Devils use penalty shot to defeat Penguins, spoil Crosby season debut

PITTSBURGH -- Jesper Bratt scored on a penalty shot with 3:00 remaining in the third period, and the New Jersey Devils spoiled Sidney Crosby's season debut by defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.

After Crosby was called for tripping when he pushed Bratt into Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry, Bratt deked to his backhand to score on the penalty and make it 3-2. Andreas Johnsson scored into an empty net for his second goal of the game and the 4-2 final with 1:43 left.
"I was kind of just a little relieved," said Bratt, who also had an assist after not scoring a point in his previous five games this season. "… It was just nice that it went in, finally. It's been a little struggle to put the puck in the back of the net."
Jonathan Bernier made 33 saves in his return to the lineup for the Devils (4-2-0), who played on the road for the first time. Bernier had missed three games with a lower-body injury.
Crosby had two shots on goal, two hits and two blocked shots in 19:16 of ice time, and fellow center Jeff Carter also returned for the Penguins (3-3-2), who have lost three straight, all in regulation, following a five-game point streak to start the season. Crosby missed the first seven games after having wrist surgery Sept. 8; Carter, who had four shots in 21:31, was in the NHL COVID-19 protocol for three games.
"Conditioning felt all right," Crosby said. "Just timing is obviously a little off. It's hard to gauge that when I haven't been in this situation before. Obviously, would've liked it to have gone better."

The Penguins captain last played when Pittsburgh was eliminated in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup First Round against the New York Islanders on May 26. Crosby scored two points (one goal, one assist) in six games during the best-of-7 series.
"It's his first game in probably five months," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "We all have such high expectations of him. But for him, it's not an easy thing to jump into a regular-season NHL game when you've gone through what he's gone through."
Jarry made 36 saves, and Zach Aston-Reese had two assists for Pittsburgh.
Danton Heinen put the Penguins ahead 1-0 at 12:23 of the first period. Juuso Riikola backhanded a pass into the crease that Aston-Reese tipped on net before Heinen scored on a rebound from the slot.
Johnsson tied it 1-1 by shooting off the back of Pittsburgh forward Evan Rodrigues' leg and in at 19:23.
"We worked on our system," Johnsson said. "I feel like, from the start, you could see every guy was prepared to do the job. It's a little bit of a weird game. But I think we played good the first and second period, really good. The third, had some PK and people blocking shots, working hard. It was great to see."
Jimmy Vesey gave New Jersey a 2-1 lead with a shorthanded goal at 17:57 of the second period. Crosby attempted a pass back to John Marino at the point, but Vesey tipped it past the defenseman for a breakaway before scoring with a backhand through the five-hole.
"It was a big goal for us," Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. "There were probably two or three opportunities before that to take the lead. I thought Jimmy, we get the opportunity and he puts it in the back of the net. So I thought it changed the momentum."

Brock McGinn tied it 2-2 at 2:02 of the third period. Teddy Blueger sent a pass out front while falling behind the goal line, setting up McGinn for a wrist shot from the slot.
"I think our second period wasn't as sharp as we'd like," McGinn said. "I think we just weren't executing as well as we should."
NOTES: Crosby began his 17th NHL season, tying Mario Lemieux for the most seasons played with the Penguins. The three-time Stanley Cup champion has scored 1,325 points (486 goals, 839 assists) in 1,040 games, all with Pittsburgh. … Penguins first-line left wing Jake Guentzel, who had two shots on goal in 19:57, was held without a goal for a sixth straight game since scoring in the season opener. He scored 23 goals in 56 games last season. … New Jersey killed each of Pittsburgh's five power plays after allowing the Calgary Flames to score on two of three chances in a 5-3 loss Tuesday.