Crosby scores winner, Jarry posts shutout as Penguins beat Ottawa in OT

Sidney Crosby realizes he won’t likely be playing meaningful contests later this month when the NHL’s postseason begins.

But the Pittsburgh Penguins’ captain professes another pursuit worthy of his team’s attention in the final games of the regular season.

“Just having the right mindset,” Crosby said Saturday in Cranberry. “Even if you give up the first goal, if you’re down, you have to continue to play the right way. … It’s got to come from us. We have to find a way to play hard for one another and play the right way, try to get some wins.

“Ultimately, that’s why we’re playing the game. It’s way more fun when you win, and we have to find a way to bring a consistent effort.”

Crosby reinforced that ideal in a major way Sunday as he scored the only goal in a 1-0 overtime win against the Ottawa Senators at PPG Paints Arena.

It was his 27th goal of the season, and it came during a power-play sequence at 1:16 in the overtime period.

The Penguins offered a much sturdier defensive effort in this contest compared to the past two games, each of which they surrendered at least a touchdown’s worth of goals to the opposition. On Tuesday, they suffered a 6-1 road loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning then followed that Thursday with a 7-3 setback against the host Buffalo Sabres.

Sunday’s result snapped a three-game losing streak (0-2-1) and halted a six-game losing streak against the Senators (0-3-3). That was their longest active losing streak against any specific opponent.

Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry recorded his first shutout of the season as he unofficially stopped 31 shots, boosting his record to 13-11-5.

The game represented something of a paradigm shift for the Penguins as valued forward prospects Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen were in the lineup after being recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Friday. Koivunen, acquired in the blockbuster trade that sent All-Star forward Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes a little more than a year ago, made his NHL debut, opening the contest on the right wing of the second line.

McGroarty, who celebrated his 21st birthday Sunday, was deployed on the left wing of the top line at the start of his fourth career NHL contest.

Each player is viewed as a significant component of a presumably better long-term future for the Penguins.

“What they can do is they’ll bring youthful energy and enthusiasm,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said before the game. “And that’s exciting. … When you have young players that are excited to be in the NHL, they’re excited to be part of an NHL dressing room and be part of the Pittsburgh Penguins, I think that energy is contagious. And that’s what these guys are bringing. They’re really excited to be here. Obviously, it’s a big deal for these guys, and it’s a big deal for us as an organization.

“They’re deserving of being here.”

Notes: Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin was scratched for the third consecutive game because of an undisclosed injury. Sullivan said Malkin and P.O Joseph, currently designated to injured reserve with an unspecified ailment, skated Sunday morning. … Penguins forwards Boko Imama (bicep injury) Tommy Novak (undisclosed injury) and defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok (healthy) were scratched.