Hockeyville festivities end with loss, but Guentzel, Crosby shine bright

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — As most of the 1,500 fans clapped and yelled in celebration from the bleachers at Lemieux Sports Complex, Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel embraced near the net.

Although the Penguins eventually lost to the Blues, 4-1, in a preseason game Sunday night, that celebration following the first-period goal by Guentzel on a pass from Crosby was the exclamation point on the Kraft Hockeyville festivities and made it clear that one of the top pairings in last season’s Stanley Cup playoffs seems to only be getting stronger.



"We're trying to do what we did last year and kind of go from there," Guentzel said afterward. "We're trying to get that chemistry back right now and get ready for the opener here."

The game was held in conjunction with Rostraver Ice Garden in Belle Vernon, Pa., winning $150,000 to renovate the 50-year old rink located 22 miles southeast of Downtown Pittsburgh. However, the event was moved to the Penguins' practice facility when officials deemed the rink in Belle Vernon unsafe for an NHL game.

That did little to spoil the weekend festivities for the fans who squeezed into the small bleachers at Lemieux Sports Complex, though. This was as close as the Penguins will likely get to fielding their entire roster this preseason, as Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang all made their debuts.

It didn't take long for them to look like the defending Stanley Cup champions, either. Facing a Blues lineup that was also near full strength — featuring Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Pietrangelo and Paul Stastny — the Penguins’ top line dominated possession until Conor Sheary fought for a loose puck along the boards in the neutral zone and passed to Crosby. Crosby then found room up the far boards and sent a cross-ice pass to Guentzel, who one-timed it past Carter Hutton for the 1-0 lead with only 2:09 into the game.

"Jake tends to do that," Mike Sullivan said. "He knows how to score goals. He's got a nose for the net."

Crosby and Guentzel looked dominant throughout training camp, building on their impeccable debut season together on the top line. But it was not always guaranteed that they would reunite in 2017-18.

With the Penguins losing both Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen in free agency, there is a sizable hole at center on the Penguins’ third line.

Guentzel became one of the candidates to fill the void if Jim Rutherford chose not to make a trade. After all, Guentzel is a center by trade, but was moved to left wing last year because of the Penguins’ lack of depth there. He quickly showed he was a perfect fit to play on Crosby's wing, scoring 16 goals and adding 17 assists in 40 regular-season games, then leading the Stanley Cup playoffs with 13 goals.

His chemistry with Crosby has only seemed to grow, making it difficult for the Penguins to remove him from the top line.

Aside from the goal, Guentzel also made a perfect lead pass to spring Crosby for a breakaway midway through the second period, but Crosby shot over Hutton’s glove and off the post.

It was the type of missed opportunity that plagued the Penguins Sunday, as they were outshot 47-29 and allowed four goals after the first period. Sure, Crosby is encouraged by what he and Guentzel have done thus far, but the captain said it was not nearly good enough: