Sidney Crosby sparks Penguins to 6th consecutive win

For the Penguins, Tuesday’s 6-3 home win against the Arizona Coyotes was a lot like their previous six games.

A win.

But hardly perfect.

Yet, as the score might indicate, this one had a little bit more luster than the flawed gems that compose their ongoing six-game winning streak.

They had an early deficit that they overcame. Also, they looked lethargic through the first period. And turnovers led to nearly instant offense for the opposition.

But they never looked like they had lost control of the contest.

This triumph was arguably their most thorough of the sextet.

“Maybe it wasn’t our best, but I think we’ve had a lot of track meets the last handful of games,” Penguins forward Evan Rodrigues said. “Today, we were a lot better defensively and then in the third, just started to capitalize on their mistakes. We played the right way for 60 minutes today. A lot better than it has been, at least.”

Ultimately, the Penguins outshot the squalid Coyotes, 36-16, and claimed their 17th victory over their past 19 games (17-2-0) going back to Dec. 4.

Still, there remains plenty of room for refinement.

“We’ve got to look at games realistically and say, ‘Hey, this wasn’t our best. This isn’t how you do it,’” Penguins forward Bryan Rust said. “That’s been the message here over the past few games that we’ve won that we maybe didn’t have our best.”

The Penguins’ best — captain Sidney Crosby — was the primary driver in Tuesday’s victory. Crosby recorded the game-winning goal as well as a pair of primary assists in the comeback victory.

Following a dreadfully tepid first period that could cure a variety of sleep disorders, the Coyotes claimed the contest’s first lead at 8:23 of the middle frame.

After Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson lost the puck on his own right half wall, Coyotes forward Travis Boyd claimed possession above the right circle and fed a pass to the high slot for linemate Clayton Keller. From there, Keller slid a quick pass low in the right circle, where Coyotes forward Nick Schmaltz one-touched a wrister past goaltender Tristan Jarry’s glove on the near side for his third goal this season. Keller and Boyd had assists.

A power-play score tied the game, 1-1, at the 11:31 mark of the second period. Taking a pass low to the right of the Coyotes’ cage, Crosby — with his back to the crease — slipped an adroit backhand pass through his own legs as well as those of Coyotes defenseman Anton Stralman to the left circle for Rust. From there, Rust pumped a wrister past the glove of outstretched rookie goaltender Karel Vejmelka for his 10th goal. Crosby and forward Evgeni Malkin collected assists.

“It’s just one of those things that, you take a step back and say, it’s just another fantastic Sid play,” Rust said of Crosby’s pass. “I’ve been around for a while and have seen a lot of those.”

The Coyotes reclaimed a lead, 2-1, with a goal on a five-on-three power-play opportunity at 16:22 of the second. From the high slot of the Penguins’ zone, Coyotes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere slid a pass low in the right circle for Keller, who roofed a wrister past Jarry’s blocker on the far side for his 16th goal. Assists went to Gostisbehere and Schmaltz.

Another power-play score pulled the Penguins even once again, 2-2, late in the second at the 18:18 mark. Controlling play in the Coyotes’ right circle, Crosby tapped a forehand pass above the left circle, where defenseman Kris Letang knocked the puck dead, maneuvered into the circle and swatted a half-slapper that glanced off Vejmelka’s glove on the near side and hopped into the cage. It was Letang’s fourth goal off assists from Crosby and Rust.

A strong individual effort by Schmaltz regained a lead for his team, 3-2, only 2:54 into the third period. After a turnover at his own blue line by Penguins forward Dominik Simon, Schmaltz accepted the charity, barged past defenseman Mike Matheson in the slot and attacked the net, tucking a forehand shot past a scrambling Jarry’s glove. There were no assists.

The Penguins persisted and tied the game again, 3-3, at the 4:53 mark of the third. After gaining the offensive blue line on the right wing, Rodrigues forced a pass to linemate Brock McGinn above the right circle. McGinn surged past defenseman Janis Moser and pitchforked a wobbly backhander past Vejmalka’s left skate on the near side for his 10th goal. Assists were credited to Rodrigues and Malkin.

Crosby supplied the Penguins with their first lead at 7:10 of the third period with his 11th goal.

Poking a puck past Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun at the Penguins’ blue line, Rust created a three-on-two rush into the Coyotes’ zone. Off the left wing, Rust and Crosby played hot potato with the puck before Crosby buried a forehand shot over Vejmalka’s right leg. Rust and defenseman Brian Dumoulin tallied assists.

“Sid was flying up the play,” Rust said. “Hit him once. He gave it back to me and then I just tried to find him again. He’s a guy that if you find him in between the hash marks at the top of the crease, he’s probably going to put the puck in the net.”

Letang put another puck in the net at 11:36 of the third. After McGinn hounded Stralman into a turnover in the Coyotes’ left corner, Rodrigues wound up with the puck in the left circle and fed a cross-ice pass to Letang pinching into the right circle. Lifting his left leg, Letang sniped a wrister past the blocker of an increasingly vexed Vejmelka. Assists went to Rodrigues and forward Jeff Carter.

The coup de grace came from Penguins forward Brian Boyle who scored his fifth goal at 13:42 of the third.

After Simon forechecked Stralman into another turnover on the Coyotes’ left wing wall, Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese claimed the puck and immediately distributed a pass to the front of the crease. Facing minimal resistance, Boyle displayed some fanciful skills by tucking the puck behind his left skate and jabbing a wrister past Vejmelka’s charred glove. Aston-Reese tallied the only assist.

“That was awesome,” Rust said of Boyle’s display. “That pretty much sums it up.”

Jarry wasn’t awesome but he didn’t need to be as he faced only 16 shots, a season low in games he has started, and improved his record to 23-7-4.

The Penguins weren’t perfect, but they certainly showed improvement Tuesday.

Their 34-year-old captain was a major reason for that.

“Are you guys surprised now?” Letang asked rhetorically. “I don’t think so.

“You’re going to keep being amazed, even if he’s 34, 35. (When) he’s 40, he’s going to be one of the best players in the world.”

Notes: The Penguins’ scratches were defenseman Mark Friedman and forward Radim Zohorna. … Furman South, a native of Sewickley and an alumnus of Robert Morris’ men’s hockey program, served as a referee. … Vejmalka was the second right-catching goaltender the Penguins have played this season. The first was Michael Hutchinson of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He played 20 minutes of mop-up duty during a 7-1 home win for the Penguins on Oct. 23.