The Pittsburgh Penguins don’t necessarily have a starting goaltender.

But they have one who has been getting a few more starts than the other as of late.

Such was the case Thursday as Stuart Skinner was in net for the Penguins for a second consecutive game.

With Skinner making 27 saves on 32 shots, the Penguins were thumped by the Tampa Bay Lightning, 6-3, at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla. The loss dropped Skinner’s record to 22-16-9.

“(The Lightning) were able to give themselves time and space on the ice,” Skinner said to reporters in Tampa via audio provided by the Penguins’ media relations staff. “Which makes it difficult to defend.”

Thursday’s game marked the second sequence of consecutive starts for Skinner over the span of eight days, something of a rarity for the Penguins against the context of a season in which they’ve largely alternated assignments for their goaltenders. Since mid-December, Skinner and rookie Arturs Silovs have predominantly platooned.

Despite the loss, the Penguins (38-22-16, 92 points) maintained a three-point lead over the idle New York Islanders (42-29-5, 89 points) for second place in the Metropolitan Division.

Turnovers by the Penguins regularly led to goals for the Lightning.

“You can’t make the mistakes that we made,” said Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, who failed to record a shot attempt. “We’ve got to make sure defensively we’re stronger.”

Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli opened the scoring Thursday with his 21st goal 5:06 into regulation.

Under pressure from Lightning forward Oliver Bjorkstrand in Pittsburgh’s left circle, Penguins rookie forward Ben Kindel forced an ill-conceived backhand pass through the slot that was easily intercepted by Lightning forward Gage Goncalves, who leaned down and flicked a forehand shot from above the right circle. Skinner punched away a rebound with his blocker, which bounced to the left hashmarks where Cirelli pumped a wrister past Skinner’s glove. Goncalves had the only assist.

SCOREEE CIRELLI!!

Anthony Cirelli tallies his 10th point in last 10 games to give the Lightning the lead early in the first!

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— Lightning Audio Network (@BoltsRadio) April 2, 2026

Less than two minutes later, Penguins forward Rickard Rakell scored his 21st goal at 7:01 of the first period.

Driving the puck into the offensive zone down the slot, Penguins defenseman Sam Girard made a daring dash to the end boards, circumnavigated his way behind the cage and directed the puck to the left of the cage where Rakell — employing a maneuver that might have impressed Dutch soccer legend Johan Cruyff — kicked the puck with the inside of his left skate behind his right skate then chopped in a forehand shot on the near side that clunked in off of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy’s right leg. Girard and defensive partner Kris Letang logged assists.

pic.twitter.com/RQYYoLsyC2

— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) April 3, 2026

Forward Egor Chinakhov’s 19th goal supplied the Penguins with their first lead of the contest at 16:10 of the opening frame.

From low in his own left circle, Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak fired a stretch pass up into the neutral zone, which Girard broke up near the visiting penalty box. Backtracking Penguins forward Bryan Rust claimed the loose puck at the center red line and slid it across the ice to Chinakhov, who raced into Tampa Bay’s zone on the right wing. Getting a step on Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh in the right circle, Chinakhov lifted a tricky backhander that zipped past Vasilevsky’s blocker on the far side. Rust and Girard generated assists.

pic.twitter.com/H0ro3ABDVN

— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) April 3, 2026

A common nuisance hurt the Penguins as they allowed their 12th short-handed goal of this season, only 11 seconds into the second period, to Cirelli.

Off the opening faceoff of the period, Crosby played the puck forward past Cirelli and raced into the offensive zone at the center point, then whipped a pass to the right wing boards. Rust failed to accept the pass, allowing it to clunk off the wall. Cirelli read the sequence well and poked the puck past Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson, creating his own breakaway from the neutral zone. With Karlsson in hot pursuit, Cirelli attacked the cage and lifted a backhander over the left leg of a sprawling Skinner. There were no assists.

pic.twitter.com/Sijq5KJQ80

— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) April 3, 2026

Entering the day, only the Colorado Avalanche (13) have allowed more short-handed goals this season.

Lightning forward Brayden Point restored a lead for his team with his 18th goal at 14:08 of the second frame.

Off a three-on-two rush into the Penguins’ zone, Point fed a pass from the right-wing wall to the near circle for former Penguins forward Jake Guentzel, who pumped a wrister that struck the near side of the net and deflected off the end boards. Guentzel reclaimed his own rebound and chipped the puck into Skinner, who fought off the puck. Another rebound rolled to just below the left circle, where an alert Point scooped it in and flicked a forehand shot that looped over Skinner’s glove on the near side. Karlsson broke his stick off the cage in frustration. Guentzel and linemate Nikita Kucherov collected assists.

pic.twitter.com/lrap4r7as0

— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) April 3, 2026

The hosts took a two-score lead when forward Zemgus Girgensons struck for his ninth goal at 19:05 of the second.

Corralling a puck at the left point of the offensive zone, McDonagh swiped it forward, rimming around the boards to behind the cage for Lightning forward Yanni Gourde. As Penguins defenseman Parker Wotherspoon applied pressure, Gourde slipped a backhand pass to the lower left circle. Getting a step on Rust, Girgensons took the puck on his forehand, cut across the front of the crease and deposited a backhander past Skinner’s left skate. Gourde and McDonagh merited assists.

Zemgus Girgensons – Tampa Bay Lightning (9) pic.twitter.com/bxNaSHsE2R

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) April 3, 2026

Kucherov delivered the coup de grace at 13:50 of the third period with his team-leading 41st goal.

Letang made a timely play to steal a puck to the right of his own cage but proceeded to turn it over right away by sending an errant pass to the right point, which was gladly accepted by Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh. After Raddysh initiated some perimeter passing, Lightning defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous slid the puck from the left point to the far corner. The pass didn’t quite connect and banked off the corner boards into the near circle, where Kucherov settled it, then lasered a wrister through a keyhole-narrow opening between the near post and Skinner’s left shoulder. D’Astous and Guentzel garnered assists.

TOP SHELF

Kuch puts it right past Skinner, and the Lightning lead by 3!

????: https://t.co/S6Y9TymMk9????: @1025TheBone pic.twitter.com/4nzKKrQwZm

— Lightning Audio Network (@BoltsRadio) April 3, 2026

Cirelli completed a hat trick at 15:33 of the third frame on an empty net off assists from Goncalves and Kucherov.

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HAT TRICK FOR CIRELLI!! The empty-netter makes it 6-2 Bolts!

????: https://t.co/S6Y9TymMk9????: @1025TheBone pic.twitter.com/x7WMzcCyfW

— Lightning Audio Network (@BoltsRadio) April 3, 2026

Chinakhov capped the scoring at the last second — almost literally — at the 19:58 mark.

After Penguins forward Tommy Novak beat Lightning forward Nick Paul on a draw in Tampa Bay’s right circle, forward Anthony Mantha fed the puck on to Letang at the near point. Letang maneuvered toward the high slot and forced a pass, which was temporarily broken up by Guentzel. Letang reclaimed the puck and drove to the right boards, then slid a pass to the upper left hashmark where Chinakhov loaded up and rocketed a wrister by Vasilevskiy’s glove to reach the 20-goal barrier for the first time in his five-year career. Letang and Mantha had assists.

pic.twitter.com/sVyXIDWwUa

— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) April 3, 2026

Notes:

• Penguins forward Bryan Rust rejoined the lineup after being scratched for one game due to an undisclosed injury.

• The Lightning’s last hat trick against the Penguins was recorded by Point in a 4-3 road win at PPG Paints Arena, Nov. 15, 2018.

BRAYDEN POINT WITH HIS THIRD GOAL IN 91 SECONDS FOR THE HATTY!

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— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) November 16, 2018

• Cirelli recorded the second hat trick against the Penguins this season. Boston Bruins forward Pavel Zacha had three goals during a 5-4 home overtime win for the Penguins on March 8.

• Following the morning skate, Penguins coach Dan Muse told reporters in Tampa that defenseman Caleb Jones would miss the remainder of the season due to an undisclosed injury. Jones has not played in an NHL contest since Oct. 23 due to various injuries as well as a 20-game suspension for violating terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program, which he completed Tuesday.

• Letang has pieced together a three-game scoring streak (five assists).

• Rakell extended a scoring streak to eight games (seven goals, two assists) and has points in 14 of his past 15 games (10 goals, nine assists).

• Penguins forward Elmer Soderblom appeared in his 100th career game.

• Jones as well as Penguins forwards Kevin Hayes and Blake Lizotte were scratched due to undisclosed injuries.

• Penguins defensemen Ryan Graves, Ilya Solovyov and Jack St. Ivany, as well as forward Avery Hayes, were healthy scratches.

• According to the American Hockey League’s website, the Penguins assigned Avery Hayes to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

• Girgensons’ goal was the 100th of his career.

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