BOSTON -- Sure, the Penguins lost a point Tuesday night.
They might well have lost yet another left-handed defenseman, too.
And some of them likely lost a little sleep, too, thinking about how they failed to get a game-winning goal -- or even a shot -- out of a 3-on-0 break during overtime of what became a 3-2 loss to Boston at TD Garden a few minutes later, when the Bruins took full advantage of a 2-on-0 of their own.
But for all the negatives for the Penguins in this game -- from the injury that forced Brian Dumoulin to sit out the third period and overtime to that squandered opportunity to win in overtime to their inability to capitalize on any of their six power plays -- there were a couple of positives that could offset anything that went askew.
And both revolved around one guy.
That would be Evgeni Malkin who, after six-plus games of mostly uninspired play, began to look like, well, Evgeni Malkin. Just when the Penguins needed him most.
In the process, Malkin helped to infuse life into the second line. His wingers, Jason Zucker and Kasperi Kapanen, accounted for the Penguins' two goals, and Malkin had a chance to put an exclamation point on the Penguins' late-game comeback in overtime, but opted to try to get the puck to Kris Letang as they moved in alone on Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask.
It was a bad decision, and a worse pass. The puck skittered past Letang and, a few minutes later, the Bruins took full advantage of their 2-on-0, as Craig Smith took a feed from David Krejci and beat goalie Tristan Jarry from the inner edge of the right circle with 10.9 seconds left in the extra period.
The game-ending sequence began when John Marino turned the puck over in the neutral zone, and that was not the only costly and conspicuous mistake by a Penguins defenseman on this night.
Letang was guilty of several, like when he failed to impede Bruins winger Brad Marchand after he carried the puck into the Penguins' end, then cut from right to left into the slot before throwing a shot past Jarry at 7:41 of the opening period for a shorthanded goal.
Later, when the Penguins had a power play late in the second period while trying to overcome a 2-0 deficit, Letang turned the puck over to Bruins winger Chris Wagner in the neutral zone, then tripped Wagner when he was on his way to the net.
Having that power play aborted seemed like it might snuff any chance the Penguins had of a comeback, but Zucker revived them with his first goal of the season at 9:47 of the third, beating Rask from inside the right circle.
Shortly thereafter, Malkin -- only sporadically engaged to that point -- left an indelible mark on the game.
With just over five minutes left, he sprung Kapanen on a breakaway.
Rask stopped that, but couldn't do it again when Malkin gave Kapanen another chance, as Kapanen moved down the right wing before cutting to the net and having the puck slide past Rask and into the net.
"I'll take it," Kapanen said.
By that time, Malkin, dormant for so much of the season, was well on his way to developing into a Category 3 force of nature.
"I thought (Malkin) got better as the game went on," Mike Sullivan said. "He just seemed to get more and more confident. ... He had the puck an awful lot tonight. That's usually a good indication that (Malkin's) game is coming."
Malkin actually came within millimeters of ending the game at 1:23 of overtime, when he put a shot off the crossbar behind Rask.
The ill-fated 3-on-0 with Letang and Bryan Rust followed shortly thereafter -- proving yet again that the unselfish play often isn't the most prudent one -- but if Malkin's revival was a portent and not a short-lived spasm of excellence, it bodes well for the Penguins.
Having two lines that can produce goals on a regular basis will complicate the challenge of defending them, and Malkin's unit seemed to get into a rhythm as the game progressed.
"I thought (Malkin's) line had a strong game," Sullivan said. "They were on the puck. They had a lot of offensive-zone time. They created a lot of scoring opportunities."
And capitalized on a couple of them, which Zucker suggested was a by-product of trying to strip their offensive game down to the basics.
"Our emphasis today, going into the game, was shooting pucks and trying to get to the net," he said. "We, myself especially, have been a little too fancy the last few games, trying to make the perfect play."
Kapanen joined the Penguins after the season began, and has appeared in just four games, but the speed and hand skills that prompted the Penguins to trade for him after last season were evident against the Bruins.
"I feel like I'm getting my legs underneath me a bit," Kapanen said.
That, of course, is encouraging for the Penguins.
And it might be even more so if he were a defenseman who plays the left-side, because filling that role for the Penguins in 2020-21 is proving to be slightly more hazardous than working on the bomb-disposal squad.
Dumoulin, a fixture alongside Letang on the No. 1 pairing, became the fourth left-handed defenseman the Penguins have lost in the first seven games, joining Marcus Pettersson, Mike Matheson and Juuso Riikola on the injured list.
In their absence, Marino has been forced to switch from the right side to the left and P.O Joseph has been obliged to go from the taxi squad to a regular shift on the Penguins' blue line.
"It's tough when you get down that many players at the same position," Sullivan said. "It's a test of your depth. I think the guys are stepping up. We're asking guys to play more significant minutes and more significant roles, and these guys are competing."
Which is just one of the things Malkin reminded his teammates that he's still capable of doing, too.
• The Penguins' power play was 0-for-6 and generated just six shots on goal. "I didn't think we executed as well as we have been in prior games tonight, for whatever reason," Sullivan said. "You have to give Boston credit. They've got a very good penalty-kill, but I don't think we were at our best."
• Marchand is widely recognized as one of the dirtiest players in the league, but he's also capable of being one of the best. His shorthanded goal was outstanding, as was his pass to set up Nick Ritchie's five-on-three power-play goal in the second period.
• Dumoulin wasn't the only significant player to leave the game early. Jake DeBrusk, the right winger on Boston's top line, played just 3 1/2 minutes before departing because of an unspecified injury.
• The Penguins were absolutely crushed on faceoffs, winning just 20 of 66. Drew O'Connor was the only Penguin to win more than he lost, going 1-0. Sidney Crosby, easily their best man on draws this season, controlled just eight of 27.
• The Penguins have not won in Boston since 2014, going 0-7-2 in their past nine visits. They'll try to break that streak when they face the Bruins again Thursday at 7:08 p.m.
THE ESSENTIALS
THE THREE STARS
As selected at TD Garden:
1. Craig Smith, Bruins
2. Brad Marchand, Bruins
3. Tuukka Rask, Bruins
THE INJURIES
• Forward Zach Aston-Reese is still recovering from the left shoulder surgery he underwent in August and has been skating with the taxi squad since the end of training camp.
• Defenseman Zach Trotman underwent right knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus on Jan. 14 and is expected to be out 4-6 weeks
• Defenseman Mike Matheson is out "longer term" with an upper-body injury sustained on Jan. 15. He skated Tuesday in a non-contact jersey.
• Defenseman Juuso Riikola is out "longer term" with an upper-body injury sustained on Jan. 19
• Defenseman Marcus Pettersson is "week-to-week" with an upper-body injury sustained on Jan. 19.
• Forward Evan Rodrigues is "longer term" with a lower-body injury sustained on Jan. 25.
• Defenseman Brian Dumoulin is being evaluated for a lower-body injury sustained Tuesday.
THE LINEUPS
Sullivan’s lines and pairings:
Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust
Jason Zucker-Evgeni Malkin-Kasperi Kapanen
Jared McCann-Teddy Blueger-Brandon Tanev
Drew O'Connor-Mark Jankowski-Colton Sceviour
Brian Dumoulin-Kris Letang
John Marino-Cody Ceci
P.O Joseph-Chad Ruhwedel
And for Bruce Cassidy's Bruins:
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Jake DeBrusk
Nick Ritchie-David Krejci-Jack Studnicka
Anders Bjork-Sean Kuraly-Chris Wagner
Trent Frederic-Charlie Coyle-Craig Smith
Jeremy Lauzon-Charlie McAvoy
Connor Clifton-Brandon Carlo
Jakub Zboril-Kevan Miller
THE SCHEDULE
The Penguins are scheduled to practice at TD Garden Wednesday at noon, then face the Bruins again Thursday at 7:08 p.m. at TD Garden.
THE CONTENT
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