Offense clicks in 5-2 win
however, was vintage Crosby — winning battles, effective around the net, setting up teammates, a threat on every shift.
It looked every bit like the guy who has won the Conn Smythe Trophy the past two postseasons.
A laser from the right circle on a 5-on-3 power play at 4:41 of the third periodgave Crosby his second two-goal game of the season. The Penguins captain finished with three points, but he was hardly alone when it came to the team’s best offensive players being exactly that.
Kessel had his best offensive performance in 2017-18 to date, which is saying something considering how consistently good he has been. The outburst gave Kessel a team-high 31 points this season and a nine-point lead on second place (Crosby, 22).
“It was a good night,” Kessel said. “Couple fiveon-threes out there. It’s nice. We needed that win.”
The Penguins have gotten quality goaltending at times in the early portion of the season, but it had come mostly from Matt Murray. Not Saturday.
Making his fourth career start, third this season and also his home debut, Tristan Jarry looked an awful lot like Murray in a stellar performance. Jarry stopped 33 of 35 shots to pick up his first NHL win.
“It’s very special,” Jarry said. “It’s nice to get that out of the way. It’s obviously something that I’ll never forget. It’s something I’ll cherish forever.”
Jarry’s best stop came with the Lightning trying to make it a two-goal game midway through the second period.
Moving right to left and tracking another juicy bounce off the PPG Paints Arena end boards, Jarry robbed NHL goal-scoring leader Nikita Kucherov short side.
Those weren’t the only encouraging signs, either, as the Penguins (12-10-3) picked up their first win on the second night of a backtoset; they now are 14-2 in that situation.
• It took Riley Sheahan some time to get going, but he finished with an assist and now has points in five of his past six games. It’s probably unrealistic to say the Penguins’ depthscoring concerns have been resolved, but it helps to have Sheahan producing.
• Starts had been a focal point, and the Penguins got going on time against Tampa Bay. Their first period might’ve been their best opening 20 minutes of the season. They killed a double minor on Jake Guentzel and scored three times, playing clean and fast. “It started with our compete level,” Sullivan said. “It’s not to say we didn’t make mistakes out there, but they were mistakes of enthusiasm. We were trying to play on our toes. We were trying to be aggressive. We had the right mindset. I think when we do that we’re a pretty competitive hockey team. There was a lot to like about our game [Saturday].” The penalty-kill, which gave up two goals in five of six games before Friday’s 2-for-2 performance in Boston, killed 5 of 6 Lightning power plays, aback really strong showing against the NHL’s best power play. “I think our players understand the circumstance,” Sullivan said. “We all know where we are in the league and where we are in our division. All of us watch hockey. We know where we stand. I think our group has high expectations. I thought [Saturday] was a really solid effort, top to bottom.”