Crosby gets hat trick, Penguins defeat slumping Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS -- Sidney Crosby had a hat trick and an assist for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who won their fifth straight game with a 5-3 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday.

Crosby has 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) during a nine-game point streak.

"With every game I think you feel more and more comfortable," Crosby said. "You know, I think as a team, I feel we know what our game looks like. We're getting to it a little bit more. ... It's nice to get out there and just play on instincts and just read plays and play off one another and not think about the system or what you have to do too much. So, I think it's coming and we're getting to our game a lot more."

Erik Karlsson and Jake Guentzel each had a goal and an assist, and Tristan Jarry made 27 saves for the Penguins (8-6-0), who have outscored their opponents 25-8 during their winning streak.

"I thought it was just a good team effort," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. "We stayed with it. It was a close game. [Columbus] hasn't won many games lately, but they're in a lot of games against a lot of good teams. ... That's a good young team over there. They've got a lot of good young players, but I was proud of the group. I thought our guys played hard."

Yegor Chinakhov scored his first goal of the season, and Elvis Merzlikins made 36 saves for the Blue Jackets (4-8-4), who have lost six straight (0-4-2) and 10 of their past 11 (1-6-4).

“We can say we've been close in a lot of games this year, we're not finding ways to win,” Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski said. “In order to do that, it’s that extra play, that extra just little bit to get over the hump and to win these games or close them out. It's tough right now. It's frustrating for all of us.”

Crosby gave Pittsburgh a 4-3 lead at 14:28 of the third period when he chipped in a pass from Karlsson near the right post. He then completed the hat trick by shooting into an empty net with 37 seconds remaining for the 5-3 final.

“With time you get a feel for what guys like to do," Crosby said of Karlsson. "We played enough against each other (that) I think we know each other's tendencies, so I think it's just a matter of trying to see it the same way, and then execution. I mean, it's one thing to see it, it's another thing to execute on it, so I'd love to connect on a few more of those."

Crosby made it 1-0 at 4:10 of the first period, scoring from a sharp angle along the goal line after Kris Letang's one-timer from the point caromed off the end boards to Marcus Pettersson.

Kirill Marchenko tied it 1-1 at 10:29. His initial pass on a rush was blocked by Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea, but the puck deflected back to Marchenko, who scored with a backhand from the low slot.

Chinakhov put the Blue Jackets ahead 2-1 at 19:28 with a shot from above the right face-off dot that trickled under the left arm of Jarry through a screen by Boone Jenner.

"I didn't think the first period by any stretch was a bad period for us," Sullivan said. "I felt like we were controlling most of the game, you know they got two goals on I think six or seven shots. It wasn't like it was a barrage of opportunities we were giving up, they just happened to get a couple on some of the looks that they got. But I thought overall it was a pretty complete effort over the course of the game. I think the most important think is ... when we get down in a game or we give up a goal or two, there is no panic. There is a certain quiet confidence about the group that we can get it back. You saw that in the third period also. We just stayed with it.”

Guentzel tied it 2-2 at 7:04 of the second period, swatting a shot five-hole on Merzlikins while falling to his knees in the slot.

Karlsson gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead at 8:40 of the third period with a one-timer from the top of the left circle off a cross-ice pass by Evgeni Malkin. Karlsson has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) during a six-game point streak.

Alexandre Texier tied it 3-3 at 11:45 when he buried a rebound past a lunging Jarry near the left post.

"System-wise I think we were pretty good," Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said. "Managing the puck became an issue at some point, and the battles, 1-on-1s. So, the compete level, it's not the systems ... no systems are perfect, but the compete level at key times wasn't good enough."

NOTES: Crosby's hat trick was his 13th in the NHL. ... Guentzel has nine points (four goals, five assists) during a five-game point streak. … Columbus was 1-for-1 on the penalty kill and is 22-for-22 in its past nine games. ... Werenski had the secondary assist on Chinakhov's goal. It was his 174th in the NHL, moving him past Seth Jones for the most by a defenseman in Blue Jackets history.