{"id":61032,"date":"2025-12-14T23:58:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T23:58:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/61032\/"},"modified":"2025-12-14T23:58:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T23:58:15","slug":"unbelievable-penguins-blow-another-large-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/61032\/","title":{"rendered":"UNBELIEVABLE. Penguins Blow ANOTHER Large Lead"},"content":{"rendered":"

PITTSBURGH \u2014 Utah Mammoth (16-15-3) forward Dylan Guenther put the dagger in the Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a>\u2018 (14-8-9) wounded heart just 42 seconds into overtime, and the Penguins blew yet another large, and should-be insurmountable lead, losing 5-4 in overtime Sunday at PPG Paints Arena.<\/p>\n

The remarkable and wholly unbelievable slide would surely stop Sunday. Yet another multi-goal lead entering the third period, and surely professional hockey players wearing Penguins jerseys would be able to figure out their recent extraordinary spate of large third period leads lost.<\/p>\n

In fact, they did not. And Utah didn\u2019t wait for the extra attacker, instead scoring four goals in the first 7:06 of the third period. <\/p>\n

But this time, the Penguins had time to score a tying goal as Justin Brazeau neatly deflected Erik Karlsson\u2019s shot at 14:06 of the third period, at least getting the drowning Penguins back to even 4-4. <\/p>\n

But it was only temporary. <\/p>\n

Like so many games before, the Penguins were opportunistic. <\/p>\n

Rutger McGroarty<\/a> created a turnover from Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev<\/a> in the Utah zone, setting up Ben Kindel\u2019s precise cross-ice pass to Justin Brazeau in the left circle. At the same time, McGroarty made a direct charge toward the net, while Brazeau pulled off a spinning backhand pass toward McGroarty. Before the puck got to McGroarty, it deflected off Utah center Nick Schmaltz into the net at 48 of the first period. <\/p>\n

Just as the Penguins have done a handful of times over the past couple of weeks, they raced to a multi-goal lead. <\/p>\n

Later in the first period, the Penguins lost an offensive zone faceoff, but Bryan Rust<\/a> (11) didn\u2019t allow Sergachev space to skate the puck around the net. Rust created a loose puck and then poked it past Vejmelka at 15:21 for a 2-0 lead. <\/p>\n

The intensity was missing for most of the second period, but that benefitted the Penguins, who claimed a 3-0 lead when Ryan Shea<\/a> sprung Ben Kindel (8) for a breakaway goal at 5:40. <\/p>\n

Murashov made a few sparkling saves to preserve the Penguins\u2019 advantage. He made a couple on the first shift of the game, and a couple more on second-period penalty kills. <\/p>\n

The second period shot totals reflected the pace. Utah outshot the Penguins 9-4, and Utah was outshooting the Penguins 19-10 after 40 minutes. <\/p>\n

Ville Koivunen led the Penguins with a mere two shots and was the only Penguins player with more than one after two periods. <\/p>\n

However, in four of the last five games, including an overturned goal in Tampa Bay on Dec. 4 and the four-goal meltdown Saturday, the Penguins squandered what should have been solid leads. <\/p>\n

And a 3-0 lead Sunday didn\u2019t necessarily fill the crowd who braved the embarrassingly unmaintained, unplowed Pittsburgh city streets with confidence. <\/p>\n

In his fourth career start, Murashov made a few sparkling saves, including a pair in the first couple of minutes of the game. However, he yielded a couple of big rebounds early in the third period, directly leading to a pair of goals. <\/p>\n

Then Utah scored another pair of quick goals. By 7:06 of the third period, the Penguins\u2019 latest third period lead had exploded in their faces like a cartoon cigar. <\/p>\n

Early in the third period, the latest meltdown began when Mursahov kicked a big rebound right to defenseman Nate Schmidt on the left wing. Schmidt (2) quickly snapped it back into the net at 1:07 of the third period. <\/p>\n

Just 15 seconds later, Murashov made the first save on Michael Carcone\u2019s rush, but his pad-popping rebound went directly back to Carcone some 20 feet away. From near the goal line, Carcone (5) put back his chance at 1:22. <\/p>\n

Very quickly, 3-0 became 3-2, and Penguins coach Dan Muse<\/a> used his timeout, but it only delayed the inevitable. <\/p>\n

Several minutes later, Sean Durzi\u2019s shot from the right circle beat Murashov at 5:35, but center Kevin Stenlund was in the crease and in contact with Murashov. Muse rolled the dice and challenged for goaltender interference. While the Penguins had solid grounds for a challenge, it was denied. <\/p>\n

To make matters worse, Utah scored on the power play resulting from the challenge when Carcone (6) ripped a top-shelf wrister past Murashov at 7:06, and Utah led 4-3. <\/p>\n

Murashov stopped 32 of 36 in regulation. Vejmelka turned aside 12 of 16. The Penguins were 0-for-2 on the power play, but Utah had five chances, converting one. <\/p>\n

Of little consolation, the Penguins have points in nine of their last 11 games, but just four wins and five extra-time losses either in overtime or the shootout.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTags: ben kindel<\/a> Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> sergei murashov<\/a> utah mammoth<\/a> <\/p>\n

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