Losers of 4 of their final six, the Pittsburgh Penguins headed right into a matchup towards the Arizona Coyotes trying to flip issues round.
As a substitute, they ended up making fools of themselves within the desert.
Early within the third interval after the Penguins had simply drawn a penalty, defenseman Kris Letang performed the puck again to middle Evgeni Malkin, however did not account for the place he was on the ice. This led to an personal objective that gave the Coyotes a 4-2 lead they’d by no means give up.
The blunder led to an NHL first, because the Coyotes grew to become the primary group in NHL historical past to attain an influence play objective with out recording an influence play shot within the recreation.
At present 5 factors out of a playoff spot, the Penguins are on the surface trying in and a loss like this could possibly be demoralizing to their possibilities of recovering within the Jap Convention.
With loads of firepower on their roster, together with future Corridor-of-Fame middle Sidney Crosby, the Penguins might want to flip issues round in the event that they hope to be battling for the Stanley Cup in 2024.
In the meantime, the Coyotes discover themselves solely two factors behind the Nashville Predators for the final playoff spot within the Western Convention as they appear to make their first postseason look since 2020.
A group stuffed with younger expertise and veteran castoffs, the Coyotes have been led by 25-year-old proper winger Clayton Keller who’s coming off of a profession yr in 2023, in addition to stellar goaltending by goalie Connor Ingram.
