The Pittsburgh Penguins came into Saturday night’s game fresh off their first win of 2025, defeating the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. However, the scrappy Ottawa Senators got under their skin, shutting out the Penguins on home ice 5-0.
The two teams combined for 15 penalties in the first period, but the damage was already done on the scoreboard. The Senators jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back.
Ultimately, the Penguins have no time to dwell on his latest defeat since the Tampa Bay Lightning are in town on Sunday.
What went wrong on Saturday?
Senators Stop Penguins Momentum for Second Time
When the Penguins met the Senators for the first time this year, they had just beaten the Montreal Canadiens 9-2, and within 48 hours, they had forgotten how to score.
The Penguins can’t seem to break through against the Senators, whether it’s Ottawa’s edgy physical style or their shutdown defensive system. They have now come into contests against the Senators after big wins and get humbled.
These two teams, fighting for a wildcard spot, don’t meet again until Mar. 30 in Ottawa. It will be interesting to see the implications for that late-season contest.
Special Teams Power Outrage
Despite one win in 2025, the Penguins had become one of the league’s most lethal power-play units, converting on 38.1% of their opportunities since Christmas.
However, Saturday was a disaster for Pittsburgh, which not only went 0-for-6 on the man advantage but also gave up two power-play goals and a shorthanded goal.
Ultimately, head coach Mike Sullivan challenged the game’s first goal from Shane Pinto and didn’t win, allowing Ottawa to score on the ensuing power play, and the Penguins were in a deep hole.
Ottawa’s physicality in the first period threw the Penguins off their game. Every time they had an advantage, they never got much going, and despite all their recent successes, they didn’t have anything to show for on Saturday.
Are Nedeljkovic and Jarry Going to Get Penguins Into Playoffs?
Interestingly, the Penguins are ranked 12th in the NHL with 132 goals scored, but with another five goals against in Saturday’s game, they have surrendered 160 on the season, nine more than the San Jose Sharks.
Since the opening week, Pittsburgh has led the NHL in this category, which is a concern.
At one point, the Colorado Avalanche were hanging out with the Penguins at the bottom of this statistical category but swapped out their entire goalie tandem.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh continues to roll with Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic, hoping the duo can keep the team in the playoff race. But with a team GAA higher than 3.60, history is not on the Penguins’ side to overcome these totals and clinch a playoff spot.
Penguins & Senators Trivia Answers
How did you score in our Game Day Trivia quiz? Here are the answers.
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Shawn McEachern
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Alexandre Daigle
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Magnus Hellberg
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Marian Hossa
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Patrick Lalime
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Evgeni Malkin
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Eric Cairns
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Jaromir Jagr
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Brad Thiessen
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Tom Barrasso
Related: Penguins’ Concerning Statistic Derailing Season
