Dan Muse was pensive.<\/p>\n
But certainly perturbed.<\/p>\n
For the second time in as many days, the Pittsburgh Penguins had ceded a multi-goal lead in the third period and lost a game.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, they fell to the Utah Mammoth, 5-4, at PPG Paints Arena in overtime despite holding a three-goal advantage after the opening 40 minutes.<\/p>\n
A goal by Mammoth forward Dylan Guenther 42 seconds into overtime was the difference.<\/p>\n
The path was a bit different, but the same outcome occurred one day earlier. During Saturday\u2019s stunning 6-5 overtime home loss to the San Jose Sharks, the Penguins allowed the visitors to overcome a four-goal advantage in the late stages of the third frame.<\/p>\n
When asked how does he go about fixing this recurring malfunction, the Penguins\u2019 coach offered an observation before answering the question.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst of all, not in a million years did I think that we\u2019d be here today 24 hours later having the exact same conversation,\u201d Muse said. \u201cI probably sound like a broken record.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something is definitely broken and it has sunk the Penguins\u2019 record (14-8-9) in the past eight days. Over that span, they have lost five consecutive games (0-1-4). Four of those defeats have involved comebacks by the opponents, though Saturday\u2019s and Sunday\u2019s setbacks have been particularly repugnant.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to be better when teams push back on us,\u201d Muse said. \u201c(Sunday), we go (into the third period) with a three-goal lead. There\u2019s going to be a push. There\u2019s 20 minutes left to play. Of course, they\u2019re going to keep coming. Over the course of the period, they might get chances. But you can\u2019t let one lead to three.\u201d<\/p>\n
In fairness to the Penguins, their poor play Sunday wasn\u2019t exclusive to the third period. They weren\u2019t all that terribly impressive for most of the contest. The base puck possession numbers were dominated by the Mammoth, including shots (37-16) and shot attempts (78-30).<\/p>\n
Yet, some lucky bounces led to the Penguins tallying the first three goals.<\/p>\n
They opened the scoring only 48 seconds into regulation when Brazeau was credited with his seventh goal of the season.<\/p>\n
From his own slot, Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev tried to snap a pass to the neutral zone toward the visiting penalty box, but Penguins rookie forward Rutger McGroarty broke it up with a poke check. That allowed Penguins rookie forward Ben Kindel to claim possession at the blue line. Spinning off a check from Sergachev, Kindel backhanded a pass to the left circle for Brazeau. As Mammoth forward Clayton Keller and defenseman Nate Schmidt descended upon him, Brazeau spun to his right and flicked a backhanded pass to the slot intended for McGroarty. Mammoth forward Nick Schmaltz was in sound position to disrupt the sequence but wound up deflecting the puck with his stick into the cage past goaltender Karel Vejmelka\u2019s blocker. Brazeau was credited with the score off assists from Kindel and McGroarty.<\/p>\n
pic.twitter.com\/lCvbaWUJYM<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 EN Videos (@ENVideos19) December 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Penguins forward Bryan Rust\u2019s 11th goal came at 15:21 of the first period.<\/p>\n Mammoth forward Michael Carcone tried to dig a puck out off his own right half wall but fanned on his attempt to backhand it out of out of danger. Penguins forward Rickard Rakell was applying pressure and the puck hit off his left skate then skidded in towards the crease. Rust was in the right spot and backhand jabbed at the puck, causing it to flutter to the far side between Vejmelka\u2019s blocker and his ribs, then into the cage. Rakell registered the lone assist.<\/p>\n pic.twitter.com\/80BFXSthKw<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 EN Videos (@ENVideos19) December 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Kindel scored his eighth goal on a breakaway at 5:39 of the second period.<\/p>\n Winning a race to a puck on his own left half-wall, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang rimmed it around the end boards to the opposite corner for defensive partner Ryan Shea. Taking the puck on his backhand and spinning to his left, Shea slid a stretch pass to the center red line, springing Kindel on a breakaway. Approaching the cage with patience, Kindel snapped a wrister past Vejmelka\u2019s blocker. Shea and Letang logged assists.<\/p>\n #Mammoth<\/a> 0 @ #Penguins<\/a> 3 [P2-14:20]:<\/p>\n Goal: Ben Kindel (8) Assists: R.Shea (10), K.Letang (14)#TusksUp<\/a> #LetsGoPens<\/a> #NHL<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/vfnStiyHv5<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalsVideo) December 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n The visitors got on the scoreboard with a hiccup-quick two-goal burst within the first 82 seconds of the third period.<\/p>\n Schmidt scored his second goal 1:07 in.<\/p>\n From the right point of the offensive zone, Keller moved the puck up the near wall to linemate J.J. Peterka, who chucked the puck on net from the half wall. Schmaltz was battling for position in front of the crease with Letang, and the puck struck off the Mammoth forward then caromed to the lower lip of the left circle, where Schmidt escaped the detection of McGroarty and buried a forehand shot into a mostly vacant net behind rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov. Schmaltz and Peterka procured assists.<\/p>\n pic.twitter.com\/WWI80ofCxj<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 EN Videos (@ENVideos19) December 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n That was immediately followed by Carcone\u2019s fifth goal at the 1:22 mark.<\/p>\n Penguins forward Noel Acciari won a faceoff in Utah\u2019s right circle but linemate Kevin Hayes was unable to control the puck, allowing Carcone to claim it and race up ice. Gaining the offensive zone on the left wing, Carcone sped past Penguins defenseman Connor Clifton and put a wrister on net. Murashov made the initial save but allowed a rebound, which Carcone managed to bank off of the back of Murashov and into the cage. There were no assists.<\/p>\n pic.twitter.com\/YUXJoc9t7L<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 EN Videos (@ENVideos19) December 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n The Penguins called a timeout, but that measure was futile as Mammoth defenseman Sean Durzi scored his first goal at 5:35 of the third frame.<\/p>\n Corralling a puck at the center point of the offensive zone, Mammoth forward Kailer Yamamoto offloaded it to the right circle, where Durzi pumped a wrister to the far side by Murashov\u2019s glove. Yamamoto and Sergachev secured assists.<\/p>\n pic.twitter.com\/00gQx4eIur<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 EN Videos (@ENVideos19) December 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n A coach\u2019s challenge was issued by the Penguins, claiming goaltender interference on the sequence by Mammoth forward Kevin Stenlund, but that decision backfired as officials did not find any evidence of malfeasance and gave the Penguins a delay of game penalty. Carcone put his team ahead during the ensuing power-play sequence at the 7:06 mark.<\/p>\n Taking a pass along the Penguins\u2019 end boards, Mammoth forward Barrett Hayton slipped a backhand pass from the left of the cage to the right circle, where Carcone lifted a far-side wrister past Murashov\u2019s glove. Assists went to Hayton and rookie forward Daniil But.<\/p>\n pic.twitter.com\/l8Z8NlQhXj<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 EN Videos (@ENVideos19) December 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cYou know there\u2019s some risk,\u201d Muse said of his challenge. \u201cWas it one that we looked at that I thought was going to be 100%? No, but I thought we had a good enough chance.\u201d<\/p>\n The Penguins persisted and Brazeau\u2019s second goal of the day came at 14:06 mark.<\/p>\n Stationed low in Utah\u2019s slot, Brazeau tipped a wrister by Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson from above the left circle past Vejmelka\u2019s blocker to tie the contest. Karlsson and Kindel collected assists.<\/p>\n #Mammoth<\/a> 4 @ #Penguins<\/a> 4 [P3-5:54]:<\/p>\n Goal: Justin Brazeau (8) Assists: Unassisted#TusksUp<\/a> #LetsGoPens<\/a> #NHL<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ZZVrJ5HgTd<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalsVideo) December 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n That only led to an all too familiar sensation in the form of Guenther\u2019s 15th goal.<\/p>\n Taking a simple pass from former Penguins defenseman John Marino in Utah\u2019s zone, Guenther deked past forward Sidney Crosby at the blueline. Maneuvering into the offensive zone with ease, Guenther utilized Karlsson as a screen near the upper right hashmark and snapped a wrister, beating Murashov\u2019s blocker on the near side. Marino had the only assist.<\/p>\n pic.twitter.com\/2ZprUG8OkM<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 EN Videos (@ENVideos19) December 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Murashov stopped 32 of 37 shots as his record fell to 1-1-2.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the NHL,\u201d Murashov said. \u201cEven if you\u2019re leading 3-0 and feeling good, it doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ve already won the game. You have to play all 60 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n The Penguins might need more than 24 hours (or a million years) to figure out a method for avoiding a similar outcome.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there\u2019s things that we\u2019re implementing that aren\u2019t working, then we\u2019ll change those,\u201d Muse said. \u201cBut I\u2019ve never seen something where it just feels like it\u2019s the same thing coming in different ways.\u201d<\/p>\n Notes:<\/p>\n \u2022 Penguins defenseman Brett Kulak and goaltender Stuart Skinner remain unavailable as they sort out their immigration status. Both players are Canadian citizens and were acquired in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers on Friday.<\/p>\n \u2022 The Penguins are now 1-9 in games that go beyond regulation this season. That includes a 1-4 mark in games determined in overtime and a 0-5 mark for contests that go to a shootout.<\/p>\n \u2022 Their ongoing five-game losing streak is their longest such skid since a six-game stretch (0-5-1) between Oct. 18 and 29, 2024.<\/p>\n \u2022 Brazeau, who was sidelined for all of November due to an undisclosed injury, scored his first goal since Oct. 28.<\/p>\n \u2022 Penguins forward Danton Heinen and rookie defenseman Jack St. Ivany were healthy scratches.<\/p>\n \u2022 Former Penguins forward Brandon Tanev was a healthy scratch for the Mammoth.<\/p>\n \u2022 Mammoth forward Logan Cooley, a native of West Mifflin, was not in the lineup. He is designated to injured reserve due to an undisclosed malady that is slated to keep him sidelined until at least late January.<\/p>\n Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n
19′ Wrister<\/p>\n
9′ Game-Tying Wrister<\/p>\n