Penguins rebound from ugly loss, stop 1st-place Lightning

No team in the NHL goes from zero to 60 faster than the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Two days after being manhandled by the worst team in their division, the Penguins responded with a convincing victory over the best team in the league Wednesday night. Phil Kessel and Kris Letang had a goal and an assist apiece, and the Penguins beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-2.

Two days ago, the Penguins were rightfully worried about being caught for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. After Wednesday’s victory, they are tied with Washington for second place in the Metropolitan Division, three points out of first.

“I think as a team, we all showed up,” Letang said. “We were all really invested, right from the get go.”

The Penguins did some soul searching after an ugly 6-3 loss to last-place New Jersey on Monday night. The team got together for a players-meeting before Tuesday’s practice, making it clear that such performances weren’t acceptable.

“Tonight was important, especially with the two points that slipped (Monday),” Letang said. “It was a good effort, and I thought it brought the best out of us.”

Coach Mike Sullivan finds the inconsistency maddening, but he also has deep admiration for performances like the one the Penguins turned in against the Lightning.

“I love this group of players that we have,” Sullivan said. “This core group of players is the best core I’ve ever been around in 30-plus years in the league. No. 1, they’re talented, but they’re also character people. When they set their minds to it, there isn’t anything they can’t accomplish. I believe in them. “Our expectations are high. Because of that, sometimes when we don’t execute or we don’t play the game that we know we’re capable of playing, it can be frustrating. Certainly our coaching staff, I think, sometimes tries to squeeze them a little bit. I may not be their favorite guy on certain days, but it’s only because I think so highly of them and we think they’re capable of so much.”

The Penguins demonstrated improvement in a number of ways.

First, they showed a level of emotional engagement and physical response that was absent against the Devils.

For instance, Evgeni Malkin, who had two assists, dropped the gloves and traded punches with fellow superstar Steven Stamkos in a third-period fight.

“That’s Geno’s best game in a while, I think,” Sullivan said. “When he’s engaged like that emotionally, I think that’s when he’s at his best.”

Second, they finished relentlessly.

Riley Sheahan, Kessel and Sidney Crosby scored in the first nine minutes of the game as three of the Penguins’ first five shots got past goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Kessel put on a stickhandling exhibition to set up Letang for a goal that made it 4-0 in the second period.

Malkin recorded his 600th assist and Letang scored his 108th goal, tying Paul Coffey’s team record for defensemen.

“I thought we were really good tonight,” goalie Matt Murray said. “A step in the right direction, for sure.”

Goaltending was another area where the Penguins showed improvement.

After a lackluster showing against the Devils, Murray turned in a strong, 33-save effort. He held the Lightning at bay as they outshot the Penguins, 16-5, in the first period. He wasn’t beaten until J.T. Miller and Stamkos scored goals that did nothing but break up a shutout bid in the final five minutes.

“Anytime you lose a game, you always want to come back and get a win,” Murray said. “My focus stays the same. It’s just trying to stop the puck, no matter what happened last game or whatever’s going on.”

Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jonathan at jbombulie@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BombulieTrib.