PITTSBURGH _ The Wild haven't been very potent in the offensive zone lately, but it was sloppiness behind their own net that was responsible for their latest letdown.
Two giveaways to the exact same player from similar spots bookended a 2-1 loss to the Penguins Thursday in front of 18,435 at PPG Paints Arena to continue a tough stretch for the Wild, as this was their third straight defeat and 11th over the past 17 games.
Penguins winger Bryan Rust was the beneficiary both times, receiving setups from linemate Jake Guenztel.
Rust's first conversion came 13 minutes, 30 seconds into the first period when he capitalized on a miscue by goalie Devan Dubnyk. His pass behind the net went directly to Guentzel, who fed Rust for the open-net shot.
That miscue dented an otherwise solid start for the Wild, which opened the scoring for just the 11th time this season when rookie Jordan Greenway scored off the rush on a rising shot over Pittsburgh goalie Casey DeSmith at 7:13.
After that, both teams took turns owning the momentum and coming close to securing the go-ahead goal.
Center Charlie Coyle had a look in front after cutting to the middle that DeSmith snuffed out. Wingers Jason Zucker and Mikael Granlund couldn't connect on a 2-on-1 opportunity, and center Eric Staal had five shots stopped.
Dubnyk was steady after his turnover, blocking an attempt by former teammate Matt Cullen after Cullen split the Wild defense and later kicking out a pad to keep out an Evgeni Malkin wind-up.
That save came on the penalty kill, and the Wild ended up surviving three power plays for the Penguins, improving to 16-for-16 over its last eight games. Their power play blanked on their two looks.
But eventually, Pittsburgh resolved the stalemate on an almost identical play as its first goal.
This time, defenseman Greg Pateryn's shuffled up the boards was intercepted by Guenztel. He, again, funneled the puck to the front of the net for Rust to wire by Dubnyk at 8:12 of the third period.
Dubnyk finished with 35 saves, while DeSmith had 39.
The Wild have now scored just twice in their last three games. Both goals have been courtesy Greenway.
