The entire Pittsburgh Penguins defensive core will have to step up without Kris Letang PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Penguins fought off multiple deficits to defeat one of the best road teams in the league in the Vegas Golden Knights. Not only did the Penguins battle from behind on multiple occasions, they bucked a couple of trends along the way. Not only did Kasperi Kapanen find himself in the lineup for the second straight game, but he picked up a pair of points, including the game winning goal. The game winner was Kapanen’s first goal since the Penguins season opener in only his third appearance in 12 games. Kapanen’s spot in the lineup isn’t set in stone, but he’s looked strong in his most recent opportunity. Not only did Kapanen score, but so did the Penguins power play; their first goal with a man advantage since the mid point of November. It was an awkward 4-on-3 goal, but a power play goal all the same, and head coach Mike Sullivan was pleased with the effort. “It’s hard to score in today’s game,” Sullivan said. “Hopefully the power play will get a boost of confidence from that. These guys are real capable guys. And we’re hoping they can get some momentum.” The goal from Jake Guentzel was his 12th of the season and third on the power play, both team leads. As the Penguins power play looks to build their momentum, the offense as a whole looked stronger than it has recently. On too many occasions in the past few games, the Penguins were failing to reach 10 goals in a given period. They made sure to take a shot at every opportunity against Golden Knights goalie Logan Thompson. On the day Thomspon was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for November, the Penguins unleashed 47 shots on goal, their second highest mark of the season. While Thompson still made a ton of stops, the Penguins made sure to improve their offensive game. The Penguins shot total in each period was consistently over 10 hitting 18, 15, and 14 in consecutive periods. While the game wasn’t perfect, the Penguins can use it as a stepping stone to building themselves even stronger. The areas of concern were exercised for a night, and now they must work on keeping those bad habits at bay. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more! Penguins Honor Phil Kessel for 1,000+ Game Ironman Streak [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-honor-phil-kessel-ironman-streak] Penguins Players React to Kris Letang News, Show Support for Teammate and Friend [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-react-support-kris-letang] Kasperi Kapanen Shows Improvement for Penguins Upon Return to Lineup [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/podcasts/pittsburgh-penguins-kasperi-kapanen-improvement-lineup-return] Mike Sullivan Says Kris Letang Went for a 'Twirl' at Penguins Practice Facility [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-kris-letang-skates-practice-facility] Penguins Defense Will Need to Step Up 'By Committee' Without Kris Letang [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-defense-stepping-up-committee] * undefined * undefined
