"The Penguins probably wish HBO had stuck around another week.

In their most dominant performance of the season, the Penguins scored early and often — and were aided by one of the more bizarre penalty shots in NHL history — in an 8-1 win over the Lightning.

Chris Kunitz recorded his second career hat trick to lead an impressive performance by the Penguins' offense.

"It was kind of refreshing to get some of the cameras out of here," Defenseman Alex Goligoski said. "It was back to work."

And the Penguins didn't take long in dismissing any thoughts of a lapse following the much-hyped Winter Classic.

The highlights:

• The eight goals are the most the Penguins have scored all season and the most in Consol Energy Center history.

• Evgeni Malkin scored seven seconds into the game. It marked the fastest goal to start a game in Consol Energy Center history and the second fastest goal in Penguins history.

• Goligoski recorded a career-high four points with a goal and three assists.

• Kunitz's hat trick was his first with the Penguins.

• The five goals in the first period were the most the Penguins have scored in an opening period since a five-goal effort Dec. 26, 1992 against Washington.

"We came out hard," Kunitz said. "We earned the chances we got and capitalized on them."

Malkin stole the opening faceoff from Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier and beat recently acquired goalie Dwayne Roloson just seven seconds in. The Lightning, only 24 hours removed from a grueling win in overtime in Washington, never threatened the Penguins in this contest.

Chris Conner scored 2:17 later as Ben Lovejoy's slap shot deflected off the winger's skate and in.

Tyler Kennedy and Kunitz then scored two goals 25 seconds apart to essentially put the game away. Kunitz made it 5-0 late in the period with his second goal."