PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – For the seventh time this season the Pens blew a third period lead, this one at 19:59.9 of the third period. In other words, Anaheim’s Beckett Sennecke scored with 0.1 seconds left to tie the game at 3. Ducks won in a shootout 4-3.
On the game-tying goal, which was short-handed, Sennecke wove past Bryan Rust, between the legs of Kris Letang and then as he let his shot go, Pens defensemen Erik Karlsson was diving on the ice and actually deflected it in off his hand.
Minutes after the game Karlsson was still at a loss for what just happened.
“It hit my hand and went in, how it came to be that way, I don’t really know,” Karlsson said. “It’s definitely something that shouldn’t happen. 17 seconds left, up a goal on the power play, we win a faceoff and they score a goal.”
“This is a game that shouldn’t have happened the way it did.”
Pens head coach Dan Muse defended having Karlsson and Letang on the ice with a lead with 17 seconds left. He said both play in every situation, defensive as well as offensive.
Goalie Arturs Silovs is now 0-4 in shootouts this season. Muse said he wouldn’t consider substituting Silovs for another goalie during shootouts, rather they will continue to work.
“They scored one, we didn’t score any,” Silovs said of the shootout. “Yeah, sure you can practice. I can be better. We can be better in general. I think we are going to find a way.”
As a team the Pens are one for their last 11 in shootouts.
“I mean I think it's something we do practice and you know, it's one of those things that we've gotta be better at, you know, those are important points,” said captain Sidney Crosby.
“We are going to continue to evaluate from game-to-game,” said head coach Dan Muse. “You look at our guys, the options that we have. You are going to look at the goalie in the other net and where we could have an advantage. Obviously, we went with a couple of different guys (Novak, Crosby, Koivunen). We are going to continue to work.”
“It’s obviously a very frustrating feeling right now,” Karlsson said. “That was a game that we all thought we had in the bag after scoring a late power play goal. But like I said, being up a goal with 17 seconds left, that’s a game we should win 99.9% of the time.”
Notes
· In his last 6 games Tommy Novak has 3 goals and 4 assists
· Pens had a season-high 48 shots (8 in overtime)
· Noel Accari had the first goal, his first of the season
· Anthony Mantha gave the Pens the lead with a power play goal at 16:05 of the third period on an assist from Crosby and Karlsson
· Pens have points in 21 of 28 games
3 in 4
Starting Thursday night against the Canadiens, it’s three home games in four days. Saturday at 3p it’s the Sharks and then the Utah Mammoth at 3p on Sunday. There is one more home game on Tuesday at 7:30 against Edmonton before going on the road for four of the next five.