Penguins blow two-goal lead against the Blue Jackets before losing in a shootout

Matt Vensel, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Jan 7, 2025

Published in Hockey

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PITTSBURGH — The Penguins squandered another two-goal lead Tuesday and ended up losing to the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-3, at PPG Paints Arena. It was decided in a shootout.

The Penguins, who were without Evgeni Malkin on Tuesday, had seemed well on their way to a win thanks to a red-hot power play and two goals from Rickard Rakell.

After falling behind early when the Blue Jackets beat Tristan Jarry on their first shot of the night, the Penguins scored three straight goals to take a 3-1 lead. Michael Bunting pulled them even at 1-1 during the second period with his latest power-play goal, then Rakell pumped two pucks past Elvis Merzlikins in the third period.

Rakell now has 20 goals on the season. He had just 15 in the 2023-24 campaign.

But Dmitri Voronkov scored his second goal of the game to pull the Blue Jackets back within one, then Adam Fantilli tied it up on the power play with 2:36 remaining.

Tuesday was the second time in as many games that the Penguins couldn’t protect a two-goal lead. That cost them a point in Sunday’s 4-3 overtime loss at Carolina.

The Penguins dominated the overtime period but Merzlikins got the visitors into the shootout by robbing Sidney Crosby and later Bryan Rust on point-blank chances.

They lost when Kirill Marchenko scored on Jarry in the third round of the shootout.

Ice chips

— Malkin was a surprise scratch against the Blue Jackets after he seemed fine during Tuesday’s morning skate. The Penguins announced he will be sidelined day to day with an upper-body injury. Cody Glass filled in for him as the second-line center.

— During the second period, Crosby won a record-setting draw against Monahan. It was the 15,183rd faceoff win of Crosby’s career, pushing him past Patrice Bergeron for the most in the league since the NHL started to track that statistic in 1997-98.

— Jesse Puljujarvi got back in the lineup. It was his first game in one month. He had been a healthy scratch in the Penguins’ previous 12 games and 17 of their last 18.

— Tuesday was the eighth time this season the Penguins allowed their opponent to score on their first shot. Jarry was in goal for six of them, in just 19 starts. The NHL has tracked this stat since 1997-98, and among Penguins goalies only Tom Barrasso allowed more goals on the first shot in one season. It was seven times in 1997-98.

— Bunting has now netted eight power-play goals, setting a new single-season high.

— Ryan Graves and Ryan Shea were the odd men out on the Pittsburgh blue line.

Coming up

The Penguins are practicing Wednesday. Their five-game homestand will continue Thursday when they host Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.