The Stanley Cup was in the building. The 2017 championship banner went to the rafters at PPG Paints Arena, as the Penguins and their fans celebrated a second consecutive Stanley Cup title prior to puck drop Wednesday.
The St. Louis Blues, though, decided to spoil the party.
Despite giving up a two-goal lead in the third period, the visiting Blues were able to get the win thanks to Alex Pietrangelo’s goal just over a minute into overtime, as St. Louis recorded a 5-4 victory.
The Penguins were still able to secure a single point thanks to their third period comeback, which included goals from Sidney Crosby and Conor Sheary only 54 seconds apart.
While Pietrangelo put together a solid night with a pair of goals and eight shots, newcomer Brayden Schenn had a memorable debut -- for a number of reasons. He put St. Louis on the board in the first period, re-directing a puck off his skate and into a wide open net, and then assisted on the winner.
That made up for his earlier gaffe, which saw Schenn grab the puck out of the air and throw it down the ice. A good throw, but illegal in hockey and he was penalized as a result. That sparked the Penguins comeback, but Pietrangelo was able to end that in overtime.
The Penguins travel to Chicago to face the Blackhawks on Thursday.