One might assume a team featuring future Hall of Famers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin would excel in the shootout.
But that hasn’t been the case for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season.
The Penguins are just 1-7 when they fail to reach a decision in regulation or overtime entering Monday’s game at Seattle.
Despite Crosby’s tying goal with 1:01 left in regulation Saturday, the Penguins lost 4-3 in a shootout to visiting Columbus, giving them a 1-0-2 record on their just-finished three-game homestand.
“It was a tight game. We had chances,” Crosby said. “They had some chances. I mean, it was pretty even, relative to the score. Even in overtime, we possessed the puck a lot. Unfortunately, couldn’t get the next one.”
The Penguins went 1 for 4 in the shootout, with only Egor Chinakhov converting.
“It’s costing us points, so we’re going to continue to work at it,” Penguins coach Dan Muse said. “I think each night, there’s a different story to it. I thought (goalie Arturs Silovs) made a couple big saves, gave us a chance in it. We also need to score goals. So, it’s both sides.”
Still, the Penguins, who are in a 1-2-2 slump, took four out of a possible six points on their homestand.
“You want to win in a shootout. We played a really good overtime,” Silovs said. “Scoring a late goal in (the) third to tie the game, get the big point. And yeah, for sure, after that you want to win the game. But things happen the way they happen and just get it ready for (the) next one.”
The Penguins open a four-game western swing Monday that also includes stops in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.
The Kraken return home after losing the last three on their five-game trip (1-3-1).
They lost 6-3 Saturday in Utah, allowing three goals in the final 5:30.
“We fell short late in the game again,” said Kraken coach Lane Lambert, whose team is 7-4-7 when tied after two periods. “We can’t continue to be either tied or ahead in the third period and lose a hockey game and not get any points out of it.”
The Kraken scored twice late in the second period to erase a two-goal deficit, but couldn’t carry the momentum forward. Seattle did not get a shot on goal in the opening 10:43 of the third period.
“After the second, we were right where we wanted to be,” Kraken forward Berkly Catton said. “That’s where we’re a good team in those types of games, but we just couldn’t get it done (Saturday).”
The Kraken, who entered the week tied for third in the Pacific Division, have been extremely streaky.
A 1-9-1 stretch was followed by an 8-0-1 run, and they’re 1-3-2 since.
“We’ve gone through tough stretches so far this year, and we came back in a better way by just focusing on the next game and staying tight together,” Kraken forward Freddy Gaudreau said. “So that’s the only focus.”
This will be the second and final meeting between the teams this season. The Kraken won 3-2 on Nov. 22 at Pittsburgh on Brandon Montour’s overtime goal.
–Field Level Media
