Danton Heinen, Teddy Blueger, and Mike Matheson each scored, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to their seventh consecutive win with a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night.
Tristan Jarry stopped 17 shots for Pittsburgh, while Dominik Simon, Chad Ruhwedel, Marcus Pettersson, and Jason Zucker added assists. The Penguins have improved to 12-2-1 in their last 15 games, allowing just 10 goals in their last seven.
“I don’t think it was our best,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “I give our players credit. We competed hard, found a way to win, and I think that’s the sign of a good team.”
Janne Kuokkanen and Nathan Bastian scored for New Jersey, and Jon Gillies made 19 saves in his first start for the Devils since being acquired from the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday. The Devils have lost six straight and 12 of their last 13 games.
“A couple of plays with the puck cost us again,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. We cleaned up a lot, but we’ve got to avoid getting too frustrated.”
The Penguins’ penalty kill, which leads the NHL with a 92.1% efficiency and has allowed only six power-play goals, thwarted four of New Jersey’s five power-play opportunities.
“I think we’re all on the same page,” Blueger said about the penalty kill. “Our goaltending has been great, and we all pressure in unison, being aggressive and making good reads off each other. It combines little details, blocking shots, and denying zone entries.”
Pittsburgh’s first goal came at 9:19 of the first period when Blueger intercepted a pass from Jack Hughes, outmaneuvered Dougie Hamilton, and beat Gillies between the pads. It was Blueger’s seventh goal of the season and Pittsburgh’s first short-handed tally.
It also marked New Jersey’s NHL-high sixth short-handed goal allowed. The Devils rank last in power-play efficiency, with just 11 power-play goals on 88 attempts this season (12.5%).
“It was an ill-advised decision,” Ruff said of Hughes’ pass. “A high-risk pass that turned into an opportunity.”
Heinen increased Pittsburgh’s lead at 1:03 of the second period, taking a cross-ice pass from Pettersson and firing a snap shot past Gillies’ stick. Matheson added an insurance goal at 9:31 of the third, with Sam Lafferty providing a crucial screen in front of Gillies.
“Without Lafferty, there’s not a goalie in the league that doesn’t stop that shot from where I was,” Matheson said. “He should get the goal for what he did, not me.”
Jarry, who has played in the second-most games among NHL goalies this season, picked up his 15th win, tied for third-most in the league. He sealed Sunday’s win with a last-second save on Andreas Johnsson, which Ruff described as “almost as good as you’re going to get when you get to walk in alone.”
MIXING IT UP
Jarry received his first penalty minutes of the season with a double minor for butt-ending Devils defenseman Mason Geertsen during the second period. Jarry now has 16 career penalty minutes.
BREAK IN PLAY
The Devils’ scheduled game against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, their final before the NHL’s annual holiday break, was postponed due to the league’s pause on cross-border travel amid COVID-19 outbreaks.
BRATT’S BACK
Jesper Bratt returned to the lineup after missing Saturday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings with a non-COVID-related illness. Bratt, who leads the Devils with 24 points in 29 games, finished the game with a minus-2 rating.
UP NEXT
- The Devils and Penguins will face off again on Tuesday in Pittsburgh.
