Penguins' winning streak ends with ugly loss to Senators

King Jemison, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Feb 2, 2026

Published in Hockey

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PITTSBURGH — After a six-game winning streak full of beautiful play, the Pittsburgh Penguins endured an ugly night at PPG Paints Arena.

They lost 3-2 to the Ottawa Senators Monday in a game that didn’t feel that close.

Claude Giroux’s third-period goal as he crashed into the Penguins’ net late in the game finally created the separation on the scoreboard. But Ottawa looked a level above Pittsburgh throughout the game.

The Senators dominated the puck for most of the first period, proving particularly pesky in the neutral zone. They outshot the Penguins, 13-7. But Arturs Silovs kept them off the board — including denying some really good looks — and Pittsburgh scored for the first time this season against Ottawa.

The player who put them there wasn’t a Penguin when they were shut out at the Canadian Tire Centre on Dec. 18. Egor Chinakhov scored his seventh goal in 16 games with the Penguins. He tied Connor Dewar for the team lead since Jan. 1.

And yet again, it was the Russian connection that gave Chinakhov a chance to unleash his unbelievable release. Evgeni Malkin soared into the Senators’ zone — no easy task — and delivered a perfect pass to his young countryman on the doorstep.

But that goal didn’t exactly turn the momentum. The Senators picked up where they’d left off in the previous period and outshot the Penguins, 9-3, in the second.

This time, the visitors were able to make it count on the scoreboard. Michael Amadio fired an equalizer past Silovs after it looked like Malkin would be able to clear the puck. Instead, Amadio took it from him right in front of the Penguins’ net and scored.

If not for continued stinginess by the Pittsburgh penalty kill, it could have been worse. The Penguins stopped all five Senators power plays — and 33 of the past 35 they’ve faced (94%).

But the Penguins’ sloppiness finally cost them the lead with about 13 minutes to play. They lost the puck in the neutral zone — a theme of Monday’s game — and Ottawa ended up with a 2-on-0 as Pittsburgh changed.

Silovs stopped Drake Batherson’s initial attempt, but Tim Stutzle cleaned up the rebound for a 2-1 advantage.

Given the Senators’ total control of the puck and shots to that point, it felt like they would cruise to a regulation road win.

The Penguins’ second line had other plans.

They finally put together a shift in the Senators zone, and after Linus Ullmark saved a Ryan Shea shot, Tommy Novak poked in the rebound to tie the game with 11:12 to go.

The tie was short-lived.

Giroux came flying in on a breakaway and careened into the net. The puck trickled past Silovs, although it was difficult to say whether it crossed the line before Giroux dislodged the net. It was initially deemed no goal (with Erik Karlsson penalized for tripping), but the referees reversed the call upon review.

Dan Muse’s subsequent challenge was unsuccessful.

Sidney Crosby was silent, as he has been over the past four games (just one assist in that stretch). He even put a shot on his own net in the third period when trying to pass to Anthony Mantha. Silovs was there.

It was over when …

Giroux bull-rushed his way to a winner, and the Penguins ended up on the kill again after the unsuccessful coach’s challenge.

Stat of the game

31-16: The Senators’ shots advantage on a night where the Penguins couldn’t generate much of anything — and often turned the puck over when they did.

Around the boards

— Forward Bryan Rust served the last of a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head in Vancouver.

— Defenseman Ryan Graves was activated from injured reserve Monday after he was placed there Jan. 22. Graves was scratched along with forward Kevin Hayes.

— Malkin extended his point streak to six games with the first-period assist to Chinakhov.

— Parker Wotherspoon was credited with an assist on Chinakhov’s goal. The Russian winger picked up his second point of the night on Novak’s tally.

Up next

The Penguins play the second leg of a back-to-back Tuesday at the New York Islanders. It will be the team’s penultimate game before the Olympic break. They wrap up their pre-Olympic schedule Thursday at Buffalo.

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