Jeff Carter's 4 goals lead Penguins to rout of Sabres

Thankfully for Jeff Carter, his shot is better than his memory.

On Thursday, the forward, just over three weeks into his tenure as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, set a career-high with four goals and led his team to an 8-4 rout of the bumbling Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena.

When asked, after the game, if he ever had scored that many at any other level of hockey — junior, bantam, peewee, etc. — Carter was at a loss for words.

“I can’t (remember),” Carter said. “In junior, I don’t think I ever did. I might have to go back to minor hockey. But that’s a long time ago.”

Carter hasn’t been in Pittsburgh that long. But since joining the Penguins via a trade with the Los Angeles Kings on April 12, he’s been nothing short of a marvelous fit for a team already blessed with high-end talent.

In 13 games, primarily skating as a second- or third-line center and relegated to the second power-play unit, he has 10 points (eight goals, two assists), including Thursday’s outburst.

“I don’t know what happened out there, to be honest with you,” Carter said. “The puck kind of was following me all night, really all three of us (including linemates Frederick Gaudreau and Jared McCann). Just a lucky day. We get that first one to go in, and then it just kind of snowballed from there.”

Said Penguins defenseman Kris Letang: “Tonight was pretty incredible, what he did out there. It shows how pure of a goal scorer he is. I had the chance to play against him for 15 years. I kind of know what he does well. He’s a guy with a lot of speed, really intelligent with the puck. He has a certain IQ to find areas on the ice to score goals. It’s good to have him on our side.”

To put his accomplishment in perspective, Carter became the first member of the Penguins to score four since Chris Kunitz did it during a 6-3 road win against the rival Washington Capitals on Feb. 3, 2013.

Only forwards Mario Lemieux (13), Joe Mullen (twice) and Kevin Stevens (twice), have hit that mark multiple times for the franchise, with Lemieux reaching the five-goal plateau three times.

“I’ve had a few hat tricks before,” said Carter, who recorded his ninth career hat trick. “I guess when you get three, you hope you get four.”

After collecting his 13th goal of the season at 9 minutes, 57 seconds of the first, he added a power-play score later in the opening frame at the 11:39 mark. Carter also scored at 4:36 of the second and 3:02 of the third.

His offense was supplemented by second-period goals from defenseman Brian Dumoulin (his fourth at 6:26) and forward Jared McCann (his 14th at 4:36) as well as in the third period by forwards Sidney Crosby (his 24th at 6:25) and Kasperi Kapanen (his 11th at 13:05).

To be sure, while the Penguins padded their statistics against a beleaguered opponent, they didn’t exactly stifle the Sabres, who got goals from forwards Drake Caggiula (his second at 2:45 of the first), Tage Thompson (his eighth at 3:32 of the second), Caggiula again (5:13 of the second) and Jeff Skinner (his seventh on a power-play chance at 9:45 of the third).

Goaltender Tristan Jarry made 19 saves on 23 shots as his team allowed three or more goals for the third consecutive contest.

“You obviously want to tighten things up,” Carter said. “These games are hard to play sometimes, especially when you’re playing a team that’s out of the playoffs. They play pretty free. That said, we have one game left. After that game on Saturday, we need to be firing on all cylinders. It’s definitely something that’s been talked about. Hopefully, we can come out Saturday and really lock things down and create offense off our defense.”

On Saturday, the Penguins will close their regular season against the Sabres.

On Thursday, they came away with a pretty special memory thanks to Carter.

“This guy played so many games in the NHL,” said Gaudreau, who established a career high with three assists. “He’s a big veteran, and he was saying it’s his first four-goal game. It happens rarely, but it’s always exciting. It’s so fun. It feels like the more you score, the more you feel like another one is coming. It was awesome to be a part of.”

Notes: Crosby was named the Penguins’ MVP and the “Players’ Player” which “exemplifies leadership for the team both on and off the ice, and who is dedicated to teamwork.” Both honors are voted on by the team’s players. … The Penguins signed forward prospect Valtteri Puustinen to a two-year entry-level contract that will begin in 2021-22. … Prior to Thursday’s morning skate, injured Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson took the ice Thursday morning with skills and skating development coach Ty Hennes. He has missed the past three games due to a presumed face injury.