Pinto scores twice, Senators pounce on Penguins for 5-0 win

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Shane Pinto scored two special teams goals in the first period, Leevi Merilainen stopped 30 shots and the Ottawa Senators beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-0 on Saturday.

Pinto beat Alex Nedeljkovic on the power play just over five minutes into the game then added a short-handed goal in the waning moments of the opening period as the Senators won for the second time in their last eight games.

Tyler Kleven, Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle also scored for the Senators. Claude Giroux added three assists as Ottawa won its sixth straight over Pittsburgh.

Nedeljkovic was pulled midway through the second period after stopping just 12 of the 17 shots he faced. Kleven’s goal 3:16 into the game on a blast from the point marked the 10th time this season that the Penguins have allowed a goal on an opponent’s initial shot.

Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan challenged the goal, claiming Stutzle had interfered with Nedeljkovic. The call stood upon review and Pinto doubled Ottawa’s lead on the ensuing power play with a one-timer from the slot.

Pinto scores twice, Senators pounce on Penguins for 5-0 win | iNFOnews.ca — Pittsburgh Penguins’ Noel Acciari (55) recoils after get a high stick in the chin from Ottawa Senators’ Drake Batherson (19) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pinto then scored just the second short-handed goal allowed by the Penguins this season when he broke in 2-on-1 with Thomas Chabot and fired a wrist shot by Nedeljkovic to make it 3-0.

The Penguins never recovered while playing a third consecutive game without centre Evgeni Malkin, who is dealing with an upper-body injury.

TAKEAWAYS

Senators: Ottawa has struggled over the last two weeks but found a way to get right while facing a team it has dominated lately as Merilainen picked up his first career shutout.

Penguins: Two days after a rousing win over Connor McDavid and Edmonton, Pittsburgh followed it up with a clunker.

KEY MOMENT

Pinto’s short-handed tally with 55 seconds to go in the first sent a collective groan through a near-sellout crowd who showed up to snag Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads.

KEY STAT

15 — the number of combined penalties during a testy first period.

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