Including Thursday, Evgeni Malkin has been sidelined for seven consecutive games by an undisclosed injury.
And during that stretch, the Pittsburgh Penguins have been perfect in one sense.
That is to say they haven’t won a single game without the dazzling superstar inhabiting his typical station as center of the second line.
And for good measure, they have avoided any victories during the six contests that sturdy fourth-line center Blake Lizotte has been absent because of an unspecified ailment as well.
The latest edition of each of those respective streaks unfolded Thursday as they were shut out by the Ottawa Senators, 4-0, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario.
Rookie goaltender Arturs Silovs maintained his own dreary slump, as he lost his seventh consecutive start (0-3-4 ). Unofficially stopping 21 of 25 shots, Silovs saw his record for the season fall to 4-5-6.
Since a 4-3 road win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 4, the Penguins have gone 0-3-4.
They have not lost this many games consecutively since a seven-game streak between Oct. 24 and Nov. 5, 2022 (0-6-1).
“We all have to dig in,” Penguins coach Dan Muse said to reporters in Ottawa via audio provided by the team’s media relations department. “And we’ve got to find a way to be better.”
Penguins forward Sidney Crosby was held off the scoresheet and remained at 1,722 career points, one short of Mario Lemieux’s franchise mark of 1,723.
It took the Senators little time to claim the opening lead. To be precise, it required forward Brady Tkachuk 136 seconds into regulation to score his third goal during a power-play sequence.
Off some perimeter movement around the offensive zone, Senators forward Tim Stutzle fed a pass from the left point low toward the near corner for forward Drake Batherson. With his back to the cage, Batherson flicked a backhand pass past the stick of Penguins defenseman Kris Letang to the top of the blue paint, where a mostly unimpeded Tkachuk chopped a forehand shot that fluttered past Silovs’ glove. Penguins forward Bryan Rust was tardy in attempting to tie up Tkachuk. Batherson and Stutzle had assists.
Don’t let this sexy pass by Drake Batherson and perfect execution by Brady Tkachuk distract you from the fact that Tim Stützle also got an assist on the goal – making it TEN points in his last 5 straight games ????. Süperstar.
The #Sens are off and running! pic.twitter.com/DhTm8fBPDN
— SENS TALK (@senstalk_) December 19, 2025
The power-play opportunity was created after Silovs was called for tripping Stutzle. He became the first Penguins goaltender to record a penalty this season.
Former Penguins forward David Perron’s fifth goal came only 94 seconds into the second period.
Chasing down a puck dumped into the Penguins’ right corner, Senators defenseman Jordan Spence tossed it towards the cage. Establishing position on Penguins defenseman Parker Wotherspoon to the right of the cage, Perron allowed the puck to hit off his left skate and trickle by Silovs’ left leg. Assists were secured by Spence and Batherson. The score was Perron’s 800th career point.
David Perron atteint le plateau des 800 points‼️ pic.twitter.com/hgCu38cLtC
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) December 19, 2025
The hosts went up by a field goal at 4:50 of the second period via the sixth goal of forward Claude Giroux, a long-time nemesis of the Penguins.
Curling above the top of the left circle of the offensive zone, Senators forward Ridly Greig backhanded a pass low into the circle where it struck linemate Michael Amadio’s left skate and slid below the lower left hashmark. Giroux was in a convenient position to the left of the crease and swept in a forehand shot through Silovs’ five hole. Amadio and Greig generated assists.
Michael Amadio with the nastiest pass you’ll ever see and Claude Giroux does what he does best: scores against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Great board work by Ridly Greig to create the play to begin with.
That’s two #Sens goals in less than 4 mins ????
— SENS TALK (@senstalk_) December 19, 2025
Letang appeared to score at 11:21 of the second frame, but officials immediately waved it off after determining Penguins forward Rickard Rakell interfered with goaltender Linus Ullmark. The Penguins issued a coach’s challenge that was unsuccessful, leading to a delay of game penalty.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) December 19, 2025
“It was either going to go our way or their way,” Rakell said. “I wasn’t sure what happened.”
Tkachuk tallied another goal at 13:55 of the final period in a bizarre sequence.
Despite the Senators having possession of the puck, Silovs tried to vacate the cage to permit the Penguins an extra attacker. That questionable decision allowed Senators defenseman Nick Jensen to play the puck from his own zone up the right wing to the offensive blue line. As Silovs made a U-turn at the bench, Tkachuk had an open cage to fire a wrister from the right circle. Jensen and defensive partner Nikolas Matinpalo had assists.
Tkachuk scores his second of the game after a weird goalie pull by the Penguins! #GoSensGo
Three goals in two games for Brady. pic.twitter.com/PIGhxcdOzP
— Everyday Sens (@EverydaySens) December 19, 2025
Ullmark recorded his first shutout this season by making 23 saves. He remained perfect in his career against the Penguins, improving his record against them to 8-0-0.
Notes:
• The Penguins are now 2-4 on six coach’s challenges this season.
• The Senators’ last shutout of the Penguins happened less than a year ago. During a 5-0 win at PPG Paints Arena on Jan. 11, goaltender Leevi Merilainen made 29 saves.
• Penguins defensemen Connor Clifton and Ryan Graves, as well as rookie forward Ville Koivunen, were healthy scratches.
• Ex-Penguins forward Lars Eller was scratched by the Senators for a third consecutive game due to a broken foot, according to Canadian outlet TSN 1200. The injury is expected to sideline him for an additional three weeks.
• Stutzle appeared in his 400th career game.
