NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Typically, when Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan is asked about officiating after a game, he tersely says his opinion is irrelevant.

He wasn’t so passive on Tuesday.

The Penguins were furious with referee Kyle Rehman all evening, and those emotions intensified significantly in overtime when Ryan O’Reilly got away with a pick on Sidney Crosby, allowing Filip Forsberg to swoop into Penguins territory and beat Tristan Jarry to give the Nashville Predators a 3-2 win.

Should this have been called interference?🤔

— Everything Hockey (@EHClothing) November 29, 2023

Sullivan didn’t say much, but his tone was clear.

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He was asked if he was surprised no call was made and whether he had a good look at the play.

“Yes and yes,” he said.

Was he given an explanation?

“No.”

Given that Rehman had called some penalties earlier in the game that could be described as ticky-tacky, was Sullivan even more annoyed by the lack of a whistle?

“It’s a game-changing moment,” Sullivan said. “Right?”

Coach Sullivan on the results from tonight's game: "It's unfortunate. I thought our team played hard tonight. I thought we had a lot of good looks. It's unfortunate the way it ended."

Post-game analysis:

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 29, 2023

Sullivan was unhappy with two items involving the officials in overtime, which took all of 14 seconds.

In addition to the lack of a call on what appeared to be blatant interference, something earlier displeased him.

“I didn’t like the opening drop of the overtime (faceoff),” he said. “It is what it is.”

Sullivan stood on the bench in disbelief for a few moments after the goal. The officials quickly reviewed the play to see if it was offside.

It wasn’t.

Sullivan left the bench with some parting words for Rehman.

Predators win in overtime but Mike Sullivan isn't happy about it 🗣️🤬#NHL | #Preds | #LetsGoPens

— The Cam & Strick Podcast (@CamandStrick) November 29, 2023

The Penguins were at least able to muster a point on a night when nothing went well in the early going.

Nashville took a 2-0 lead in the first period on a couple of goals from Michael McCarron.

The Penguins, however, methodically worked their way back. Evgeni Malkin scored at the 5:49 mark of the second period to give the Penguins some life.

Bryan Rust scored early in the third period to even the score in his first game back since an injury in Raleigh, N.C., 10 days ago.

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In between the Rust and Malkin goals, Pittsburgh had to kill penalties. The Penguins were especially perturbed by a holding call on Marcus Pettersson late in the second period.

Kris Letang disputed the call, which compelled Rehman to ask, “You wanna join him?”

We know this because Rehman left his mic on while chastising Letang.

The refs are feeling it lately

“You wanna join him!?” 😂

— Nick Maraldo (@nickmaraldo) November 29, 2023

Ten postgame observations

• I suppose it’s only prudent to begin with the officiating.

Rehman and Jordan Samuels-Thomas had a rough night. There’s no other way to put it.

Samuels-Thomas is a young official. This was only his 22nd career NHL game, and he didn’t call much of anything. Rehman was trying to dictate how the game was played, calling penalties and stopping play even when he was 100 feet from the play.

Bad calls happen; they’re part of the game. But the Penguins were likely especially perturbed about Rehman’s combative nature all evening. And I don’t blame them. He probably didn’t need to say what he said to Letang, especially with his mic on. And he was giving it to the Penguins’ bench throughout the game.

• It was blatant interference on O’Reilly. This much is indisputable.

Nothing about the game-winning goal looked like a hockey play. The Penguins have every right to be furious.

However … go back and watch the replay. What was Erik Karlsson doing? It appears to me that Karlsson was holding O’Reilly’s stick. You’ll note that O’Reilly didn’t have a stick in his hands when he made contact with Crosby.

That’s not a smart play by Karlsson in that spot. It’s not like he was tired, as only a few seconds had elapsed in overtime.

When analyzing that sequence, we have to take Karlsson’s actions into account, too.

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That said, a penalty has to be called on one of the players in that spot. You can’t just let it all go without raising your arm.

• There was another interesting moment involving the officiating.

Late in the third period, with the score tied, Letang lost his helmet and then played the puck behind the Penguins’ net.

Samuels-Thomas blew the play dead but never raised his arm to call a penalty. After discussion, the referees didn’t call anything and play resumed.

“I was wondering why they stopped the play,” Letang said. “I’m allowed to finish a play in that situation.”

It’s the worst rule in hockey. Just awful.

• John Ludvig had an interesting evening.

At this rate, he’s going to be a fan favorite quickly.

Ludvig allowed his man — McCarron — to get net-front position when he tipped home the game’s first goal on a beautiful deflection.

The rookie defenseman quickly got his revenge.

He lit up Dante Fabbro with a big hit.

The hit by Ludvig. Aggressive yet clean. Textbook hockey defense 101

— Jason Shetler (@Jason_Shetler) November 29, 2023

He then willingly engaged in an altercation with McCarron, who not only scored two goals but also is a pretty tough customer at 6 feet 6, 232 pounds.

Sullivan clearly likes the young defenseman and wants to see more of him. I asked him whether Ludvig has a chance of remaining on the third pairing even when the blue line becomes healthy.

“Yes, he does,” Sullivan said. “He’s a good player. He brings a dimension that we don’t have a lot of. He’s a guy that I think is going to get better. He’s a young player in the league. He defends well. He can help us on the penalty kill. He’s strong on the net front.”

For good measure, Ludvig earned his first NHL point Tuesday, setting up Rust’s tying goal.

He’s not a magician with the puck, by any means, but he looks plenty good enough with it to be effective.

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• There is a fearlessness to Ludvig’s game.

In his NHL debut, he knocked himself out while delivering a hit and missed a few weeks with a concussion.

He casually dismisses concussions.

“I’ve had a few,” he said rather matter-of-factly.

He certainly wasn’t afraid to fight with a man much bigger than he. Maybe for good reason.

Michael McCarron & John Ludvig drop the gloves 👊🏼#NHL | #Preds | #LetsGoPens

— The Cam & Strick Podcast (@CamandStrick) November 29, 2023

“I take boxing training every summer,” he said. “I have for a while. I train that skill just the way I do stickhandling or skating.”

Ludvig was anticipating that McCarron would come knocking at some point.

“I was taking runs at their guys,” he said. “I knew it was coming. I knew it would be him. I was ready for it.”

Ludvig has been solid in his brief time in the NHL. Remember, he’s only 23. This was only his fifth NHL game. He was a third-round pick by the Florida Panthers, so he has some pedigree.

“It’s a fast game at this level,” he said. “But I feel better every game.”

• Reilly Smith made a pretty feed to Malkin on his goal.

Inching closer to that Nashville lead.

Evgeni Malkin has 21 points (7G-14A) in 19 career games against Nashville.

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 29, 2023

It’s a good thing, but Smith isn’t playing well and endured a brutal shift on McCarron’s second goal.

Smith offered a poor clearing attempt, then got drilled in front of the net by Juuso Parssinen. He then took a silly retaliation penalty to give the Predators a delayed penalty situation.

• Jarry made some terrific saves down the stretch.

He’s sharp right now.

I hate to be picky with him because I like his game a lot, but when was the last time he stopped a breakaway? You’re not going to stop every breakaway. That’s reality. But you can’t let all of them in.

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That said, he’s playing well, and his saves down the stretch got the Penguins a point. He’s in a good place.

• I liked Noel Acciari’s game quite a bit.

He wasn’t good in the season’s first month, but he seems to be getting comfortable now. His penalty killing is elite, and he’s starting to produce more and more offense.

With all due respect, he’s not getting much help offensively from linemates Matt Nieto and Jeff Carter.

• That’s 10 goals for Rust in 18 games.

RIGHT BACK INTO THE SWING OF THINGS!

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 29, 2023

He is so crucial to this team in every way. He told me in September that he was horribly frustrated by his 2022-23 season and worked extra hard during the summer to make sure such a season didn’t happen again.

He’s quite a player.

• Not to end things on a downer, but the Penguins went 0-for-2 on the power play.

As usual, it looked non-threatening. It’s the problem that isn’t going away.

(Photo of Filip Forsberg scoring the game winner against Tristan Jarry: Christopher Hanewinckel / USA Today)