There are a variety of reasons the Pittsburgh Penguins’ season-best six-game winning streak came to a conclusion on Saturday with a 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames at PPG Paints Arena.

To wit, giving up the opening goal within the first three minutes of regulation and allowing a game-winning score on the first shift of the third period are generally bad habits not traditionally affiliated with the pursuit of winning a hockey game.

Neither is going 0 for 3 on the power play.

And being deprived of the services of your season-leading scorer — as was the case with the injured Bryan Rust — won’t help the cause either. He was scratched due to an undisclosed ailment.

Having a potential game-tying goal late in the third period waved off due to goaltender interference can be a factor as well.

A would-be score by Penguins forward Tommy Novak at 12:59 of the final frame was euthanized after officials determined goaltender Devin Cooley was interfered with by Penguins forward Sidney Crosby.

Crosby did not concur with the call, suggesting he was pushed by Flames defenseman Kevin Bahl and that Cooley employed theatrics upon contact.

“I think it looks bad, but being in the play, I felt like I did my best to try to avoid the goalie and I got pushed into him,” Crosby said. “The explanation had something to do with being in the crease, but you’re allowed in the crease as long as you don’t impede the goalie. I was trying to get through there and got pushed back into him. He did a good job of selling it. I grazed him and he went down pretty easy.”

To be certain, there’s little to suggest the Penguins had enough to push their way to a win in this contest, regardless of the officials’ decisions.

They staggered through the majority of this game against a Flames squad that entered the day with a four-game losing streak, along with a 30th-place ranking in the NHL’s overall standings.

Penguins rookie goaltender Arturs Silovs suffered the loss, dropping his record to 8-6-6. But even in defeat, he offered one of his more valiant performances of the season as he stopped 23 of 25 shots.

“You saw how many odd-man rushes he had to face,” Penguins coach Dan Muse said. “He kept the game close for us. Early in the game, he had to make some huge saves.”

Rust’s absence may have been a sizeable factor in how this loss unfolded. A staple on the right wing of the top line, the top power-play unit and the penalty kill, he has generated 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists) in 40 games this season.

“As soon as you lose any player, it’s kind of a hard thing,” Penguins forward Anthony Mantha said. “Other guys get chances and tonight, it didn’t go our way. But it’s not just one player that would have made a difference, necessarily. It’s not easy.”

Flames forward Connor Zary had an easy time opening the scoring with his eighth goal 2:33 into regulation.

Claiming a puck at the left point of the offensive zone, Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea forced a pass attempt intended for ex-Flames forward Anthony Mantha at the center point. Zary read Shea’s intentions like an instruction manual and swiped the pass at the blue line, creating his own breakaway. Chugging into the offensive zone, Zary snapped from above the left hashmark through Silovs’ five hole. There were no assists.

The hosts tied the contest at 9:17 of the second period via forward Egor Chinakhov’s fifth goal, thanks in part to a wild adventure of a shift by linemate Evgeni Malkin.

At the center red line, Malkin thumped Flames forward Adam Klapka to the ice with a shoulder check, jarring the puck free. Penguins rookie forward Ben Kindel claimed the puck and held onto it for a moment before Chinakhov essentially took it off him and raced up ice. Entering the offensive zone at the center point, Chinakhov offloaded a backhand pass to the left wing for Malkin. With defenseman Kevin Bahl the lone Flames skater defending, Malkin advanced to the left circle, then fed the puck back to the right circle where Chinakhov swiped a one-timer by Cooley’s glove on the near side.

Assists went to Malkin and Kindel.

As Malkin skated behind the net to celebrate with Chinakhov in the right circle, he put his left shoulder into Zary’s chest, dropping him, resulting in a roughing penalty for Malkin.

Since arriving in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 29, Chinakhov has three points (two goals, one assist) in five games.

“Anytime you’re playing with new guys, it takes a little bit of time,” Muse said. “But you can see they’re working off of each other, looking to find each other there offensively. Guys learning each other’s tendencies.”

Flames forward Matt Coronato’s 12th goal restored a lead for his team 42 seconds into the third period.

Accepting a centering pass in the neutral zone, Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson gained the offensive blue line at the center point and offloaded a backhand pass to the right wing for Coranato. As Andersson drove towards the net and tied up Penguins defenseman Brett Kulak, Coranato took advantage of Andersson’s ploy, using both bodies as screens and snapped a wrister to the far side past Silovs’ blocker. Andersson and forward Mikael Backlund had assists.

Novak appeared to tie the contest late before officials made their ruling. On the sequence, Bahl shoved Crosby, whose right hip made contact with Cooley’s head. As Cooley fell to his backside, Novak tucked a forehand shot under his arm from the right post.

Muse decided against issuing a coach’s challenge.

“Yes, we did consider it,” Muse said. “But didn’t think that we had a chance. I felt like we’d be just going on the penalty kill. They’re not easy decisions. But that’s what I felt at the time, that this was an extremely low chance of coming back for us based on what I’ve seen in the league.”

Crosby agreed with the sentiment but hardly the ruling.

“It’s a hard one to challenge,” Crosby said. “It doesn’t look great, but just being part of the play, I know I was going to get around him if I didn’t get pushed.”

Notes:

• Penguins forward Kevin Hayes returned to the lineup in place of Rust, opening the contest as the third-line center. Hayes had been a healthy scratch for the previous six games.

• To replace Rust on the active roster, the Penguins recalled forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. Harvey-Pinard was a healthy scratch on Saturday, along with defenseman Connor Clifton.

• Chinakhov absorbed a big hit from Flames defenseman Brayden Pachal at 2:46 of the second period. Chinakhov appeared fine after the collision.

• The Penguins, aided by a Malkin bobblehead promotion, enjoyed their third sellout of the regular season (18,322).

Nov. 6: Washington Capitals (18,384)

Nov. 9: Los Angeles Kings (18,343)

Seated capacity at PPG Paints Arena is 18,187.

• The Flames had not won in Pittsburgh since claiming a 4-0 victory, Oct. 28, 2021. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom made 45 saves in the shutout.

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