PITTSBURGH — Just about everyone inside PPG Paints Arena warmly welcomed Jake Guentzel back to Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. One rare exception? Alex Nedeljkovic.

Nedeljkovic was on point between the pipes, making 39 saves — six of them on Guentzel — to lead the Penguins to a 4-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Penguins had lost nine of 11 games since they agreed to trade Guentzel to the rival Hurricanes on March 7. Sidney Crosby in particular had been mired in a funk until he broke out with a four-point performance Sunday in Colorado.

“We sat next to each other, played together,” Crosby said of Guentzel, the most productive winger the Hall of Famer ever had. “Winning the Stanley Cup, there’s always a unique bond when you do that together. Besides that, the length of time and some of the memories over the years, definitely a strong [connection].”

Meanwhile, Guentzel has flourished with his new squad. Sure, the fact that he is a top-50 player in the league has a little something to do with that. But he is a great fit for the way the Hurricanes like to play under coach Rod Brind’Amour, with his persistent puck pursuit and ability to generate offense via the cycle game.

Entering Tuesday, Guentzel had two points and 10 assists in eight games with the Hurricanes. That led to a playful jab from his longtime buddy, Bryan Rust.

“I didn’t know he was such a good passer,” Rust deadpanned after the morning skate. “That must mean that I can’t score, or he just decided to finally show it.”

The highlight of Tuesday’s scoreless first period was the tribute video. It opened with a shot of a young Guentzel kissing the Cup and included clips of his biggest goals in black and gold and humorous moments, like when Guentzel and Patric Hornqvist raced each other on go-karts while dressed up as the Mario Bros.

The crowd was so loud initially that it was difficult to hear what was said on the Jumbotron. Most of the fans on hand gave the 29-year-old a standing ovation.

Guentzel, whose preference was to sign a new deal to stay in Pittsburgh, waved and clapped in gratitude when the video concluded and the crowd roared again.

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