DALLAS – COVID-19 threw another curveball at the Penguins on Saturday in Dallas.
It appeared the Penguins were on the cusp of, finally, putting together a complete lineup. Jeff Carter returned from the COVID protocol, and Evgeni Malkin could make his season debut any day now.
Instead, it was the opposite. Brock McGinn tested positive for the virus on Friday and then on Saturday morning, just hours before the game, Bryan Rust’s result came back positive.
Forced to play with a short-handed roster that featured just 11 forwards, the Penguins came within five minutes of escaping with two points anyway. Instead, they got nothing, as the Stars scored three unanswered goals, including two in the final 5:01 to beat Pittsburgh, 3-2.
The Penguins entered the game with a 10-game winning streak, the longest any team has accumulated this season. They lost for the first time since Dec. 1 in Edmonton.
Fast starts have been a fixture of the recent winning streak. That continued again on Saturday.
The Penguins’ top line, which featured Evan Rodrigues in place of Rust, was buzzing from the puck drop. They threatened virtually every time they jumped over the boards. But it was a defenseman that took advantage on the score sheet. As Sidney Crosby jockeyed for position in front of the net, Brian Dumoulin ripped a wrister from the left dot to make it 1-0.
Later in the first period, the Penguins got more offense from the defense. Off a faceoff win, Marcus Pettersson uncorked a shot that Kasperi Kapanen re-directed to make it 2-0.
Over the last 11 games, the Penguins have outscored opponents 19-1 in the first 20 minutes. This time, however, the Penguins couldn’t sustain the pressure after their strong start.
During an evenly played middle period, the Stars eventually cut the Penguins lead in half by capitalizing on a poorly timed pinch and unfortunate bounce.
After Jake Guentzel lost his stick in the corner, Pettersson departed the blue line and slashed down the boards to try to keep the play alive in the offensive zone. Instead, it sprung the Stars for a rush attempt. As Jeff Carter attempted to kick the puck out of danger, it instead slid right to Denis Gurianov in the slot.
The Stars pressed hard over the second half of the game and were especially threatening in the third period. Finally, with just 5:01 left in regulation, Joe Pavelski cleaned up a rebound to tie the score at 2, as Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry pleaded with the referee.
Dallas built on that momentum to take a 3-2 lead with 3:46 left. Jarry made one good pad save. Then, on his stomach, he got his glove on another shot. But he couldn't freeze the puck. The third time was the charm for Dallas, as Roope Hintz recorded the go-ahead goal.
The Penguins' road trip continues on Tuesday in Anaheim.
