VANCOUVER, British Columbia _ The Pittsburgh Penguins squished together in the penalty box, practically sitting on each other's laps Saturday in Vancouver.
Infractions to Dominik Simon (double minor for high-sticking), Brandon Tanev (holding) and Jack Johnson (tripping) left the perpetrators out of real estate in the sin bin.
On the ice? The situation was even more precarious for the Penguins' penalty-killing unit. Extended 5-on-3 situations are never easy to defend. But they're even more challenging against Vancouver, which has scored more power-play goals than any team this season.
By the time all three got out of the box, Vancouver had scored a pair of goals and was well on its way to a 4-1 win at Rogers Arena.
The Penguins have found often this year that the best way to kill a penalty is to avoid taking one in the first place. Pittsburgh entered Saturday having committed just 91 penalties, third-fewest in the league. But after being asked to kill just 2.6 power plays a game before Saturday, the Penguins committed three penalties in the first 20 minutes. It proved to be the difference.
Penguins goalie Matt Murray, making just his second start this month and first since Dec. 7, made several strong saves early in the 5-on-3 situation. He made a great kick save with his right and then balanced it out with another solid kick save with his left.
Vancouver initially looked like it had taken a 1-0 lead when J.T. Miller blasted a one-timer past Murray. However, after further review, the goal was waved off for off side.
But against a potent Vancouver power-play unit that entered the game cashing in on more than 25% of its opportunities, it was only a matter of time before the Canucks found the back of the net. Jake Virtanen ripped a one-timer over Murray's glove-side shoulder to put the Canucks on the board. Moments later, Miller got his goal after all, when he redirected a shot from the point to make it 2-0 with three minutes left in the first period.
By the time the first period had ended, Pittsburgh failed to register a single shot to Vancouver's seven.
The early short-handed situations weren't the best way for the Penguins to ease Murray back into action. The two-time Stanley Cup-winning goalie enjoyed a solid start to the season. Through the first 10 games, he posted a .923 save percentage while going 7-3. But as the calendar flipped to November, Murray fell into a second-month slump. He posted just an .867 save percentage in 10 games in November and a record of just 2-2-4.
That swoon, coupled with Tristan Jarry's emergence, have limited Murray's minutes lately. His lone start in December prior to Saturday night came on Dec. 7 in Detroit. On Saturday in Vancouver, Murray saved just 10 of the 14 shots he faced during the loss.
In a game in which special teams played a major factor, the Penguins used a power play opportunity of their own to cut the Vancouver lead in half. In the second period, Adam Gaudette went to the box for a four-minute double minor. Jared McCann wound up and delivered a hearty slap shot on net. Jake Guentzel was there to bat the puck in and extend his team-leading point total to 37 points on his team-best 18th goal of the year.
However, the Penguins' window of opportunity was opened less than a minute. Vancouver answered back less than 45 seconds later. Canucks center Elias Pettersson scored his 17th goal of the season on a rebound to extend the lead back to two goals at 3-1.
The Penguins never got any closer. Vancouver essentially iced the game with 5:29 remaining. Brock Boeser beat Murray on a one-timer from the slot.
After winning the first two legs of a three-game Western Canada swing, the Penguins (21-11-4) dropped to final road game before the Christmas break. They will return to the ice on Dec. 27 in Nashville.
