Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson responds to recent rumors of him potentially being traded back to the Ottawa Senators. PITTSBURGH – Despite the longshot, the Pittsburgh Penguins are clinging to the belief that they can still make a miraculous run to the postseason. They’re in the midst of a four-game losing streak, but perhaps one of the worst teams in the NHL can help them out of their funk. On a day when the Penguins announced a shipment of promotional Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads had been stolen, they played host to the San Jose Sharks. When these two teams met in San Jose in November, the Penguins scored 10 goals in a massive early-season victory. FIRST PERIOD Whatever magic the Penguins had against the Sharks in San Jose certainly didn’t follow them to start the contest in Pittsburgh. Through the opening frame's first half, the Sharks dominated play and offensive zone time. Despite the Sharks taking an early lead in momentum, Tristan Jarry stood tall in net for the Penguins, and they managed to record the game’s first goal. A shot from Erik Karlsson was perfectly deflected by Noel Acciari for his fourth goal of the season. [https://twitter.com/penguins/status/1768420780889510344/video/1] The Penguins thought they had a 2-0 lead when a loose puck sat behind the Sharks netminder, and Bryan Rust cleaned up the garbage. Officials declared the play was dead and determined no goal on the play. With the score remaining 1-0, the Sharks tied the game with a wide-open rebound opportunity. The Penguins started to add some pressure, but the Sharks ended up with a 2-1 lead. A shot from Sharks defender Marc-Edouard Vlasic deflected off Marcus Pettersson’s knee pat Jarry. That goal came with just under a minute remaining, and the Sharks carried their 2-1 lead into the first intermission. SECOND PERIOD Early in the second frame, a set of minor penalties for both teams opened up a two-minute 4-on-4 chance. The Penguins maintained possession and zone time for almost the entire two minutes but couldn’t find the back of the net. Most of the time was spent passing the puck around the perimeter, looking for a perfect shot. Following the penalties, the Penguins saw more work from their fourth line as Emil Bemstrom found Jeff Carter across the goal crease for his ninth tally of the season. [https://twitter.com/penguins/status/1768432088632508628/video/1] The Penguins got themselves back ahead in the contest with a great connection from Drew O’Connor and Evgeni Malkin. O’Connor released a hard shot that Magnus Chrona didn’t completely corral. Malkin picked up the loose puck and banked it off Chrona and into the net. Former Penguins forward Mikael Granlund looked to take an ugly leg injury when Bryan Rust fell awkwardly onto Granlund. The Sharks’ leading point scorer was assisted off the ice and wasn’t putting any weight onto his right foot the entire time. Before the second period came to an end, however, Granlund returned to the ice and helped contribute to the Sharks’ tying goal. Granlund was credited with the primary assist on Klim Kostin’s first goal in a Sharks uniform. With the score tied at three and both teams playing pretty ugly hockey, the third period was lining up to be a wild 20 minutes. THIRD PERIOD The Penguins made sure to start the third period on the proper foot when a John Ludvig shot from the point found its way through traffic. More known for the work he does with his fists, this was Ludvig's second career goal. [https://twitter.com/penguins/status/1768446476022075819/video/1] Just moments later, the Penguins added an insurance goal. A shot from P.O. Joseph deflected off the reaching foot of Rickard Rakell. [https://twitter.com/penguins/status/1768448263823237623/video/1] The Penguins took a 5-3 lead, but there was still plenty of game left to be played. The Penguins maintained their lead well into the period without any hiccups. The Sharks pulled Chrona for the extra attacker but the Penguins jumped quickly and Rust picked up the empty net tally. Against one of the worst teams in the NHL, the Penguins finally found some offense. After a poor stretch of just two goals in four games, the Penguins jumped out for six against the Sharks. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguin [http://insidethepenguins.com/]s [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. 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