The Penguins didn't play a pretty game. They didn't care. Pittsburgh scored three third-period goals to earn a 3-2 win against the San Jose Sharks at PPG Paints Arena. With the Penguins trailing 2-0, Evgeni Malkin and Scott Wilson scored two quick goals to erase the deficit.
Malkin sent a wrist shot through traffic, and Sharks goalie Martin Jones, at 6:47 to cut the deficit to 2-1. Malkin has five points and two goals in five games this season. Wilson scored 2:15 later to tie the game 2-2 by jamming a shot past Jones. It was his first goal since March 6, when he scored Pittsburgh's final goal in a 6-1 win against the New Jersey Devils.
After Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic was called for slashing, Patric Hornqvist scored Pittsburgh's third goal for a 3-2 lead with 5:28 remaining.
Sharks forward Tomas Hertl opened the scoring 5:04 into the second period when he tipped a shot off the back of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's pad and into the net for his second goal in as many games.
Hornqvist seemed to score a tying power-play goal with 6:41 remaining in the second, but it was disallowed following a review when it was ruled he used his hand to bat the puck into the net.
The Sharks extended their lead to 2-0 with 3:45 remaining in the second when Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau converged on Fleury. Trading passes down the ice, Couture slipped a final pass through Chris Kunitz and defenseman Ian Cole, setting up Marleau for a wrist shot under Fleury.
The Penguins played the third period with four defensemen after Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maatta sustained apparent injuries late in the second period. Sullivan did not provide an update after the game.
* Malkin cut San Jose's 2-0 lead in half after a shot from Kessel ricocheted off a stick and into the air. Sharks defenseman Justin Braun and Martin attempted to bat the puck away, but it landed on Malkin's stick, allowing him to spin and take a wrist shot that beat Jones.
Evgeni Malkin: "I liked what we did in the third period. We have leadership. We played right. We played smart."
Joe Pavelski: "I feel like they got a bounce or two, but the position we're in, it shouldn't matter how many bounces they get."
Peter DeBoer: "This league is a race to three goals. That's pretty much how it works. We couldn't get the third goal."
After Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic was called for slashing, Patric Hornqvist scored Pittsburgh's third goal for a 3-2 lead with 5:28 remaining.
Hornqvist seemed to score a tying power-play goal with 6:41 remaining in the second, but it was disallowed following a review when it was ruled he used his hand to bat the puck into the net.
The Sharks extended their lead to 2-0 with 3:45 remaining in the second when Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau converged on Fleury. Trading passes down the ice, Couture slipped a final pass through Chris Kunitz and defenseman Ian Cole, setting up Marleau for a wrist shot under Fleury.
The Penguins played the third period with four defensemen after Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maatta sustained apparent injuries late in the second period. Sullivan did not provide an update after the game.
* After the Penguins tied the game 2-2, Jones temporarily kept them from taking the lead after the puck bounced into the crease. Jones reached back between his legs to grab the puck and deny Hornqvist's attempt to jam it into the net with 8:50 remaining.
* With the Penguins struggling offensively late in the second period, Sullivan decided to break up the 'HBK' Line of Nick Bonino centering left wing Carl Hagelin and Kessel, who was moved to Malkin's line. The combination seemed to work when Malkin scored.
* Pouliot played his first game of the season with defenseman Kris Letang day-to-day because of an upper-body injury. He played 12:29 before leaving with an apparent injury. … Sharks forward Matt Nieto returned to the lineup after being scratched in San Jose's 3-2 win against the New York Islanders on Tuesday.
Pens Quotes
Mike Sullivan: "I don't know if it would be a win the way we, quote unquote, drew it up. I said to the guys after the second period that you can win ugly in this league. You don't get points for style at the end of the night."Evgeni Malkin: "I liked what we did in the third period. We have leadership. We played right. We played smart."
Sharks Bites
Paul Martin: "We didn't close it out. We played well the first two (periods). We took a couple penalties. We gave them momentum. It wasn't one of our better periods."Joe Pavelski: "I feel like they got a bounce or two, but the position we're in, it shouldn't matter how many bounces they get."
Peter DeBoer: "This league is a race to three goals. That's pretty much how it works. We couldn't get the third goal."
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