Coming off a big shootout victory on Saturday, the Penguins fell short Sunday afternoon at PPG Paints Arena in a flat performance against the Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes, losing by a score of 5-1.

The Hurricanes got off to a quick start, as Sebastian Aho scored on a power play just 47 seconds into the game. The power play came on a Ryan Graves penalty, tripping Nikolaj Ehlers on a partial breakaway, which Stuart Skinner denied. This was Graves' first game back in the lineup since Jan. 21, filling in for an injured Ryan Shea (upper body, day-to-day).

The game remained a 1-0 advantage for the Hurricanes heading into the second period. However, Carolina put three goals on the board. Ehlers one-timed a bullet past Skinner on another power play 6:24 into the period. Less than three minutes later, Jalen Chatfield scored on a long-range wrist shot in which Noel Acciari tried to block the shot but accidentally screened Skinner. After Evgeni Malkin took a tripping penalty in the final minutes of the period, in which Taylor Hall was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for diving, Seth Jarvis roofed a beautiful pass from Ehlers for the Hurricanes' third power play goal of the game, making it a 4-0 game. The Hurricanes were awarded a power play because Anthony Mantha was called for roughing, knocking Hall to the ice well after the play for the dive.

The Penguins avoided their fifth shutout of the season with just over five minutes remaining in the game when Sidney Crosby hit Bryan Rust streaking down the left wing, who then found Egor Chinakhov with a nice pass driving to the net, burying a shot past Frederik Andersen. The Hurricanes added a fifth goal with Mark Jankowski scoring on an empty net after the Penguins pulled Skinner late in the game.