a feed from defenseman P.O Joseph and beating Devils goalie Nico Daws from just below the left hash. Beauvillier got the second assist on the goal, Hayes’ ninth.

Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic got the game into the shootout by stopping Jack Hughes, who scored New Jersey’s two regulation goals, on a breakaway in the waning seconds of overtime.

Beauvillier appeared to flatten Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler with a hard hit at the red line just over eight minutes into the opening period, but replays showed that Siegenthaler actually was falling to the ice before Beauvillier arrived, and that he made only nominal contact with Siegenthaler.

The Penguins got the first power play of the opening period when New Jersey defenseman Brett Pesce was called for high-sticking Crosby at 13:18, but they were able to generate just one shot on Daws while Pesce was in the penalty box.

They got another chance with the extra man at 16:55, as Devils center Curtis Lazar was sent off for interference, and appeared to take a 1-0 lead at 18:34. The goal was quickly waved off, however, because video replays confirmed that Rakell kicked the puck into the net with his left skate.

Bratt had nearly put New Jersey in front about 15 seconds earlier, but Nedeljkovic was able to stop him on a shorthanded breakaway.

Hughes got revenge for his right winger with 16.4 seconds to go before the intermission, shoving a shot past Nedeljkovic during a scrum in the crease.

That goal ended Nedeljkovic’s shutout streak, which began in the second period of the Penguins’ 3-2 overtime win at Utah last Wednesday, at 105:01.

Joseph was assessed a double-minor for high-sticking New Jersey center Justin Dowling at 3:57 of the second period, but the Penguins were able to get through those four minutes unscathed, as the Devils were credited with just two shots on goal.

Hughes struck again at 9:14, taking a feed from Braat and driving a slap shot past Nedeljkovic from inside the right circle during a four-on-four.

Rickard Rakell sliced the Devils’ advantage to one at 14:56, beating Daws on a wraparound for his 24th of the season. Crosby and Erik Karlsson got assists.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are scheduled to practice Wednesday at noon at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.