Pittsburgh lost the game to Los Angeles in the 3rd period when Kempe scored two goals to spoil Jaromir Jagr’s night

The Pittsburgh Penguins had a big night, First, in a pre-game ceremony, the number 68 jersey was hung from the ceiling of PPG Paints Arena to honor one of the greatest legends, Jaromir Jagr. However, the Penguins lost a slim victory in the 3rd period. Adrian Kempe turned the game around for the final score of 2-1 for Los Angeles.

The game was preceded by a tribute to Jaromir Jagr

Prior to the opening whistle, a ceremony was held at PPG Paints Arena to honor club legend Jaromir Jagr. He was drafted by Pittsburgh in 1990 as the 5th overall pick. And he spent the most successful period of his career here.

In his first two seasons with the team, he won the Stanley Cup. He became the league’s most productive player five times in Penguins colours and won the Hart Trophy for the league’s best player in 1999. He also won the Lester B trophy twice in his colours. Pearson Award, today’s Ted Lindsay Award.

Jaromir Jagr became only the 4th Czech hockey player to receive this honour. Dominik Hasek‘s jersey is hanging in the Buffalo Sabres uniform. The New Jersey Devils’ Patrik Elias and the Colorado Avalanche’s Milan Hejduk. Jagr played his first 11 seasons in the NHL for Pittsburgh and to this day is the 4th most productive player in franchise history. Only Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have scored more points for the Penguins.

Pittsburgh struck at the end of the 1st period

Tristan Jarry made his traditional start in goal for the home team. Cam Talbot got the nod over Czech goalie David Rittich in goal for Los Angeles. During the first period both teams sent 10 shots at the goalie, of which only one was taken.

At 18:43, Dubois was sent off by home captain Sidney Crosby. He scored his 31st goal of the season. Bryan Rust and Erik Karlsson scored on assists. For Swedish quarterback Karlsson, it was point number 799.

Los Angeles increased its shooting activity in the second period, but did not capitalize on the pressure. The Penguins were defending a slim lead and certainly didn’t want to spoil the evening honoring the Czech legend, who watched the game from a suite along with former club icons.

Adrian Kempe decided the game in the 3rd period

The home team’s effort came crashing down at 53:49 when Adrian Kempe beat goalie Jarry to tie the game. And 3 minutes later the same player struck for the second time in the game. The Penguins, fired up, could not mount a final push.

Goalie Talbot in goal for the Kings was able to enjoy his 1st win since December 23. In addition, Kempe became the 10th fastest player in Los Angeles franchise history to reach the 300-point mark. He reached it in 525 games played. Of active players on the club, only Anže Kopitar has done it faster in 333 games.

Source: NHL