93.7 The Fan (PITTSBURGH) - Penguins erupt for ten goals against the San Jose Sharks in a 10-2 win Saturday night.
Pittsburgh started off with an early power play and just 1:30 into the game Reilly Smith buried a wrist shot past Mackenzie Blackwood to open up the scoring. Smith would score his second goal with 7:05 to play in the first period extending the Penguins lead to 2-0 after the first period.
In the second period, Bryan Rust pushed the puck past multiple defenders down the ice and found a cutting Jake Guentzel in front of the net to score his 200th career goal. Head coach Mike Sullivan said in postgame that when he first saw Guentzel he didn't think he'd be the kind of player he has turned out to be.
"I probably should have because if I'm not mistaken he might have scored on the first two shots on net. Maybe that was a foreshadow," said Sullivan. "He's an interesting player because there's no aspect of his game that jumps out at you that wow's you, He's not tremendously big and strong, he's not a blazing fast skater, he doesn't have an overpowering shot. I just think he has a hockey IQ that is off the charts and I think he's an ultra competitive kid because of those two things."
Vinnie Hinostroza was at the right place at the right time after the Penguins dumped the puck behind the net and San Jose tried to clear it out. Hinostroza stole the pass behind the net and put it in for his first career NHL goal making it 4-0 Pittsburgh.
After San Jose got on the board, the Penguins scored three more goals in the period, in a span of just three minutes. Evgeni Malkin scored his 6th of the season and then just 15 seconds later, Kris Letang scored his first of the year. Two minutes later, Matt Nieto scored his first of the season. The Pens took a 7-1 commanding lead into the second intermission.
Bryan Rust scored his 6th goal of the season just 49 seconds into the third period to extend the Penguins lead to 8-1. San Jose would add one more halfway through the period and then Malkin and Guentzel would both score again capping off the 10-2 win.
"I just thought especially in the first half of the game before it got opened up a bit, I thought we played a conscientious game," said Sullivan. "We knew they were a team that plays with a lot of aggression and one of the challenges was going to be their aggression."
Tristan Jarry picked up the win after making 24 saves on 26 shots on net from the Sharks.
The Pens are back in action Tuesday at Anaheim, puck drop just after 10p.m.