PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists for a second straight game, helping the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.
The 35-year-old center has six points (two goals, four assists) in the first two games of his 18th NHL season. Crosby also had a goal and two assists in a 6-2 season-opening win against the Arizona Coyotes here on Thursday.
“You want to keep that going,” Crosby said. “It might not last. You want to keep riding that momentum if you can. If you want to win consistently, you need everyone to contribute. There’s no secret to that. We’ve been able to do that here the first couple games. “
Video: TBL@PIT: Crosby buries Guentzel’s dish on rush
Jake Guentzel and Jeff Carter each had a goal and an assist, and Tristan Jarry made 34 saves for the Penguins (2-0-0).
Steven Stamkos scored for the fourth time in three games and had an assist, Nikita Kucherov had two assists, and Brian Elliott made 39 saves in his first start of the season for the Lightning (1-2-0), who won 5-2 at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday.
“Every single year, we’re a different team,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “We have to find ourselves a bit. But the big thing is, and it comes right down to it, if we’re not going to manage the puck and we’re going to turn it over, especially with teams like this, it ‘ll be a long night for you.
“We’ve gone through some ebbs and flows in years. This is a tough way to start this year, no doubt.”
Stamkos put the Lightning ahead 1-0 at 4:10 of the first period on a power play, firing a one-timer off a pass. Victor Hedman from just above the left face-off circle.
Video: TBL@PIT: Stamkos rifles pass home for power-play goal
Tampa Bay had four shots on goal in 24:38 following Stamkos’ goal.
Crosby tied it 1-1 at 17:00. Guentzel drove through the neutral zone on a 2-on-1 before sending a pass sliding in front of him Erik Cernakallowing Crosby to go forehand to backhand around Elliott.
Danton Heinen gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal from a sharp angle at 4:11 of the second period.
“I think we had a pretty good start, once again,” Hedman said. “They got that power-play goal to make it 2-1, then it was an uphill battle. [Elliott] Kept us in the game, gave us a chance to win. But it all comes down to execution, that’s the bottom line. We’ll regroup here, go back home and get ready for our home opener [against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday]”
Guentzel, who has a goal and an assist in each of the first two games, tipped a shot Kris Letang to make it 3-1 at 2:28 of the third period, and Carter extended it to 4-1 at 3:50 on a wrist shot from the bottom of the right circle.
“I think it’s a good time when you’re getting chances this early,” Guentzel said. “You don’t hang your head too much. For me, the chances are coming.”
Video: TBL@PIT: Guentzel scores after face-off win in 3rd
Bryan Rust deflected a shot from Crosby on a power play, pushing it to 5-1 at 13:31.
“They’re a proud group,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “They have an appetite to win. I think, to a man, the core group of players that have been here, they’re just hungry to win. They’re hungry to win. There’s no other way to say it.”
Brayden Point cut it to 5-2 at 14:03 before Rickard Rakell scored an empty-net goal with 4:05 remaining for the 6-2 final.
“Started turning the puck over way too much,” Point said. “A team like that, that speed coming at you and all that skill, it’s tough to defend when you’re just giving them rushes.”
NOTES: Crosby has 1,415 (519 goals, 896 assists) in 1,110 NHL games, passing Doug Gilmour (1,414 points in 1,474 games) for sole possession of 19th place all-time. He has the most points among active players, ahead of Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin (1,411 points; 780 goals, 631 assists in 1,277 games). The Penguins captain has 423 multipoint games in his NHL career, 101 more than games without a point (322). … Stamkos’ three-game goal streak is the second longest to start a season in Lightning history. Kucherov scored in the first seven games of 2017-18. The Lightning captain moved into sole possession of second place on their all-time assists list (492), behind Martin St. Louis (588). … Penguins defenseman Jan Rutta had two shots on goal and one hit in 15:09 of ice time in his first game against his former team since signing a three-year contract July 13. The defenseman won the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021.
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