An outmanned Arizona Coyotes team was routed in Pittsburgh Monday night by the Penguins, 7-0.
Matt Murray made 32 saves for the shutout.
With rookies throughout the lineup, the Coyotes were out matched at every position.
“They’re struggling at their execution,” Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. “There’s a standard you have to play to in the NHL, whether you’re a young guy or a veteran. We didn’t play or compete at an NHL level tonight. That’s the score you get and that’s where we’re at.”
Seven different skaters scored for the Pens who had a 1-0 lead after the fist period and scored four the middle frame and two in the third.
Goal scorers included Sidney Crosby, Nick Bonino, Trevor Daley, Bryan Rust, Scott Wilson, Phil Kessel, and Justin Schultz.
“I thought we played hard,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “Coming off an emotional game against [the Tampa Bay Lightning], I thought we came back with a strong effort, with a lot of energy, with just playing the game the right way consistently. That’s the type of identity we’re trying to build here.”
WATCH: All Coyotes vs. Penguins highlights
Arizona is 1-4-3 in their last eight games.
Mike Smith got the start for the Coyotes and yielded four goals on 22 shots; he was pulled for Louis Domingue, who made nine saves and allowed three goals.
Murray is now 11-2-0 on the season.
“They played a hard game,” Murray said. “I know they have a lot of youth in that group, so they played hard. I think we just showed that the way we play, we can dominate anybody if we’re playing our best. So, they played us real hard.
“It was a pretty tight game, I thought, throughout the first half of the game. Then after that, we just opened it up.”
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