The Pittsburgh Penguins rolled back into their home city on Tuesday looking to build on a 2-1 California road trip.

It's safe to say that they accomplished that and more.

The Penguins rolled over the Vancouver Canucks, 5-1, and snapped Vancouver's three-game winning streak. After Penguins' goaltender Arturs Silovs surrendered a first-shot goal - something the Penguins are all-too-familiar with dating back to last season - to Conor Garland, he shut the door after that, stopping all 23 shots he faced against his former team. 

In fact, the Penguins, as a whole, bounced back after a somewhat rocky start. Early in the game, Vancouver was doing an excellent job clogging shooting and passing lanes as well as disrupting breakouts.

However, Pittsburgh completely turned things around in the second period.

A little past the midway point of the first period, Parker Wotherspoon floated a puck from the left point toward the goal, and Connor Dewar tipped it on the way in to bring the game to a 1-1 tie. The Canucks still had the bulk of the momentum and chances in the first period - including an Evander Kane breakaway that Silovs shut down - but Pittsburgh turned on the jets in the second.

On their third power play of the game - the result of a tripping penalty by ex-Penguin Drew O'Connor - Tommy Novak showed some patience, walking toward the net in the right circle. From the center of the circle, he sniped one past Canucks' goaltender Kevin Lankinen for his first of the season - and first as a Penguin - to put the Penguins in front, 2-1. 

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Then, a minute and 57 seconds later, Sidney Crosby was kicked out of an offensive zone draw, and Rickard Rakell took his place. Rakell fought for positioning to win the faceoff and slid the puck over to Crosby in the slot, who wristed one past Lankinen for his fourth goal of the season and 1,896th point combined between the regular season and playoffs - which officially put him at the top of the franchise's all-time combined points list. 

And the Penguins weren't done. Just a minute and 11 seconds later, Evgeni Malkin came down the left side and put a shot on Lankinen, who left a rebound in the blue paint. Anthony Mantha put home the rebound and crashed into the net himself in the process, earning his third goal in three games. Justin Brazeau added a power play goal almost six minutes into the final frame, and the Penguins came out on top.

With an assist on Brazeau's goal, Letang recorded his 600th career assist, making him just the 20th defenseman in NHL history to reach the mark.

Pittsburgh was able to - once again - shut down the opposition in the third period, and they capitalized on the momentum swing in the second period.

Here are a few thoughts and observations from this one:

- What a start it has been for Malkin, Brazeau, and Mantha. Mantha was a little slower to start, but he has taken off in recent games and registered two points on the evening. And Malkin and Brazeau have continued to put up numbers.

Malkin is up to 10 points in seven games, Brazeau has five goals and eight points in seven games, and Mantha has three goals and six points in seven games for a combined 24 points in seven.

What they're doing is impressive, even if unexpected.

- I still think there is room for Bryan Rust to improve in the coming games. I did like his game a bit better Tuesday than his previous four, but he still looks a step slow in comparison to where he was last season. 

I like what I've seen from Crosby and Rakell, though, so we'll see if that line can really get going here soon. 

- If that top line does not quite find its stride, however, why not give Ben Kindel a few games alongside 87?

Kindel was very, very good tonight, even if he didn't show up on the scoresheet. He has been very good for the Penguins in all three zones, and he's generating a ton of chances.

I'd love to see him get a shot in the top-six alongside more talented players (with no slight to Novak or Filip Hallander, who were both good in this game). At the rate he's creating, he should have more points. He just doesn't have the talent around him to finish those plays.

Give him a few games with Crosby and Rakell, and slide Rust down with Novak and Hallander. See how it goes and what the kid can do. That nine-game mark is fast-approaching, and who knows what will happen then. 

If he shows he belongs alongside the very best, that should leave no doubt about the decision the Penguins should make regarding where he should play. The decision should already be easy nonetheless.

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- Speaking of the kids, Harrison Brunicke was very, very good in this game. And his standout plays weren't even on the offensive side of the puck, as per usual. They were on the defensive side.

There was a play in the second period when Vancouver forced a turnover in the neutral zone, and Evander Kane managed to get behind Caleb Jones and in, seemingly, all alone. Brunicke used his top-notch skating ability to get back in the play, then he used his top-notch stick detail to knock the puck from Kane's stick. 

He made a few other nice defensive plays as well in this game. If he's not in Pittsburgh beyond the nine games, the Penguins are losing out. He was outstanding in this game, and the defensive details starting to show out is no small thing.

- Silovs was really, really good after letting in the first shot. He shut things down against his former team, and he continues to go tit-for-tat with Tristan Jarry in terms of jockeying for playing time. 

It's a good problem for the Penguins to have, especially with a guy named Sergei Murashov off to a hot start in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

- It's early. The Penguins are 5-2. This team is, largely, playing very well both systemically and per the eye test.

This team may not be a playoff team, but - as I maintained prior to the season - this is not a bottom-five team. They're fun to watch. They've made subtle adjustments to their game in terms of risk and structure that have paid dividends, especially for a blue line that wasn't expected to do the Penguins any favors this season.

I'm not saying this is a good team. But what if this team isn't the bad one that everyone assumed it would be?

With each passing game, there are positive patterns of consistency. We'll see how it translates when they play the defending-champion Florida Panthers on Thursday in Sunrise.

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