Penguins hold off Devils for seventh straight win

NEWARK, N.J. -- The Pittsburgh Penguins won their seventh straight game, 3-2 against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Sunday.

Teddy Blueger, Danton Heinen and Mike Matheson scored, and Tristan Jarry made 17 saves for the Penguins (17-8-5), who have outscored their opponents 26-10 during the streak.
"It wasn't pretty," Blueger said. "I don't think we had our best. We were pretty good at times, but it just seemed like there wasn't a whole lot of rhythm, especially offensively for us. So it was just kind of digging in deep and finding a way to get it done."
Janne Kuokkanen and Nathan Bastian scored for the Devils (10-15-5), who have lost six straight and 15 of their past 18 games (3-12-3).
"Some nights, maybe a week or two ago, we were completely out of it, and then nights like tonight, we easily could've found a way to win," Bastian said. "There's little things. Another shorthand goal (given up) is obviously super frustrating for us, but we played pretty good the whole night. It would have been nice to be rewarded for tonight."
Jon Gillies made 19 saves for New Jersey in his first game since he was acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 15.
"I just want to contribute," Gillies said. "I think that when you're leading up to things and you're kind of in the mix but the group has been together for the whole year, and you kind of haven't really done anything yet, I think that's the part (getting that first start with a new team) that is nice to kind of have it out of the way, but I just got to try and contribute points next time."
Blueger gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 9:19 of the first period with a shorthanded goal on a breakaway after intercepting a pass in his own zone. It is the sixth shorthanded goal the Devils have allowed this season, the most in the NHL.

Heinen made it 2-0 at 1:03 of the second period with a shot from the right circle off a pass from Marcus Pettersson.
"I just like the compete," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. "I like the attitude. These guys, I think, they really care for one another. I think they play hard for one another. Just the compete and the resilience that I think the group has displayed here throughout most of the season."
Kuokkanen got the Devils to within 2-1 at 2:20 when he redirected Ty Smith's shot from the point. It was his first goal in 16 games.
Matheson made it 3-1 at 9:31 of the third on a shot from outside the left circle with Sam Lafferty screening Gillies.
"There wasn't a whole lot of flow to the game," Matheson said. "It just seemed like we really couldn't get things going in a lot of ways, so it was one of those games. It was on the road and not our best effort, but we were still able to get away with a win, which is huge."
Bastian scored a power-play goal to cut it to 3-2 at 11:12, deflecting a shot by Dougie Hamilton.
Pittsburgh was 4-for-5 on the penalty kill and had killed 39 straight opportunities prior to Bastian's goal.
"I just think we're all on the same page, our goaltending has been great, but I think we all pressure in unison and try to be aggressive and just make good reads off each other," Blueger said.

Jarry made a save on Andreas Johnsson in the final seconds of the third period to preserve the win.
"We knew we were going to play a team that was going to play with urgency. They hadn't won in a handful of games and they're a proud group," Sullivan said. "We found a way to win, and I think that's a sign of a good team."
The Penguins and Devils will play the second of a home and home in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. It will be New Jersey's final game before the holiday break; Pittsburgh hosts the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.
"Getting out of it is not going to be easy, but once we do, it will feel good," Bastian said. "Christmas, it's a nice little chance to hit the reset button, but obviously we don't want to look past our next game and the chance we have to play there."
NOTES:Devils forward Jesper Bratt returned to the lineup after missing a 5-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday because of a non-COVID illness. He had no shots on goal in 19:37 of ice time. … Gillies was the sixth different goalie to start for the Devils this season (Mackenzie Blackwood, Jonathan Bernier,
Nico Daws
, Akira Schmid, Scott Wedgewood), which set a team record. … Blueger scored his ninth NHL shorthanded goal. He had three last season.