PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby scored and assisted while the Penguins scored twice on five shots in the second period, ruining Jake Guentzel’s return to Pittsburgh with a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.
Bryan Rust scored his 23rd goal of the season and his seventh in 10 games. Jesse Puljujarvi got his third goal of the season, his second in two consecutive games for the Penguins, despite being outshot 31-14 in the last two periods. Drew O’Connor scored an empty-net goal at 18:04 of the third period.
Crosby scored his 35th goal of the season and became the first active player, and 14th in NHL history, with 15 or more 40-assist seasons. The Penguins ended a three-game losing streak and recovered from an overtime loss at Colorado on Sunday, when they lost a four-goal lead.
Alex Nedeljkovic, Carolina’s second-round draft pick in 2014, saved 38 shots for Pittsburgh.
Dmitry Orlov scored his sixth goal for Carolina, which lost for the second time in three games and had its seven-game point streak stopped. Pyotr Kochetkov had 18 saves.
Pittsburgh sent Guentzel to Carolina on March 7, along with Ty Smith, in exchange for Michael Bunting, three prospects and draft picks. Guentzel had six shots in 21:06 of ice time on Tuesday.
Pittsburgh may miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season after 16 straight postseason berths and winning three Stanley Cups between 2007-2022.
Carolina, meanwhile, is on the verge of its sixth straight playoff berth. The Hurricanes believe Guentzel can assist them in their quest for a Stanley Cup.
Guentzel accumulated 466 points in 503 games with Pittsburgh from 2016-2024. He also recorded 58 points in 58 playoff games with the Penguins and led the league in playoff goals during Pittsburgh’s run to the Stanley Cup in 2017.
Guentzel got a loud and ongoing standing ovation while a tribute video played during a first-period break. Guentzel, who has two goals and 12 points in nine games with Carolina, raised his stick to the crowd and clapped in appreciation.
