The Penguins, at their core, have always predicated their playing style around their offensive prowess. Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin. Those four names are all that need said as for why. It's been their game and it's always going to be their game.
Within that, they've been at their best when they defend well. Not necessarily well enough to be considered a top-three defensive team in the league, for instance, but well enough to further leverage and get the most out of their offensive muscle.
In their final game before a bye week and the All-Star break, the basement-dwelling Sharks -- playing on the second night of a back-to-back -- posed a prime opportunity for the Penguins to carry some momentum into the hiatus.