Sidney Crosby scored three straight goals for his first natural hat trick in more than five years, and the Pittsburgh Penguins opened the second half of the season with a 6-5 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

The two-time NHL MVP pushed his goal total to 20 and has scored at least one in Pittsburgh's last eight home games. The Penguins have won four straight and lost in regulation just once since Jan. 6.

Chris Kunitz had a goal and two assists. Kris Letang added a goal and an assist, and Matt Cullen also scored for Pittsburgh.

The Penguins' six goals were a season high. Marc-Andre Fleury settled down after a shaky start and finished with 18 saves.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Mark Stone, Cody Ceci, Chris Wideman and Dave Dziurzynski scored for the Senators. Craig Anderson made 38 stops.