Penguins snap losing skid by scoring 10 on floundering Sharks

A veteran of two stints with the San Jose Sharks, Matt Nieto played plenty of games as a visitor in the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.

The first came in 2017 as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.

And his most recent came on Saturday as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Facing the team that selected him in the second round (No. 47 overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft hasn’t lost its luster.

“I started my career there,” the fourth-line forward said in Cranberry on Thursday.” It will always be a special place and a special arena for me. I played my first game there. It’s always fun going back there. It’s always weird being on the visitors’ side no matter how many times that I’ve been back there.”

Nieto and his teammates experienced a sensation that has been far too uncommon this season as they chummed the squalid Sharks, 10-2. The result snapped a two-game losing streak and was only the fourth win this season for the Penguins (4-6-0).

For the Sharks, they allowed 10 goals for the second consecutive game and remain the NHL’s only outfit without a triumph in 2023-24 (0-10-1). On Thursday, they were blasted at home by the Vancouver Canucks, 10-1.

Nieto contributed a goal and was one of 13 members of the Penguins who recorded a point as the team logged its most lopsided victory of the season.

Penguins forward Reilly Smith opened the scoring only 90 seconds into regulation with his fifth goal during a power-play sequence.

Settling a puck at the right point of the offensive zone, former Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson offloaded it to Smith above the left circle. Surveying the scene, Smith lifted a wrister to the far side beyond the grasp of goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood. Karlsson and forward Jake Guentzel had assists. It marked the first time this season the Penguins scored power-play goals in consecutive games.

Smith struck again at 12:55 of the first period.

After gaining the offensive zone at the center point, Smith dished a pass to linemate Evgeni Malkin on the right half wall. Allowing things to develop, Malkin fed the puck to Rust, who rushed in from the right point. Coasting into the near circle, Rust moved a forehand pass to the left circle for Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson, who went deep to the goal line and slipped a pass through the crease. From the right of the blue paint, Smith chopped in a forehand shot by the left skate of a flustered Blackwood. Pettersson and Rust registered assists.

Guentzel got in on the act with this third goal and 200th goal of his career 3:21 into the second period.

Off a chip-and-chase sequence, Rust zipped by Sharks rookie defenseman Nikita Okhotiuk and claimed possession of the puck in the right corner of the offensive zone and slid a forehand pass to the top of the crease. Guentzel beat Shark forward Givani Smith to the puck and jabbed a forehand shot by the blocker of a hapless Blackwood. Assists went to Rust and defenseman P.O Joseph.

Forward Vinnie Hinostroza, making his debut for the Penguins, put the visitors up by four at 4:26 of the middle frame.

Chasing a puck dumped onto the Sharks’ end boards, Penguins forward Noel Acciari pressured Sharks defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov into a turnover by playing a backhanded pass attempt to the left side of the cage intended for former Penguins forward Mikael Granlund. Hinostroza read the sequence like a novel, beat Granlund to the puck and jabbed a forehand shot that banked off Blackwood’s right leg and into the cage. There were no assists.

The Sharks got on the scoreboard via forward Anthony Duclair’s second goal on a power-play sequence at 8:34 of the second period.

Taking the puck deep in the left corner of the offensive zone, Sharks forward Tomas Hertl avoided a sliding pokecheck attempt by Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves and backhanded a pass to the right hashmarks, where Duclair swiped a one-timer by Jarry’s blocker on the far side. Hertl and defenseman Jacob MacDonald had assists.

The Penguins resumed their siege only 38 seconds later when forward Evgeni Malkin scored his sixth goal.

Emerging out of a puck battle on the left half wall of the offensive zone, Smith snapped a centering pass to the crease, where Malkin ripped a wrister through Blackwood’s five hole. Assists went to Smith and linemate Rickard Rakell.

Penguins defenseman Kris Letang found his first goal a mere 15 seconds after that.

Roaring into the offensive zone at the center point with all the fury of a comet, Penguins forward Sidney Crosby surged past Okhotiuk and attacked the cage. Upon arrival, Crosby left an adroit drop pass for a trailing Letang in the slot. Taking the puck on his forehand, Letang deked to his backhand and tucked in a shot behind a scrambling Blackwood. Crosby and Rust had assists.

Blackwood was pulled — potentially for humanitarian concerns — after making 12 saves on 18 shots.

His replacement, Magnus Chrona, made his NHL debut and promptly yielded a goal to Nieto at 11:53 of the second.

Using his speed, Nieto rushed the puck up the left wing and generated a two-on-one with Acciari against Sharks defenseman Kyle Burroughs. Taking a pass, Acciari lifted a wrister from the right circle to the far side that was rejected by Chrona’s left leg. Nieto followed up on the rebound and plunked in an easy forehand shot for his 200th career point. Acciari and Hinostroza had assists.

Rust made it an 8-1 game with his sixth goal only 49 seconds into the final frame.

Settling a puck on the right half wall of the offensive zone, Karlsson dished it to the right circle for Guentzel, who moved it on to Rust, stationed low to the right of the cage. Navigating his way around Crosby and former Penguins defenseman Jan Rutta to the right hashmark, Rust snapped a backhander by Chrona’s right skate on the far side.

The Sharks got another power-play goal at 9:20 when MacDonald tallied his first score at 9:20 of the third period.

Corralling a loose puck at the left point, MacDonald one-touched it to the left half wall for Hertl. Holding the puck for a moment, Hertl led MacDonald coast to the high slot and dished the puck back to him. With his stick cocked back, MacDonald boomed a one-timer through a cluster of bodies and by Jarry’s glove. Hertl and Granlund collected assists.

Malkin struck again on the power play at 11:02 of the third.

From the center point of the offensive zone, Letang slapped a forehand pass to the top of the left circle for Rakell, who fired his own slap pass to the left of the cage for Smith. Going forehand to backhand, Smith slipped a pass to the right of the crease where Malkin stopped the puck with his right skate and then jabbed a forehand shot by Chrona’s right leg on the near side. Smith and Rakell registered assists.

Guentzel scored the Penguins’ 10th goal only 67 seconds later.

Settling the puck in the right circle of the offensive zone, Guentzel curled around to the near corner and fired a forehand pass to the top of the crease, where Rust re-directed a backhander on net. Chrona made the initial save but could not smother the rebound. An alert Guentzel beat Rutta to the puck and swept a forehand shot into an open net. There were no assists.

Jarry made 24 saves on 26 shots as his record improved to 3-5-0.

Notes:

-The last time the Penguins reached double-digit figures in goals in a game came during an 11-2 home win against the Detroit Red Wings on March 27, 2022.

• The Penguins’ scratches were defensemen John Ludvig (concussion), Chad Ruhwedel (healthy) and forward Jeff Carter (healthy). It is believed Carter was a healthy scratch for the first time in his 19-year career.

• Joseph returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for five consecutive games and appeared in his 100th career game.

• Penguins forward Sidney Crosby appeared in his 1,200th career game.

• Hinostroza became the 559th player to score a regular season goal for the Penguins.

• Hinostroza became the seventh player to wear No. 13 for the Penguins. His predecessors:

Jim Hamilton, Charlie Simmer, Alex Goligoski, Bill Guerin, Nick Spaling, Nick Bonino, Brandon Tanev

-Rust (328 points) surpassed forward (Slippery Rock) Joe Mullen (325) and defenseman Randy Carlyle (323) for 22nd place on the franchise’s career scoring list.

-Pettersson (96 points) surpassed forward Jason Zucker (95) for 98th place on the franchise’s career scoring list.

• Shea recorded his first career point.

• The Sharks became the fourth team in NHL history to allow 10 or more goals in consecutive games:

It’s happened to four teams in NHL history:

— 2023-24 San Jose Sharks
— 1965-66 Boston Bruins
— 1943-44 Boston Bruins
— 1919-20 Quebec Athletic Club/Bulldogs https://t.co/xtbXBLiD5i

— Hockey Reference (@hockey_ref) November 5, 2023

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