In a tragicomic turn worthy of a slapstick movie, the Pittsburgh Penguins became the laughing stock of the ice, fashioning their own net as the target for a calamity of an own goal against the Arizona Coyotes. Seriously, if they’d tried, they probably couldn’t have scored on themselves so perfectly—ouch, right in the pride.
Let’s paint the tragic scene: The Coyotes had a penalty on the way, and keeping it classy, the Penguins’ netminder, Tristan Jarry, sashayed off the ice to serve up the spicy advantage of an extra skater. Enter Kris Letang, a defenseman who typically is the stuff of highlight reels for reasons that don’t make his team cringe. Letang dishes a pass rearward, aiming for the seasoned Evgeni Malkin. Only problem? Malkin clearly didn’t have his Wheaties, fumbling the puck, which then took an express lane glide straight into their own yawning net.
Lars Eller literally couldn’t even. Watching from the bench as the icy disaster unfolded, he gave us a masterclass in understatement, saying “Shit happens.” According to Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s very own Dan Kingerski, that’s the pearl of wisdom Eller bestowed upon the event.
The aftermath? A two-goal bulge for the Coyotes, helping them secure a swift 5-2 victory, and another slice of humble pie for the Penguins to digest. That’s two losses on the trot for them. So much for the Penguins’ march—more like a stumble, am I right?
And just for your amusement (or horror), social media duly exploded with the calamity. Tweets flew as swiftly as the puck into the Penguins’ net—no shortage of replays for this blunder. So, if you need a chuckle or a cringe, the Internet’s got you covered.
So rally, Penguins, and perhaps… maybe… just stick to scoring in the opponents’ goal, yeah?