Penguins flat out in another Boston loss

The Penguins had a job to do.

Even though their general manager quit his job.

Thursday morning, they were still trying to shake Jim Rutherford’s stupor as he was abruptly stepping away from a totally successful tenure with the organization.

There was still a bit of lingering shock, not even 24 hours after Rutherford resigned. But they realized they couldn’t let that distract them from the task at hand, a road competition against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.

“I think he’s the best general manager in hockey,” coach Mike Sullivan said of Rutherford, a man he considers a close friend. “But obviously he’s made a decision that he thinks is the best for him and his family. Our positions here are not changing. We will do our best to put this team in the best possible position to win.

Limited to 17 shots, the Penguins were far from that position as the Bruins beat them 4-1. It was the Penguins’ 10th consecutive loss to Boston, a streak dating back to 2015.

“We all know we have a great team. We have great players, ”said Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin. “We see Boston, they (are) faster, they (are) hungry, and they win every battle around. We have to look at ourselves in the mirror. Fight every shift. It’s not a pretty game right now.

“We have to play simple and we just have to work, work, work.”

The Bruins followed that philosophy by claiming a 1-0 6:10 lead in regulation. Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk beat Penguins forward Jake Guentzel to a loose puck on the Penguins left wall and pulled him to the net. Penguins defenseman Kevin Czucman blocked the shot but allowed a roll into the lunge where Bruins forward Chris Wagner hit a forehand past goaltender Tristan Jarry for his first goal of the season.

An unlikely source scored the Penguins’ first goal at 3:03 pm from the first when defenseman Cody This snapped a twist past goalie tackle Jaroslav Halak. It was Cette’s first score of the season and the first as a member of the Penguins.

After that, the Penguins rarely looked like a threat to score as they offered a mostly disjointed effort for most of the contest.

“(The Bruins) won most of the puck battles, head-to-head battles, got pucks up the wall,” forward Teddy Blueger said. “It ended up being the difference. It’s something we need more of, it’s just to be harder to play. (Be) a little more physical and work together instead of trying to play too individually.

The Bruins continued to look like the much more cohesive unit as they regained the lead at 6:53 pm from the first. An attempted pass by Bruins forward Ander Bjork from the left circle glanced up from the left ankle of Bruins forward Sean Kuraly, positioned above the crease, and deflected behind Jarry for Kuraly’s first goal.

Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron scored 8:13 of second and a powerplay chance 1:40 of third to top the scoring, his fourth and fifth scores of the season, respectively.

Jarry made 16 saves in the loss while the Penguins’ 17 shots were their lowest of the season.

Malkin had two shots but was held without a point. With just three points (one goal, two assists) in eight games, his fights were kind of an allegory for the Penguins.

He was frank about his dysfunctions after the game.

“I need to look at myself (in) the mirror,” said Malkin. “I need to find my body, I need to find myself. I definitely have to help the team. I understand that. I’m not happy with my game at the moment. He just comes to the rink every day, works and fights every shift.

Sullivan offered a similar assessment for her entire team and the work they do.

“We have to play the game the right way,” Sullivan said. “That’s what I think. We have to defend when it’s necessary and not just try to beat teams. You have to be harder to face if we are still to be successful. And we haven’t been difficult to play against. tonight.

Seth Rorabaugh is a staff writer for Tribune-Review. You can contact Seth by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .