Tkachuk scores 2, Senators defeat Penguins to end 3-game skid

PITTSBURGH -- Brady Tkachuk scored twice and Joonas Korpisalo made 40 saves for the Ottawa Senators, who ended a three-game losing streak with a 5-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.

Ridly Greig had a goal and an assist, Claude Giroux had three assists and Tim Stutzle had two assists for the Senators (4-4-0), who allowed 14 goals during the losing streak.

"I think it forced us to play simple,” Tkachuk said. “I think it forced us to focus on the defensive side of the puck and go from there. Each line has the mindset of wanting to be even or better. That's what we're going to have to carry moving forward. Take advantage of the opportunities that they give us.”

Tristan Jarry allowed three goals on nine shots before being pulled, and Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist for the Penguins (3-5-0), who have lost four of five. Magnus Hellberg made 15 saves in relief in his Penguins debut.

"I thought Ottawa was very opportunistic,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. “The chances that they got they finished on. They're a team that can score goals. They have some dynamic forwards.

“So, I thought they were opportunistic. It's not an easy one, I think, right after the game to digest the goaltending performance, per se. For me, it's more about the collective effort."

Greig put Ottawa ahead 1-0 on a power play at 4:24 of the first period, deflecting a shot from Giroux past Jarry’s glove.

Tkachuk scored on the Senators’ next shot on goal to make it 2-0 at 14:14. He carried a pass from Giroux to the left face-off circle and scored glove side with a snap shot.

Pittsburgh outshot Ottawa 22-7 in the first.

“They came in hot, threw everything to the net in the first period,” Korpisalo said. “I think we did a great job blocking shots, clearing the rebounds. There were quite a few of them today. Battling today. That was the key word.”

Travis Hamonic appeared to extend the lead with a one-timer at 4:20 of the second period, but the Penguins challenged the play for offside, and the goal was disallowed after a video review.

Dominik Kubalik did push it to 3-0 at 5:28, taking a pass from Greig to the right face-off circle and scoring with a slap shot for his first goal of the season. Hellberg replaced Jarry following the goal.

Crosby cut it to 3-1 at 17:34 by dropping to one knee and redirecting a pass from Bryan Rust just outside of the crease.

“I hate that we had to give one up there at the end for [Korpisalo],” Senators coach D.J. Smith said. “He was real solid most of the night. Not a lot of odd-man rushes. Clogged it up. That’s just the way we have to play sometimes.”

Tkachuk and Drake Batherson scored 31 seconds apart in the third period. Tkachuk made it 4-1 at 13:07 on a backhand before Batherson split the defense and scored on his own backhand to extend it to 5-1 at 13:38.

“They're too good to give that team that many good looks. Well, not that many, but the looks they got were really good,” Pittsburgh defenseman Marcus Pettersson said. “Our energy was good from the start, but we were down 2-0. I think we got a little frustrated in our structure and kind of lost it and gave them good looks that they capitalized on."

Jake Guentzel scored from the high slot with 34 seconds remaining for the 5-2 final.

"I think you never want to lose, but I thought the first two periods were good from our end," Guentzel said. "Obviously in the third, we pressed a little bit. ... Some positives to take out of it. Just have to bear down."

NOTES: Crosby (five), Rust (five), Evgeni Malkin (four) and Reilly Smith (four) have scored 18 of the Penguins’ 23 goals this season. … Senators defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo played 8:24 in his NHL debut after being recalled from Belleville of the American Hockey League on Saturday. … Ottawa defensemen Thomas Chabot and Erik Brannstrom did not play after being injured in a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Thursday. Chabot is expected to miss 4-6 weeks because of a broken right hand; Brannstrom is out indefinitely with a concussion. … Hellberg was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL on Wednesday after goalie Alex Nedeljkovic sustained a lower-body injury in a 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.