What type of impact will forward Jesse Puljujarvi have on the Pittsburgh Penguins forward core? Riding a four-game losing streak, the Pittsburgh Penguins returned to the ice for their first game action in three days against the Arizona Coyotes. It was the first half of a back-to-back for the Penguins and second half for the Coyotes, lining up a great opportunity for the black and gold. One of the NHL’s top rookies in Logan Cooley was playing in his first game in his home town of Pittsburgh against Sidney Crosby who’s Learn to Play program gave Cooley his start. FIRST PERIOD The Penguins’ losing streak has been tough, but their scoreless streak on the power play hit a month heading into this contest. An early man advantage opportunity arose, and at long last, the Penguins capitalized on the power play. Just over a minute into the contest Jake Guentzel labeled a perfectly placed shot to not only give the Penguins an early lead but snap the infamous streak. Guentzel’s goal was the Penguins first power play goal in 13 games and 37 opportunities. The Penguins maintained momentum in their favor, but a power play opportunity for the Coyotes led to a tie contest. On just their third shot of the game, the Coyotes scored a power play goal to make it 1-1. A penalty fest opened up between the two teams giving a pretty lengthy 4-on-3 opportunity for the Penguins, but nothing fell in anyone’s favor. Not long after, Tristan Jarry was penalized for tripping on a pretty iffy call, and the Penguins penalty kill allowed their second goal of the night. The Penguins penalty kill hasn’t had a great run in the last few games and that trend continued early in this one. Another penalty taken by the Penguins opened another chance for the Coyotes, but Jeff Carter took the advantage. A breakaway opportunity opened for Carter and he didn’t miss to bring this wild first period back to a tie. A whistle heavy first period finally came to an end with both teams scoring a pair of goals but none at even strength; the teams combined for 14 penalty minutes. SECOND PERIOD For as active as the opening frame was, the second period didn’t feature much of anything. Neither team scored a goal and the only penalty came in the middle of the frame when Carter was called for boarding. The Penguins killed that penalty off and posted 18 more shots on goal for a total of 32 through two periods. THIRD PERIOD Entering the final frame, the Penguins already scored more goals than they have in their last three straight games, but they needed to find good fortunes in the last 20 minutes. Special teams continued to be the difference maker in the contest as the Penguins not only notched their second power play goal of the night, but it came off of a deflection from Carter. It wasn't the first unit that picked up the tally, but they'll take all the progress they can get from their man advantage units. Down by a goal, the Coyotes pulled goaltender Connor Ingram fro the extra attacker. After beating out an icing call, a diving effort from Guentzel gave him his second of the night and seemingly capped off the night for the Penguins. The clock finally ran down on the game and multi-goal games from Guentzel and Carter made a huge difference in the contest. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more. Returning Penguins Reignites Depth Defensive Battle [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/players/returning-pittsburgh-penguins-reignites-defensive-battle] P.O. Joseph Available for Penguins Against Coyotes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/po-joseph-available-pittsburgh-penguins-arizona-coyotes] Young Winger Given Opportunity to Make Major Impact on Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/podcasts/valtteri-puustinen-opportunity-major-impact-pittsburgh-penguins] Jesse Puljujarvi is Perfect Fit for Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/players/jesse-puljujarvi-perfect-fit-pittsburgh-penguins] Penguins Continue to Tinker With Power Play Groups [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/pittsburgh-penguins-tinker-power-play-groups] * undefined * undefined
