It was a night to forget for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they not only lost, 2-1, to the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, but they may be without some key players for a while.
Both teams were held to just one goal heading into the third period, but Bruins center Trent Frederic scored the go-ahead goal at the halfway mark to put his team in front. Brandon Tanev scored the only goal for the Pens in the first period, his seventh on the season. Both teams held each other scoreless in the second period, but tempers flared after Tanev was called for boarding, resulting in a five-minute major penalty. Pittsburgh challenged the call but it was upheld after officials reviewed the hit.
The Penguins successfully killed off the Boston power play, but would lose Tanev after he was ejected for game misconduct.
Tanev wasn’t the only Penguin to exit early, as Evgeni Malkin left in the first period with a lower-body injury. Malkin now joins Teddy Blueger, who was ruled out prior to the start of the game with an upper-body injury, Jason Zucker, Jared McCann and John Marino on the injured list.
After the game, Sidney Crosby said that, as a player, it’s hard to determine the punishment for a hit.
Crosby also emphasized the importance in players understanding what’s ruled as a legal hit.
Casey DeSmith said that the team is still optimistic for the road ahead.
In addition, he pointed out what went right for the Pens instead of what went wrong.
The Penguins still hold a three-point lead over Boston in the East Division, but the loss puts them at 18-10-1 and five points behind the second-place Washington Capitals. They have off on Wednesday, but hit the road to play the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.
Comments