It was a tension-filled night at PPG Paints Arena as two offensively explosive teams played a tight defensive battle, with the Penguins finally cracking the Dallas defense in the last minute to beat the Stars, 2-1.
Dallas scored first just 19 seconds into the game when the puck deflected off the skate of Kris Letang onto the stick of Roope Hintz, who buried it through the five-hole of Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry for a 1-0 Stars lead. The Penguins tied it on a power play goal at 13:14 of the period when P.O. Joseph took a great feed from Kasperi Kapanen and fired a wrist shot into the net through a screen set by Jason Zucker in front of the Stars’ goalie, Jake Oettinger.
The game then turned into a defensive duel until the 19:25 mark of the third period, when Oettinger poke checked the puck away from Bryan Rust onto the stick of Evgeni Malkin, who knocked it into the open net for the game-winner.
Tristan Jarry stopped 26 of 27 shots for the win for the Penguins, his 13th of the season.
Coach Mike Sullivan says it was a “low event” game that required a patient approach by the Penguins.
Sullivan says the Malkin line played a solid two-way game.
The coach liked the composure of Jarry in the net.
Malkin said the Penguins were up against a big, talented team that scores a lot of goals.
Joseph scored his first goal of the season and second of his NHL career. He says the defense needed to step up, especially after the early Dallas goal.
The Penguins played without defenseman Jeff Petry, who suffered a left arm injury in Saturday’s win over Buffalo. Chad Ruhwedel replaced Petry on the blue line.
Winners of six in a row, the Penguins travel to Miami to play the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.
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