PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The story was going to be about the new Penguin playing his first game. It turned into a story about the Pens assault in the second period and a 5-1 win over the Blue Jackets, who had won four of its last five.
Columbus scored on a great individual effort by Gustav Nyquist diving around Tristan Jarry as the Jackets led 1-0 after one. Then after a fruitless power play, here came the Pens in the second:
· Radim Zohorna with the rebound off a Chad Ruhwedel shot to tie it at 1.
· Under a minute later, Sidney Crosby (passing Nicklas Lidstrom for 22nd place on the all-time NHL assist list) with a patient pass through the slot to an open Jake Guentzel (30th goal of the second), 2-1 Pens.
"It's a cool number," Guentzel said. "Just to be able to get 30 goals is pretty special in this league. I'm pretty lucky to play alongside really good players. It makes it easy on some of the goals for me."
"I think he's been one of the better goal-scorers in the league over the last handful of years," said Pens Head Coach Mike Sullivan. "It's hard to score goals in this league, at the rate that Jake scored them I think is an indication of his touch. He's a goal scorer in the true sense of the word."
Guentzel now has 114 goals over the last four seasons (235 games).
"I think his ability to get to the soft spots is what separates him from other others," Sullivan said. "I also think he plays the game with a lot of courage. For a guy that's not overly big in stature, he sure plays the game like he's a giant."
"He scores a lot of blue paint goals, but he also can beat you off the rush with his wrist shot or off a faceoff. He can score different ways."
· Bryan Rust would gather a pass and snake around Columbus to make it 3-1
"That was a tremendous goal," Guentzel said. "The hands he had there. The way he scores goals now, he's come a long way. You are happy for him. It was a special goal."
· Then Guentzel gets credit for a goal off a shot by Crosby (points in 11 consecutive home games) and Mike Matheson with the other assist for a 4-1 advantage.
Evgeni Malkin would add a 5-on-3 goal midway through the third period with assists to Rust and Crosby to make it 5-1.
Tristan Jarry stopped 26 of 27 shots. He's now won seven of his last eight with a roughly 1.60 goals-against average and .950 save percentage.
The win moves the Pens alone in second place, staying three points behind Carolina.
It's the Pens 10th straight home win against the Blue Jackets. Columbus last won in Pittsburgh in December of 2015.
3rd line newbie
Forward Rickard Rakell did play in his first game as a Penguin, but not on the expected second line with Evgeni Malkin. Rakell began on the third line.
Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Evan Rodrigues
Danton Heinen-Evgeni Malkin-Bryan Rust
Rickard Rakell-Jeff Carter-Kasperi Kapanen
Brian Boyle-Teddy Blueger-Radim Zohorna
Rakell was happy for the warm welcome from everyone in the organization just arriving in town on Tuesday morning. Head coach Mike Sullivan said he was pleased with his play given the circumstances and he expects him to move up to the top two lines soon as they will try different options.
Number Change
As the veteran, Rakell kept his long-standing number 67, meaning Zohorna had to change to number 63. He would become the first Penguin ever to score wearing that number. The only other player to wear number 63 with the Pens was Tim Wallace in 2009. The winger played his first 24 NHL games with the Pens with no goals and two assists. Wallace would play 101 career NHL games with the Pens, Islanders, Tampa Bay and Carolina.
Up Next
Back-to-back games as the Pens return to the road at Buffalo Wednesday night at 7:30p.
