In Pittsburgh, the Arizona Coyotes took a 3-2 lead in the early minutes of the third period n Tuesday night.
That just seemed to kick the hornets nest as the Penguins replied with four straight goals en route to a 6-3 win.
Brock McGinn, Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and Brian Boyle all scored in the outburst.
“I think we have a competitive hockey team,” Penguins head 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.”
The Pens improved to 27-10-5.
Tristan Jarry made 13 saves in the Pittsburgh win.
Nick Schmaltz hit for a pair of goals, and Clayton Keller added a single maker in what had been a rather evenly contested match.
“When they tied the game, I think from there, there was panic from our side,” Coyotes head 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.”
Letang had a pair of markers for the Pens, and Bryan Rust added a single marker and three points in the win.
“We kept building,” Letang said. “I thought we played a responsible game for 60 minutes. At the end, we got rewarded.”
The Coyotes dropped to 10-27-4.
“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.”
Karel Vejmelka made 30 saves in the Arizona loss.
“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.”
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