Entering 2024-25, Pittsburgh Penguins superstar forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin had been in the lineup for each of the team’s 164 games over the previous two seasons.

And both campaigns ended with the Penguins failing to qualify for the postseason.

That led Malkin to offer a solution during training camp this past September.

“It’s so funny, when me and Sid play 82 games, we didn’t make the playoffs,” Malkin joked. “Maybe I’ll miss one game this year.”

On Tuesday, an undisclosed injury caused Malkin to miss his first game since April 2022. In his absence, the Penguins were defeated by a team they are battling with for a playoff position, falling to the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-3, in a shootout at PPG Paints Arena.

Shootout goals by forwards Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko were the difference.

Beyond the team offering a “day-to-day” status via a social media account, there was little substantive word on Malkin’s status. During Tuesday’s morning skate, Malkin was a full participant and displayed little, if any, sign he was dealing with any kind of malady.

Entering Tuesday, Malkin had played in 209 consecutive games. Only Crosby (216, including Tuesday) had a longer active streak among teammates.

Tuesday’s loss extended a losing streak for the Penguins to four games (0-1-3) and snapped a 15-game home winning streak against the Blue Jackets. (That sequence dated to Dec. 21, 2015.)

It also sunk their stubbornly squalid record against Metropolitan Division foes to 3-7-3.

The Blue Jackets (18-17-6, 42 points) – who entered the season with minimal expectations, particularly following the heartbreaking death of superstar Johnny Gaudreau in August – moved ahead of the Penguins (17-17-8, 42 points) for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference based on playing fewer games.

“It’s never too early to play the points game,” Penguins forward Bryan Rust said. “As you can see, there’s (nine points) between the first wild card and the last team in the conference. We’ve got to be playing the points game. We need to get two.”

For the sixth time this season, Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry surrendered a goal on the first shot he has faced in a game when Blue Jackets forward Dmitri Voronkov scored his 16th goal of the season during a power-play sequence 3:20 into regulation.

Upcoming Local Events

More local events

From the right half-wall of the offensive zone, Penguins forward Matt Nieto unsuccessfully attempted to clear a rimmed puck only to whip it into the shin guards of Voronkov. The puck deflected into the right circle where Blue Jackets forward Sean Monahan claimed possession and then curled around to the top of the circle before offloading a pass to the opposite circle. Marchenko was stationed above the dot and faked a one-timer but chopped a pass to the top of the crease where Voronkov, facing little resistance, tapped in a forehand shot through Jarry’s five hole. Marchenko and Monahan had assists.

“There’s not much different I would do on that,” Jarry said. “That guy comes down and shoots it, it could be a different outcome. But he comes down, he has a lot of time and he’s able to make that play quickly. He’s able to get it through my legs. Obviously, it’s tough. I don’t think anybody wants the first shot to go in. It’s something I think if I defend a little better on it, maybe play a little bit deeper, I could have that maybe.”

Penguins forward Michael Bunting collected his 13th goal during a power-play opportunity 51 seconds into the second period.

Settling a puck at Columbus’ left point, Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson slid it across the ice. Crosby teed up a one-timer but fanned on the shot. Despite that miscue, the puck managed to take the scenic route through the slot (and between Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov’s skates) to the far side of the crease where Bunting was fortuitously positioned and tapped in a forehand shot by goaltender Elvis Merzlikins’ left skate. Crosby and Karlsson collected assists.

The Penguins took their first lead of the contest only 24 seconds into the third period via forward Rickard Rakell’s team-best 19th goal.

Featured Local Businesses

More local businesses

After Crosby won a faceoff in his own left circle against Monahan, Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk kept the puck away from Marchenko on the near wall and allowed Karlsson to claim possession low in the circle. With deliberation, Karlsson pensively lugged the puck up ice to the neutral zone then sent a pass up the left wing, allowing Rakell to gain the offensive zone. Cruising to the near faceoff dot, Rakell ripped a wrister to the far side, toasting Merzlikins’ glove. Karlsson and Grzelcyk generated assists.

Rakell reached the 20-goal mark at 10:09 of the third frame.

Behind Columbus’ net, Crosby stole the puck from Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger then slid a backhand pass from the left of the cage to the lower rim of the near circle. Rakell read Crosby’s intentions perfectly and snapped a wrister to the far side that glanced off of Merzlikins’ left shoulder and found an avenue into the cage. The only assist went to Crosby.

Voronkov’s second goal of the contest came 116 seconds later.

Jarry settled a puck dumped behind his cage and tried to rim it to the right corner, only to fire it into Grzelcyk’s back. Voronkov took advantage of the miscue and fed a pass behind the cage to Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli. Maneuvering towards the left corner, Fantilli backhanded the puck to the slot where it pinballed off of Rakell’s stick and then Marchenko’s left skate before deflecting to the right of the cage where Voronkov buried an easy forehand shot. Marchenko and Fantilli accrued assists.

“I think it was just a bad bounce,” Jarry said of the sequence. “It hits him in the shoulder, goes straight up and they’re searching for the puck behind the net. It ends up in front of our net, off a skate and straight to their guy. It’s just kind of a bad bounce.”

The Blue Jackets persisted and tied the game when Fantilli scored his ninth goal during a power-play scenario.

Accepting a pass near the high slot of the offensive zone, Werenski one-touched the puck to the top of the right circle where Johnson faked a shot before directing an immediate feed to the hashmarks for Fantilli, who shoveled in a forehand shot by Jarry’s blocker. Johnson and Werenski had assists.

The Penguins’ typically sturdy penalty kill was diced up by the Blue Jackets for two power-play goals on two opportunities.

“A lot of it just boils down to details,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “It’s anticipation, playing on our toes. I don’t think we’re pressuring collectively as well as we were. And so, we’re giving them time and space to operate. That’s part of it. There’s opportunities to get clears, we don’t get them, that’s part of it.

“A lot of it boils down to details that we’ve let slip here on our kill.”

In the shootout, Jarry allowed goals to Marchenko and Johnson. Fantilli was denied by Jarry’s left post.

At the other end of the rink, Merzlikins denied Rust and Crosby on the Penguins’ only attempts.

Jarry stopped 26 of 29 shots in regulation and overtime as his record dropped to 8-6-4.

“I thought he had his moments when he made some saves,” Sullivan said of Jarry. “I think he’s capable of more.”

As for the Penguins as a whole, they dropped another game that could ultimately sink their postseason aspirations.

“We know how tight it is in the standings and probably going to be like that rest of the way,” Rakell said. “Every day, we know that every point matters. It’s very frustrating. We’ve just got to keep building, keep getting better, keep getting more comfortable in those situations coming down the stretch.”

Featured Local Businesses

More local businesses

Notes:

• The last time Malkin was not in the Penguins’ lineup, he was serving a four-game suspension for cross-checking Nashville Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki in the face on April 10, 2022.

• In 44 career games against the Blue Jackets, Crosby has 63 points (20 goals, 43 assists).

• Officially, Crosby became the NHL’s all-time leader in faceoff wins with 15,193 victories. He surpassed former Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron (15,182). It should be noted the NHL did not begin to officially track faceoff statistics until the 1997-98 season.

• Penguins defensemen Ryan Graves and Ryan Shea were healthy scratches.

• Before Tuesday, the Blue Jackets’ last win in Pittsburgh was a 2-1 victory at what was then called Consol Energy Center. Under head coach Mike Johnston, forward Patric Hornqvist scored the Penguins’ lone goal that night.

• Monahan suffered an undisclosed injury and did not record a shift beyond the first 24 seconds of the third period. There was no substantive word on his status.

Upcoming Local Events

More local events