What a difference some eggnog makes.

Or maybe the Chicago Blackhawks had something to do with it.

One way or the other, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ brief trip to the Windy City was just what the doctor ordered as they skated to a 7-3 romp in their first game back after the holiday break. Before the second period was over, Justin Brazeau had already recorded his first career hat trick.

He wasn’t alone in the scoring frenzy: Bryan Rust scored twice in the first period and goals from Brazeau and Anthony Mantha made it 4-0 before the game was 20 minutes old. Brazeau added two more goals in the second period and Noel Acciari scored another.

The offensive eruption came at a time when the Penguins very much needed it. They entered the holiday break mired in one of their worst slumps in years, having erased much of the positive energy around their strong start by losing nine of their past 10 games.

While they had some advantages in this game — the Blackhawks had played the evening before in Dallas and are without injured young stars Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar — this was nonetheless a refreshing performance from the Penguins.

One day earlier, Sidney Crosby said that the Penguins shouldn’t be counted out; he believes the real version of this team to be the one that played so well in October and November.

His theory received a bit of momentum because of this performance.

10 postgame observations 

• Brazeau was brilliant in October before missing some time with an injury, and had to return to the lineup when his center, Evgeni Malkin, was out with an injury.

While Brazeau had scored only twice in 10 games since his return before Sunday, I had really liked how he was playing. He had a goal disallowed in Toronto in the final game before the holiday break and in general has been a consistent offensive presence.

There is nothing fluky about the pair of hands on this guy. His power moves around the net are impressive, and when Malkin returns, I wouldn’t be shocked if his numbers increase.

• They were hardly perfect in this game, but the Penguins actually did some good things while protecting the lead. This was refreshing.

While the quality of their opponent may have had something to do with that, the Penguins did look like a team getting itself on track a bit.

• The Penguins are a much, much better hockey team when Blake Lizotte is in the lineup. He played in his first game since Dec. 7 and his presence was noticeable, including assists on goals scored by Acciari and Rust.

Quite simply, Lizotte is one of the hardest-working Penguins, one of the fastest and one of the few who specializes in goal prevention. The latter, of course, is the team’s biggest flaw, and it flared up when Lizotte was out of the lineup. That isn’t a coincidence.

• Acciari, Lizotte’s linemate, is really doing some things this season also. The fourth line (when healthy) is a strong point; when Acciari is on the ice with Lizotte and Connor Dewar, the Penguins are typically in control. He finished an assist shy of a Gordie Howe hat trick on Sunday.