3 Takeaways From Penguins Disappointing Loss To Lightning

After a brutal loss on Saturday, the Pittsburgh Penguins rebounded with a stronger performance on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but it wasn’t enough as the Penguins lost 5-2.

The home team jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a Rickard Rakell goal but managed only one more tally, a power-play goal from Kevin Hayes in the third, while Nikita Kucherov had two, including the game-winner in the final minutes.

Penguins Can Not Rely on Their Goalies

Tristan Jarry didn’t have a busy night against the Lightning, making 13 saves. However, he gave up a goal on only the fourth shot he faced and then surrendered two on nine shots through 40 minutes. Overall, Jarry finished with a .813 SV%.

Although Jarry only gave up three goals, the Penguins gave up five, bringing their season total to 165, the worst in the NHL by 11 over the San Jose Sharks.

It’s one thing to lose a game where a goalie makes 40 saves, but when a team’s goalie is hardly tested and can’t keep them in the game, it will be hard to trust them in April when they can’t get the job done in January.

How Bad Do the Penguins Miss Malkin?

Since Evgeni Malkin went down with an upper-body injury, the Penguins have picked up only one win against the Edmonton Oilers.

As one of the best players in team history, the 38-year-old is a dynamic forward who causes opponents to rethink every move when he’s on the ice and charging into the zone with the puck on his stick.

In 2024-25, he averaged 18:35 a night, ranking fourth among forwards in the Pittsburgh lineup. Malkin ranks fourth in team scoring, and in his absence, the team now has a goal differential of minus-7 at 10-17.

Although he’s not producing like Rakell, Crosby, or Bryan Rust, there’s no denying Malkin’s presence is significant for the Penguins, who don’t appear the same without him.

Hayes Making the Most of Limited Opportunity

Kevin Hayes came to the Penguins as a bottom-six forward. He produced just four points in his first 14 games, which led to him being a healthy scratch.

Eventually, Hayes was recalled into the lineup in late November and scored another three points in eight games before another press box visit.

Now, Hayes is back in the lineup, filling in for various injured players, and scored on Sunday for the third time in the past six games.

Although it’s a long shot for the 32-year-old to reproduce the 29 points he had last season with the St. Louis Blues, he’s doing his part this season when called upon, even if the opportunities are few and far apart.