Monday, December 30, 2019 07:00 PM (ET)

Penguins rout Senators but lose Guentzel to injury

Field Level Media
Dec 30, 2019

Evgeni Malkin scored twice and added an assist Monday as the Pittsburgh Penguins won their third straight, 5-2 over the visiting Ottawa Senators.

The win was tempered by an apparent right arm injury to Pittsburgh's leading scorer, Jake Guentzel, who earlier in the day was named to the All-Star Game.

On the same play he scored the Penguins' fifth goal, Guentzel got tangled with Ottawa's Thomas Chabot, crashed into the end boards and left the game. It was his 20 th goal this season and his 200 th career point. Guentzel had two assists earlier in the game.

Patric Hornqvist had a goal and an assist, Dominik Simon scored, and Bryan Rust added two assists for Pittsburgh, which has won seven of its past eight and picked up its league-leading 16 th home win.

Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry made 24 saves to win his sixth straight start.

Nick Paul scored both goals for Ottawa, which saw the end of its five-game point streak (2-0-3).

Marcus Hogberg stopped 28 of 33 Penguins shots.

Malkin opened the scoring 27 seconds into the first period. On a two-on-one, he beat Hogberg glove-side with a wrist shot from the left circle.

Simon doubled the Penguins' lead at 11:44 of the first. Joseph Blandisi won a puck battle with Chabot along the left-wing boards and threw it to the slot. Simon, fending off Paul, scored on a backhander.

At 4:21 of the second, Paul cut the deficit to 2-1. After a flurry of shots, Jarry was pulled to his left, leaving a big opening for Paul.

Malkin struck again at 6:02 of the second, off a back-door play from Rust to restore the two-goal cushion.

The Senators again made it a one-goal game at 15:58 of the second. Paul was near the crease to pounce on the rebound of a shot by Connor Brown.

Pittsburgh answered 53 seconds later. Hornqvist -- set up by John Marino after some nifty stickhandling, including a spin move -- lifted a sharp-angle shot from the bottom of the left circle to make it 4-2.

Malkin, deep in the Senators zone, set up Guentzel with a drop pass to make it 5-2 at 6:55 of the third.

--Field Level Media

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