Penguins down Hurricanes on Jussi Jokinen’s hat trick
By Larry Snyder
Oct 8, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Jussi Jokinen (36) scores a goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh’s Jussi Jokinen put a hat trick up on the scoreboard and the Pens went 2 for 3 on the power play as they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 on Tuesday Consol Energy Center.
With the score tied at 2-2 in the third period, Jokinen got the lead back for Pittsburgh at 5:03, when he received a pass from Evgeni Malkin close to the left faceoff circle and sent a wrist shot past Carolina goaltender Cam Ward to make it 3-2.
Pens left wing Tanner Glass took a pass from center Joe Vitale and backhanded a shot past Ward to make it 4-2 with 11:32 remaining in the third. Then, Jokinen scored his third goal and Pittsburgh’s fifth of the game off a feed from 19-year-old defenseman Olli Maatta with 6:57 left. Maatta had two assists on the night, his first NHL points.
Pittsburgh improved to 3-0-0 with the home victory, its third of the week. The Penguins hadn’t won their first three games of the season since the start of the 1994-95 season.
Jokinen put the Penguins on the scoreboard first with 5:43 left in the first period. Jokinen backhanded the puck off a pass from Sidney Crosby past Ward to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead.
Defenseman Paul Martin put the biscuit in the net from one knee when he collected Brooks Orpik’s slap shot off the end boards at 1:04 into the second period, and made it 2-0 in favor of the Pens.
Carolina center Erik Staal cut the Black and Gold’s lead in half when he tipped the puck in for a score against goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury with 6:36 remaining in the second.
Hurricanes’ center Nathan Gerbe brought the score even when he put a wrist shot past Fleury just 3:13 into the third period.
Fleury made 32 saves between the pipes for Pittsburgh while Ward stopped the same amount for the Canes.
BOX SCORE
The Pittsburgh Penguins head to Miami on Friday to take on the Florida Panthers at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ROOT Sports Pittsburgh.
From The Clipboard: Pittsburgh left wing James Neal and defenseman Deryk Engelland were the healthy scratches…Vitale won 11 of his 16 faceoffs…The Penguins out shot the Hurricanes 37-34…This was the first of four meetings between the two Metropolitan Division clubs. The Black and Gold took the 2012-2013 series with a 2-1-0 record.