Takeaways: Penguins Let Point Slip Away With Yet Another Shootout Loss

For the fourth game in a row, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets required play beyond regulation to determine a winner.

And, unfortunately, the Penguins’ shootout demons got the best of them once again.

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Columbus defeated Pittsburgh in a four-round shootout, 4-3, after the Penguins tied the game late in regulation to force overtime. Penguins’ goaltender Arturs Silovs stopped 22 of 25 shots by the Jackets – and stopped two of four in the shootout – while Jackets’ goaltender Elvis Merzlikens was outstanding, stopping 29 of 32 and making some huge saves in overtime to force the shootout for Columbus.

The Blue Jackets did get on the board first, as ex-Penguin Zach Aston-Reese scored his first goal of the season by beating Penguins’ defenseman Kris Letang to the puck with his stick and firing it in at the net-front to make it 1-0.

But, after that goal, the Penguins took over the rest of the period, outshooting Columbus, 11-4, and outscoring them, too. It started when Connor Clifton got the puck in the right circle and snapped one toward the net, which beat Jackets’ goaltender Elvis Merzlikens glove-side to give the blueliner his first goal and point of the season – both firsts as a Penguin.

Then, nearing the end of the period, there was a fast-developing play down low where the puck was roped around the boards, and Sidney Crosby was waiting for it in the left corner. He immediately slapped a pass to the low-slot area, where Rickard Rakell put it home to give the Penguins the 2-1 lead.

But the Blue Jackets made a push in the second period. Kirill Marchenko registered his 18th of the season on a shot from the right circle to tie the game at 2-2, and then, the Penguins began to get into some penalty trouble, which seemed to disrupt their flow. Within the last two and half minutes of the middle frame, another former Penguin, Danton Heinen, tipped an Erik Gudbranson shot from the right point and past Silovs to make it 3-2 in favor of the Jackets.

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And the score remained that way until late in regulation. With the goaltender pulled and exactly one minute remaining in regulation, Kris Letang directed a shot-pass right to the tape of Crosby, who was perched to the right of Merzlikens. As he’s done a thousand times, Crosby redirected it into the net, and the Penguins tied things at 3-3 to force overtime.

As has been the case in most overtime periods this season, the Penguins controlled play, dominating possession and getting several high-danger scoring chances. However, they could not finish, and the shootout was forced – which has been a large area of weakness for Pittsburgh this season.

The shootout went four rounds, as ex-Jacket Egor Chinakhov rifled his second shootout goal for the Penguins to force another shot after Kent Johnson had already beaten Silovs earlier. Silovs stopped Marchenko, but then Bryan Rust failed to score, and Charlie Coyle came through for the Jackets after that to give Columbus the 4-3 win.

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“We’re just going to keep working on it,” Silovs said. “I think we’re getting better, but I think, still, there’s another level.”

And as for shootouts being more of a mental thing for the team, given the Penguins’ 1-7 record in them??

“For sure,” Silovs said. “You want to win in the shootout. I think we played a really good overtime. And whether that means scoring a late goal in the third to tie the game, get a big point… I mean, yeah, for sure, after that, you want to win the game. But things happen the way they happen, and [you] just get ready for the next one.”

Penguins’ Chinakhov Responds To Firing Of Blue Jackets Coach Dean Evason Former Columbus Blue Jacket Egor Chinakhov – now with the Pittsburgh Penguins after requesting a trade – responded to the firing of his former coach Dean Evason, who he had a rift with during his time in Columbus.

Here are some thoughts and notes from this one:

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– It feels like there is just one thing off in this lineup right now, despite everything largely going right for the Penguins. And I think it’s the configuration of their second and third lines.

I do think Evgeni Malkin and Chinakhov should continue to be iced together. They have developed chemistry, and Chinakhov is the type of player you want paired with an elite playmaker because of his world-class shot.

But I think Ben Kindel should get another shot centering that line. I liked the dynamic of Tommy Novak better with Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau, and – for whatever reason, injury-related or not – the Penguins seem reluctant to put Malkin back at center, even between the big boys.

It’s just a small tweak. But I think both players would benefit from that switch.

The Penguins Need This Version Of Kris Letang For The Playoff Push Kris Letang has been rock solid for the Penguins lately, and that’s a big deal.

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– This was a huge, huge point for the Penguins, regardless of whether or not they got the two.

They are about to embark on a four-game Western road swing, which is always kind of a toss-up for them. With losses by the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals Saturday, they are also only two points out of second place in the Metropolitan Division with a game in hand on the Isles.

They need to keep banking points however they can, even if I’m going to circle back to this point in a minute.

– The Penguins might not have been able to pull this one out, but good for Chinakhov getting that goal in the shootout against his old team. And, to cap it off, he plowed into Merzlikens – one of his good friends – after ripping it past him.

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I keep saying it, but his shot is so impressive.

– Kindel and Malkin came so, so close to closing out the game in overtime. Kindel made a strong puck play behind the net, and – from his stomach – shoveled the puck to a wide-open Malkin at the net-front. Malkin didn’t bury it. Then, he and Kindel each got two more opportunities to put it in, and they didn’t.

Credit to Merzlikens. He was very good late in this game, and he was good again in the overtime. It’s just unfortunate for Kindel, who is generating offense regularly but has gone 16 games without a goal.

– Malkin was on another planet Saturday. He had his gallop, and he looked to be in vintage form. The first line was dangerous on every shift, too.

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If the big guys can drive play and continue to keep it going on offense, I think this team will be fine.

– Despite strong defensive efforts in most games since the holiday break, I did not think the Penguins were quite as sharp Saturday.

They were credited with 14 giveaways – I counted more – and they gave up far more odd-man breaks than we’ve grown used to seeing lately, especially in the second period. Even if they didn’t have their best throughout the 60 minutes, however, they still did enough in the goaltending department and when it counted to earn a point.

“I thought in the second, they got some momentum,” Crosby said. “Arty made some big saves. There were some chances on both sides, but I thought, for the most part, we’ve been defending pretty hard. There’s always things that we can clean up, but I think our mindset’s in the right place.”

Penguins’ Injured Forward Cleared For Contact Pittsburgh Penguins’ Young Forward Prospect Rutger McGroarty was cleared for contact Saturday after going on injured reserve Jan. 7 with a concussion.

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– Alright. Yes, they got a huge point. This isn’t news, but overtime and shootouts are a legitimate problem for the Penguins, and – at the end of the day – it is costing them points in the standings.

The Penguins are 4-11 in overtime and shootouts, including a 1-7 record in the shootout, While shootouts are a very obvious problem, so is the Penguins’ inability to close out games in overtime.

For the vast majority of overtime this season, the Penguins have dominated possession and generated a lot of scoring chances. They simply haven’t finished enough.

Far too many games are being decided by the shootout to begin with, especially given the way the Penguins play in overtime. There was only one NHL team that had more than seven shootouts for the entire 2024-25 season, and that was the Philadelphia Flyers with nine.

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The Penguins have already played in eight, and it’s January.

As for the overtime period, the Penguins need to be using Chinakhov. He has speed, puck skills, and that shot, which check some boxes for a player who should be out during that time. They need to finish more, and he should, theoretically, help them do that. The Penguins have also missed Erik Karlsson in overtime in two of the last three games, and there is no replacement for him.

As for the shootouts, Rakell and Chinakhov should, in fact, be regulars. But Crosby has just one shootout goal in eight attempts this season, and I’m not so sure the Penguins shouldn’t give someone else a go right now.

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And, sorry folks: You cannot bring a cold goaltender into a shootout. So, unfortunately, they’re at the mercy of whoever happens to be in net. And, well, it’s mostly been Silovs. It goes both ways for the Penguins in terms of goaltending and lack of finishing ability, and the Penguins do practice shootouts.

So, they simply need to find a way to close out games before the shootout because these losses cannot continue to happen.

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