PITTSBURGH — This article originally appeared on PGHHockeyNOW.com.
The Pittsburgh Penguins (14-7-7) have controlled regulation play for most of their recent games, but wins have slipped from their grasp by allowing late goals and their inability to win in overtime or a shootout. The Penguins have lost two straight games via the shootout after leading in the final minutes, and there was nearly a third. They will try to scrub the frustration Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens (15-11-3) at PPG Paints Arena.
The puck drops shortly after 7 p.m.
If games ended after 58 minutes, the Penguins would be on top of the league. However, in each of the last three games, the Penguins have yielded a tying goal in the final 120 seconds. Three games ago, the NHL Situation Room disallowed the Tampa Bay Lightning’s tying goal, but the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks not only tied the game, but they also won in a shootout.
The Penguins’ shooters are 0-for-6 in those two shootouts.
Anaheim tied the game with 0.1 seconds remaining as the Penguins’ defensive zone coverage collapsed, and Ducks winger Beckett Senecke slipped past defensemen Kris Letang on his way to the net. Defenseman Erik Karlsson then accidentally knocked the loose puck into his own goal for the tying marker.
Click here to read more from PGHHockeyNOW.com.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW