The Pittsburgh Penguins had a tall order ahead of them, but shutout on of the hottest teams in the NHL.

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Steelers forced an earlier game time, but the Pittsburgh Penguins were prepared to see another roster full of former teammates in the Seattle Kraken. Officially crossing the midway point of the season, the Penguins had a tough match coming their way as the Kraken entered Pittsburgh with a nine-game winning streak.

The Penguins announced some small lineup changes like Noel Acciari returning to his fourth line center role and Colin White being the healthy scratch.

First Period

Entering this contest, the Penguins have not been a great team in opening periods allowing early leads in five of their last six games. This time, however, they stood strong and put together a fine enough first period.

Neither team found the back of the net, but the Penguins maintained good zone time and came up with a fair number of chances for themselves. They notched 12 shots on goal to the Kraken’s six.

A power play opportunity came and went for the Penguins, but they’ve continued to struggle on the man advantage to the point seeing them fail to score isn’t a surprise.

Second Period

The Penguins kicked off the second period maintain their momentum, and finally broke through for the lead. Bryan Rust found Drew O’Connor breaking in on a 2-on-1. O’Connor buried his sixth goal of the season continuing to earn his role in the Penguins top six.

The Penguins kept their foot on the pedal as Sidney Crosby keeps his name firmly in the Hart Trophy discussion. Kris Letang and the Penguins first line put on a good shift to find Crosby who ripped a one-time shot from one knee. Unbeatable stuff from Crosby as he looks to trend back to a 50-goal pace.

The Kraken managed to find some speed in the closing minutes of the second period, but Tristan Jarry held down the fort and sent the Penguins into the second intermission with a 2-0 lead.

Third Period

The first 40 minutes played mostly in the Penguins favor, but had to be ready for a good fight from the Kraken in the final 20. The next goal to be scored was going to be a big one.

Special teams has a chance to play a role in the final frame, with a power play opportunity for both teams, but the penalty kill units held the puck out of both nets.

With the Kraken net empty in the closing minutes, the Penguins didn't waste much time in putting the nail in the coffin. Crosby set in an empty net goal for his second of the day.

The Penguins sealed the win to get back in the win column and a league-leading fifth shutout on the year for Jarry.

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