From the start, Pittsburgh's game against the Boston Bruins on Sunday felt like one of those games where the Penguins just weren't going to generate much of anything. 

And that's exactly how everything unfolded. 

The Penguins were shut out by Boston, 1-0, courtesy of a 27-save effort by Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo. Viktor Arvidsson scored the game's lone goal in the first period, and the Bs shut the door the rest of the way, putting on a defensive clinic to stymie every offensive opportunity - even if few and far between - that the Penguins generated. 

However, it was a tight-checking game all around, and the Penguins put forth quite the effort defensively, too. They blocked 17 shots in comparison to Boston's 18, goaltender Stuart Skinner turned in another strong effort with 17 saves on 18 Boston shots, and they killed all six power plays that the Bruins had throughout the game. 

Unfortunately, Pittsburgh just could not put the puck in the back of the net, and Korpisalo shut the door on every high-danger opportunity that the Bruins actually allowed.

Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this game:

- Quite honestly, the Penguins did not play a bad hockey game. Yes, they couldn't generate much offensively - and I'll get to that in a minute - but, for the most part, they did a fantastic job of limiting opportunites for the Bruins. 

They simply couldn't score, which hadn't been a problem for them during their six-game win streak. Bounces weren't going their way. Calls weren't going their way. And even if they did generate some good opportunities, there weren't really too many longer periods of sustained pressure because the Bruins didn't give them any space to work with. 

This is one of those games where you have to give credit to the opponent. They played about as well a defensive game as you could ask for, and they got the goaltending when they needed it.

- Speaking of not scoring, I'm not exactly sure what the idea behind the Penguins' lineup was Sunday. 

Yes, they suffered their first loss in seven games against the Calgary Flames on Saturday, but they could have won that game, too, had a few more bounces gone their way - even if they didn't particularly play very well. It was also their first game without Bryan Rust, who is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, and his absence in the lineup is very, very noticeable. 

However, some things were still working for them. The second line of Ben Kindel, Evgeni Malkin, and Egor Chinakhov - with Kindel centering - seemed to develop a bit of chemistry and were definitely the best line in that game. The first line of Sidney Crosby, Tommy Novak, and Rickard Rakell had some chances, too, even if the third line was quiet and the fourth line had an off-night. 

'I'm Lucky To Be Able To Play With Him': Penguins' Rookie Relishes Opportunity To Center All-Time GreatPittsburgh Penguins' rookie Ben Kindel is experiencing a rare opportunity to center an all-time great NHL player in Evgeni Malkin - and he hopes to make the most of it.

I understand tinkering a little bit in order to maximize what players provide in certain roles, especially with a top-line forward missing. Heading into this one, I wouldn't have been opposed to bumping Anthony Mantha or Justin Brazeau up to the top line and putting Tommy Novak in the third-line center position, which would have bumped either Kevin Hayes or the newly recalled Rafael Harvey-Pinard to the wing. 

They did move Mantha to Crosby's line in place of Novak. What I did not understand was the decision to bump Kindel back down to the third line, have Novak play wing on that line, and place Hayes in the second-line center position instead of, simply, putting Malkin back in that spot. 

I didn't love the idea of bumping Kindel back down to begin with, as I thought he played a pretty strong game on Saturday. But, if that was going to happen, there's no reason not to have either Malkin or Novak center the second line - and, probably, Malkin.

This is not a knock on Hayes. He isn't the reason the Penguins have lost the last two hockey games. But he's not a viable substitute as a top-six center given the other options the Penguins have at their disposal, and - at the end of the day - swapping in Hayes for Rust is obviously not going to produce similar results, given the fact that Rust is second on the team in scoring. 

Even without Rust in the top-six picture, that second line seemed to be building toward something with Kindel on it. And Novak has performed as a center this season. I think Dan Muse has largely done an excellent job this season, but I believe he may have overthought this one. I don't think he put out a lineup Sunday that was maximized to give the Penguins the highest shot at success, especially in generating offense. 

Hayes is fine in a bottom-six role. But, even if he was going to bump up to the second line, Malkin was probably better off centering it. 

Takeaways: Penguins Snap Six-Game Win Streak With 2-1 Loss To FlamesThe Pittsburgh Penguins were handed their first loss of 2026 by the Calgary Flames Saturday and hope to bounce back against the Boston Bruins on Sunday

- After a rocky start to his Penguins' tenure, Skinner has really settled in during his last four appearances. 

The 27-year-old netminder has had consecutive save percentages of .964, .917, .966, and .944 in those last four games. He has made big saves when the Penguins have needed him to, and he looks very comfortable in net right now. 

Arturs Silovs has been better of late as well, but I do think Skinner has separated himself, even if just a tiny little bit. The biggest knock on him throughout the years has been his consistency, and he is known for going through hot and cold stretches. He has an .899 save percentage in seven appearances with the Penguins, and the first few starts were pretty rough. 

I'd continue the rotation for now. Skinner tends to perform a bit better with a lighter workload. And, honestly, this could be a perfect situation for both Skinner and Silovs. We'll see how it continues to play out.

- Parker Wotherspoon blocked a shot with his knee near the end of the second period, and he collapsed to the ice in a ton of pain. He did come back out for the third period, but it initially looked very concerning. 

Quite frankly, the Penguins cannot afford to lose Wotherspoon, who has been their best defensive defenseman this season and a revelation beside Erik Karlsson. Hopefully, he's good to go. If there is a short list of players whose injuries would be detrimental to this team, he's on it.

Parker Wotherspoon blocked a shot and was down for a short while talking to head athletic trainer Kevin Elliott. He appears to be staying on the bench for now.

— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) January 11, 2026

- The power play has looked very uninspiring for several games now, and it went 0-for-2 on Sunday. In fact, it is just three for its last 16 and zero for its last six. 

Even when the Penguins have been converting on it, it's usually later on in the man advantage after a few clears. I haven't liked the lack of player movement and puck movement as well as the general tendency to defer shots, which are all typical signs of the Penguins' power play going through a cold spell. 

They're still third in the league at 28.6 percent. And, when they have hit small dry pockets, they've found ways to rebound this season. I expect the same in this case, but they need to be quicker with their decision-making and create more chaos to get opposing penalty kills out of structure. 

Oh, and the shot-pass? It works to perfection sometimes. But that doesn't mean they should be trying it almost every time they throw a puck in the vicinity of the net. They need to just shoot more. 

- Next up for the Penguins will be a tough matchup on Tuesday against the red-hot Tampa Bay Lightning, who have won nine straight games. 

The Penguins won by the skin of their teeth when they played Tampa on Dec. 4 - all because of a goal that was called back on what was ruled a hand pass - which immediately preceded their eight-game losing streak. They did not play particularly well in that game, and they have had a bit of trouble with the Bolts recently, as they are 2-3-1 in their last five games against them. 

Starting Tuesday, the Penguins play six games in 10 days. Things tend to pile on one way or another when a schedule is that condensed. 

They haven't played poorly in the last two losses, even if they came away with no points and didn't have their A-game. That needs to change on Tuesday, as they are now a point out of a wild card spot. 

Kucherov’s hot streak pushes Lightning to road win against FlyersOn Saturday, the Lightning picked up their ninth straight win with a 7–2 victory over the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Flyers,</a> marking their longest win streak, since winning 11 in a row during the 2019–20 season. The run comes after a difficult stretch in which the Bolts went 2–6–1.

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