Penguins score four in third, rally past Coyotes for sixth straight win

PITTSBURGH-- Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists, and the Pittsburgh Penguins extended their winning streak to six games with a 6-3 victory against the Arizona Coyotes at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday.

Bryan Rust had a goal and two assists, and Kris Letang scored twice for the Penguins (27-10-5), who are 17-2-0 in their past 19 games. Tristan Jarry made 13 saves.
"I think we have a competitive hockey team," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "I believe we have good players and great leadership. I think the expectations inside of our dressing room are extremely high. So there's never a sense of satisfaction. There's always a hunger for more. That starts with our core players.
"That's where it starts, for me. These guys, they're accomplished players. They've built such an impressive legacy to this point. But they're hungry for more."
Nick Schmaltz had two goals and an assist and Clayton Keller had a goal and an assist for the Coyotes (10-27-4), who led on three separate occasions but lost their third in a row. Karel Vejmelka made 30 saves.
"When they tied the game, I think from there, there was panic from our side," Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said. "We were anxious. Instead of just relaxing and staying with it, we dove outside. We tried to force plays. We did not play as well defensively. A really good team who's really hot, they make us pay.
"We felt we played really good for a long, long time in that game. I think we deserve where we were."

After Brock McGinn tied it 3-3 with a backhand at 4:53 of the third period, Crosby gave the Penguins a 4-3 lead by tapping in a pass from Rust at 7:10. Crosby has scored 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) in his past 23 games after scoring two (one goal, one assist) in his first seven this season.
Letang scored his second of the game on a wrist shot, making it 5-3 at 11:36, and Brian Boyle scored by flicking a shot from between his legs for the 6-3 final at 13:42.
"We kept building," Letang said. "I thought we played a responsible game for 60 minutes. At the end, we got rewarded."
Schmaltz put the Coyotes ahead 1-0 at 8:23 of the second on a wrist shot from the right face-off circle.
Crosby set up Rust for a power-play goal that tied it 1-1 at 11:31 of the second. With his back turned, Crosby sent a pass between his legs to the left face-off circle, where Rust scored on a snap shot.
"Try to put it in the net, first and foremost," Rust said. "It's just one of those things you take a step back and say, 'That's another fantastic 'Sid' play.' I've been around for a while. I've seen a lot of those."
Keller gave the Coyotes a 2-1 lead with a wrist shot on a 5-on-3 power play at 16:22 of the second.

Letang took a pass from Crosby for a wrist shot, tying it 2-2 on a power play at 18:18 of the second.
Schmaltz gave the Coyotes a 3-2 lead at 2:54 of the third period by intercepting a pass from Dominik Simon in the neutral zone and tucking a shot around a lunging Jarry.
"I think maybe we just mismanaged a couple plays and you do that against high-skill players, they're going to make you pay," Schmaltz said. "It's unfortunate because I thought we were pretty good for the first two [periods]. We just gave up a couple power-play goals, they have a really good power play. But other than that, we didn't give them a whole lot. Those ones late, I think, were just a result of some of our puck mistakes."
NOTES: The Penguins have won seven in a row at home since last losing 6-3 to the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 27. … Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese had one assist in 9:39 of ice time in his return from missing one game with a lower-body injury. … Coyotes forward Antoine Roussel was removed from NHL COVID-19 protocol Tuesday but did not play. … Pittsburgh forward Jason Zucker will be out week to week after having core muscle injury repair Tuesday. … The Coyotes, who were outshot 36-16, were held to 17 shots or fewer for the second time in three games. They had 17 shots in a 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders on Friday.