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Jarry, Guentzel key in shutout victory

Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby (87) collides with Boston Bruins' Jake DeBrusk during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, April 25, 2021. The Penguins won 1-0.(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan wants his highly skilled team to find a comfort level in playing low-scoring, one-goal games as the Stanley Cup playoffs approach.

That message was received.

Tristan Jarry made 29 saves for his first shutout of the season and Jake Guentzel scored in the Penguins’ 1-0 victory over the Boston Bruins on Sunday.

“It was a hard-fought game and there wasn’t a lot of space out there,” Sullivan said. “You had to fight for every inch on both sides, and from that standpoint, it had a playoff feel. We knew we were going to fight for every inch, and we wanted to force (Boston) to do the same.”

Jarry has won his last four decisions, including a sloppy 7-6 home victory over New Jersey last week, in which he allowed six third-period goals. He rebounded two nights later against the Devils and has earned a point in 11 of his last 12 starts.

“It’s a short season and you play a lot of games,” Jarry said. “It’s a matter of being prepared for the next game.”

Guentzel scored his 21st at 4:03 of the third period to help the Penguins win their fourth straight.

Bryan Rust and Brian Dumoulin made a plays at the blueline and along the wall to keep the puck in the zone and get it to Sidney Crosby near the goal-line. Crosby set up Guentzel, who ripped a high slap shot past Jeremy Swayman’s glove from the left faceoff dot.

“That was a goal-scorer’s goal,” Sullivan said. “It was a great set up by (Crosby). Jake has the ability to do that for us.”

Pittsburgh has 14 wins and points in 16 of its last 19 games overall. The Penguins have 12 wins and points in 13 of their last 16 home games against Boston, dating to March 11, 2012.

Swayman stopped 28 shots for the Bruins. They lost their second straight following a season-long six-game win streak. The Bruins have nine wins in their last 14 games.

Swayman, the top college goaltender last season for Maine, has allowed more than two goals only once in his first seven NHL starts. In his past three appearances, Swayman has stopped 82 of 84 shots, including a shutout. Swayman is the fourth Boston goaltender the Penguins faced this season.

“Those are crucial points and it was a tight game all around,” Swayman said. “It’s what we’re going to expect in a couple weeks. It was a fun game to be part of, but just disappointed that we didn’t come out with the two points.”

PLAYOFF PUSH

Pittsburgh and Boston are battling for two of the top four spots in a tightly contested East Division.

The Penguins, who are in sole possession of first place, have a two-game series against the Washington Capitals after Tuesday’s home game against the Bruins. Pittsburgh’s next three game are against teams jockeying for top-four positioning in the standings.

“It’s two teams trying to fight for the playoffs just to get in,” Guentzel said. “These are two crucial points, and Tuesday is another big one for us. We have to make sure we’re ready.”

Two of Boston’s final nine games – including Tuesday at Pittsburgh — are against teams currently holding a playoff spot. Four of Boston’s final nine are against the New Jersey Devils or Buffalo Sabres, the two bottom teams in the East Division, while the other three are at home against the fifth-place New York Rangers.

TIGHT CHECKING

The Penguins and Bruins played a 0-0 game through two periods.

Both teams had 10 shots in the first period, but Pittsburgh outshot Boston, 11-8, in the second, as the Penguins started to gain control in the later stages of the period. Boston blocked 10 shots, while the Penguins had six blocks and neither team went on the power play in the first two periods.

Guentzel and Rust nearly tucked a puck inside the post off the rush for Pittsburgh in the second, while Jarry denied a quality Craig Smith one-timer in the final minute of the period.

“Our work ethic was OK,” Bruins’ coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We didn’t manage the puck great early on, but we fixed that. Both teams had to work for every inch of ice out there.”

CROSBY SECOND AGAINST THE B’S

Crosby passed Jaromir Jagr for the second-most points all-time by a Penguins’ player against Boston.

Crosby now has 16 goals and 64 points in 49 games against the Bruins, trailing only Mario Lemieux, who finished with 73 points against Boston. No active player in the NHL has more points against Boston than Crosby, who has five goals and 24 points in his last 19 games against the Bruins.

On Saturday, in a win against New Jersey, Crosby joined Wayne Gretzky as the only players in NHL history to register a point-per-game season in each of their first 16 years in the league. He also passed Lemieux and Evgeni Malkin for the most 20-plus goal seasons in franchise history.

Saturday’s game

PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust each scored their 20th goal of the season, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Saturday.

Crosby got an empty-netter with 0.1 seconds to play. His goal came following a tense net-mouth scramble in which the Devils nearly tied the game.

Crosby surpassed Evgeni Malkin and Mario Lemieux for the most 20-plus goal seasons in franchise history. He’s the 36th player in NHL history to have 13 or more 20-plus goal seasons.

“It’s hard to score 20 goals in this league,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “I don’t think it’s ever routine. I think guys that reach that milestone consistently are really good players.”

Jeff Carter, who was acquired by Pittsburgh in an April 12 trade with the Los Angeles Kings, scored his 10th of the season and second in three games. Casey DeSmith stopped 34 shots and Jared McCann scored a power-play goal for the Penguins, who have 13 wins and points in 15 of their last 18 games overall.

Pittsburgh completed a three-game series sweep of New Jersey. The Penguins, who have points in their last nine home games, have nine wins in their last 12 games against the Devils.

New Jersey dropped its ninth straight game and 13th in 14 games overall. Miles Wood scored his 15th goal for the Devils, and Jack Hughes got his 11th.

Mackenzie Blackwood made 36 saves for the Devils after missing the previous two games with an upper-body injury. He is winless in his last nine starts since March 30.

“We need to step up here and get a win, because quite frankly, I’m sick and tired of losing hockey games,” Wood said.

Carter opened the scoring at 9:41 of the first period. The puck rolled off Jason Zucker’s stick and went to Carter, who beat Blackwood to the blocker side from the right faceoff dot.

McCann scored his team-leading seventh power-play goal 3:09 after Carter’s goal. McCann nearly shouldered the right post as he dove and converted a point-shot rebound over Blackwood’s pad. It was McCann’s 13th goal overall.

Rust gave Pittsburgh a three-goal lead 7:30 into the second. Jake Guentzel initially deflected Cody Ceci’s point shot, which later hit Rust’s shin pad and went into the net.

Hughes made it 3-1 at 8:45 of the second. The puck slipped off Yegor Sharangovich’s stick and went to Hughes, who beat an out-of-position DeSmith.

Wood pulled the Devils within a goal 10:58 into the third period. DeSmith committed to the initial shot from Ryan Murray, but he slid a pass to Wood, who scored on a one-timer. Damon Severson’s assist tied Ken Daneyko for seventh in Devils history for points by a defenseman.

“I think everybody is tired of losing, but the effort we put in, the detail we put in, kept the game close and gave ourselves an opportunity,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said.

CROSBY MAKES HISTORY

Crosby’s late goal also locked in his 16th season averaging at least a point a game.

Crosby, who has 55 points in 47 games, joins Wayne Gretzky as the only players in NHL history to have a point-per-game season in each of their first 16 years in the league. Gordie Howe averaged a point-per-game in 17 seasons total, one more than Crosby.

“Anytime you’re mentioned with Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky, that’s pretty neat,” Crosby said. “It’s a compliment to be in that company.”

Sullivan called Crosby a generational talent.

“All these milestones he’s achieving is more evidence of the legacy he’s built and the stamp that he’s put on the game,” Sullivan said. “Some of these milestones he’s reaching now is in such elite company, he is, in my mind, building a real compelling argument for being one of the greatest players of all time.”

INJURY UPDATE

Malkin skated before Saturday’s game.

Malkin wore a no-contact jersey a day earlier when he joined the team at practice for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury on March 16.

Brandon Tanev and Frederick Gaudreau, who have missed 10 and six games, respectively, also skated before Saturday’s game.

Devils center Janne Kuokkanen missed Saturday’s game after injuring his hand blocking a shot on Thursday. Defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler also did not play because he was added to the COVID-19 protocol list.

HITTING THE MARK

Rust has scored 20 goals in consecutive seasons. Rust, who netted a career-high 27 goals in 2019-20, is two away from 100 for his career.

Rust has points in 12 of the last 13 games — nine goals and 17 points — against the Devils, including 10 straight. Guentzel also has points in nine consecutive games against the Devils. He has 10 goals and 25 points in 21 career games against New Jersey.

“I can’t think of another guy that has developed his game as much as (Rust),” Sullivan said. “He’s always been a solid player, but he’s developed his offensive game so well over the time that I’ve been with him.”

Jeremy Swayman’s glove from the left faceoff dot.

“That was a goal-scorer’s goal,” Sullivan said. “It was a great set up by (Crosby). Jake has the ability to do that for us.”

Pittsburgh has 14 wins and points in 16 of its last 19 games overall. The Penguins have 12 wins and points in 13 of their last 16 home games against Boston, dating to March 11, 2012.

Swayman stopped 28 shots for the Bruins. They lost their second straight following a season-long six-game win streak. The Bruins have nine wins in their last 14 games.

Swayman, the top college goaltender last season for Maine, has allowed more than two goals only once in his first seven NHL starts. In his past three appearances, Swayman has stopped 82 of 84 shots, including a shutout. Swayman is the fourth Boston goaltender the Penguins faced this season.

“Those are crucial points and it was a tight game all around,” Swayman said. “It’s what we’re going to expect in a couple weeks. It was a fun game to be part of, but just disappointed that we didn’t come out with the two points.”

Pittsburgh and Boston are battling for two of the top four spots in a tightly contested East Division.

The Penguins, who are in sole possession of first place, have a two-game series against the Washington Capitals after Tuesday’s home game against the Bruins. Pittsburgh’s next three game are against teams jockeying for top-four positioning in the standings.

“It’s two teams trying to fight for the playoffs just to get in,” Guentzel said. “These are two crucial points, and Tuesday is another big one for us. We have to make sure we’re ready.”

Two of Boston’s final nine games — including Tuesday at Pittsburgh — are against teams currently holding a playoff spot. Four of Boston’s final nine are against the New Jersey Devils or Buffalo Sabres, the two bottom teams in the East Division, while the other three are at home against the fifth-place New York Rangers.

The Penguins and Bruins played a 0-0 game through two periods.

Both teams had 10 shots in the first period, but Pittsburgh outshot Boston, 11-8, in the second, as the Penguins started to gain control in the later stages of the period. Boston blocked 10 shots, while the Penguins had six blocks and neither team went on the power play in the first two periods.

Guentzel and Rust nearly tucked a puck inside the post off the rush for Pittsburgh in the second, while Jarry denied a quality Craig Smith one-timer in the final minute of the period.

“Our work ethic was OK,” Bruins’ coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We didn’t manage the puck great early on, but we fixed that. Both teams had to work for every inch of ice out there.”

Crosby passed Jaromir Jagr for the second-most points all-time by a Penguins’ player against Boston.

Crosby now has 16 goals and 64 points in 49 games against the Bruins, trailing only Mario Lemieux, who finished with 73 points against Boston. No active player in the NHL has more points against Boston than Crosby, who has five goals and 24 points in his last 19 games against the Bruins.

On Saturday, in a win against New Jersey, Crosby joined Wayne Gretzky as the only players in NHL history to register a point-per-game season in each of their first 16 years in the league. He also passed Lemieux and Evgeni Malkin for the most 20-plus goal seasons in franchise history.

Saturday’s game

Crosby and Rust each scored their 20th goal of the season, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Saturday.

Crosby got an empty-netter with 0.1 seconds to play. His goal came following a tense net-mouth scramble in which the Devils nearly tied the game.

“It’s hard to score 20 goals in this league,” Sullivan said. “I don’t think it’s ever routine. I think guys that reach that milestone consistently are really good players.”

Jeff Carter, who was acquired by Pittsburgh in an April 12 trade with the Los Angeles Kings, scored his 10th of the season and second in three games. Casey DeSmith stopped 34 shots and Jared McCann scored a power-play goal for the Penguins, who have 13 wins and points in 15 of their last 18 games overall.

Pittsburgh completed a three-game series sweep of New Jersey. The Penguins, who have points in their last nine home games, have nine wins in their last 12 games against the Devils.

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