Grant Halverson, Getty Images Sidney Crosby is trapped between Oleg Tverdovsky, left, and Justin Williams in the second period last night at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C. Click photo for larger image. Today What: Bruins (0-2) vs. Penguins (0-1-1), 7:30 p.m. Where: Mellon Arena. TV/radio: FSN Pittsburgh/WWSW-FM (94.5). Scouting report Matchup: Boston Bruins at Penguins, 7:38 p.m. today, Mellon Arena. TV/radio: Fox Sports Net/WWSW-FM (94.5). Probable goaltenders: Jocelyn Thibault for Penguins. Andrew Raycroft for Bruins. Penguins: Are 1-4-3 in past eight home openers. ... RW Ziggy Palffy has 22 goals in 23 career games against Bruins. ... Have not won season series from Boston since going 3-2-1 in 1997-98. Bruins: Have gone 6-1-1 in past eight games at Mellon Arena. ... C Alexei Zhamnov (shoulder), C Dave Scatchard (groin) are not expected to play. ... Do not have D Nick Boynton, who remains unsigned. Hidden stat: Penguins will be facing Bruins in home opener for first time, despite playing five road openers in Boston. Related coverage Penguins Notebook: Crosby prepared for hoopla

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Penguins can't fully explain it and, after their 3-2 shootout loss to Carolina last night, most didn't seem particularly inclined to try.

But it is clear that, to this early point of the season, a team whose lineup includes some of the most offensively gifted individuals in the NHL is one of the worst at winning shootouts.

"We have guys who can score, but shootouts are a whole different thing," Sidney Crosby said. "Breakaways during a game, you have to react a little more. In a shootout, I think guys start to think. It's just something we have to get used to. I wouldn't say it's something we're worried about."

The Penguins were dreadful in the league-imposed shootouts that followed every exhibition game and lost to the Hurricanes after Mario Lemieux, Ziggy Palffy and Crosby -- How's that for a hat trick of sheer talent? -- failed to beat Carolina rookie Cam Ward in the shootout.

Because Cory Stillman scored on Penguins goalie Sebastien Caron on his team's first attempt -- never mind that Caron denied Matt Cullen a minute or so later -- those failures guaranteed the Penguins will enter their home-opener at 7:38 p.m. today against Boston with a 0-1-1 record.

Of course, if they hadn't gotten third-period goals from Ryan Malone and Palffy, the game never would have gotten to a shootout.

Five periods into the season, the Penguins had manufactured one goal. Safe to assume that's a bit below the pace management had in mind when it fleshed out the depth chart with the likes of Mark Recchi, John LeClair, Sergei Gonchar, Crosby and Palffy.

"It's just one of those things," Lemieux said. "The power play [2-for-7 last night] isn't clicking at all. We're way to slow moving the puck and making plays. We have to look at that, and get a lot better."

True enough, but while there were more than a few questions about the Penguins going into this season, none concerned their ability to generate goals, at even-strength or otherwise. Except maybe whether the statisticians would be able to keep pace with them.

Turns out that hasn't been a problem so far, although the Penguins' play during the final two periods suggested the offense might be coming around.

"After the first period, that's the way we can play," Penguins coach Eddie Olczyk said.

Olczyk scrambled his forward combinations as the game progressed. He moved Palffy into LeClair's spot on a line with Crosby and Recchi, and the new combination worked well enough that it figures to remain intact for tonight.

"When you're playing with a guy like [Palffy], you just try to get open," Crosby said. "He has great skills, and sees the ice well."

Crosby and Palffy teamed up on the goal that forced overtime. The Penguins had a man-advantage when Crosby, in the right corner, took a pass from defenseman Ric Jackman, faked a shot and lasered a feed to Palffy, who steered it past Ward to make it 2-2 at 18:36 of the third.

The Penguins' inability to score more than twice wasted a solid performance by Caron, who was beaten only by an Eric Staal pass that caromed off the right skate of Penguins defenseman Josef Melichar and skidded between Caron's legs at 11:59 of the opening period and on a Stillman breakaway less than six minutes later.

The Penguins were no-shows in the first period but began to create scoring chances in the second. They didn't score, but Malone had a short-handed breakaway at 5:49 -- "That needs to be buried," he said -- and Palffy put a shot off the goalpost at 15:09.

Malone finally jump-started the offense by beating Ward from below the bottom of the right circle during a power play at 3:37 of the third. The only assist on his goal belonged to referee Paul Devorski, who was struck by a Bret Hedican clearing attempt, which caused the puck to go directly to Malone.

It looked as if that might be the only goal the Penguins would get, until Crosby and Palffy teamed up for the one that secured their first point of the season.

"It's a start," Malone said.