Jake Guentzel's hat trick leads Penguins past Canucks - TribLIVE

Entering Saturday, the Penguins, in the midst of a three-game losing streak, were struggling to find consistent scoring.

So, they shook up their lines a bit. Namely, their bottom three lines all underwent alterations.

Danton Heinen was promoted to the second line. Kasperi Kapanen was demoted to the third line. Rookie Drew O’Connor was inserted into the lineup as the center of the fourth line.

“We’re just trying to find more balance amongst the group of forwards we have so we can generate more offense throughout the lineup,” coach Mike Sullivan said to media in Vancouver on Friday. “The last little while here, we haven’t scored as many goals. More so than that, some of the lines have got limited opportunities. And that’s the more concerning thing.”

Of course, when your most consistent scorer erupts for a hat trick, many of your concerns will be allayed.

Forward Jake Guentzel had three goals as well as an assist and extended a scoring streak to 12 games while leading the Penguins to a 4-1 defeat of the Vancouver Canucks at the Rogers Arena on Saturday.

Guentzel’s outburst was the Penguins’ second hat trick of the season and the fourth of his career.

The Penguins’ top scorer with 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in 23 games, Guentzel came close to getting a fourth or fifth goal in Vancouver.

“Missed on two great chances there from (linemate Sidney Crosby),” Guentzel said. “I’d like to bury those ones. But as long as I’m getting the chances and creating something, I think it’s good for me and good for the team.”

Guentzel provided plenty of good to his team on Saturday beginning at 2 minutes, 19 seconds into the second period.

Going in deep on the right wing of the offensive zone, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang sent a wild pass off the opposite boards. The puck ricocheted to the left point where Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin jumped on it and cranked a one-timer.

After former Penguins forward Tanner Pearson blocked the shot, the puck deflected to the right circle in a nearly perfect fashion for Guentzel to swat a one-timer that bounced off Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s left skate and past goaltender Thatcher Demko’s left skate. It was Guentzel’s 11th goal of the season. Dumoulin and Letang had assists.

The Canucks responded almost exactly four minutes later at the 6:18 mark.

As a penalty to Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson expired, Ekman-Larsson controlled a puck at the center point of the offensive zone and lobbed a wrister toward the cage. Positioned in the slot, Canucks forward Vasily Podkolzin re-directed the puck with his stick, causing it to glance off of goaltender Tristan Jarry’s right shoulder and roll into the cage. Podkolzin was credited with his fifth goal off assists from Ekman-Larsson and forward Brock Boeser.

A series of three successive penalties by the Canucks within a span of 51 seconds late in the second period set the Penguins and Guentzel up for further success.

First, on a five-on-three power-play sequence, Guentzel collected his second goal of the contest at the 17:13 mark.

After Penguins forward Jeff Carter won a faceoff against Canucks forward J.T. Miller in the right circle, Guentzel settled the puck on the right wall and fed it to Crosby above the circle. Maneuvering across the zone, Crosby took advantage of the open ice and slid a pass back to Guentzel, now in the left circle. Winding up, Guentzel stroked a one-timer that ramped off Ekman-Larsson’s stick and rose up to beat Demko’s left shoulder on the near side. Crosby and Carter registered assists.

Because of all the penalties, the Penguins remained on a five-on-three power-play opportunity and Guentzel struck again at the 18:23 mark.

Controlling the puck in the Canucks’ right circle, Crosby surveyed the zone and slipped a pass to Guentzel in the high slot. Taking a moment to pick a shot, Guentzel, standing only his left leg, fired an off-balance wrister that glanced off of the back of Canucks defenseman Luke Schenn’s jersey and beat Demko’s blocker. Assists went to Crosby and Letang.

Before Saturday, the Penguins had failed to score on their previous seven five-on-three power-play opportunities.

“Tonight, we had a lot of time on it and we could read what they were doing as we were moving across on the ice,” Letang said. “They play a triangle with the two (defensemen) at the net. So we knew that the top of the ice, that’s where we had to make the plays. We converted. Jake with big goals. Obviously, he’s pretty hot right now, so we try to get him the puck the most.”

Of course, getting the puck to Crosby every once in a while is still a sound tactic.

The Penguins’ captain got in on the act at 11:15 of the third period with his third goal. Corralling the puck at the left point of the offensive zone, Guentzel snapped a pass to Letang above the right circle. With Crosby darting off the left wall, Letang slid the puck below the left circle where Crosby leaned down and lifted a forehand shot over a helpless Demko’s blocker on the near side. Letang and Guentzel were credited with assists.

Jarry, a native of Surrey, British Columbia, played the Canucks as a visitor for the first time in his career and made 22 saves on 23 shots, boosting his record to 11-5-4.

As for Guentzel, he has boosted the Penguins quite a bit over the past 12 games.

“He has a certain hockey IQ,” Sullivan said. “He just has a unique ability to find the soft spots. And when he plays with a guy like Sid, he usually gets the puck. But he gets there at the right time. That’s the genius of Jake’s game.”

Notes: O’Connor played in his first game since Nov. 13. Logging 8:40 of ice time on 11 shifts, O’Connor recorded one shot on two attempts and was 2 for 6 (33%) on faceoffs. … O’Connor replaced forward Sam Lafferty in the lineup. In addition to Lafferty, forward Brian Boyle and defenseman Mark Friedman were scratched.

Seth Rorabaugh is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Seth by email at srorabaugh@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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