Kasperi Kapanen scored his second goal of the season sealing a win for the Pittsburgh Penguins. PITTSBURGH - Through the entire 60-minute affair between the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues, there was never a dull moment. The Penguins jumped off the blocks quickly and aggressively by getting into the kitchen of Blues’ netminder Jordan Binnington early, by recording 15 shots and three goals. Binnington has grown a reputation around hockey as a goalie with a short temper and isn’t afraid to act tough when he’s down. That short fuse was tested when the Penguins found themselves in Binnington’s crease a number of times. Binnington, however, wasn’t getting the better of the Penguins as Kasperi Kapanen scored twice in the opening frame along with Bryan Rust who netted one of his own. Kapanen’s two tallies in the first doubled his total on the season after being shelved for a good portion of November as a healthy scratch. As the seconds closed down on the first period, Binnington’s fuse began to noticeably shrink when he interfered with Jason Zucker by sticking his glove out and catching him right in the face. Zucker left the ice early, but came back in the second and had the last laugh by ending Binnington’s night. Early in the second period, Zucker was left alone in front and beat Binnington to extend the Penguins lead to 4-1. This is when chaos ensued; Blues head coach Craig Berube pulled Binnington from the game but on his way off the ice, tried to have a few words with the Penguins bench. While attempting to look like a tough guy, Binnington was quickly swept away from the bench and down his runway. Whatever Binnington said to the Penguins on the bench earned him a 10-minute misconduct for inciting. Just to add a little salt to the wound, Blue backup goalie (and former Penguin), Thomas Greiss slipped on his way into the game. It was a wild sequence of events, but a game still had to be played. Kapanen capped off his hat trick by scoring his second power play goal of the night; yes, Kapanen scored a hat trick. Rust had been struggling to record points recently, broke through not just with his goal in the first period, but three assists, to boot. Rust led the way with four points, while Kapanen, Evgeni Malkin, and Jason Zucker all had three points of their own. Sidney Crosby made sure to get in on the action with an empty net goal, reclaiming the team lead in tallies. It was a wild game that left heads spinning, but the Penguins walk away with another win improving to 2-1-1 in their current home stand. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more! Jordan Binnington Chirps Penguins Bench After Being Pulled from Game [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-jordan-binnington-chirps-bench] Mike Sullivan Gives Analysis of Third Line [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-mike-sullivan-third-line-analysis] Penguins Need Bryan Rust to Snap Cold Streak [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-bryan-rust-need-snap-cold-streak] Rickard Rakell Moved to Penguins Top Power Play Unit [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-rickard-rakell-top-power-play-unit] Will Ty Smith Find Himself Back in Penguins Lineup? [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-ty-smith-find-himself-in-lineup] * undefined * undefined
