Guentzel, Rust each score twice, Penguins beat Senators 5-3

By DAN SCIFO, Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann will always remember their first game with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the whirlwind day surrounding their debuts.
The newly-acquired Bjugstad and McCann made it to the arena minutes before puck drop, and new teammates Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel each scored twice to help the Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators 5-3 on Friday night.
“Showing up at game time was interesting and might have been better for us because there wasn’t much thinking,” Bjugstad said. “It was pretty surreal. We showed up to the rink and just played. I have dreams every once in awhile where I’m late to a game and that’s kind of what it felt like, but luckily it ended up well, so it was good.”
Teddy Blueger got his first NHL goal and Casey DeSmith stopped 37 shots as the Penguins won their second straight after losing four of their previous five.
Bjugstad contributed in his first game with the Penguins hours after he was acquired from Florida, getting an assist on Rust’s first goal. He also won the offensive zone faceoff and provided a screen in front on Rust’s second goal.
“They told us to keep it simple and that’s kind of what we did,” Bjugstad said.
Bobby Ryan and Mikkel Boedker both scored power-play goals, and Matt Duchene scored on a breakaway for the Senators, who rallied to make it a one-goal game after falling behind, 4-1. Anders Nilsson stopped 35 shots as Ottawa, playing for the first time since Jan. 22, lost its third straight.
“I think we knew they were going to press because they knew we were coming off eight days,” Ryan said. “They got the lead and kind of just stuck to their guns, putting pucks to the net and doing things to wear guys out.”
Earlier in the day, the Penguins acquired forwards Bjugstad and Jared McCann from the Panthers for forwards Derick Brassard, Riley Sheahan and three 2019 draft picks. The deal gives the Penguins an influx of youth in the 26-year-old Bjugstad and the 22-year-old McCann as they make another playoff push.
Bjugstad scored five goals and 12 points in 32 games with the Panthers, while McCann had eight goals and 18 points in 46 games with Florida. Both are signed through the 2020 season, with Bjugstad’s deal expiring the following year.
“We felt like they could fit into our lineup and play certain roles that could help us become a better team,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “I thought they had strong games under difficult circumstances.”
Bjugstad and McCann both took the morning skate with the Panthers, and boarded a plane to Pittsburgh when they learned of the trade.
“We’ll always remember sitting on the plane, wondering if we were going to make it,” Bjugstad said. “We got to a point where we were like “alright, we better start doing something,” so we did a few groin stretches in the plane. There wasn’t much room, but that was about all we could do.”
Bjugstad and McCann received a police escort and arrived at the arena minutes before faceoff, still with their Florida Panther equipment bags as they hurried to join their teammates on the ice. They first appeared on the bench prior to the start of the national anthem.
“Usually I have my coffee and do some stretches, but I didn’t have any of that,” Bjugstad said. “We got here, threw our gear on and ran out for the anthem.”
With Evgeni Malkin out of the lineup, Bjugstad centered the second line, while McCann was the third-line center. Malkin, who recorded his 600th NHL assist on Wednesday, will also miss Saturday’s game at Toronto with an upper-body injury.
Bjugstad played a role on two of the first four goals as Pittsburgh held a three-goal lead in the third period. Both Bjugstad and McCann will be happy to have additional time to prepare Saturday against Toronto.
“You can’t make this up,” Bjugstad said. “It was good to get the win most importantly, but I think I’ll remember this one for the rest of my life.”
NOTES: Ottawa’s Colin White returned after missing five games with a shoulder injury. … Sidney Crosby is three games from tying Hall of Fame owner Mario Lemieux’s franchise record of 915 games played. … Guentzel has seven goals in his last eight games. … Phil Kessel is two points from becoming the 17th American-born player to reach 800 points. … Ottawa’s Mark Stone recorded his 300th NHL point.
UP NEXT
Senators: Host Detroit on Saturday.
Penguins: Visit Toronto on Saturday.
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Penguins acquire Bjugstad, McCann from Panthers
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired forwards Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann from the Florida Panthers for forward Derick Brassard, Riley Sheahan and three 2019 draft picks.
The Penguins announced the trade Friday, a move that will give them an influx of youth in the 26-year-old Bjugstad and the 22-year-old McCann as they make another playoff push.
Bjugstad has five goals and seven assists in 32 games for the Panthers this season while McCann has eight goals and 10 assists in 46 contests with Florida. Bjustad is signed through 2021 and carries a contract with an average value of $4.1 million. McCann’s deal is through 2020 and pays him an average of $1.25 million per season.
The deal ends Pittsburgh’s experiment in attempting to make 31-year-old Brassard the team’s third-line center. Acquired in a deal with Ottawa last season, Brassard struggled to generate much offense during his brief time with the Penguins, collecting just 12 goals in 64 games with Pittsburgh.
Sheahan, 27, brought over in a trade with Detroit early in the 2017-18 season, had 18 goals and 23 assists in 122 games with the Penguins.
Pittsburgh also sent a second-round pick and two fourth-round picks in the 2019 draft to Panthers to complete the deal.
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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Kris Letang tied Hall of Famer Paul Coffey’s franchise record for career goals by a defenseman, Matt Murray stopped 33 shots and the Pittsburgh Penguins held off the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 on Wednesday night.Letang’s shot from the right circle in the second period beat Andrei Vasilevskiy for his 12th goal of the season and 108th of his career to pull the five-time All-Star even with Coffey, who set the mark while playing for the Penguins from 1987-92.

Riley Sheahan, Phil Kessel and Sidney Crosby scored during a first-period outburst by Pittsburgh, which responded from a lifeless loss to Eastern Conference also-ran New Jersey on Monday by jumping on the NHL-leading Lightning.

Evgeni Malkin picked up two assists to become the fifth Russian-born player in league history to reach 600 career assists. He and Steven Stamkos each drew 5-minute fighting majors after tussling early in the third period.

Murray withstood an early barrage by Tampa Bay to hand the Lighting — the highest-scoring team in the NHL — just the fourth regulation loss in their last 25 games.

Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on five shots before settling down to finish with 18 saves, but Tampa Bay couldn’t recover in its return from a 10-day break. J.T. Miller and Stamkos scored late in the third period to keep the Lighting from being shut out for the first time this season, but it wasn’t nearly enough to prevent Tampa Bay from falling to 2-12-2 in its last 14 regular-season visits to Pittsburgh.

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan expressed frustration at his team’s sloppy performance against New Jersey, when turnovers and disinterested play in front of Murray dropped Pittsburgh to 1-7-1 against last-place teams.

Two days later against an opponent with the inside track to claim the Presidents’ Trophy, the effort and the results were far different.

Sheahan gave the Penguins the lead 3:25 into the game when he pounced on a rebound of Garrett Wilson’s wraparound attempt and flipped it past Vasilevskiy. Kessel’s 21st goal of the season less than five minutes later came in much the same fashion. Kessel and Bryan Rust broke in 2-on-1 and Rust attempted to skate across the crease and beat Vasilevskiy with a backhand only to lose control of the puck. No matter. Kessel, standing at the left post, tapped it in to make it 2-0.

Pittsburgh needed just 16 seconds to push the advantage to 3-0. Jake Guentzel forced a turnover behind the Tampa Bay net. Dominik Simon jumped on the loose puck and fed Crosby all alone in front.

The Lightning opted to stick with Vasilevskiy and turned up the pressure on the other end of the ice. Pittsburgh went more than 17 minutes without a shot on net, but Tampa Bay couldn’t figure out a way to beat Murray. When Letang took a pass from Kessel and beat Vasilevskiy over his blocker, the Penguins were firmly in control.

NOTES: Kendall Coyne Schofield, a forward on the Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. women’s hockey team who finished seventh in the fastest skate competition at the All-Star Game last weekend, worked the game as an analyst for NBC Sports Network. … Pittsburgh F Derick Brassard missed the game with an upper-body injury. … Tampa Bay’s top-ranked power play went 1 for 2 with the man advantage. Pittsburgh’s went 0 for 3. … Malkin is the fourth Penguin to reach 600 assists, joining Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Crosby. … Pittsburgh forward Teddy Blueger played 6:22 in his NHL debut.

UP NEXT

Lightning: Visit the New York Islanders on Friday.

Penguins: Finish three-game homestand on Friday against Ottawa.

1st period goals:

Pit:

Riley Sheahan (3:25)

Phil Kessel (8:05)

Sidney Crosby (8:21)