Penguins vs. Lightning Recap: Comeback effort falls short again

Lineups

First period

After 60 games and a lot of close calls and good chances lately, Garrett Wilson cashes in! Believe it baby! Nice play by Matt Cullen in the defensive zone to start it all out and a great pass by Teddy Blueger over to make it happen. 1-0 Pens.

It wouldn’t last much more than 1:30, Kris Letang pinches but it’s not unreasonable until Marcus Pettersson loses an edge and oh man why isn’t Brian Dumoulin his partner? 1-1

57 seconds later Erik Cernak unleashes a shot that beats Casey DeSmith to the glove. 2-1 Tampa.

Shots 19-13 Tampa after one.

Second period

Pens get a power play but the Lightning score. Oh no, reset the short handed goal against counter

Less than a minute later Jared McCann gets it back for Pittsburgh from the left side.

Jake Guentzel wraps around and sets up Bryan Rust for a slam dunk to tie the game at 3.

Pens flip the table for 14-8 shot edge in the second period.

Third period

All downhill from here with Jack Johnson on the ice defending Tyler Johnson line, guess who scores?

East Palestine’s J.T. Miler pushes Tampa’s lead to 5-3 by snapping a shot by DeSmith.

Sidney Crosby takes the puck away and passes for Tanner Pearson to slam it home. 5-4 Pens trail.

But the Pens get no closer and lose.

Some thoughts

• Probably no shame in losing to the best team in the league by 1 goal in their house. Especially without the services of the injured Evgeni Malkin. But a loss is a loss is a loss.

Pittsburgh will finish off the road trip on Monday against Philly.