PITTSBURGH -- It wasn't the high drama of the Stanley Cup final, but when the two teams from that matchup in June met again Thursday night, they played anything but a boring game.

And one with the same outcome.

The depleted Pittsburgh Penguins staged a third-period comeback with three goals to beat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 at PPG Paints Arena.

Not only did the Sharks (3-2-0) lead 2-0 after two periods, but the Penguins (3-1-1) also lost two defensemen -- Olli Maatta and Derrick Pouliot -- to unspecified injuries during the second.

"You know what? We were down to four (defensemen) and we said in the (locker) room we have to simplify the game here and play quick and we don't have to be that cute out there," said winger Patric Hornqvist, who scored the winner on a power play at 14:02 of the third, added an assist on Pittsburgh's second goal and provided a spark by playing with incredible zeal.

"I think we came out and played our best period of the year so far and get a huge win," Hornqvist said.

Hornqvist, near the crease, got the puck off the skate of San Jose's Joel Ward and swatted at it. The puck went off Sharks defensemen Paul Martin and inside the left post to break a 2-2 tie.

The Penguins, who beat San Jose in six games last spring for their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history, were playing without captain and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Sidney Crosby, who has a concussion, and top defenseman Kris Letang, who left Tuesday's game at Montreal because of an upper body injury.

That was before they lost Maatta and Pouliot, who were playing as a pair in Pouliot's season debut.

"I thought they all did a terrific job," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said of remaining defensemen Trevor Daley, Justin Schultz, Brian Dumoulin and Ian Cole. "Anytime you go down two defenseman that early in the game, it's tough. It puts a lot of pressure on those guys.

"I thought they did a great job simplifying their game. I thought mostly the second period, the second period were hard minutes for our defenseman, we were defending a lot. The third period, I thought our forwards took some pressure off them, playing a north/south game and holding onto pucks."

As strong as Pittsburgh was in its comeback with goals from Evgeni Malkin, Scott Wilson and Hornqvist, they were equally out of kilter earlier in the game, falling behind 2-0 and being outshot 27-10 through two periods.

Tomas Hertl gave San Jose a 1-0 lead at 5:04 of the second period. After goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (32 saves) stopped a shot by Joe Pavelski, Hertl caught up to the rebound just outside the left goal post and stuffed the puck past Fleury, who had lost his stick.

The Penguins thought they tied it at 13:19 of the second, but it was ruled upon review that Hornqvist punched the puck in with his gloved hand. Asked about the play, Hornqvist snapped, "I don't know. Ask the ref."

San Jose increased its lead to 2-0 at 16:15 of the second when Patrick Marleau finished off a short two-on-one with Logan Couture by sweeping the puck under Fleury's pads.

The Sharks looked to be in control, but could not have known what was to come.

"I feel like they got a bounce or two, but the position we're in, it shouldn't matter how many bounces they get," Pavelski said. "We have to seal that game."

Malkin, shortly after exiting the penalty box for tripping Mikkel Boedker, ended goaltender Martin Jones' bid for a shutout when his turning shot from the slot glanced off of San Jose defenseman Justin Braun and in, making it 2-1 at 6:47 of the third.

"I just skated and I think he touched my legs," Malkin said of his penalty. "I'm a little bit mad ... But we stayed 2-0 after my penalty. I'm a little bit mad, and scored."

Hornqvist said the emotion was team-wide.

"I think we were all motivated. I think it started in the second," Hornqvist said. "I got a little upset when they called my goal off. A little bit of emotion. And then we kept going in the third and we get that huge goal by (Malkin) to get us started. After that, we were a better team."

Wilson scored his first goal of the season to tie it 2-2 at 9:01 of the third. After Hornqvist loosened the puck with a hit along the boards on Brenden Dillon and Matt Cullen swept it toward the slot, Wilson pounced on the puck and beat Jones with a backhander.

"You always feel good when you're on the road when you're up 2-0, and it seemed like we had more shots and we had most of the play," Boedker said. "But the power play and penalties can change that. I think we got in some trouble with it and that's tough to do in this league. They have good players on that team and they showed that again."

NOTES: Pittsburgh played without top D Kris Letang (upper body) and LW Conor Sheary (eye), who both left Tuesday's game at Montreal and are listed as being out day-to-day. ... D Derrick Pouliot made his season debut, replacing Letang in the lineup. He had not played since Game 4 of the second round of the 2016 playoffs against Washington. ... Penguins captain C Sidney Crosby (concussion) had a scheduled day off from skating but could join the team for practice soon. He has not played this season. ... D Brian Dumoulin missed the Penguins game-day skate for what was termed a maintenance day but was in the lineup. ... Pittsburgh and G Matt Murray agreed to a three-year contract extension with a $3.75 million cap hit. Murray, a key player in the team's Stanley Cup run last spring, has begun practicing but has not played this season because of a broken thumb. He would have been eligible for restricted free agency next summer. ... San Jose went back to G Martin Jones after G Aaron Dell made his NHL debut Tuesday in a 3-2 win against the Islanders in New York. ... LW Matt Nieto replaced C Michael Haley in the Sharks lineup. Apparently, there is no injury situation; the team was just looking for more speed. ... San Jose also scratched C Ryan Carpenter and D Dylan DeMelo.