The Penguins looked very determined to end their seven-game losing streak in Raleigh, taking an early lead and looking especially crisp while doing so.
Then reality set in.
And the reality is that the Penguins don’t match up well against Carolina, they don’t play well in Lenovo Center and they are rarely capable of putting together strong 60-minute efforts. The team that became synonymous with blowing two-goal leads early this season did it again, falling to Carolina for the third time this season in a 4-3 overtime loss.
Erik Karlsson’s goal in the third period helped the Penguins salvage a point.
Unlike two nights earlier in Florida, when they also fell in extra time, the Penguins were not pleased with this point.
“Not at all,” Rickard Rakell said. “Not after playing so well in the first period. You can’t lose that game.”
But the Penguins did indeed lose in Raleigh for the eighth straight time, a streak that dates to Dec. 22, 2018. They did score more than two goals in this building for the first time in seven years, but it still wasn’t enough for the victory.
Sebastian Aho scored the game-winner in overtime, taking advantage of Sidney Crosby’s exhausted unit to beat Alex Nedeljkovic.
Mike Sullivan was very unhappy with how his team performed in the second period.
“We just got out-competed,” he said. “They raised their level and we didn’t push back. We got out-competed. We lost puck battles. Our D would pinch on the walls and we would lose those battles on the wall. Their D on the walls and keep pucks alive. We’ve got to win the walls.”
The Penguins had a glorious chance to win the game when they were presented with a power play with three minutes remaining in regulation. However, they didn’t get a sniff on that man advantage.
What has been one of the league’s best power plays for the past six weeks went 0-for-3. Sullivan was asked what was wrong with that unit this evening and didn’t hold back.
“Execution,” he said. “Speed. Tempo. It was a microcosm of our overall game tonight.”
The good news for the Penguins is they don’t face the Hurricanes again this season. On the bad side of things, the Penguins are now 3-7-2 against their fellow Metropolitan Division opponents this season. They also find themselves in a 1-2-2 funk since the holiday break. They were on a 9-3-1 run entering the break.
The Penguins struck early in the first period when Kevin Hayes had all the time in the world to put a shot past Dustin Tokarski just 3:47 into regulation on a three-on-one.
Carolina was uncharacteristically loose early in the game, conceding numerous odd-man rushes.
Only 81 seconds later, Karlsson produced his most spectacular moment as a Penguin when he made an exquisite play to set up Michael Bunting for his 12th goal.
The second period, however, very much belonged to the Hurricanes.
Rod Brind’Amour’s team simply took control of the contest in the middle period, scoring three times. Seth Jarvis scored the first and third goals of the period with Jalen Chatfield adding the game-tying goal.
“They just took it to us,” Hayes said.
All three of Carolina’s goals were scored on the rush.
“And we know that’s where they’re most dangerous,” Rakell said. “You can’t give them those kinds of opportunities.”
It was a surly Penguins team that headed home Sunday night. After an off day Monday, the Penguins return to action at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday before hosting Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.
