Sidney Crosby's highlight-reel overtime goal gives Penguins key victory over rival Devils

By Jonathan Bombulie
http://triblive.com/sports/
March 29, 2018

Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins scores the game winning goal in overtime against Keith Kinkaid #1 of the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on March 29, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. The Penguins defeated the Devils 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

NEWARK, N.J. — After taking a butt end to the chest from Travis Zajac late in regulation, Sidney Crosby retreated to the bench in obvious pain.

In overtime, he responded in the most Sidney Crosby way possible.

Crosby used an incredible feat of hand-eye coordination to score another highlight-reel goal, leading the Penguins to a 4-3 overtime victory over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.

"He was fired up after that, and he got us the win," teammate Patric Hornqvist said.

The play began when Crosby took a long lead pass from Kris Letang and moved up the left wing on a slow-developing two-on-one with Bryan Rust. He kept the puck himself, rang a shot off the post, then knocked in his own rebound out of midair with a waist-high baseball swing 19 seconds into overtime.

It was the second goal Crosby scored out of midair in eight days. He also batted one in against Montreal on March 21.

"I don't really know how to explain that," Crosby said. "If they're around you, you take your chance, take your shot at it and hope they go in. I've got a couple that have gone in lately. I don't really care how they go in, as long as they go over the line."

The Penguins won for the first time in four meetings with the Devils this season. They're still locked in a battle for four playoff spots with Philadelphia, Columbus, New Jersey and Florida, but the win moved them five points ahead of the Devils and eight up on the Panthers.

Just as importantly, it represented a significant bounce-back effort after a brutal 5-2 loss in Detroit two days earlier.

"I think this is our best 60-minute game here in a long time," Hornqvist said. "This is the way we have to play here from now on. It's going to be a fun run here. We know what we have to do to be successful, and we showed it tonight."

Before the game, coach Mike Sullivan said the one thing he wanted to see from his team in response to the Detroit loss was a heightened level of competitiveness.

He didn't ask them to show that by collapsing around their own net and playing desperate defense, however.

One look at his lineup showed how Sullivan wanted his players to compete Thursday night.

Phil Kessel was reunited with Evgeni Malkin as Sullivan loaded up his top two lines. Letang and Brian Dumoulin were also reunited, backed up by Olli Maatta and Justin Schultz, as he loaded up his top two defense pairs as well.

Sullivan wanted the Penguins to attack.

"I just think our team is at its best when we are aggressive," Sullivan said. "Our best defense is when we have the puck or are pursuing the puck. Defense doesn't take place just in your own zone. When you look at the way our team is built, I think that's how we're built to play. That's how we design a game plan for our team, to play an in-your-face game."

Sometimes the plan backfired.

A foul-up between Malkin and Kessel at the offensive blue line in the first period led to a Kyle Palmieri breakaway goal. The penalty kill gave up another goal in the second period. An intercepted Justin Schultz clear turned into a Blake Coleman goal in the third.

The Penguins always had an answer, however.

Conor Sheary scored on a two-on-one with Hornqvist 25 seconds after Palmieri's goal. Letang scored in the second period. Hornqvist lobbed in a shot through traffic to forge a 3-3 tie with less than nine minutes left in regulation.

"It's a playoff-style game," Crosby said. "We got a big goal in the third to tie it up and built off of that."

Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jbombulie@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BombulieTrib.

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Listen, Pirates should be better

By Kevin Gorman

http://triblive.com/sports/

March 28, 2018

Clint Hurdle believes the Pirates will be better this season, and he doesn't care if you don't.

It's not that he doesn't hear the negativity in the aftermath of 78- and 75-win seasons the past two years, especially after trading the ace and face of the franchise.

Oh, Hurdle hears it.

He's just not listening.

That's nothing new for Hurdle, who enters his eighth season as Pirates manager when they open Thursday at the Detroit Tigers. He inherited a 105-loss team in 2010, one engulfed in a losing drought that would last two decades.

The Pirates were hopeless, and Hurdle brought hope.

That's something in short supply after the Pirates traded staff ace Gerrit Cole to the Houston Astros and five-time All-Star centerfielder Andrew McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants in a three-day span in January. But Hurdle believes the Pirates are closer to 2013 — when they won 94 games and a Wild Card playoff game — than 2004, when they followed a 75-win season with seven consecutive years of 90 or more losses.

“We have a better team, much better team than when I walked in the door,” Hurdle said. “That being said, it depends on what circle you run in. I don't run in a circle where it's all negative."

“I have people that actually don't call into talk shows, that are baseball fans. I have people that don't write in and complain about what they don't like. They share what they do like. There's a lot of baseball fans in Pittsburgh that are excited about this season. You might not be in concert with them. The other people might not be. It depends on what pack you run in. If you hunt good, you'll find good. If you hunt bad, you'll find bad. You'll find a group of people who will do both.”

A pack of Pirates fans felt so betrayed that they signed an online petition, collecting more than 60,000 signatures, for MLB to force owner Bob Nutting to sell the team.

But Hurdle opened spring training by saying he believed the Pirates would win a World Series.

Whether that's blind optimism or unwavering belief depends on your point of view, of course, and Hurdle never gave a timeframe for his prediction. But he isn't ruling out a winning season.

“It all depends on where you put your foundational belief. I believe we have a good team. I believe we're going to compete. I believe we have an opportunity to win our division,” Hurdle said. “I'll say this (and) I get people that eye-roll me in public. I also get people who go, ‘That's great to hear. I like it. I believe it, too.' It doesn't matter. What's important is, what (the players)believe, what they're hanging onto and what they're pouring into.”

Now, I'm not ready to predict the Pirates are headed for a winning season, let alone the playoffs. Not after they traded Cutch and Cole. Not after the NL Central-champion Cubs added pitchers Tyler Chatwood and Yu Darvish, the second-place Brewers added outfielders Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich and the third-place Cardinals added outfielder Marcell Ozuna.

But the Pirates should be better than last season. Trading a leader like Cutch was a big blow to morale, but trading for left fielder Corey Dickerson was a boost to the lineup. Trading Cole rocked the rotation, but the return was a starting third baseman in Colin Moran, a starting pitcher in Joe Musgrove and a reliever in Michael Feliz.

With Dickerson, second baseman Josh Harrison, closer Felipe Rivero and centerfielder Starling Marte, the Pirates have four players who were All-Stars in 2016 or ‘17. In first baseman Josh Bell and new staff ace Jameson Taillon, they have a pair of future All-Stars. If right fielder Gregory Polanco ever realizes his potential, the Pirates could have another.

“If they all play up to their capabilities,” Hurdle said, “we'll be right in the hunt all year long.”

That's a lot of ifs.

Hurdle believes the Pirates no longer have a glaring hole in their batting order, that they have experience at eight starting positions (Moran being the exception) and a deeper bench. The rotation returns four starters. Rivero brings starpower to the bullpen, where some serious question marks remain.

“I've seen enough to know that the club we're going to roll out there opening day is a good ballclub,” Hurdle said. “Good ballclubs can win things. Good ballclubs can play late (into the season). Good ballclubs can win a World Series.”

First, the Pirates have to prove it. Not just to the naysayers who see the Pirates were closer to last place than first, but to Bottom-Line Bob Nutting, who kept the management team of president Frank Coonelly and general manager Neal Huntington intact and extended Hurdle through 2022. They have promised to deliver a championship and haven't backed off that promise.

“They didn't want to talk about winning when I first got here,” Hurdle said. “Then we started talking about winning, and I said we need to stop talking about winning and start talking about winning our division. We still haven't done that."

“I have people that question everything I do when we win a game. Truth be told, there's a lot of people that I did have feedback from go, ‘How did he say this?' So, they have a better finger on the pulse? No, they have their finger on the pulse of the people they hang out with. I have a finger on the pulse of the clubhouse and the men who are going out and playing, which is a different perspective."

“Some of it is, yeah, to prove people wrong. Some of it is it's their opportunity to prove people right. That's the way I look at it. There's a lot of people that believe in this ballclub. I'm more out to prove people right.”

Pirates fans hear Hurdle.

Only winning will make them listen.

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.comor via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.

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Pirates enter 2018 with mixed expectations

By Will Graves, Associated Press

http://www.timesonline.com/sports

March 27, 2018

Ivan Nova (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

PITTSBURGH — Depending on the person asked in the clubhouse, the Pittsburgh Pirates are rebuilding. Or they’re not. They’re retooling. Or they’re not. They’re pointing toward 2019 and beyond. Or they’re focused on the here and now.

The next six months will offer a chance at clarity.

The Pirates head into 2018 without Andrew McCutchen in the outfield on opening day for the first time in nearly a decade and without Gerrit Cole in the rotation for the first time since the start of 2013, traded in offseason moves that saved the franchise millions of dollars. Though both transactions included the Pirates picking up a handful of players they believe can make an immediate impact — including starting pitcher Joe Musgrove and third baseman Colin Moran — they left established Pirates like Josh Harrison wondering aloud whether the club cared about winning or making money.

Harrison suggested the team consider moving him if it didn’t plan to contend. Third baseman David Freese chastised a clubhouse culture that lacked accountability as part of the reason why the team has gone from three straight playoff berths from 2013-15 to back below .500 each of the last two seasons.

All the while general manager Neal Huntington has stressed Pittsburgh can remain relevant in the hyper-competitive NL Central while taking a decidedly different tack than rivals Milwaukee, Chicago and St. Louis, all of whom addressed roster concerns by dropping millions in free agency, a market the Pirates all but avoided.

“The players that we currently have on this roster, the players we have on the horizon, the players we’ve acquired in the two trades will play meaningful roles in the next Pittsburgh Pirates playoff team,” Huntington said.

Will that be this year? With two NL wild-card spots available, it’s not entirely out of the question. Though a lot of things — well, probably everything — will have to go right. The rotation now fronted by Ivan Nova will have to stay healthy. Center fielder Starling Marte needs to bounce back from his suspension-marred 2017 and first baseman Josh Bell needs to avoid any sort of regression after an impressive rookie season.

If anything, the Pirates will at least get a chance to play their way into — or out of — the conversation.

FRESH FACES: Musgrove sparkled out of the bullpen last season for Houston while helping the Astros to a World Series title. The Pirates, however, need him in the rotation. Musgrove is 8-12 with a 5.37 ERA in 25 career starts but struggled during spring training after dealing with right shoulder discomfort and it’s uncertain when he’ll be ready. Moran has the chance to create a true platoon (and maybe more) at third base. Kyle Crick, acquired in the trade with San Francisco, provides a lefty-option out of the bullpen.

COOL COREY: Pittsburgh’s major offseason move came in February when it acquired 2017 All-Star outfielder Corey Dickerson from Tampa Bay. Dickerson gives Pittsburgh a proven bat and his range should give the outfield a slight overall defensive uptick at spacious PNC Park. Dickerson is also under team control for 2019, though another All-Star season could make Dickerson too expensive for Pittsburgh to keep. Such are small-market economics the Pirates believe they have to operate in to be competitive.

MOTIVATED MARTE: For the first time in his career, Starling Marte can lay claim to center without playing in McCutchen’s shadow. Marte was supposed to take over in center in 2017, a plan scuttled after he tested positive for steroids and had to serve an 80-game suspension. The talented if enigmatic 29-year-old is eager to return to the All-Star form he showed in 2016. ”(I’m here) to help my team like never before, to be the best teammate I can be and to be healthy to continue to be the best Marte that I am,” he said.

BEST CASE: Jameson Taillon makes 30-plus starts and replaces Cole as the staff ace. The lineup, which includes Corey Dickerson taking McCutchen’s spot in the outfield, shows a significant uptick in pop from the group that finished 29th in the majors in home runs last season. Felipe Rivero anchors a dominant bullpen and the Pirates stun everyone by earning a wild-card spot.

WORST CASE: The back end of the rotation — Chad Kuhl, Trevor Williams and Musgrove — all struggle. Right fielder Gregory Polanco’s perpetually balky hamstring limits him to less than 130 games. Meadows is overwhelmed whenever he is called up and the Pirates are out of contention by July 1. Harrison, a two-time All-Star is traded and attendance plummets yet again.

Time to address Penguins' pinching problems

By Mark Madden

http://triblive.com/sports/

March 27, 2018

Nolan Patrick #19 of the Philadelphia Flyers handles the puck against Kris Letang #58 of the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on March 25, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)

As noted in this space Sunday, the Penguins don't have a Plan B.

That's no indictment of coach Mike Sullivan. As two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, the Penguins haven't needed one. “Playing the game the right way” has sufficed.

But one particular phase of the Penguins' game has been torn asunder: Defensemen are too easily circumvented when they pinch, and odd-man breaks surrendered are far too plentiful.

Reasons abound for this problem:

• When pinching, the defensemen play too much puck and not enough man.

• Forwards are derelict getting back, perhaps too often assuming the defenseman will win the pinch.

• The opposition has it figured. The Penguins' style is nuanced, but not chock-full of options. The defensemen pinch all the time. The defensemen join the rush all the time. (The latter also contributes mightily to the odd-man break problem.)

So, how to fix it?

Good question.

The Penguins aren't conceited, but they are convinced. It's foolish to bash a style that has worked so well. Why should they change, or even adjust much?

But the NHL has changed, and adjusted. The Penguins once overwhelmed with speed. Now much of the league has caught up.

Here are some options, none of which Sullivan will consider.

• Limit which defensemen join the rush, and in what situation. Kris Letang always does, Chad Ruhwedel rarely does, everybody else is in-between. Offensively, some defensemen contribute more.

• Keep a forward high depending on score and situation. Pinch, but with less risk.

• An extreme alternative would be to trap, then counterattack with numbers after turnovers. Don't laugh. That's what the 1991-92 Penguins did to overcome a three-games-to-one playoff-series deficit against Washington en route to a second straight Stanley Cup. It was Mario Lemieux's idea.

The Penguins shouldn't abandon risk. They're high-risk, high-reward.

But the Penguins should play more sensibly when the situation calls. They've proven they can: witness zero goals surrendered in the last two games of last season's Stanley Cup Final.

Sullivan has certainly noticed the problem.

“Sometimes when we tend to give up odd-man breaks, it's because we're flat in the offensive zone with the three forwards,” Sullivan said after the Penguins beat Philadelphia, 5-4, in overtime Sunday. “We don't have any sort of depth to our attack.

“If something doesn't go right for us — if we hit a shin pad, or we lose the puck — now we're on the wrong side of it. We're chasing it.”

The solution is simple, said the Penguins coach: “Make sure you're on the right side of people and have some depth in the offensive zone.”

Loosely translated, that means the high forward should lean toward covering for the defenseman when he pinches — even more so when score and clock dictate.

The twits on Twitter are wetting their pants with worry: “This style will never win in the playoffs! We need Fleury and Cole back!” Like the citizens know more about what it takes to succeed in the postseason than the two-time defending champs. Yikes.

The forwards can fix a lot of the Penguins' defensive problems: make fewer turnovers. When they are made, make them less grievous. Chase back with better anticipation and more commitment.

Conor Sheary's shortcomings in that regard may lead to him not getting a jersey for playoff games. When centering Sheary and Phil Kessel, Derick Brassard has to be Patrice Bergeron dipped in Bob Gainey. That's too much defensive burden when you also have to produce. (Which Brassard is starting to do.) Jake Guentzel isn't much better than Sheary defensively.

At least the Penguins have locked up one significant accomplishment: They swept the season series against Philadelphia. Have you ever seen the Flyers win the Cup?

Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).

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Uh, oh! Sidney Crosby is starting to do Sidney Crosby things

By Tim Benz

http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/

March 25, 2018

Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins moves the puck in front of Sean Couturier #14 of the Philadelphia Flyers at PPG Paints Arena on March 25, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)

Some of the things wrong with the Penguins might not be fixed before the playoffs.

Shot suppression has been an issue. The Penguins averaged 33.6 shots against over the past six games. That'd be the sixth-worst average projected over the course of this year.

As Mike Sullivan said after Sunday's 45-shot performance from the Flyers, "It seems like every shot they are taking is getting to the net."

With Marc Andre Fleury in Vegas and Matt Murray playing through a season plagued by injury and personal loss, the goaltending just might not be as pinpoint as the past two seasons.

The Penguins are 24th in save percentage.

The penalty kill is below average. It ranks 17th at 80.3 percent, and 48 power-play goals allowed is 11th most.

But if these defensive deficiencies don't get corrected, something of note offensively seems to be improving to offset some of those woes.

Sidney Crosby is starting to do Sidney Crosby things.

That's bad news for the rest of hockey.

There really hasn't been much to complain about regarding Crosby this season. He's ninth in points with 83.

Crosby is eighth in assists with 57. He's played in every game, and entering Sunday he was 10th in average ice time and second in faceoff wins. Plus, he had 38 takeaways, which put him on pace for his best total since 2013-14.

There's a lot of good there.

However, the captain isn't scoring goals at the rate we are used to seeing.

Crosby's 44 goals last season led the league. He's got 26 so far this year. Entering Sunday, that was good for 41st in the league. His 11.3 shooting percentage as of Sunday would be a career low in a full season. Over the first nine games in March, he only scored twice.

That appears to be changing.

Crosby has scored a goal in each of his last three games. It's not just that the puck is going in the net, it's how — and when — Crosby is making that happen.

He's doing it in typical Crosby fashion, and the goals are coming at crucial moments.

Against Montreal on Wednesday, Crosby deposited that now-famous, double-swat-in-the-air goal past Carey Price to tie the game. The Penguins went on to win 5-3.

Minutes into Friday's game against New Jersey, Crosby got the Penguins on the board with one of his patented kick-the-puck-to-himself moves.

Then in the third period of a tied game against the Flyers on Sunday, Crosby scored a prototypical Crosby-kind-of goal.

One hand on the stick. Protecting the puck on his back hand with his backside. Warding off Sean Couturier. Driving through the legs. Creating shooting space with a couple of choppy stick-handling moves to get Shayne Gostisbehere down to the ice, then elevating a wrist shot over him and beyond goaltender Petr Mrazek.

It won't go down as one of Crosby's top 20 goals. Yet, it summed up what went into the other 407 he has scored.

"I think he's the hardest player to get the puck away from in the league," Sullivan said. "He protects as well as anyone. That goal is an indication of how difficult of a player he is to check or defend.

"We're seeing that more and more from Sid."

Crosby wasn't done, firing a tape-to-tape pass to Bryan Rust in front of a wide-open net to win the game in overtime 5-4.

"You can tell he is elevating his game at the right time of the year," Rust said. "In the times when his team needs him the most, that's when he makes the big plays."

With Crosby going in the goal department, that could cancel some of the defensive issues that could challenge the Penguins the rest of the season. After the win Sunday, Crosby seemed pleased at the notion his play might be a harbinger of things to come in the postseason.

"It's great when it's going in," he said. "If you are creating chances as a line, I think you gain momentum and confidence from that."

No. 87 on a hot streak is a great eraser for a lot of negatives.

If he can keep it rolling, it might be an eraser for the playoff bracket for a third year in a row.

Tim Benz is a columnist for the Tribune-Review. He hosts the Steelers pregame show on WDVE and ESPN Pittsburgh. He is a regular host/contributor on KDKA-TV and 105.9 FM.

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Steelers set forth plan to replace the irreplaceable Ryan Shazier

By Jeremy Fowler

http://www.espn.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelers/

March 23, 2018

Ryan Shazier

PITTSBURGH -- Short of drafting an exceptionally fast linebacker who will become a franchise pillar, the Steelers were never going to truly replace Ryan Shazier, who will miss the 2018 season because of a severe spinal injury.

Without Shazier's rangy playmaking from sideline to sideline, the Steelers are forced to modify their identity a bit. The defense is built from the inside out, with anchor defensive ends Cam Hayward and Stephon Tuitt. Their contracts, worth up to a combined $120 million, say so. But Shazier's ability and a growing knack for creating interceptions improved the Steelers' pass coverage and streamlined their overall defensive attack in the back seven.

It's a rush-and-cover league, a style that suited Shazier perfectly.

Since finding that speed in free agency was not a possibility, the Steelers must adapt.

The last week has provided a glimpse into the team's plans:

Safety versatility: The signing of Morgan Burnett at three years for $14.5 million shows the Steelers are serious about improving a back end that had too many missed tackles and communication breakdowns late in the season. The team didn't enter free agency expecting to spend big but saw a sagging safety market and smartly attacked it.

Burnett is best suited as a strong safety but can play both spots, giving the team flexibility to move Sean Davis to free safety if that's the best route. The Burnett signing could affect J.J. Wilcox ($3.8 million cap hit), but the Steelers told Wilcox this offseason that he'd be in the mix to compete for a job.

With these three, the team can draft a safety but won't be forced to reach for one. Burnett was forced into helping out at corner for the Packers' depleted secondary in 2018, but he can play at slot corner in a bind or as a run-stopper.

The Steelers covet hybrid players.

“The more you can do, the longer you can stay around," Burnett told reporters after his signing Tuesday. "I have things in my toolbox that I'm capable to move around and play different positions if need be."

The succession plan: After signing a two-year, $4 million deal in the second wave of free agency, inside linebacker Jon Bostic is likely a stopgap option for the Steelers in the middle of the defense. But the Steelers were woefully thin at the spot opposite Vince Williams, and Bostic's signing represents progress. Even if he has lost a step, Bostic was a second-round pick in 2013 with a 4.61-second time in the 40. He should be able to help stop passes in the flat and in tight end coverage until a rookie linebacker is ready, which might be soon.

Cost-conscious improvement: The Steelers are seemingly always in need of more cap space, but they found a way to navigate the second wave of free agency by not overpaying based on the talent. Burnett at roughly $4.83 million per year is good business. He's a 29-year-old who started 102 games for a contender. According to a few scouts, Burnett has plenty of game left as a crafty veteran and opportunistic tackler.

Much was made of the Steelers' ability to replenish the defense while carrying Le'Veon Bell's $14.5-million franchise tag. Oh no, they have no cap space! Well, they just got two starters for less than $7 million per year -- likely less than that in 2018, depending on how signing bonuses and salaries are structured.

Still about the draft: The Steelers have spent their last five first-round picks on defense, and all five started significant games in their first seasons. The Steelers are unafraid to throw a young player into the mix. T.J. Watt was last year's unquestioned starter in training camp. That's why if an inside linebacker the Steelers like falls to late in the first round, the team will give him the chance to fill Shazier's void in earnest.

Enough needs are filled, so the Steelers can take the best-player-available approach. But even though they say that's their formula, all their recent top picks have filled positions of need.

The Steelers have a challenge to duplicate Shazier's athleticism in the first round, but a playmaker somewhere in the back seven might just help put them over the top.

Crosby has highlight-reel goal, milestone assist as Penguins beat Canadiens

By Will Graves, Associated Press

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/crosby-has-highlight-reel-goal-milestone-assist-as-penguins-beat-canadiens/article38318761/

March 21, 2018

Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his second period goal against the Montreal Canadiens at PPG Paints Arena on March 21, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)

Sidney Crosby doesn't really have an explanation for how he does what he does. He just does it.

So if you're looking for clarity on how the Pittsburgh Penguins star managed to knock a pass from Jake Guentzel out of the air , deflect it forward to the front of his stick before tapping it by one of the best goaltenders on the planet to spark his team to a 5-3 win over Montreal, look elsewhere.

"You try to finish plays out in practice," Crosby said after the 406th goal of his career, one unlike the 405 that came before it. "Sometimes it works out that you can do it in the game and sometimes it doesn't. Fortunately, it did today."

Montreal rallied from a two-goal deficit to take a 3-2 lead 14:24 into the third on Jacob de la Rose's fourth goal of the season. The advantage lasted less than a minute. Guentzel chipped a pass to Crosby and Crosby did the rest.

"Are you surprised, really?" said Price, who finished with 34 saves in his return after missing a month due to a concussion. "It was a great play. I tried to hit it and he got it first, then he batted it back in. That's pretty impressive."

And pretty necessary for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, who avoided dropping both games of a back-to-back against also-rans Montreal and the New York Islanders.

"It was a huge goal for us," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. "It was an answer to the goal that they got to gain the lead to go in. To go in after two periods with a tie game was really important for us."

Derick Brassard put the Penguins in front to stay by beating Price 2:38 into the third period and Crosby became the third active player with 700 career assists when he set up Guentzel for an insurance goal with less than 2 minutes to play.

"It was a weird second period but I think after the second we knew it was a big two points for us," said Guentzel, who had a goal and two assists. "We needed to come out in the third and I think we did that tonight."

Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist also scored for the Penguins, who drew within two points of idle first-place Washington in the Metropolitan Division. Casey DeSmith finished with 27 saves and happened to have a pretty good view of Crosby treating the puck like a yo-yo.

"That was one of the cooler things I'll see," DeSmith said. "It was perfect timing, too, right at the end of the second, get it right back, I think that was a huge goal."

Jonathan Drouin, Nikita Scherbak and Jacob de la Rose scored for the Canadiens but Montreal lost for the ninth time in 10 games.

"It doesn't matter if you're young or old, it sucks to lose," Montreal forward Brendan Gallagher said. "I don't think anyone in here is happy with how it's been going lately. You come to the rink everyday with the expectation that you're going to win a hockey game and too many times, I think we've left disappointed. It's been tough."

The Penguins are in the midst of a sluggish stretch in which they've mixed performances where they look very much like a team capable of winning a third straight Cup with clunkers like their 4-1 loss to the fading New York Islanders on Tuesday night. Sullivan chastised his players afterward for yet another lethargic start and lacklustre play in the defensive end.

Barely 24 hours later, the start was better after Malkin and Hornqvist gave the Penguins a 2-0 lead, but the play in their defensive zone was iffy at best.

Drouin scored off the rush late in the first period to give the Canadiens momentum. Scherbak tied it 8:19 into the second with a gorgeous short-handed deke by DeSmith. Montreal briefly took the lead when de la Rose followed his own shot, skating by three guys in black sweaters to tap in his own rebound.

Crosby, however, responded in a way few of his peers can.

"You're really sure what he's going to do," Guentzel said. "I think he amazes you every night."

NOTES: The game featured a rarity: two penalty shots. Price easily stopped Pittsburgh's Derick Brassard in the first. DeSmith turned aside Gallagher in the second. ... Pittsburgh is 9-6-2 in the second night of back-to-backs. ... Montreal's 24 road losses are a franchise record. ... Linesman Steve Miller left late in the second period and missed several minutes after having his right hand gashed. Miller was back on the ice for the start of the third period.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: At Buffalo on Friday night. Montreal is 3-0 against the Sabres this season.

Penguins: Host New Jersey on Friday night. The Devils have won the first two meetings this season.