National Hockey League
Pittsburgh 1, Columbus 0
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 12, 2019
Where: PPG PAINTS Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Referees: Jean Hebert, Wes McCauley
Linesmen: Travis Gawryletz, Tony Sericolo
Attendance: 18415

Bryan Rust scored at 3:02 of overtime and goaltender Tristan Jarry stopped all 17 shots he faced Thursday as the Pittsburgh Penguins edged the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0.

On a power play after Pittsburgh's Kris Letang drew a slashing penalty against Pierre-Luc Dubois, Rust flipped a backhander past Columbus goaltender Joonas Korpisalo for the game's only goal.

Jarry picked up his fifth career shutout and third of the season -- all coming in his past four starts.

Jarry, who entered the game with the league's top goals-against average and save percentage, had his franchise-record shutout streak halted last game at 177:15 in a 4-1 loss Tuesday against Montreal.

Against the Blue Jackets, he was given his seventh start in the team's past 10 games as he has, at least for now, taken playing time away from two-time Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray.

Pittsburgh has a nine-game home winning streak against Columbus by a combined 36-16. Overall, the Penguins have won four of five and are 9-1-2 in their past 12 home games.

Korpisalo stopped 31 of 32 shots for Columbus, which lost for the fifth time in six games (1-4-1).

Pittsburgh, already without team captain and top center Sidney Crosby because of sports hernia surgery, played without its other star center, Evgeni Malkin, who was ill. Three other regulars also were out.

Columbus, conversely, lost a lot of its offensive firepower in offseason changes.

The teams combined to play a responsible, tight-checking game. It didn't start out quite that way, though, as the Penguins had an early three-on-one and Columbus' Oliver Bjorkstrand had a breakaway, but neither resulted in a goal.

After that, it became something close to a chess match on ice.

Through two periods, the Blue Jackets piled up 30 hits and 14 blocked shots to help keep the Penguins in check, but they also had only 11 shots.

Things opened up slightly in the third, but there were still no goals before the end of regulation.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Columbus   Pittsburgh
N/A Points Bryan Rust 1
N/A Goals Bryan Rust 1
N/A Assists Jake Guentzel 1
N/A Power Play Goals Bryan Rust 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Joonas Korpisalo .969 Save Percentage Tristan Jarry 1.000
Joonas Korpisalo 31 Saves Tristan Jarry 17
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Columbus 17 0 0-1 2-3 6 23
Pittsburgh 32 1 1-3 1-1 2 22
Upcoming Games
  • Pittsburgh will play their next game at home against Los Angeles. The Penguins have a W/L % of .588 after a win and .533 after a loss.
  • Columbus will play their next game on the road against Ottawa. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .421 after a loss.