Injury-Riddled Penguins Struggle to Find Chemistry in Loss to Bruins

Pittsburgh falls 2-1 to Boston despite outshooting the Bruins 34-28

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

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The Pittsburgh Penguins, missing two of their four centers and with three new line combinations, struggled to find their rhythm and lost 2-1 to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Tuesday. The Penguins fell behind 2-1 in the first period and were unable to complete the comeback despite outshooting the Bruins 34-28 over the course of the game.

Why it matters

The loss snaps a 14-game point streak for the Penguins, who had been one of the hottest teams in the NHL over the past month. The injury-depleted lineup and lack of chemistry proved to be too much to overcome against a tough Bruins team.

The details

The Penguins fell behind 2-1 in the first period after Boston scored a pair of goals in 50 seconds. The Penguins were able to cut the deficit to 2-1 on a goal by Erik Karlsson, but were unable to find the equalizer despite several good scoring chances, including hitting the post a few times. Penguins goalie Stuart Skinner made 26 saves in the loss.

  • The Penguins scored their lone goal at 4:42 of the first period.
  • Boston scored their two goals at 5:10 and 6:00 of the first period.

The players

Stuart Skinner

The Penguins' goaltender who made 26 saves in the loss.

Erik Karlsson

The Penguins defenseman who scored their lone goal in the game.

Marat Khusnutdinov

The Bruins forward who scored one of Boston's two goals in the first period.

Casey Mittlestadt

The Bruins forward who scored the other goal in the first period to give Boston a 2-1 lead.

Jeremy Swayman

The Bruins goaltender who made 33 saves to earn the win.

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What they’re saying

“We must find a way to generate more offense and play with more urgency, especially when we're missing key players. This was a tough loss, but we'll regroup and be ready for our next game.”

— Dan Muse, Penguins Head Coach (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

What’s next

The Penguins will look to bounce back on Thursday when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning at PPG Paints Arena.

The takeaway

This loss highlights the Penguins' depth issues, as they struggled to find chemistry and generate consistent offense without two of their top centers in the lineup. The team will need to find a way to overcome key injuries if they hope to maintain their position in the playoff race.