The up-and-down Penguins ended 2024 on a down note, with a New Year’s eve loss in Detroit.
The Red Wings’ J.T. Compher scored a power play goal at 14:26 of the third period to give them a 3-2 lead and Dylan Larkin added an empty net goal with 15 seconds left for a 4-3 Detroit win. Compher’s tap-in game-winner came after a slap shot caromed off the pipe and deflected off Alex Ndeljkovic’s back.
Drew O’Connor had both of the Penguins’ goals, once in the first period and once on the power play in the third. Ndeljkovic made 21 saves on 24 shots.
Coach Mike Sullivan says it was a solid hockey game by both teams.
Sullivan says Detroit won by making one more big play than the Penguins did.
The Pens got Marcus Pettersson back into the lineup after he missed six games with a lower body injury, but he was on the ice for all three of the Red Wings’ goals before the empty-netter.
The Penguins had issues with the officiating all game long. The referees failed to call an obvious penalty when Evgeni Malkin was cross-checked face first into the goal post; they called a slashing penalty against Bryan Rust that they eventually rescinded after determining he was the victim, not the perpetrator; they also failed to call a penalty when Rust was pulled down on a potential short-handed breakaway just before Compher’s goal.
The Penguins placed Kris Letang on injured reserve yesterday with a lower body injury. Sullivan says Letang is “day to day.” Also yesterday, forward Jesse Puljujarvi cleared waivers. He’s still on the team but is now eligible to be sent to the minors.
The road ahead for the Penguins is tough. They will play Friday at defending Stanley Cup champion Florida, then Sunday at Carolina, where they have not won since 2018. After that they will return home for four straight games, starting Tuesday against the Blue Jackets, then facing the Oilers, Senators, and Lightning.
