The Pittsburgh Penguins scored six goals in the second period, including five goals in a 4:27 span late in the period, en route to a 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night. How wild of a night was it for the Penguins? A 4th liner in Drew O’Connor opened the scoring in the first period for the Penguins, ………Teddy Blueger, yes Teddy Blueger scored a goal at 16:20 of the second period, only to have Jeff Carter score a 1:20 later and as the flood gates opened, Brian Dumoulin scored with 5 seconds remaining in the second period to push Pittsburgh’s lead to 7-2. How rare was it to see a Brian Dumoulin goal? It was Dumoulin’s first goal of the season and the last time Dumoulin scored in the regular season was January 21, 2022, a span of 102 games.

The Penguins needed a night a like this, and they’ve come out of Thursday’s debacle on home-ice with a 2-for-2 weekend. Talk around the league entering the weekend before the St. Louis game is Pittsburgh had been regarded as being doubtful to go the Capitals route and start selling their UFA’s. As vaunted as the Eastern Conference is, one reason to this point Pittsburgh has not made the likes of Jason Zucker available is Pittsburgh feels they’re best players are playing at a much higher level than Washington’s for example that gives them zero reason to punt on the season like the Capitals are doing.

One league source says Penguins GM Ron Hextall has been operating with a playing with fire strategy that prices will come down closer to the deadline like last year where the Penguins made a shrewd deadline move in the final hour by acquiring Rickard Rakell for a second-round pick.

This might be the season, though, where prices don’t come down whereas a Rakell went for a second rounder in 2022, a Sam Lafferty might go for the same price in 2023.

As the Penguins were in the middle of routing the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Bolts struck a trade Sunday night with the Nashville Predators for winger Tanner Jeannot in-exchange for Cal Foote, a 2005 first-round pick, 2024 second-round pick, 2023 third-round pick, 2023 fourth-round pick, and a 2023 fifth-round pick. The return has sent shockwaves through the league.

In a season where the Penguins ceiling no matter what move they make between now and Friday is likely a first-round loss, a burning question will be whether they’re going to miss out on a golden opportunity in a year they could get better than expected value for Jason Zucker or even a Brian Dumoulin as some around the league sense Pittsburgh could get a second rounder for Dumoulin.

Latest Pens Trade Deadline Buzz

— Here’s something Penguins’ management should probably keep in mind. Since December 21st, the Penguins have six regulation wins in a span of 27 games. Those six wins have come against Arizona, Vancouver, Ottawa, Anaheim, San Jose and now Tampa Bay.

— For what the Penguins lack at the forward position, Nino Niederreiter from cost and type of player he is has always stood out as an ideal target dating back to the summer when he was a free agent to now at the deadline before he was traded to Winnipeg over the weekend. The agent never heard from the Penguins once during the summer and doesn’t sound like the Penguins were looking into Niederreiter as a trade deadline target either who went to Winnipeg for a second-round pick. That would have been a smart add to move a second-rounder to get one and half years of Niederreiter.

— Fair to wonder if the Penguins 2-for-2 weekend, has the team circling back to To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

— One rumor that won’t go away: The Penguins still kicking around the idea of acquiring To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

–Word out of the organization is two Rental Defensemen are said to be very high on Mike Sullivan’s wish list ahead of Friday’s deadline: To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!