TEMPE, Ariz. — Jake Guentzel scored twice in the second period, and the Pittsburgh Penguins ended a six-game skid with a 4-1 win against the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena on Sunday.
Jason Zucker and Jeff Carter scored, Sidney Crosby had two assists, and Casey DeSmith made 23 saves for the Penguins (20-13-6), who were 0-4-2 during their skid.
“We’re trying to get this thing back on track and playing the game with the confidence we know this team is capable of playing with,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. “So I thought it was important to get this win for a lot of reasons.”
Barrett Hayton scored for the Coyotes (13-21-5), who have lost five straight. Karel Vejmelka made 24 saves.
Hayton, who was playing on Arizona’s top line, gave the Coyotes a 1-0 lead at 5:18 of the first period after posting up uncontested at the left post and redirecting. Clayton Keller‘s pass.
“We had some opportunities, and it’s frustrating not getting the result we wanted,” Hayton said. “They pushed us throughout the night. … It was a tough loss.”
Video: PIT@ARI: Crosby, Guentzel connect to knot score
Guentzel couldn’t put in the rebound of a Crosby miss on a breakaway in the first period, but he was able to tie it 1-1 at 5:56 of the second. Jan Rutta‘s shot rebounded below the left circle to Crosby, who fed Guentzel along the goal line.
“That’s what “Guentzy” does, and it’s fun to watch,” Zucker said. “That was a big momentum shift for us after they got the first one, and to come back and get those two big ones was nice for him.”
The goal was Guentzel’s first since Dec. 15, ending an eight-game drought.
“It’s a funny game, they come in bunches sometimes,” Guentzel said.
Guentzel then gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead at 9:11 with a goal from nearly the same spot. Bryan Rust‘s pass from the slot found Guentzel, who hesitated momentarily before shooting from a bad angle as Vejmelka scrambled to recover.
“Jake’s been fighting it a little bit, but we believe in him and he’s a great goal-scorer,” Sullivan said. “We felt it was a matter of time. He puts a lot of pressure on himself to score and when he doesn’t, he feels it more than anybody.”
Pittsburgh had a chance to extend the lead but couldn’t score during a four-minute power play in the second. The Penguins, who finished 0-for-6 with the man-advantage, also couldn’t score during a 5-on-3 power play which lasted 33 seconds late in the period.
“We defended really well against a team that’s tough to play against,” Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. “We were really, really solid against elite players, but we just couldn’t score. We had breakaways, good looks from the slot, rebounds. We just couldn’t find a way to get a big goal.”
Video: PIT@ARI: Guentzel fires in his second goal of the game
Zucker pushed it to 3-1 at 10:58 of the third period, taking a return pass from Evgeni Malkin and scoring with a backhand after cutting through the crease.
Carter scored an empty-net goal at 18:55 for the 4-1 final.
“We played hard and we played the game the right way,” Sullivan said. “I was most encouraged by the third period because I didn’t think we gave them much.”
The Penguins outshot the Coyotes 12-3 in the third.
“I definitely felt good the whole game,” DeSmith said. “I was fortunate to make a couple of big saves around some odd-man rushes and keep our momentum going into the third, which I think is really important.”
NOTES: Guentzel’s multigoal game was his second this season and 25th in the NHL. … Crosby has 14 points (six goals, eight assists) during a seven-game point streak against the Coyotes. … Pittsburgh is 7-0-0 against the Central Division (outscored opponents 32-13). … Coyotes forward Dylan Guenther had two shots in 12:21 of ice time in his first game for Arizona since Dec. 7. He missed 14 games to play for Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, scoring the game-winning goal in the gold-medal game. … The Penguins have won 10 straight against the Coyotes dating to Nov. 11, 2017, and are 12-0-1 against them since Feb. 29, 2016. The only longer streak currently in the NHL against the same opponent is the Minnesota Wild’s 13-game winning streak against the Anaheim Ducks.
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