3 least impressive Pittsburgh Penguins players from 5-0 shutout loss to Ottawa Senators ft. Alex Nedeljkovic

The Pittsburgh Penguins suffered a tough 5-0 shutout defeat against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday evening at the PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins entered the game looking to start a winning streak. However, they ran into a brick against the Senators, who blanked them.

So, here’s a look at the three least impressive Pittsburgh Penguins players from their 5-0 shutout loss against the Ottawa Senators.

3 least impressive Pittsburgh Penguins players from shutout loss to Ottawa Senators

#3 Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby has been money for the Pittsburgh Penguins all season long. However, he had a rough game against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday evening, failing to get on the scoresheet in 21:25 of ice time.

Crosby skated away with two shots on goal and a minus-1 rating. The performance was uncharacteristic of the Penguins captain as he’s been the catalyst for the team’s offense throughout the season. The Penguins needed Crosby to step up with Evgeni Malkin missing the game.

However, the Senators shut down Crosby, ensuring the clean sheet for up-and-coming netminder Leevi Merilainen.

#2 Rickard Rakell

Rickard Rakell has been on a bit of a hot streak. He had five points (4G, 1A) in his previous four games heading into Saturday’s tilt against the Sens. However, Ottawa did a great job of keeping Rakell under wraps, limiting him to just two shots on goal in over 19 minutes of ice time.

Moreover, Rakell ended the game a minus-2 further highlighting his struggles on the ice. The Pittsburgh Penguins need Rakell to continue his hot streak in order for the club to continue its pursuit of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

#1 Alex Nedeljkovic

The Sens lit up Pittsburgh Penguins starting netminder Alex Nedeljkovic. Nedeljkovic gave up five goals on 17 shots before getting pulled early in the second period.

In particular, the fifth goal Nedeljkovic gave up was one of the worst seen this season. The sequence began with a point shot Nedeljkovic stopped and proceeded to cover up. However, Nedeljkovic hadn’t realized the puck was sitting behind him, allowing Tim Stutzle to skate behind him and tuck the puck home for the 5-0 goal.

The goal was embarrassing as Nedeljkovic thought he had the puck when he clearly didn’t. The Penguins tried to challenge the goal, but the call on the ice stood. In the end, coach Steve Sullivan had seen enough, choosing to pull Nedeljkovic at that point.

The Penguins will be looking to bounce back against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday evening, hoping to get back on track after Saturday night’s shellacking.