Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel lead Penguins past Sabres in preseason finale
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Forwards Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel connected on three separate goals and helped lead the Penguins to a lopsided 7-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena in their preseason finale on Friday.
With the victory, the Penguins completed the preseason with a 3-3-0 record.
The Penguins took a lead 7:04 into regulation. After Sabres forward Vinnie Hinostroza forced an ill-conceived pass off his own end boards, Crosby claimed possession, turned to the slot and fed a pass to his long-time linemate, Guentzel, who jabbed a quick wrister past the blocker of helpless goaltender Eric Comrie for his first goal of the preseason. Crosby had the lone assist.
That combination struck again – albeit in reverse – 2:33 later. Shielding a puck in the high slot of the offensive zone, Penguins forward Rickard Rakell chopped it to the right circle for Guentzel. Hesitating for a moment, Guentzel allowed a passing lane to open up and slipped the puck to the backdoor of the crease where Crosby tapped in a forehand shot that clunked off Comrie’s right leg and into the cage for his first goal. Guentzel and Rakell recorded assists.
Good fortune gave the Penguins a 3-0 lead at 13:49 of the first. From the center point of the offensive zone, Penguins defenseman Jan Rutta attempted a one-timer but fanned on the shot. The misfire skidded to the right circle, where defensive partner Ty Smith alertly corralled it and slid a pass to the far side of the crease, where Penguins forward Bryan Rust was able to redirect a forehand shot past Comrie’s left skate for his third goal. Smith and Rutta registered assists.
Hinostroza exacted some revenge on Crosby with a short-handed score at 5:13 of the second period. Crosby misfired on a pass from the defensive zone that was intercepted near the Sabres’ blue line by defenseman Lawrence Pilut, who converted that charity by dealing a pass to the right wing for Hinostroza. Generating a two-on-one rush with forward Zemgus Girgensons against Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, Hinostroza looked off the pass and sniped a wrister from the right circle that toasted goaltender Tristan’s Jarry’s glove on the near side for his third goal. Pilut had the only assist.
Crosby and Guentzel connected again on a power-play score at 10:11 of the middle frame. After Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin wired a wrister from the left circle of the offensive zone, Comrie kicked out a rebound to the slot. Before Sabres defenseman Jacob Bryson could clear it, Guentzel chopped the loose puck to the right circle, where Crosby was able to snap a bad-angle wrister over Comrie’s glove. Assists went to Guentzel and Malkin.
Smith got in on the act only 1:13 after that with his first goal. Following an offensive zone entry by Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen on the left wing, Malkin controlled the puck at the left point and slid a cross-ice pass to forward Danton Heinen above the right circle. Protecting the puck for a moment, Heinen waited for Smith to gain the blue line and slid a pass to the defenseman, who fired a wrister that deflected off the stick of Sabres forward J.J. Peterka and sailed past Comrie’s blocker on the far side. Heinen and Malkin claimed assists.
Heinen scored his first goal of the preseason 5:30 into the third period. Battling for a puck in the right corner of the offensive zone, Penguins forward Jeff Carter tumbled to the ice but was able to push a pass to the slot, where Heinen dangled with the puck for a moment before lifting a forehand shot over Comrie’s right skate. Carter and Kapanen tallied assists.
The scoring was capped late in regulation at 19:28 of the final period. After gaining the offensive zone on the left wing, Malkin centered a pass to the slot for Rust, who buried a wrister past Comrie’s charbroiled glove. Malkin and defenseman Jeff Petry had assists.
Jarry made 22 saves on 23 shots to record his first win of the preseason, improving to 1-2-0.
The Penguins are scheduled to open the regular season Thursday with a home contest against the Arizona Coyotes.
Notes:
• Rust (4 goals, zero assists), Crosby (two goals, two assists) and Heinen (one goal, three assists) finished tied for team lead in scoring this preseason. All three players appeared in three games.
• Prior to the game, a moment of silence was held in recognition of former Sabres goaltender Dave Dryden, who died Tuesday at the age of 81.