Mike Sullivan doesn’t believe in the significance of Thanksgiving.

To be clear, he’s totally cool with the holiday.

Turkey, pumpkin pie, family, football, the whole deal. He digs it.

But the Pittsburgh Penguins head coach doesn’t put much weight into the notion that has become popular in recent years that the legitimacy of an NHL team’s hopes for the postseason can be determined by where they sit in the standings on the final Thursday of November.

“You guys (media) use Thanksgiving as a barometer,” Sullivan said in Cranberry on Monday. “We’re just trying to get better every day. That’s all we can control. We understand the circumstance we’re in. Urgency has to be an important aspect of every day. That’s just the reality of playing in the NHL.

“We’d like to believe that we bring urgency every day. Whether it’s Thanksgiving or it isn’t, for me is irrelevant. We just need to control what we can each and every day to try to move the needle and get better.”

Things did get better for the Penguins on the eve of Thanksgiving as they dispatched the Vancouver Canucks, 5-4, at PPG Paints Arena on Wednesday.

The result — while hardly perfect — was a rare appetizer as of late as it was only the third win in the Penguins’ past 11 games (3-5-3).

This victory had a few anxious moments, however. In particular, the third period was 20 minutes of anxiety as the Canucks made a valiant but futile push in hopes of tying the game.

But even with warts and carbuncles, it was a win.

“They get an early goal, but I thought we did a way better job of not opening it up and defending hard,” Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson said. “This feels really good for us. Something to build off of.”

Penguins forward Blake Lizotte, sidelined for the previous five games due to a concussion, opened the scoring with this third goal of the season 3:59 into regulation.

Accepting a pass at the left point of the offensive zone, Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea chucked a wrister that clunked off the end boards and deflected to the right of the cage. Darting in from the right circle, Lizotte gained separation from Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes and shoveled in the rebound with a backhander under rookie goaltender Arturs Silovs’ left leg on the near side. Shea and forward Drew O’Connor had assists.

Pittsburgh goal!

Scored by Blake Lizotte with 16:01 remaining in the 1st period.

Assisted by Ryan Shea and Drew O'Connor.

Pittsburgh: 1Vancouver: 0#VANvsPIT #LetsGoPens #Canucks pic.twitter.com/HjRolJ02hK

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) November 28, 2024

“That’s a dream start,” Lizotte said of his return. “When your legs don’t feel great coming back, it gives you some adrenaline right away to score. That’s a dream way to start. And obviously helping the team to win is most important.”

The Canucks tied the game at 8:52 of the first period via rookie forward Aatu Raty’s second goal.

After Pettersson failed to clear a puck from his own left circle, Raty claimed it at the left point, moved toward the near circle and fired a wrister that Pettersson blocked with his left skate. Raty gathered the rebound and quickly fired another wrister that beat goaltender Tristan Jarry’s glove on the far side. Rookie linemate Max Sasson merited the sole assist.

Vancouver goal!

Scored by Aatu Raty with 11:08 remaining in the 1st period.

Assisted by Max Sasson.

Pittsburgh: 1Vancouver: 1#VANvsPIT #LetsGoPens #Canucks pic.twitter.com/bQpPvcpPWE

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) November 28, 2024

Penguins forward Rickard Rakell’s eighth goal reclaimed a lead for the hosts at 12:53 of the opening frame.

Circumnavigating his way around the offensive zone, Bryan Rust curled his way from the left wing to the center point and forced a pass that was blocked by Canucks forward Dakota Joshua. Rust regained the puck and fed a pass through the crease. Despite a slight deflection by the stick of Canucks defenseman Carson Soucy, the puck made its way to the far side of the crease where Rakell managed to adjust his stick blade and elevated a forehand shot by Silov’s right shoulder on the far side. Rust and Pettersson registered assists.

Pittsburgh goal!

Scored by Rickard Rakell with 07:07 remaining in the 1st period.

Assisted by Bryan Rust and Marcus Pettersson.

Pittsburgh: 2Vancouver: 1#VANvsPIT #LetsGoPens #Canucks pic.twitter.com/ETvTlJPSHn

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) November 28, 2024

The Penguins took a 3-1 lead at 15:14 of the first period when forward Kevin Hayes found his fourth goal during a power-play sequence.

As the Penguins made a line change to the second power-play group, Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin drove the puck to the lower right circle of the offensive zone then held, held and held it some more before directing the puck to the crease. Silovs made an initial save with his stick but couldn’t wrangle the rebound. Hayes, planted just to the right of the blue paint immediately jabbed the loose puck by Silov’s blocker on the far side. Malkin and defenseman Erik Karlsson collected assists.

Power play goal for Pittsburgh!

Scored by Kevin Hayes with 04:46 remaining in the 1st period.

Assisted by Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson.

Pittsburgh: 3Vancouver: 1#VANvsPIT #LetsGoPens #Canucks pic.twitter.com/Bohke9LhM5

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) November 28, 2024

Rust got in on the act at 17:41 of the first with his sixth goal.

Off a stretch pass from the defensive zone by Karlsson, Crosby gained the Canucks’ blue line at the center point and veered to the left circle. As Hughes closed in, Crosby slipped a subtle pass to the opposite circle. Rust, streaking past Canucks forward Brock Boeser, caught up to the puck and tucked a forehand shot by Silov’s left skate. Crosby and Karlsson collected assists.

Pittsburgh goal!

Scored by Bryan Rust with 02:19 remaining in the 1st period.

Assisted by Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson.

Pittsburgh: 4Vancouver: 1#VANvsPIT #LetsGoPens #Canucks pic.twitter.com/JesEjRxa9o

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) November 28, 2024

Rust rang again 3:40 into the second period.

Taking a pass in front of the visiting bench, Crosby turned his gaze to the center red line and snapped the puck to an onrushing Rust. Entering the offensive zone at the center point with speed, Rust veered to the right circle, gained some space on Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers and lifted a wrister over Silov’s left shoulder on the near side. Assists went to Crosby and Karlsson.

Pittsburgh goal!

Scored by Bryan Rust with 16:20 remaining in the 2nd period.

Assisted by Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson.

Pittsburgh: 5Vancouver: 1#VANvsPIT #LetsGoPens #Canucks pic.twitter.com/BTqWClyJJg

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) November 28, 2024

For the first time in a long time, the Penguins looked like they were having a good time.

“We play a game for a living,” Rust said. “I think sometimes everybody forgets that it’s supposed to be fun. Yes, it is our job, and yes, it’s hard, and we obviously take it very seriously. But at the end of the day, it’s a game, and we are supposed to have fun doing it. That breeds confidence and that breeds life, and everybody’s on their toes kind of when that happens.”

Canucks forward Pius Suter dutifully scored his seventh goal at 13:40 of the second frame.

After Penguins forwards Anthony Beauvillier and Philip Tomasino ran into each other above their own left circle, Hughes wound up with the puck at the right point and slid it across the ice to an onrushing Suter. Entering the left circle, Suter wound up and popped a slapper that beat Jarry’s blocker on the near side. Joshua was stationed above the blue paint providing a screen and may have touched the puck with his stick. Hughes and defensive partner Filip Hronek had assists.

Vancouver goal!

Scored by Pius Suter with 06:20 remaining in the 2nd period.

Assisted by Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek.

Pittsburgh: 5Vancouver: 2#VANvsPIT #LetsGoPens #Canucks pic.twitter.com/0TYDqmrnLZ

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) November 28, 2024

A dazzling effort led to Hughes’ fifth goal 40 seconds into the third period.

Lugging the puck up ice from his own zone, Hughes gained the offensive blue line on the right wing and maneuvered to the high slot. Avoiding a sluggish attempt of a poke check by Rust, Hughes fired a wrister from the left hashmark that appeared to glance off Pettersson’s stick and beat Jarry’s glove on the far side. Forward Elias Pettersson produced the only assist.

Vancouver goal!

Scored by Quinn Hughes with 19:20 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Elias Pettersson.

Pittsburgh: 5Vancouver: 3#VANvsPIT #LetsGoPens #Canucks pic.twitter.com/COcfcbtTip

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) November 28, 2024

The Canucks pulled Silovs for an extra attacker and made it a one-goal game at 18:14 of the third frame when Elias Pettersson found his seventh goal.

After Lizotte lost his stick following a faceoff in the Penguins’ left circle, Hughes pumped a wrister from the high slot. Canucks forward Conor Garland barged in from the left of the cage and was struck in the backside by the puck above the crease. The rebound trickled loose in the low slot where Elias Pettersson collected it on his backhand and chipped in a forehand shot by a scrambling Jarry. Forward Conor Garland and Hughes had assists.

Vancouver goal!

Scored by Elias Pettersson with 01:46 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Conor Garland and Quinn Hughes.

Pittsburgh: 5Vancouver: 4#VANvsPIT #LetsGoPens #Canucks pic.twitter.com/aN3qAAA30P

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) November 28, 2024

The Penguins managed to stop the bleeding there and blocked the Canucks’ final two shot attempts of the contest.

“This will definitely help our confidence being able to close those games out even though it got tighter at the end,” Jarry said. “It will really help our group.”

Making 25 saves on 29 shots, Jarry improved his record to 2-3-1. It was his first win at the NHL level since Oct. 14.

Since rejoining the team Nov. 9 after a two-week conditioning stint at the American Hockey League level with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Jarry has a 1-2-1 record, a 3.73 goals-against average and an .885 save percentage.

Those figures are far from spectacular — or even mediocre — but they are an improvement over his tabulations before his sojourn in Northeast Pennsylvania (1-1-0, a 5.48 GAA and an .836 save percentage).

“I think it’s better,” Jarry said of his play as of late. “But I still think there’s improvement to be made. It’s still a work in progress and I think I can get better every day.”

For one day at least, the Penguins are thankful to have a win.

“We should feel good about it because I thought we really worked hard,” Sullivan said. “We played on our toes. When you’re going through a skid like we’ve gone through … we’re scarred because (the players) care.

“You’ve got to fight through that element of human nature and you’ve got to manufacture confidence.”

Notes:

• Penguins rookie defenseman Owen Pickering was scratched due to an unspecified illness. He was projected to open the contest on the top defensive pairing and was replaced by veteran Matt Grzelcyk. Sullivan did not provide a substantive update on Pickering following the game and indicated he would be evaluated on Thursday.

• Lizotte was activated from injured reserve earlier in the day.

• The Penguins have power-play goals in four consecutive games and five of their past six contests.

• Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves and forward Jesse Puljujarvi were healthy scratches.

• Tomasino, acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators on Monday, made his Penguins debut. Primarily deployed on the right wing of the second line, Tomasino logged 18:05 of ice time on 21 shifts and had one shot on four attempts.

• Tomasino became the second player in franchise history to wear No. 53 in a game of consequence. The first, forward Teddy Blueger, is currently a member of the Canucks.

• Jarry’s previous home win at the NHL level was a 6-3 victory against the San Jose Sharks on March 14. He made 29 saves on 32 shots in that contest.

• Marcus Pettersson (133 points) surpassed defensemen Dave Burrows and Brooks Orpik (132 each) for 70th place on the franchise’s career scoring list.

• In 25 career games against the Canucks, Crosby has 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists).

• In 13 career games against the Canucks, Rust has 13 points (six goals, seven assists).

• In 11 career games against the Penguins, Elias Pettersson has 13 points (six goals, seven assists).

• Attendance was listed as 16,016. Seated capacity for hockey at PPG Paints Arena is 18,187.

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