PITTSBURGH _ Jason Zucker was tough on himself after his Penguins debut on Tuesday, saying, "My hands were terrible. I mishandled pretty much every puck I touched."
In his second game, it seemed like pretty much every puck he touched went in.
Zucker scored two goals less than two minutes apart in the second period Friday, propelling the Penguins to a 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens at PPG Paints Arena and reassuring them that they made the right move on Monday when they gave up two of their top future assets to get him from the Minnesota Wild.
Not that they needed it. The Penguins were confident that among all the wingers available before the Feb. 24 trade deadline, perhaps none would fit better here than Zucker, who has good speed, a sneaky shot and a nose for the net.
During the second period, Zucker, who had five shots but no points in Tuesday's debut, nearly got his first Penguins goal moments before Kris Letang made it 1-0. Zucker cruised down the left wing and got Carey Price to drop to his knees. But after pulling the puck around Price, he couldn't steer it into an open net.
Zucker would get it later in the second period. On a 2-on-2 rush, Sidney Crosby patiently waited for a passing lane to open up then sent a pass across the crease to Zucker, who whacked a one-timer off the tip of Price's glove and in.
The Canadiens scored with 54 seconds left in the second to pull within a goal. But before the horn sounded, Zucker hammered home a pass by Marcus Pettersson, working the Friday night home crowd into a frenzy. Zucker on that play carried the puck across the blue line before fighting his way to the front of the net.
Those two goals surely meant a lot to Zucker, a 2010 draft pick of the Wild who has dug deep roots in Minnesota. They were also a big deal as it relates to Crosby, who desperately needs a reliable wingman after losing Jake Guentzel.
Friday marked one month since the captain returned to the lineup after missing more than two months following sports hernia surgery. In his previous 10 games, Crosby had 14 points, sixth-most in the league over that span.
But he had been far from dominant at even strength. The Penguins had a 44.6% shot share with Crosby on at 5-on-5, according to NaturalStatTrick.com, with 23 high-danger chances compared to 32 for opponents in those games.
Crosby and Zucker developed some chemistry as Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning went on. After Zucker finally had his first practice with the team on Thursday, it continued to build during the win over the Canadiens. Crosby, with three assists, had his second multi-point game in nearly four weeks.
Friday's win wasn't just about those two. Letang and Tristan Jarry also starred.
Letang, on the first ever "French Language Night" at PPG Paints Arena, was once again tres bon against his hometown team, the Canadiens. In the second period, with the Penguins on their first power play of the night, the All-Star defenseman snapped a shot over the glove of Price to put the Penguins up, 1-0.
Letang now has 28 points in 35 career games against the Canadiens.
Jarry, meanwhile, was in goal after Matt Murray played Tuesday. Jarry's last start had come six days earlier, when he stopped 33 of 35 shots in a 3-2 win in Florida. The All-Star was gunning for his third straight win against Montreal.
Jarry made eight saves in the first period while Pittsburgh rarely set up shop in the Montreal zone. In the second, with the Penguins up a goal and on the power play, he stared down Joel Armia on a short-handed breakaway. After Jarry scrambled to thwart one chance in the third, the "Jarry! Jarry!" chants started.
Zach Aston-Reese scored an empty-net goal to seal the Penguins' victory.
Pittsburgh has lost just five of 28 home games in regulation this season.
The Penguins will host the Detroit Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday.
