Penguins/Jets Recap: Pens make Winnipeg pay after Dillon's game-tying penalty

Before the game

The Penguins will start the offseason with a rookie after signing Jesse Puljujarvi after a tryout in the AHL. Reilly Smith also returned after nearly a month out with injury.

The first stage

In the battle of two teams returning from a week's work, the first will be quiet. No penalties and too many great chances. Pittsburgh looks the sharper of both teams and opens the scoring.

Kris Letang stepped into the game and made the most of it by stepping into a miscued Winnipeg outlet. Letang tricked Connor Hellebuyck into the net with 7:16 left in the game.

It was in the first period, the shots were directed to the Pens 12-8 and they scored the only goal.

The second stage

The game ended in a lull with 4:15 left in the second period. A few years after breaking Teddy Bluger's jaw, Brandon Dillon took a hard punch to Noel Acciari's face. Acciari was covered in blood and at one point passed out, trying in vain to get up and clearly unconscious. Jansen Harkins tried to go after Dillon, but the referees settled the matter by awarding a match penalty.

The five-minute power play didn't get off to a pretty start, but the Pens found a way to make the Jets pay on the scoreboard. Erik Karlsson's shot was blocked by Lars Eller in front of the goal. It worked out well for Jeff Carter and Hellebuyck swept the puck in with an outstretched leg to double the Pens' lead 2-0.

Pittsburgh's other power-play group matched their goals with their teammates. Brian Rast took a cross from Jake Guentzel and buried it after Sidney Crosby was hit to send him into a somewhat controlled frenzy that ended perfectly for the Pens. 3-0.

Tristan Jarry was upset with Jet, who pushed him into the kitchen in the second, and held him too long. Winnipeg gets the first power play of the game, but doesn't make much of it.

Overall, a good period for pens (unless it's Acciari's nose and head). The Pens were in the driver's seat for a 3-0 lead with 20 goals scored after two goals from Dillon's dangerous shot and Acciari's injury.

The third stage

Winnipeg wakes up and starts pushing. Jorry was answering them every step of the way, until Josh Morrissey picked off Erik Karlsson's puck, threw it to Mark Scheifele and fired into the net.

But hold your horses, Jets, Pens for offsides, before a scoring play, they're right. Close call going the way of Pittsburgh and the score remains 3-0.

Ryan Graves goes to Scheifele to give Winnipeg their second power play of the night. Pittsburgh is killing it.

Even at even strength, the Pens are clogging up their own zone, failing when Winnipeg pushes for a rebound or unable to get the puck out of their own end. Jarry is sharp and he's having none of it.

Jarry and the Pens make it over the line and time runs out. Good night for Pittsburgh.

Some thoughts

• The highlight of the game was Dillon's hit and the dunk he made. Needless to say, Acciari was out for the rest of the game, and Winnipeg went down to five defensemen for the final 35 minutes of the contest. Pittsburgh had their power play and had a chance to take advantage, and once did.
• Working for five minutes straight will get everything done in no time. The Pens scored two goals, but it still didn't inspire. Both goals came in somewhat broken play and the results of putting the puck in the net and then seeing what could happen. Hey, it worked. There could have been more results, but the strategies for how and with whom the puck was being handled were largely disjointed, and the rebounding was uninspiring.
• But this is a results-oriented business, and to see them go from 1-0 to 3-0 in a short amount of time and with the Penguins power play is huge for the bottom line.
• Crazy, it was Rust's first power play goal of the season and only his second power play point. He played just over 65 minutes there before the season. Ugh.
• It was the expected Penguin NHL debut for Puljujarvi, and it was a good one….it might be good enough to jump back into the NHL mid-season and catch up. Letang's goal was the result of Puljujarvi throwing the puck early in the lane (it didn't work out for him) and looked good. Nothing earth-shattering, but not a bad start either. Final stat line of the night: 9:49 played (all at even strength), 2 SOGs (1 more blocked), 2 hits, +1
• The last few minor “hair offsides but it had nothing to do with the goal” comments hit the Penguins hard, but they did better than that to score against Winnipeg. Third. Overall frame-by-frame replay is still good for making all the calls perfect, but the Jets didn't deserve good calls in their favor after the Dillon hit in the first place.
• In game #500 for Jake Guentzel, his mind and hands were on display on a snap touchdown pass for Rust. It's easy but looks beautiful slow repetitionbut it's a great display of Guentzel's IQ and ability to instantly adapt to Crosby's muted shots/passes and seamlessly turn what could have been a negative outcome for a teammate.
• It was a long layoff, but most of the Penguins looked better and stronger for it. Of course, Jarry didn't have any drops or rust. Another great goaltending performance of the season and the NHL's sixth shutout.

Penguins hockey is back! The unofficial second half of the season is off to a good start for Pittsburgh, who will have a few more days to prepare for Friday-Saturday road games, with a rematch with Winnipeg in the final stretch.