COLUMBUS — Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists, and the Pittsburgh Penguins scored five straight to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-3 at Nationwide Arena on Saturday.
Danton Heinen scored twice, and Tristan Jarry made 29 saves for the Penguins (4-0-1), who scored at least six goals for the fourth time this season.
“In the first, we just got outworked and didn’t execute well all the way through,” Crosby said. “[Jarry] made some big saves. It could have been a bigger deficit than it was. He gave us a chance to get back into it in the second.”
Kent Johnson scored his first NHL goal, and Elvis Merzlikins made 33 saves for the Blue Jackets (2-4-0), who led 2-0 in the first period and 3-1 in the second.
“It’s tough to get wins in this league, and you’re going to have to be up for a full 60 [minutes],” Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner said. “Our start was good. We didn’t have the same energy in the second and the third, so they’re going to make you pay.”
Jan Rutta brought Pittsburgh to within 3-2 at 10:04 of the second period on a one-timer, and Heinen tied it 3-3 at 14:19 from the right post after the puck popped out to him during a scramble.
“He’s a guy who knows how to find the back of the net,” Crosby said of Heinen. “He has a great shot, but he goes to the tough areas, too. We got a couple of goals doing that. As a group, we did that way better in the second and third periods.”
Video: PIT@CBJ: Crosby buries one-timer to take lead
Crosby gave the Penguins a 4-3 lead at 5:38 of the third period when he one-timed a pass from Brian Dumoulin from just inside the right face-off circle.
Heinen then extended the lead to 5-3 at 14:07 before Brock McGinn scored at 14:51 for the 6-3 final.
The Penguins have won six in a row against the Blue Jackets.
“We let some things distract us tonight in some areas later in the game,” Columbus coach Brad Larsen said. “There’s a sour taste right now because of some things.”
Jenner gave the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead at 7:13 of the first period, scoring from the low slot after a clearing attempt from a Penguins defenseman. Kris Letang deflected to him off the shin Johnny Gaudreau.
At that point in the game, Columbus held an 11-0 advantage in shots on goal.
Jack Roslovic made it 2-0 at 18:44, scoring a short-handed goal on a breakaway after he picked up Letang’s errant pass in the neutral zone.
It was Roslovic’s first goal of the season and his first short-handed goal in 315 NHL games.
Video: PIT@CBJ: Roslovic nets a slick SHG on a breakaway
“We got totally outplayed in the first period, obviously, when I say that,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. “I give our players a lot of credit. I thought we responded after that.”
Josh Archibald cut it to 2-1 at 3:43 of the second period on a rush from the left circle.
“He brings a ton of energy,” Sullivan said. “That’s the game that he brings to our team, and when he does that, I think his energy is contagious. I thought he did a terrific job with his physical play. His energy was a big part of us getting into the hockey game. “
Johnson responded 14 seconds later to give Columbus a 3-1 lead. He received a pass from Roslovic, skated in front and avoided a poke check from Jarry before scoring with his backhand.
It was the first NHL goal in 14 games for Johnson, who was selected by the Blue Jackets with the No. 5 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
“Really exciting in the moment. It was a big goal,” Johnson said. “Too bad it wasn’t a win, but I will take it.”
NOTES: Penguins forward Jake Guentzel did not play after sustaining an upper-body injury against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. Defenseman Chad Ruhwedel replaced Guentzel in the lineup, with the Penguins using seven defensemen and 11 forwards. Ruhwedel blocked a shot in 9:28 of ice time in his season debut. … Blue Jackets forward Justin Danforth sustained an upper-body injury in the first period and did not return. … Columbus plays at the New York Rangers on Sunday. … Gaudreau had an assist to extend his point streak to five games (four goals, three assists).
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