Jake Guentzel scored the go-ahead goal at 7:24 of the third period on Thursday to lift the host Pittsburgh Penguins to a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks, who sustained their first loss of the season.

Guentzel picked up his first goal of the season, thanks to a strong play by captain Sidney Crosby.

Crosby and the other member of the team's top line, Dominik Simon, gained control of the puck from Ondrej Kase along the left-wing boards in the Penguins end. Crosby carried the puck through the neutral zone, cutting to the far side. At the right point, he fended off Anaheim's Josh Manson with one hand, carried the puck deep and backhanded a centering pass.

Guentzel was there to slam the puck past Ducks goaltender John Gibson.

Crosby also scored and Matt Murray made 31 saves for the Penguins, who finished a season-opening homestand with a 2-2-0 mark.

Kase scored in the second period and Pittsburgh native Gibson made 26 saves for the Ducks, who opened the season with three wins.

The first period was penalty-filled. The most notable sequence came when Anaheim's Korbinian Holzer knocked Penguins winger Adam Johnson into the end boards. Holzer didn't receive a penalty, but Pittsburgh center Teddy Blueger engaged him in a fight. In addition to the two five-minute fighting infractions, Blueger received an instigating minor and a 10-minute misconduct.

Johnson, making his season debut because of several injuries to Penguins forwards, left the game, leaving Pittsburgh shorthanded among forwards once again.

Crosby gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 2:57 of the second period. Stationed near the left post, he deflected a feed from the right point by defenseman Kris Letang high past Gibson.

It was the first power-play goal surrendered by Anaheim, which was 9-for-9 on the penalty kill.

Kase tied it 30 seconds later as his sharp-angle shot was set up from deep by Nick Ritchie.

Pittsburgh had a stretch later in the second with 59 seconds of a 5-on-4 power play, 1:01 of 5-3 advantage with no shots, and another minute with a man-advantage without scoring.

-- Field Level Media