The Pittsburgh Penguins don\u2019t necessarily have a starting goaltender.<\/p>\n
But they have one who has been getting a few more starts than the other as of late.<\/p>\n
Such was the case Thursday as Stuart Skinner was in net for the Penguins for a second consecutive game.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s record to 22-16-9.<\/p>\n
\u201c(The Lightning) were able to give themselves time and space on the ice,\u201d Skinner said to reporters in Tampa via audio provided by the Penguins\u2019 media relations staff. \u201cWhich makes it difficult to defend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s 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\u2019ve largely alternated assignments for their goaltenders. Since mid-December, Skinner and rookie Arturs Silovs have predominantly platooned.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Turnovers by the Penguins regularly led to goals for the Lightning.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t make the mistakes that we made,\u201d said Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, who failed to record a shot attempt. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to make sure defensively we\u2019re stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli opened the scoring Thursday with his 21st goal 5:06 into regulation.<\/p>\n
Under pressure from Lightning forward Oliver Bjorkstrand in Pittsburgh\u2019s 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\u2019s glove. Goncalves had the only assist.<\/p>\n
SCOREEE CIRELLI!!<\/p>\n
Anthony Cirelli tallies his 10th point in last 10 games to give the Lightning the lead early in the first!<\/p>\n
????: https:\/\/t.co\/S6Y9TymMk9<\/a> \u2014 Lightning Audio Network (@BoltsRadio) April 2, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Less than two minutes later, Penguins forward Rickard Rakell scored his 21st goal at 7:01 of the first period.<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 employing a maneuver that might have impressed Dutch soccer legend Johan Cruyff \u2014 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\u2019s right leg. Girard and defensive partner Kris Letang logged assists.<\/p>\n pic.twitter.com\/RQYYoLsyC2<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 EN Videos (@ENVideos19) April 3, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Forward Egor Chinakhov\u2019s 19th goal supplied the Penguins with their first lead of the contest at 16:10 of the opening frame.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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\u2019s blocker on the far side. Rust and Girard generated assists.<\/p>\n pic.twitter.com\/H0ro3ABDVN<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 EN Videos (@ENVideos19) April 3, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n pic.twitter.com\/Sijq5KJQ80<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 EN Videos (@ENVideos19) April 3, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Entering the day, only the Colorado Avalanche (13) have allowed more short-handed goals this season.<\/p>\n Lightning forward Brayden Point restored a lead for his team with his 18th goal at 14:08 of the second frame.<\/p>\n Off a three-on-two rush into the Penguins\u2019 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\u2019s glove on the near side. Karlsson broke his stick off the cage in frustration. Guentzel and linemate Nikita Kucherov collected assists.<\/p>\n pic.twitter.com\/lrap4r7as0<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 EN Videos (@ENVideos19) April 3, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n The hosts took a two-score lead when forward Zemgus Girgensons struck for his ninth goal at 19:05 of the second.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s left skate. Gourde and McDonagh merited assists.<\/p>\n Zemgus Girgensons – Tampa Bay Lightning (9) pic.twitter.com\/bxNaSHsE2R<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) April 3, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Kucherov delivered the coup de grace at 13:50 of the third period with his team-leading 41st goal.<\/p>\n 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\u2019Astous slid the puck from the left point to the far corner. The pass didn\u2019t 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\u2019s left shoulder. D\u2019Astous and Guentzel garnered assists.<\/p>\n TOP SHELF<\/p>\n Kuch puts it right past Skinner, and the Lightning lead by 3!<\/p>\n ????: https:\/\/t.co\/S6Y9TymMk9<\/a> \u2014 Lightning Audio Network (@BoltsRadio) April 3, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Cirelli completed a hat trick at 15:33 of the third frame on an empty net off assists from Goncalves and Kucherov.<\/p>\n ????????????<\/p>\n HAT TRICK FOR CIRELLI!! The empty-netter makes it 6-2 Bolts!<\/p>\n ????: https:\/\/t.co\/S6Y9TymMk9<\/a> \u2014 Lightning Audio Network (@BoltsRadio) April 3, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Chinakhov capped the scoring at the last second \u2014 almost literally \u2014 at the 19:58 mark.<\/p>\n After Penguins forward Tommy Novak beat Lightning forward Nick Paul on a draw in Tampa Bay\u2019s 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\u2019s glove to reach the 20-goal barrier for the first time in his five-year career. Letang and Mantha had assists.<\/p>\n pic.twitter.com\/sVyXIDWwUa<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 EN Videos (@ENVideos19) April 3, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Notes:<\/p>\n \u2022 Penguins forward Bryan Rust rejoined the lineup after being scratched for one game due to an undisclosed injury.<\/p>\n \u2022 The Lightning\u2019s last hat trick against the Penguins was recorded by Point in a 4-3 road win at PPG Paints Arena, Nov. 15, 2018<\/a>.<\/p>\n BRAYDEN POINT WITH HIS THIRD GOAL IN 91 SECONDS FOR THE HATTY!<\/p>\n ????????????#GoBolts<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Mf7apNsXeH<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) November 16, 2018<\/a> <\/p>\n
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????: @1025TheBone<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/4nzKKrQwZm<\/a><\/p>\n
????: @1025TheBone<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/x7WMzcCyfW<\/a><\/p>\n