Recap: Jarry pulls Pens to get a point in Calgary, Pens lost 2-1 (SO)

Pregame

The Penguins make one lineup change from last game, getting Sam Lafferty back in for a game for the first time in a month and Brian Boyle heads to healthy scratch land. Tristan Jarry back in net.

First period

The Flames come out the gates very strong and come close to scoring several times. They hit a post, Jarry makes a few nice saves, and Kris Letang has a beauty of a sprawling defensive play.

Late in the first, Chad Ruhwedel and Blake Coleman get tangled up, at first Ruhwedel is the only player assessed a penalty for high-sticking Coleman. But he only did that because Coleman was hooking them. The refs deliberate and get the call right to send both to the penalty box.

No score, no penalties in the first. Shots are 10-8 Calgary. The Pens did a little better in the period’s closing moments, but it was a pretty quiet period for the visitors.

Second period

The Flames keep pushing, hit another post and require Jarry to make more great stops. He is playing well, but can’t hold forever. It’s Milan Lucic who gets around Chad Ruhwedel and scores five-hole coming down the left side to open the scoring. 1-0 CGY.

No penalties or further goals, shots in the second were 11-7 Flames. The Pens’ big guns and top line has been all but invisible to this point, surprising since they were so hot so recently at generating shots.

Third period

Finally with 7:32 left in the game, one team gets a power play. Mikael Backlund throws down Evan Rodrigues in front of the net, and that’s interference. Golden chance for the Pens’ power play to bring them back...And it works! Seven seconds in, Pittsburgh strikes. Sidney Crosby throws a pass from the point for a shot/pass to Jake Guentzel who tips the puck and then it clicks of a Flame skate and juts into the net. 1-1 game.

That goal, plus Jarry making some big time saves like below, buys the Pens a point as the game goes to OT.

That’s how a goalie plays to give his team a chance to win while staring down another top goalie on the other end of the ice. Have to pull some rabbits out of the hat, and Jarry has been doing it consistently all season.

Overtime

Crosby and Guentzel start things out, control the puck and get a good look with Sid feeding Jake but failing to get a shot away.

The Flames are next to get a chance, but Jarry gets more post luck and the puck stays out.

OT opens up with 1:30 left, Calgary gets a 3-on-1 but Jarry denies Rasmus Andersson’s shot. Pittsburgh goes the other way with a 2-on-1 but Letang and Jason Zucker can’t force the puck in. Then it’s right back to the other end with Johnny Gaudreau getting a Grade A shot but Jarry making a highlight reel glove save for the best and most important save of the night.

Shootout

Sean Monahan is first, he lifts a shot but Jarry is on him.
Guentzel goes first for the Pens, he blasts a wrister that hits the crossbar clean...After a review, no goal.

Matthew Tkachuk is next, tries to shoot from distance low, Jarry has no problems.
Crosby is up for the Pens, he shoots wrister for the glove but Markstrom’s glove is there.

Round 3 starts with Gaudreau, he shoots past the glove of Jarry and now it’s score or done for the Pens.
Letang gets the call, he finally brings out his backhand deke on the shootout and it works! Lifts it past Markstrom and the game continues.

Andrew Mangiapane dekes slow to out-wait Jarry, but he runs out of space and the late shot is stopped.
Jeff Carter for the chance to win, gets stopped by Markstrom when he tries to cut his shot back blocker side.

Round 5 sees Elias Lindholm up, his wrister is stopped by Jarry’s glove.
It’s now Evan Rodrigues’ chance to be the hero, he fumbles the puck and his rushed backhander is a shot wide.

Round 6 is Oliver Kylington time, the defender tries to shoot five-hole but Jarry denies him.
For Pittsburgh’s third chance to win, it’s Kasperi Kapanen. Kapanen tries to lift a shot on Markstrom’s glove, no dice.

Round 7 is Backlund’s shot and he rips a shot high glove on Jarry to score.
It’s back to score or go home time for Brock McGinn, he tries to deke forehand but Markstrom shuts the door.

Flames survive the shootout to pickup the extra point in the standings.

Some thoughts

• For the longest time it looked like the Pens were about to go 0 for 2 games on even scoring a goal on Jacob Markstrom. The big goalie has been sublime all season and very dominant against Pittsburgh. Luckily they only see him twice a year.
• Fairly curious move to dress Lafferty, who has basically been relegated as an afterthought into the lineup. Obviously they wanted a bit more speed to combat Calgary tonight than what Boyle would have brought, but for a team cross-training Drew O’Connor as a center in the AHL, what is Lafferty going to bring to the table that O’Connor wouldn’t? Not sure there is a great answer there as that sort of inefficient setup of the middle lines continues.
• Interesting again that on the top power play, it was Jeff Carter taking the draw from the right (strong) side of the ice. That always would have been Crosby in the past. The strategy worked perfectly since Carter won the faceoff clean and Crosby created the shot attempt that led to the goal. But it still says something that the setup has changed.
• Dominik Simon got hit in the third period by a shot up high coming off a rolling puck, maybe in the side of the helmet or head in the third and went to the bench. Scary looking sight but it seemed he had his faculties about him somewhat. Hopefully he will avoid serious damage but he did not return to the game.
• It’s now a 10-game point streak for Guentzel, who joins a pretty exclusive and illustrious list of Pens players to accomplish that.
• Win or lose, another terrific performance by Jarry who was probably the best player on the whole ice given work amounts. And it was even nice to see Jarry bounce-back in the shootout and make 5/7 stops. Can’t ask for too much more from a goalie, going 1/7 as shooters is not a winning formula in the shootout.

Pens escape Calgary with a point, the Flames are a very impressive team and did well in this game, in a lot of ways it’s a good result after not scoring for 53 minutes to leave with one point for the standings and move on. Pittsburgh goes to Edmonton next on Wednesday night.