OTTAWA, Ontario (TNS) – Suppose it had to end sometime, much like all good things. Although that’s not going to lessen the sting of this one. Not when the Penguins were looking for a proper response following a tough loss to one of their biggest rivals.
Instead, the Penguins saw their run of 90 consecutive games without back-to-back regulation losses come to a close with a 4-1 loss to the Senators on Thursday at Canadian Tire Centre. The defeat comes 24 hours after they fell, 5-2, at Washington.
They hadn’t lost back-to-back games in regulation since Dec. 14-19, 2015 – coach Mike Sullivan’s first four games on the job, a span of 390 days. Sullivan didn’t see the end of this one, either, as he was ejected with 1:57 to play by referee Wes McCauley.
The loss dropped the Penguins record to 26-10-5; however, their 57 points at the midway point of the season are still the third-most they’ve had through 41 games in franchise history.
Looking for a fifth consecutive win against the Senators, the Penguins fell victim to a poor start and a leaky penalty kill, an issue that has plagued them for much of the first 41 games of the season.
Possessing an NHL-high seven wins when trailing after two periods, the Penguins started to control territory in the third period before Mark Stone got the dagger, backhanding a feed from Derick Brassard at 8:59.
Conor Sheary tipped an Evgeni Malkin shot with 6.4 seconds left in the second period for the Penguins’ only goal. They’re now tied with the New York Rangers for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Making his first start since Dec. 28 because of a lower-body injury, Matt Murray had a so-so outing, stopping 29 of 33 shots to drop to 6-2-1 in his last nine decisions.
Former Penguin Mike Condon stole the show in stopping 29 of 30 shots for the Senators.
After killing 31 of 34 penalties in a 10-game stretch prior to Washington on Wednesday, the Penguins have now coughed up four power play goals in their past two games, including two in the first 9:26 against offensively challenged Ottawa.
Overall, the first period was an especially sloppy one for the Penguins. They made careless decisions with the puck and got outshot, 15-8.
With Carl Hagelin off for slashing, Ottawa’s Bobby Ryan ripped a shot from atop the left circle for a 1-0 lead at 5:29.
By the 7:05 mark of the opening period, the Senators had registered nine of the first 10 shots on goal.
Mike Hoffman made it 2-0 at 9:26 of the first when he redirected an Erik Karlsson point shot from the slot with Steve Oleksy off for hooking, Oleksy’s third minor penalty in three periods dating back to Wednesday.
Sidney Crosby did not record a goal for just the eighth time in 35 games.
