Penguins beat Devils in season’s final road game

Erik Karlsson has been on some bad teams before.

And he has a pretty good idea of what it looks like when a squalid squad ceases to compete.

He has seen no such evidence of that with his current employer, the Pittsburgh Penguins, as they play their final games of the regular season having been formally eliminated from postseason contention.

“It hasn’t gone our way for the better part of it, (and) I think down the stretch here now it feels like it’s easy to mail it in,” the defenseman said Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena. “But it’s something that we haven’t done.”

That trend continued Friday in the Penguins’ final road contest, a 4-2 comeback victory against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

The result boosted their record to 9-4-2 since March 9 and illustrated the Penguins — players and coaches, at least — have no such interest in widely circulated suggestions they should “tank” to secure better selections in this summer’s NHL Draft.

One habit that remains consistent in dragging down the Penguins’ fortunes was, for the 15th time this season, they allowed a goal on their opponent’s first shot of the contest. Forward Erik Haula’s 10th goal came only 15 seconds into regulation.

The Devils scored again at 6:17 of the first period via forward Ondrej Palat’s 15th goal off a deflection of a shot by former Penguins forward Cody Glass.

The Penguins managed to get on the scoreboard before the first frame closed out at the 16:10 mark when forward Evgeni Malkin was credited with his 16th goal.

As a power-play opportunity expired for the visitors, Malkin stole a puck off former Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin above New Jersey’s crease and then was denied on several backhand and forehand shots by goaltender Jake Allen. The puck wound up rolling up on Allen’s left ankle before Devils defenseman Luke Hughes inadvertently directed it into the cage. Officials deemed it an own goal, and there were no assists.

Penguins forward Valtteri Puustinen — largely banished to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League for most of this season until injuries to incumbents on the NHL roster necessitated a recall Thursday — tied the score with his second goal during a power-play sequence 65 seconds into the second period.

A rebound of a one-timer by Malkin bounced off Puustinen’s left skate and deflected into the cage.

The Penguins took their first lead at 13:21 of the third period when forward Sidney Crosby scored his 32nd goal while on a power-play opportunity.

Off some precision passing by teammates in the offensive zone, Crosby leaned on his left knee and deflected the puck by Allen’s left leg from the right of the crease.

The scoring was capped at 18:24 of the final frame when Penguins forward Bryan Rust set a career high with his 29th goal, on an empty net.

Jarry’s record was bumped up to 16-11-6 after he stopped 26 of 28 shots.

Note: Players on each team wore decals on their helmets in recognition of Ray Shero, a former general manager of both franchises. Shero died Tuesday at age 62.