PITTSBURGH — Mike Sullivan’s squad on Saturday aced its first true test of the young season.
With Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel again leading the way, the Penguins beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 6-2, at PPG Paints Arena. They dominated the final two periods and kept one of the NHL’s most talented teams in check at 5-on-5.
Tampa Bay scored the opening goal 4:10 into the game. After a Jeff Petry tripping penalty, Steven Stamkos ripped a one-timer from the left circle past Tristan Jarry. There was no big breakdown like the two that led to Arizona goals on Thursday. Stamkos, who is speeding toward 500 career goals, simply blew it by Jarry.
Crosby tied up the score late in the first period. Crosby and Guentzel were flying throughout the first, creating a few chances before Crosby scored on a 2-on-1 rush. Guentzel spun a perfect saucer pass over a sliding defender to the captain, who tucked the puck behind Brian Elliott for his second goal in as many games.
Danton Heinen gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal in the second period. He hustled to keep a bouncing puck inside the Lightning zone and seconds later got rewarded when it pin-balled to him. From a slim angle, he buried it.
The Penguins had ample opportunity in the second period to pad their lead against the Lightning, who played 24 hours earlier in Columbus, but couldn’t connect.
They did everything but score on one tremendous power play, with Elliott making a sprawling pad save and their timing on two would-be tap-ins being just barely off. Bryan Rust skated in alone on Elliott but airmailed his shot over the net. Then they got a few whacks in a net-front scramble but couldn’t elevate it over Elliott.
The Penguins kept pushing early in the third and seized control of the game.
Guentzel won a faceoff, kicking the puck back to the point then darting to the net. He tipped Kris Letang’s shot past Elliott for his second goal of the season.
Just over a minute later, Jeff Carter converted a pass from Kasperi Kapanen.
Rust made it 5-1 with Pittsburgh’s fourth power-play tally in two games. After Brayden Point got one for the guests, Rickard Rakell iced it with an empty-netter.
ICE CHIPS
— The boo birds were out at PPG Paints Arena after Alex Killorn collided with Jarry in the second period. But it was Petry who nudged Killorn into the netminder. There was no whistle. And with Jarry’s stick lying behind the net, he still found a way to smother a shot from the slot from Point, his finest save of the night.
— Back with the Penguins after they relinquished his rights before the start of free agency, Heinen is on a roll early with three points through two games. He started last season similarly, with five points in his first five games, before cooling off.
— Speaking of Heinen, he made a sneaky play to help make Carter’s goal happen. Pierre-Olivier Joseph rimmed the puck around the boards toward the left winger, who lifted the stick of a pinching Lightning blue-liner to send Kapanen and Carter away on a 2-on-1 rush. Kapanen then patiently set up the veteran Carter.
— Teddy Blueger participated in the morning skate and appears to be cleared for contact. But he missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury.
— Prior to puck-drop, the Penguins honored Dana Heinze, the longtime equipment manager who retired this year. “Just a terrific person. A really hard worker. I know our players and our coaching staff have so much respect for Dana,” Sullivan said. “The equipment staff is just an underappreciated staff by most [outsiders].”
STAT N’AT
9 — with Carter and Rakell scoring in the third period, all nine players in Pittsburgh’s top-nine forward group have netted at least one goal through two games.
COMING UP
The Penguins are scheduled to practice Sunday afternoon in Cranberry then take off for Montreal. They will play the Canadiens at Bell Centre on Monday night.
