SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Reilly Smith and Jake Guentzel each had two goals and two assists, Evgeni Malkin also scored twice, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat San Jose 10-2 on Saturday night, handing the Sharks their NHL record-tying 11th straight loss to start the season and second straight while allowing 10 goals.
Smith set the tone with two first-period goals as the Penguins — who had lost five of their last six — got back on track against the team with the league’s worst record. Guentzel’s goal early in the second that pushed Pittsburgh’s lead to 3-0 was the 200th of his career.
Bryan Rust had a goal and four assists, and Vinnie Hinostroza, Kris Letang and Matt Nieto also scored for Pittsburgh. Tristan Jarry had 24 saves.
The Sharks fell to 0-10-1 to match the 11-game winless starts by the New York Rangers in 1943 and the Arizona Coyotes in 2017 and 2021. The last time a team allowed 10 or more goals in consecutive games was the Boston Bruins in 1965. The Sharks lost 10-1 to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
San Jose has only scored 12 goals this season, and its minus-42 goal differential is the worst in the NHL through 11 games.
Anthony Duclair and Jacob MacDonald scored power-play goals for San Jose.
The game also saw the return of Erik Karlsson to San Jose. The reigning Norris Trophy winner, who was traded to the Penguins in the offseason after five seasons with the Sharks, received an ovation after the video screen played a highlight montage in the first period.
It didn’t take long for Karlsson to make an impact, assisting on Smith’s power-play goal — a wrist shot from the left point — 90 seconds into the game. Smith scored his second midway through the first, tapping in a feed from Marcus Pettersson at point-blank range. The goal came off a Penguins’ counterattack after Jarry stopped Mike Hoffman on a 2-on-1 break.
Pittsburgh led 2-0 after the first period, and 7-1 after two. Sharks’ starting goalie Mackenzie Blackwood was pulled after allowing his sixth goal, and Magnus Chrona entered in the second period to make his NHL debut in net.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby played in his 1,200th career game, becoming the first player in franchise history and 10th active player to reach the mark. Crosby assisted on Letang’s goal in the second period.
UP NEXT
Penguins: At Anaheim on Tuesday night.
Sharks: Host Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
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