Penguins overtake Capitals for top spot in East Division

The Pittsburgh Penguins weren't keen on seeing their rival Washington Capitals occupying the top spot in the NHL's East Division, and they did something about it this afternoon against the Boston Bruins at PPG Paints Arena. 

Though it was a tightly-fought defensive affair, it was Penguins offensive threat Jake Guentzel who was finally able to break the ice early in the third period. He took a pass from Penguins Sidney Crosby and fired a shot past the glove of Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman from the middle of the right face-off circle for his 21st tally of the year. 

That's all the offense that Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry needed as he backstopped his teammates to the win, making 30 saves for his 1st shutout of the year and 21st win. 

For the Penguins, it was their fourth straight triumph. Meanwhile, Boston suffered their second straight defeat after dropping a 6-4 decision to the lowly Buffalo Sabres on Friday night. 

"It's a short season, we're playing a lot of games in a short period of time," Jarry said after the game. "So it's a matter of putting it behind you as quickly as you can and being prepared for the next game."

Of course, it's always good to have the faith of your teammates and coaching staff. 

"Just a huge performance by him," Guentzel said of Jarry. "Game in and game out, he's always there for us. Tristan's an excellent goaltender. We're lucky to have him back there."

"I have ultimate faith in our goaltending tandem," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "These guys have been solid for us for a long time."

For Sullivan, he was happy to see his players churn out, as he put it, one of the most "complete" games of their 2020-21 campaign. 

"As I say to the guys all the time, it's hard to score your way to success in this league," Sullivan said. "We certainly don't want to take the sticks out of our players' hands, but you've got to be hard to play against. I thought today was one of our more complete games."

The Penguins and Bruins will once again get together at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday night for a 7:00 PM EST matchup.