Malkin, Bergeron and Bernier Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ for January

NEW YORK – Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin, Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron and Colorado Avalanche goaltender Jonathan Bernier have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the month of January.

FIRST STAR – EVGENI MALKIN, C, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Malkin led the NHL with 12 goals and ranked second with 19 points in 12 games (12-7—19) to lift the Penguins (28-21-3, 59 points) to a 9-3-0 January and second place in the Metropolitan Division. He collected at least one point in eight of his 12 contests, highlighted by four three-point performances. Those included his 12th career hat trick Jan. 30 vs. SJS (3-0—3) and 22nd career four-point outing Jan. 13 vs. DET (2-2—4). Malkin also scored three game-winning goals, headlined by his 12th career overtime winner Jan. 7 vs. BOS. The 31-year-old Magnitogorsk, Russia, native shares fifth place in the NHL with 26 goals and sits 11th overall with 55 points through 48 contests this season. That includes a League-best 19 goals and 34 points in 26 outings since the start of December.

SECOND STAR – PATRICE BERGERON, C, BOSTON BRUINS

Bergeron ranked second in the NHL with nine goals and fourth with 17 points in 11 games (9-8—17) to guide the Bruins (29-11-8, 66 points) to an 8-1-2 January and within five points of first place in the overall League standings. He found the scoresheet in nine of his 11 appearances, headlined by a career-high four goals and five points (tied) Jan. 6 vs. CAR. In doing so, Bergeron became the first Boston player to score four goals in one game since Oct. 28, 1999 (Dave Andreychuk). The 32-year-old Ancienne-Lorette, Que., native and four-time Frank J. Selke Trophy winner sits third on the Bruins with 20-22—42 in 43 outings this season. He now has reached the 20-goal milestone in nine of his 14 NHL campaigns, including five straight.

THIRD STAR – JONATHAN BERNIER, G, COLORADO AVALANCHE

Bernier posted a League-high eight wins, compiling a 2.10 goals-against average, .939 save percentage and one shutout in 11 games to propel the Avalanche (27-18-4, 58 points) to an 8-2-1 January. He yielded two or fewer goals in seven of his 11 appearances, including his 16th career shutout Jan. 4 vs. CBJ (34 SV). Bernier also made a season-high 45 saves Jan. 18 vs. SJS (5-3 W), three shy of his career best set Dec. 5, 2013 (w/ TOR). The 29-year-old Laval, Que., native – who won a career-high nine straight games from Dec. 31 – Jan. 22 (1.53 GAA, .955 SV%, 1 SO) – owns a 14‑9‑2 record with a 2.67 goals-against average, .917 save percentage and two shutouts in 25 outings this season.

Malkin's hat trick powers Penguins past Sharks 5-2

By WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Matt Murray wanted to feel a sense of normalcy, so the Pittsburgh Penguins goalie went back to work Tuesday night for the first time since his father, James, died this month.

"I just tried to come in and forget about the fact I hadn't played in a while and try to get lost in the game," Murray said.

There were no outward signs of emotion. No tears. That's simply not the understated Murray's way. Looking as sharp as he has all season, the 23-year-old Murray stopped 40 shots in a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks, including a handful of spectacular stops early that kept the Penguins in it long enough to rally for their eighth win in 10 games.

"Matt's a mature kid," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. "He's grounded. I think he has good perspective on where he's at and the opportunity in front of him."

Murray took a leave of absence following his father's death on Jan. 16. He returned last week but stayed out of the lineup while rookie Casey DeSmith filled in capably as the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions have slowly pulled themselves out of an early-season funk.

By Tuesday morning, Murray was ready to go and he responded by looking very much like the player who backstopped the Penguins to consecutive championships, including a six-game triumph over San Jose in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final.

"We try to support him and know it's huge game for him and hope it gives him a little like push, little bit of confidence," center Evgeni Malkin said.

Malkin did his part, picking up his 12th career hat trick over the final 20:04. The Russian star's 24th goal of the season late in the second period tied it. His 25th early in the third gave Pittsburgh the lead for good and his 26th rolled into an empty net with just more than a minute remaining.

"Like last couple weeks, I feel like I'm so lucky, but it's fine," Malkin said. "It helps the team to win. I feel like my shots, it's coming."

Brent Burns and Logan Couture scored power-play goals for the Sharks but San Jose dropped its second straight game without Joe Thornton, who is out indefinitely with a right leg injury.

Martin Jones finished with 26 saves but also gave the puck away behind the San Jose net in the third period. Patric Hornqvist intercepted Jones' sloppy clearing attempt and fed it in front to a streaking Malkin, who had little trouble putting it into an open net 6:01 into the third.

"You can't beat yourself on the road, let alone going into the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions' building, and that's exactly what we did," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said.

Bryan Rust, hindered by injuries this season, scored twice and nearly beat Malkin to a hat trick but his attempt at an empty-netter clanged off the crossbar. Moments later, Malkin didn't miss.

"I won't hear the end of that for a while," Rust said with a laugh.

Rust's first goal since Nov. 27 on a slick backhand that slid by Jones gave Pittsburgh the lead 11:09 into the first, but the Sharks used a pair of power-play goals in the second to surge ahead. Burns slipped a wrist shot from the point through traffic to tie it at the game's midway point, and Couture pounded home a rebound 18:35 into the second for his 200th career goal.

San Jose's momentum didn't last.

With time winding down in the second, Burns tried a backhand clear behind the San Jose net that Pittsburgh's Phil Kessel chased down in the corner before feeding it to Malkin, who ripped it by Jones with just four seconds left to even things up and give the Penguins a serious boost.

"There are mistakes here and there," Couture said. "Mistakes happen. They scored on a couple tonight. Next game, that probably won't happen. Or next game, we'll probably get those ones. So, I thought we played really well."

NOTES: Penguins captain Sidney Crosby got an assist on Malkin's empty-netter to extend his point streak to 10 games. ... Malkin played in his 754th career game, passing Jean Provonost for fourth-most in franchise history. ... The Sharks scratched forward Jannik Hansen, C Daniel O'Regan and D Tim Heed. The Penguins scratched D Chad Ruhwedel, D Matt Hunwick and forward Ryan Reaves. ... Pittsburgh went 0 for 3 on the power play. The Sharks were 2 for 5 with the man advantage.

UP NEXT

Sharks: Continue their five-game road trip Wednesday in Detroit.

Penguins: Host the Washington Capitals on Friday.

Malkin, Crosby lead Penguins past Wild 6-3

By DAN SCIFO
Associated Press

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan can see confidence beginning to build for rookie forward Dominik Simon.

Playing alongside Sidney Crosby certainly helps.

Simon scored twice, Evgeni Malkin also scored two power-play goals and Crosby had three assists to reach another career milestone as the Penguins topped the Minnesota Wild 6-3 on Thursday night.

"I think when a player gets called up for the first time, there's a bit of a wow factor and after that experience is over, I think players tend to settle in," Sullivan said of Simon. "With each additional time players are called up, they get more comfortable with their surroundings and that's what we're seeing with Dominik."

Simon made his season debut Dec. 9 against Toronto and played in six games before he was sent to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. Simon was recalled on Jan. 1 and scored his second NHL goal Tuesday against Carolina. He doubled that total on Thursday.

"You can tell he's more confident using his shot," Crosby said. "He's finding the net, and when guys are doing that, you just tell them to keep shooting."

Crosby passed Jaromir Jagr for second on the team's career scoring list with 1,082 points and is now behind only current Penguins owner Mario Lemieux, who finished his career with 1,723 points. Malkin, who has 23 goals, added an assist to give him 16 goals and 31 points in his last 24 games.

Carl Hagelin had a goal and an assist and Brian Dumoulin scored once for Pittsburgh. Phil Kessel, the Penguins' leading scorer with 58 points, also had three assists for the Penguins, who won their fifth straight home game.

Pittsburgh has wins in seven of its last nine games overall.

"We've been playing the right way for a couple weeks and we've had great results," Crosby said. "Everybody's chipping in and that's a big part of it. It's a lot more fun to play and more pucks are going in the net."

Rookie Casey DeSmith, making his fourth straight start for Pittsburgh, stopped 23 shots. DeSmith had his bid for his first NHL shutout end when Eric Staal scored with 11:16 to play.

Staal scored his 20th of the season, Mikael Granlund added his 15th on the power play and Jonas Brodin had his fifth for the Wild, whose season-best six-game points streak ended.

Devan Dubnyk made 17 saves on 21 shots before he was pulled after Dumoulin's goal in the second period. Alex Stalock stopped 16 shots in relief.

"We got killed," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. "I mean, we got outplayed in every facet of the game. When you score three goals late, it makes it look a little better, but they stopped playing a little bit and we got a couple breaks and scored goals. But when they turned it on, we had no answer for them."

Simon opened the scoring at 3:54 of the first period on a pass from Crosby, who extended his season-best assists and points streak to nine games - the NHL's longest active run. Crosby has three goals and 19 points during the streak. He is one goal shy of his 400th of his NHL career.

Malkin scored a power-play goal later in the period. His centering attempt from behind the net hit Wild D Ryan Suter and Dubnyk and crossed the line.

Pittsburgh extended the lead to 4-0 on second-period goals scored by Hagelin and Dumoulin.

Hagelin scored from the slot on Malkin's setup, and Dumoulin finished a tic-tac-toe passing sequence from Crosby and Hagelin 1:27 later.

Malkin scored his second power-play goal off Suter's skate at 1:42 of the third period and Simon scored his second of the game, making it 6-0, just 50 seconds later.

"I think he's getting more and more confident," Crosby said of Simon. "He's a smart player and he's shooting the puck well, especially the last couple games."

NOTES: Wild F Matt Cullen, who helped the Penguins win back-to-back Stanley Cups, returned to Pittsburgh for the first time since signing with Minnesota in the summer as a free agent. ... Penguins G Matt Murray was active for the first time since Jan. 7, serving as the backup to DeSmith. He returned home to Canada on Jan. 17 following the death of his father, James. ... Malkin appeared in his 753rd game, tying Jean Pronovost for fourth on the team's all-time list. ... Wild F Nino Niederreiter skated Wednesday and could return Feb. 2 against the Vegas Golden Knights. ... The Penguins re-assigned G Tristan Jarry to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Wednesday. ... Pittsburgh scratched defensemen Chad Ruhwedel and Matt Hunwick along with F Ryan Reaves. Minnesota sat D Mike Reilly and F Chris Stewart.

UP NEXT

Wild: Visit Columbus on Tuesday.

Penguins: Continue a four-game homestand Tuesday against San Jose.

Hornqvist gets 2 goals, Penguins beat slumping LA Kings 3-1

By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Until Pittsburgh goalie Casey DeSmith got the start at Staples Center on Thursday night, his entire NHL experience consisted of two relief appearances in Penguins losses.

DeSmith seized the chance to grab his first career victory - with plenty of help from the Penguins' scoring stars.

Patric Hornqvist scored two goals and Evgeni Malkin got the tiebreaking goal early in the third period of Pittsburgh's fifth win in six games, 3-1 over the slumping Los Angeles Kings.

Although the Kings didn't test the 26-year-old DeSmith strenuously, the AHL All-Star selection still stopped 28 shots to win in his first appearance for the Penguins since Dec. 9.

DeSmith learned 24 hours earlier that he would get his first start against the Kings. The news didn't stop him from getting a great night's sleep and a refreshing pregame nap.

"I was more relaxed than I thought I would be," he said. "To play in LA, that's quite a team they have there, so to get a win in their home barn ... it's super-thrilling."

DeSmith is filling in as Tristan Jarry's backup while Matt Murray is on indefinite leave after his father's death.

"You see all the hard work the young guys put in, and it's great to see him get his first win," said Sidney Crosby, who extended his point streak to six games with a third-period assist. "We're playing good hockey. The first (period) wasn't great, but we turned it up in the second and third."

Malkin had a goal and an assist as the Penguins bounced back from a loss in Anaheim one night earlier in the second stop of the back-to-back Stanley Cup champs' three-game California trip.

Hornqvist scored in the opening minute and got another during a five-minute power play midway through the third after Dustin Brown got a game misconduct penalty for sending a kneeling Justin Schultz into the boards near the Kings' bench. Schultz stayed down for a long moment before skating off gingerly.

"I'm going to close on him, and he stumbles, toe-picks," Brown said. "I don't drive him through the wall or anything, but I'm also closing on the play. At the most, it's probably a two(-minute penalty), I think. ... I've seen a lot worse."

Adrian Kempe scored and Jonathan Quick made 28 saves for the Kings, who have lost five straight for the first time this season.

Los Angeles wasted a chance to move from fourth place to second in the Pacific Division with its fifth loss in a row at home since Christmas. The Kings even took two minor penalties while trailing in the final minutes, eliciting boos from the sellout crowd.

"We're obviously pretty down on ourselves right now," Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said. "We want to turn it around as soon as we possibly can."

Hornqvist put the Penguins ahead just 43 seconds after the opening faceoff when his shot deflected off Kings defenseman Derek Forbort and somehow beat Quick from long range.

The Kings responded with two solid periods, and Kempe finally evened it with his 14th goal late in the second on a breakaway set up by captain Anze Kopitar.

But Malkin put the Penguins ahead 26 seconds into the third period, swatting home his 21st goal from the slot moments after winning a faceoff. The former league MVP's goal was his seventh in six games.

Jean-Sebastien Dea made his season debut for the Penguins, playing in just his second career NHL game. Pittsburgh scratched Daniel Sprong to make room in the lineup for Dea, who had nine points in his last 10 games for the Penguins' AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

NOTES: Kings D Jake Muzzin was activated from injured reserve. The veteran missed three games with an upper-body injury. Muzzin got an assist on Kempe's goal. ... Dea made his NHL debut last April in the Penguins' regular-season finale. He then was a practice player during Pittsburgh's run to its second straight title. ... Los Angeles F Torrey Mitchell was a healthy scratch for the first time since joining the team Nov. 23 in a trade with Montreal. He has five points in 17 games for the Kings.

UP NEXT

Penguins: At the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night.

Kings: At the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night for the fourth Freeway Faceoff of the season.

Ducks score 4 in second period, hold off Penguins 5-3

By DAN GREENSPAN
Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Though the Anaheim Ducks found themselves trailing at the end of the first period despite controlling play, head coach Randy Carlyle had a simple message: Stick with it.

The Ducks did that and erupted in the second period to start a critical five-game homestand off with an important win.

Rickard Rakell and Adam Henrique scored 1:35 apart to give Anaheim the lead during its four-goal second period, and the Ducks went on to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 Wednesday night.

"Time for us to get a couple bounces I think," Wagner said, as Anaheim scored four goals in a period for first time since doing it in the third period at Buffalo last Feb. 9.

Chris Wagner and Ondrej Kase also scored for Anaheim in the middle period, and Hampus Lindholm added an empty-netter in the final second of the game. John Gibson stopped 30 shots to help the Ducks improve to 7-3-1 in their last 11 games.

Jake Guentzel, Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin scored for the Penguins, who snapped a four-game win streak. Tristan Jarry made 28 saves.

With the Ducks trailing 1-0, Rakell tied it on a redirect of a shot by Francois Beauchemin at 4:17 of the second. Henrique then put them ahead at 5:42, beating Jarry with a wraparound while the rookie was caught flatfooted at the opposite post trying to get his stick back.

Wagner scored on a short-handed breakaway to make it 3-1 at 9:24, notching the third special-teams goal of his career, all of which have come this season.

Kase's smooth breakaway backhand with 1:32 left in the period capped off the scoring deluge. Kase, who also had an assist, has five points in his last three games.

"I think they take chances and they play run-and-gun, so you're going to get your chances. Tonight we buried a good amount of them and that's what got us the W," Wagner said.

Kessel had a power-play goal to make it 4-2 with 10:25 remaining in the third, and Guentzel added a power-play goal with 5:54 remaining to pull the Penguins within one. Sidney Crosby had assists on both goals, giving him 13 points and 10 assists during a five-game point streak.

"We just made big mistakes in the second period, and give up that many goals and that many breakaways in a short period of time you're putting yourself in a tough spot," Crosby said. "We didn't help ourselves."

Lindholm capped the scoring with 0.1 seconds left to finally seal the win, but Carlyle was disappointed the Ducks let the Penguins back in the game with undisciplined penalties knowing Pittsburgh has the best power play in the NHL. The Penguins have 22 power-play goals on the road, four ahead of Vancouver, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and Winnipeg tied for second-most.

"It was disappointing, obviously, that we took two penalties and they scored two goals to make it exciting, but I guess the entertainment of tonight's game was up there," Carlyle said.

Malkin's 20th goal of the season gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead late in the first period. A sustained forecheck eventually resulted in a takeaway by Carl Hagelin, leading to Malkin scoring from the right circle. It was Malkin's sixth goal in the last five games and gave him 20 for the fifth straight season and 10th time in his career. He joined Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Crosby as the only Penguins with at least 10 seasons of 20 goals.

Penguins goalie Matt Murray left the team for its three-game California road trip following the death of his father on Tuesday.

NOTES: Ducks LW Andrew Cogliano served the final game of his two-game suspension for an illegal check to Kings F Adrian Kempe. . Hagelin extended his point streak to four games, with one goal and four assists in that span. ... Ducks D Cam Fowler had two assists.

UP NEXT

Penguins: Visit the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.

Ducks: Host the Kings on Friday seeking their second win in the Freeway Faceoff rivalry in six days.

Penguins seek 4th in row vs. struggling Rangers

STATS, LLC

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers hold the two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference, but they seem to be heading in different directions going into their game Sunday night at PPG Paints Arena.

Both clubs played their first game Saturday coming off their bye week, and both picked up where they left off.

Pittsburgh (23-19-3) beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 for its third straight win and fourth in five games.

The Rangers (22-19-3) lost 7-2 at home against the New York Islanders, their second straight loss and third in four games. They are 3-4-2 in their past nine.

Defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh is beginning to look like the dominant club it can be. It will try to match its season high with its fourth straight win.

The Penguins' big three -- Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel -- combined for four goals and five assists (nine points) against Detroit.

Malkin has 18 points in his past 13 games, Crosby has nine points and Kessel had six points in the last three games.

They have contributed to the top power play in the NHL. Pittsburgh has 12 power-play goals in its past 10 games, and has multiple power-play goals in seven games since Dec. 21.

"It's always fun when you win," Malkin said. "We have more confidence. The mood is better. Now we just need to stay on the same level."

It's not just the offense that is prospering. The Penguins' penalty killers have stopped opposing power plays on 23 of 24 chances over the past eight games.

"Maybe we just turned the switch," Pittsburgh winger Carl Hagelin said after collecting a point in consecutive games for the first time this season.

"It's hard to say. You can see guys are more enthusiastic at the rink and guys are bringing more energy every day. That's the type of team we need to be, and the plan is to keep doing that."

The Penguins and Rangers have split two games this season, with New York picking up an extra point in an overtime loss.

They haven't met in more than a month, and New York is searching for answers.

"You've got to put trust in your game plan and trust in your system," winger Rick Nash said. "Leaders gotta lead, and everyone's got to follow.

"The beautiful thing about a back-to-back is it's a huge game for us (Sunday), and we can put forth a good effort and turn the page on (the 7-2 loss)."

Defenseman and team captain Ryan McDonough was much harsher, citing a strong team meeting Friday with no follow-through Saturday.

"The main thing is we want a group in here that's willing to do whatever it takes to win, and right now we don't have enough guys going like that," McDonough said. "The only thing you can do is watch your game (against the Islanders) and come back ready to play hard for your teammates.

"We had a good meeting coming out of the bye week, and I did not foresee this happening like this. For us to be successful, we need everybody buying in. Right now, we don't want it.

"Fortunately, we get another opportunity. If we do the same thing (Sunday) it's going to be the same result. I hope our guys understand the importance of (Sunday). It's a huge game for us. I hope we come ready."

Malkin powers Penguins past Red Wings 4-1

By DAN SCIFO
Associated Press

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins returned from their bye week and picked up right where they left off.

Malkin had two goals and two assists, and the Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 on Saturday for their third consecutive victory.

"It's always fun when you win and have more confidence," Malkin said. "Your game is better, the mood is better, and now we're feeling so much better."

Phil Kessel added a goal and two assists for Pittsburgh, which had dropped its last three games against Detroit. Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist, and rookie Tristan Jarry stopped 29 shots in his third straight start while Matt Murray is home in Canada tending to a family matter.

The Penguins have won four of five after dropping seven of their previous 10. Their three-game win streak is their longest since they won four in a row from late November into December.

"I think we've felt good about our last couple games going into the break," Crosby said. "I don't think we rest on that. I think we try to continue to get better."

Justin Abdelkader scored for the Red Wings, who lost their second straight after a four-game winning streak. Jimmy Howard made 32 saves after missing one game with a lower-body injury.

Detroit went 1 for 7 on the power play. Pittsburgh was 2 for 5.

"If you look at it, their best players were better than our best players," Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg said. "I think if you go down to it, they score. They took care of business on the power play and we didn't."

Malkin opened the scoring 3:01 into the first game for each team since their five-day break. Carl Hagelin, from behind the net, fed the puck in the slot to Malkin, who beat Howard to the glove side.

The teams traded power-play goals later in the period.

Abdelkader tied it with a shot between Jarry's pads and Kessel gave Pittsburgh the lead when he one-touched a Crosby pass behind Howard from in close. The Penguins, the No. 1 unit in the league, have 12 power-play goals in their last 10 games.

Detroit had just one power-play goal in its previous seven games entering Saturday's contest.

Malkin gave Pittsburgh a 3-1 lead just 2:08 into the second when he beat Howard to the blocker side off a Kessel feed. Malkin has scored in three straight games. He has 14 points in his last eight games and 12 goals in his last 19 contests.

"As an elite player, (Malkin) is a guy, when he starts to feel it, and he scores a goal, all of the sudden his mindset and confidence level gets higher and the puck tends to follow him," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.

Crosby's third-period power-play goal off a pass from Kessel gave Pittsburgh a three-goal lead. Kessel has eight points in his last five games, while Crosby has 10 in his last five.

"I think it's nice to get rewarded, feel good about our game and know what it looks like to have that consistency," Crosby said. "We can build on that. We have to continue with the same effort and on top of that, continue to get better."

NOTES: Pittsburgh recalled G Casey DeSmith from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League to serve as Jarry's backup. ... Pittsburgh previously went 17 straight games without allowing a power-play goal. ... Red Wings D Trevor Daley played his first game in Pittsburgh since signing with Detroit as a free agent in July. Daley recorded 11 points in 36 playoff games, helping Pittsburgh win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. ... The Penguins scratched D Ian Cole, while F David Booth and D Xavier Ouellet sat for the Red Wings.

UP NEXT

Red Wings: Visit Chicago on Sunday.

Penguins: host the New York Rangers on Sunday.

Penguins goalie Murray goes home because of personal family matter

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray has gone home to Ontario because of a personal family matter, the Penguins announced Friday.

Murray, 23, is 15-12-1 with a 2.93 goals-against average and .903 save percentage in 31 games this season.

The Penguins recalled goaltender Casey DeSmith from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Friday. DeSmith, 26, is 0-1-0 with a 3.00 GAA and .833 save percentage in two games with the Penguins this season.

Pittsburgh plays the Detroit Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, ATTSN-PT, FS-D, NHL.TV) in its first game back after its five-day schedule break. They play the New York Rangers at home Sunday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV).

Malkin's overtime goal rallies Penguins to win over Bruins

By DAN SCIFO
Associated Press

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan believes the bye week has arrived at a perfect time for his up-and-down team.

Pittsburgh took an early two-goal lead before the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions were forced to rally from a two-goal hole with the final three goals of the game against Boston. Evgeni Malkin's second goal of the game at 2:51 of overtime capped the rally, as the Penguins beat the Bruins 6-5 Sunday night.

"It will be both a mental and physical break for everybody and it should serve us well," Sullivan said of the team's mandatory five-day break. "I don't think it's a bad thing for us to get away from the game a little bit and recharge the batteries, so when we all come back we should be excited to play."

The Penguins, coming off a 4-0 win at the New York Islanders on Friday, got consecutive victories for the first time since Dec. 1-2 when they defeated Buffalo twice by a combined score of 9-1. The Penguins, who have just six wins in their last 11 games, moved into the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, but are one point ahead of three teams tied for last place in the Metropolitan Division.

"To get results at this time of year is critically important because you can see how tight the league and our division is," Sullivan said. "There was a lot of adversity tonight, but I thought our guys stayed with it."

Phil Kessel set up Malkin, who one-timed a shot over Tuukka Rask's pad during a 2-on-1 for the game-winner. Malkin and Kessel scored power-play goals in regulation, while Kris Letang, Jamie Oleksiak and Riley Sheahan also scored for Pittsburgh.

Matt Murray stopped all six shots he faced in relief of Tristan Jarry, who made 14 saves on 19 shots before he was pulled after the Bruins' fifth goal.

Sidney Crosby had three assists after getting a season-high four points against the Islanders. Crosby, with points in five straight against Boston, had four points in 11 games before the last two.

"We were down, but we felt like we did some good things," Crosby said. "I think we've been resilient. They capitalized on some mistakes, but we stuck with it. We're starting to play with some speed and purpose out there."

Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, David Backes, Noel Acciari and Ryan Spponer all scored in regulation for Boston. The Bruins lost, but earned a point for the 11th straight game (8-0-3). Boston has now totaled 22 goals in its last four games.

Rask, who hasn't lost in regulation since Nov. 26, stopped 29 shots for Boston.

Patrice Bergeron, who scored four goals one night earlier during a win against Carolina, briefly left in the first period after blocking a shot, but he returned. Bergeron, who played 18:12, said X-rays on his right foot were negative, but he needed stitches.

That didn't take away the sting of the loss.

"We got the start we wanted, but then we got away from our game and they took it to us," Bergeron said. "There are some breakdowns that are uncharacteristic of us, but we stuck with it and we got a point out of it. Obviously, we know that we can be a lot better."

Both teams let two-goal leads slip away.

Pittsburgh held a 3-1 advantage in the first period on goals by Oleksiak, Kessel and Letang. But Boston rallied with the next four goals from Marchand, Acciari, Pastrnak and Backes to open a 5-3 lead.

Malkin's power-play tally with 3.6 seconds to play in the second period pulled Pittsburgh within one and Sheahan's short-side goal off the rush 2:54 into the third period tied the score.

Murray stopped Marchand's penalty shot with 1:01 to play in regulation to force overtime, setting the stage for Malkin to end it.

"It's hard when you're up by two goals and then you end up being down the way we were," Sullivan said. "Just our ability to stay in it and respond is a great indicator of our team leadership."

NOTES: Penguins D Brian Dumoulin played after missing the previous two games with a concussion. ... Penguins D Chad Ruhwedel missed his sixth game with an upper-body injury. ... The Penguins scratched D Ian Cole and F Carter Rowney. Boston sat F Frank Vatrano and D Paul Postma. ... Pittsburgh reassigned D Frank Corrado to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

UP NEXT

Bruins: Will take a mandatory five-day bye week before visiting Montreal on Saturday

Penguins: Will also take a mandatory five-day bye week before hosting Detroit on Saturday

Penguins score 4 in 2nd period to top Flyers 5-1

By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Ryan Reaves can be quick to drop his gloves and start a timely fight to spark his team. With his gloves on, Reaves instead found another way to lift Pittsburgh with an opportune goal.

Reaves had a rare goal and an assist, and the Penguins scored four times in the second period to beat the scuffling Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 on Tuesday night.

In the waning minutes of Pittsburgh's rout, Reaves joked that he was still looking for a scrap to set himself up for a Gordie Howe hat trick. He tallied only his second goal and third assist of the season - leaving out the fight he thought for sure he'd get to hit for hockey's cycle.

"That would be a first time, for sure," he said, laughing. "I asked (Jake) Voracek but he said no. I was very shocked. He's pretty tough."

The Penguins could afford to yuck it up in the locker room after fourth-liners Reaves and Tom Kuhnhackl helped put the game away in the second period. Phil Kessel and Conor Sheary also scored in the second as Pittsburgh beat its state rival once again. Both teams began the night outside the Eastern Conference playoff standings.

"You want to bury your rivals," Reaves said.

Flyers goalie Brian Elliott, making his 14th straight start, allowed the four goals on just eight shots in the second period and was yanked for Michal Neuvirth in the third.

"You want to be at your best. I wasn't and I don't think anybody can say they were, either," Elliott said.

The Penguins lost goalie Tristan Jarry to an injury in the second. Jarry, who had a 1.56 goals-against average and .943 save percentage over his last three games, appeared to take a stiff shot off his blocker hand and was checked by the team trainer. Matt Murray kept the Flyers scoreless the rest of the way.

The Penguins' scoring burst came in just four minutes and they needed only 40 seconds during that span to score twice and take a 3-1 lead. Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby had an assist on Kessel's 17th goal, but the Penguins also got goals from fourth-liners Reaves and Kuhnhackl to break the game open. Reaves snapped a 1-all tie with his second and Sheary scored 40 seconds later for his 11th. Kuhnhackl got his second of the season to make it 4-1.

Reaves and Kuhnhackl each scored against Philadelphia's top defensive pair, Robert Hagg and Travis Konecny, and the Flyers were unable to build on a huge road win at Eastern Conference-leading Tampa Bay.

"First 30 minutes of this hockey game, there's very little that I would change," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said.

It was the next 30 that gave Philadelphia fits.

Jamie Oleksiak made it 5-1 with a power-play goal in the third to seal just the Penguins' fourth win over the last 11 games.

"We definitely needed a game like that where the offense is clicking and we're playing good defense," Reaves said. "It's something to build off, but we need to string a couple of those together."

Jordan Weal scored his fourth of the season for the Flyers.

Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux had his streak of seven straight games with an assist snapped.

"We know we're a better team than that and we'll have to answer next game," Giroux said.

NOTES: Penguins defensemen Kris Letang and Justin Schultz returned from injuries. Letang had missed the last three games and Schultz had missed 11 because of undisclosed injuries. ... Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson received a huge ovation when he was introduced in the first period. ... The Flyers' bench door appeared to break in the third. ... Oleksiak scored his first goal for Pittsburgh since he was acquired last month from Dallas. ... Crosby has 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 29 career games at Philadelphia. ... Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin and forward Carter Rowney also were injured.

UP NEXT

Penguins: Host the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.

Flyers: Also play Thursday in the second of a four-game homestand against the New York Islanders.

Letang gets winning goal in shootout, Pens top Blue Jackets

By DAN SCIFO
Associated Press

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan doesn't want to see Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang drop the gloves every game.

But a frustrating first two periods led to a breakout third and a shootout victory.

Letang scored the deciding goal in the shootout, and the Penguins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 on Thursday night.

"When the game got a little nasty at the end of the second period, I thought it brought a lot of juice to our bench, especially our top guys in particular," Sullivan said.

Frustration boiled over for the Penguins' stars in the final minute of the second period.

Pittsburgh trailed 1-0 when Malkin was given five minutes for fighting Nick Foligno and Crosby got a roughing double minor against Seth Jones. Letang was also given a roughing minor and Columbus' Boone Jenner received a game misconduct for cross-checking.

Pittsburgh scored twice in the third period and Letang ended it in the fourth round of the shootout, beating Sergei Bobrovsky to the glove side after a series of dekes.

"(Crosby) told me that (Bobrovsky) was really patient, so I threw a couple moves at him, and he didn't move," Letang said. "I knew if I kept dragging the puck further, he would be deeper, so I would have the shot."

Cam Atkinson scored in the shootout for Columbus, but Matt Murray stopped Artemi Panarin, Jack Johnson and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Murray made 29 saves, while Bobrovsky stopped 39 shots. Malkin also scored for Pittsburgh in the shootout.

Patric Hornqvist and Malkin both scored their 12th goals of the season on the power play for the Penguins, who have two wins in their last three games following a three-game losing streak. Pittsburgh scored twice on the power play after a 0-for-15 slump.

Panarin and Pierre-Luc Dubois had a goal and an assist apiece for Columbus. Panarin has 14 points in his last 11 games and Dubois has 12 points in his last 13 games for the Blue Jackets, who have lost four of their last six. Columbus defeated Toronto a night earlier, but lost three of their previous four and allowed 20 goals during that span.

"I think it's just two teams with a lot of history," Foligno said of the Penguins and Blue Jackets. "Emotions are going to run wild. It's a game we both really wanted, and that's what happens."

Hornqvist tied it at 1-1 for Pittsburgh at 2:25 of the third period when he tipped a shot by Phil Kessel underneath Bobrovsky. Hornqvist played after missing Monday's game against Colorado with an upper-body injury. Kessel has points in nine straight home games and 27 of 36 games played this season for Pittsburgh.

Malkin briefly put Pittsburgh in front with a power-play goal. Bobrovsky made a blocker save on Crosby, but Malkin backhanded the rebound out of the air and into the net.

Columbus evened the score with a power-play goal just over a minute later, as Panarin scored with a wrist shot from the point.

"Whether it was 2-1 or 3-1, it doesn't matter, we were going to push until we tied the game," Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson said.

It was the first time the teams had played since Pittsburgh won a first-round playoff series in the spring. The teams have met in the first round of the playoffs two of the last four years, with Pittsburgh winning both times.

The emotion carried over and worked in Pittsburgh's favor on this night.

"They're competitive guys and it was a competitive game," Sullivan said. "It was a hard-fought game and sometimes emotions run high. The energy and emotion of the game ... that's as good as it's been this year for us, and I think that's when we play our best."

NOTES: Columbus is entering a stretch where it will play five of its next seven against Metropolitan Division opponents. Pittsburgh will play six of their next eight within the division. Entering Thursday night, just 10 points separated first and eighth place in the Metropolitan. ... Newly-acquired Jamie Oleksiak made his Penguins debut on his 25th birthday. The 6-foot-7, 255-pound defenseman, selected No. 14 overall in the 2011 draft, was acquired from the Dallas Stars in a trade on Tuesday. ... Penguins D Matt Hunwick played in his 500th NHL game. ... Blue Jackets D Zach Werenski missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury. ... Pittsburgh scratched D Ian Cole and F Tom Kuhnhackl.

UP NEXT

Blue Jackets: Host Philadelphia on Saturday.

Penguins: Continue a three-game homestand Saturday against Anaheim.

Pens acquire G Leighton and 2019 fourth-round pick from Coyotes

The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired goaltender Michael Leighton and a 2019 fourth-round draft pick from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for forward Josh Archibald, goalie Sean Maguire and a 2019 sixth-round draft pick.

Archibald has played in three games with the Penguins this season and has recorded 1-2-3 and four penalty minutes (PIM) in six games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL). The 25-year-old native of Regina, SK scored three goals in 14 career NHL games with Pittsburgh. The 25-year-old Archibald has played in four career playoff games and won the 2017 Stanley Cup with the Penguins. Archibald was originally drafted by the Penguins in the sixth round (174th overall) in the 2011 Entry Draft.

Maguire has posted an 8-3-0 record with a .910 save percentage (SV%) and a 3.28 goals against average (GAA) with Wheeling (ECHL) this season. The 24-year-old Maguire has also played in four games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and has recorded a 1-1-0 record with a .924 SV% and a 2.19 GAA.

Leighton backstopped the Philadelphia Flyers to a 2011 Stanley Cup Final appearance, going 8-3 with three shutouts in the postseason. He was originally drafted by Chicago in the sixth round (165th overall) of the 1999 NHL Draft. Leighton was assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners on December 14, 2017. Leighton did not play a game for the Roadrunners this season, but has registered a 1-1-2 record with a 3.40 goals against average (GAA) and an .869 save percentage (SV%) in five games with the Chicago Wolves (AHL). The 36-year-old native of Petrolia, ON native has also totaled a 3-3-2 record, 3.03 GAA and an .868 SV% in nine games with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) in 2017-18.

Barrie leads Avs past Pens

DENVER -- Losing Erik Johnson before playing the Pittsburgh Penguins was a blow for the Colorado Avalanche.

Tyson Barrie made up for the veteran defenseman's absence.

Barrie scored two goals, Semyon Varlamov had 30 saves, and the Avalanche beat the Penguins 4-2 on Monday night.

J.T. Compher and Mikko Rantanen also scored and Sven Andrighetto had two assists for Colorado, which swept the season series from the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions.

Colorado won the only other matchup in Pittsburgh a week ago.

The Avalanche (16-15-2) were without Johnson -- the team's top defenseman and ice-time leader -- while he served the first of his two-game suspension for boarding Vladislav Namestnikov in Saturday's loss to Tampa Bay. Going against Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin is tough when you're at full strength on the blue line, but Johnson's absence made it harder.

"You can't replace EJ," Barrie said. "It'll be nice to get him back here after another game. Everyone's got to step up and do the best they can and try and pick up the slack."

Chad Ruhwedel had a goal and an assist, Malkin also scored and Matthew Murray had 33 saves for Pittsburgh (17-15-3). The Penguins have lost four of their last five.

"We got outplayed. We got outplayed in the second period badly," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "I thought they were hungrier than we were. We took penalties. I think we took three or four penalties in the second period. That doesn't help. But we got outplayed. They were better than us."

The Avalanche took control with a pair of goals in the second period. Barrie broke a 1-1 tie with his second of the game after Pittsburgh's Ian Cole went off for crosschecking. His shot from the point went through teammates and Penguins players and beat Murray at 5:56 of the second.

It was one of a team-high 11 shot attempts for Barrie, who leads the Avalanche in points with 27.

"I thought Tyson was outstanding tonight," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "I love the way he was shooting the puck."

Colorado took a 3-1 lead into the third after Compher scored at 18:20 of the second. The center knocked Andrighetto's rebound out of the air and past Murray. It was Compher's fifth goal of the season and his first in nine games.

The goal capped a big period for Colorado, which outshot the Penguins 15-6.

"(The) second period is very important," Malkin said. "We lost (it), and we lost game."

The Avalanche also benefitted from a good game from Varlamov -- and a little puck luck. He stopped Phil Kessel on a breakaway early in the first and then was able to clear away Josh Archibald's shot that dribbled through his legs and rested on the goal line in the second period.

Malkin cut Pittsburgh's deficit to one with his 11th goal 1:25 into the third, and the Penguins put pressure on Colorado the rest of the period. Their best chance to score came in the last six minutes when Ryan Reaves hit the post on a rebound shot.

Murray came off for an extra skater in the final two minutes and Rantanen scored into the empty net at 18:27.

Barrie gave Colorado a 1-0 lead at 5:04 of the first and Ruhwedel's shot right off a faceoff hit Varlamov and trickled through the goalie at 10:39 of the first to tie it.

Both of Barrie's goals came through screens, and the first one set the tone for the game.

"I picked it up by the time it was a couple of feet in front of me," Murray said of Barrie's goal in the first. "Just wasn't able to react quick enough. He had a couple of inches to put it inside the post and he made a pretty good shot."

NOTES: Penguins RW Patric Hornqvist was sent back to Pittsburgh for further evaluation of his upper-body injury suffered in Saturday's 4-2 win In Arizona. Hornqvist has 11 goals and 10 assists in 31 games this season. ... Colorado C Alexander Kerfoot returned to the lineup after missing three games with a foot injury. Kerfoot was hurt by a shot from teammate Erik Johnson in the game in Pittsburgh on Dec. 11. ... Pittsburgh C Dominik Simon was scratched due to illness. ... Johnson is the second key Avalanche player to be suspended this season. Captain Gabriel Landeskog served a four-game suspension in November.

Fleury, Golden Knights top reeling Penguins

LAS VEGAS -- Veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was endeared by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vegas Golden Knights fans, and had the admiration of players from both sides Thursday night in an emotional game for him at the T-Mobile Arena.

Fleury, who played 13 seasons with Pittsburgh before his selection by Vegas in the expansion draft in June, made 24 saves against his former team in a 2-1 victory in front of the capacity crowd that had a strong contingent of Penguins fans.

"It really couldn't get any better than this," Fleury said. "I've been around this game for a little bit. That was good. We got the win. It was a close game with only two goals on our side. It was as good as it gets."

Fleury was part of the Penguins' last two Stanley Cup championship teams. Now, he is with the historically successful expansion Golden Knights (20-9-2), who reached the 20-win plateau the fastest for an expansion team in NHL history.

Vegas defenseman Jon Merrill scored the game-winner at 8:17 of the third period for his first goal of the season. Merrill took the drop pass from Erik Haula and beat goaltender Matt Murray low to the glove side.

Murray also made 24 saves for Pittsburgh (16-14-3). The Penguins have lost three consecutive games and four out of the last five with all the defeats by one goal.

"It was a hard-fought game with good chances on both sides," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. "I thought the goaltending on both sides was really good. It seems like we are in those type of games night in and night out, but we really haven't found ways to win those."

The Golden Knights got on the board when forward James Neal, another former Penguin, corralled a rebound off a shot by Colin Miller and beat Murray before defenseman Olli Maatta could get in his way. It was Neal's 15th goal of the season.

"It was our biggest win of the year. (Fleury) did a great job; he made some great saves for us," said Neal, Fleury's teammate at Pittsburgh from 2011 to 2014. "He stayed calm throughout the whole thing. I don't know what was going on in his head but he was himself all day and it was good to see."

The Penguins fans along with the Golden Knights faithful, gave Fleury a loud round of applause when he was introduced. In one of the many times he thrilled the crowd, he went 30 feet from the net in the first period to poke away a loose puck from hard-charging Pittsburgh forward Conor Sheary.

"It was crazy," Fleury said of the crowd response. "That was special. It was a very humbling experience, something I'll never forget."

The Penguins tied the game 1-1 at 12:14 of the first period when the Golden Knights could not clear the puck, allowing forward Carl Hagelin to flip the pass to Ian Cole. Fleury could not react in time to Cole's high shot into the net.

Fleury wowed the crowd late in the second period when he dove across the crease to prevent a shot by Brian Dumoulin from finding the net at the left post.

Fleury helped Vegas' third penalty kill of the game with two more saves by the time Merrill (delay of game for smothering the puck with his hand) came out of the box with 2:55 left in the period.

"We're playing the defending champs and we're playing Sidney Crosby and all those top players over there, so it was fun," Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. "We believed we had to play our best to win and that's exactly what happened. I had fun. I'm sure Fleury was happy to get the game out of the way with a win."

NOTES: Vegas acquired F Ryan Carpenter off waivers from the San Jose Sharks. To make room for Carpenter, the Golden Knights assigned F Stefan Matteau to the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves. ... Carpenter appeared in 16 games for the San Jose Sharks this season and has recorded one assist. He has spent parts of the last two seasons with the Sharks and has recorded five points (two goals and three assists) to go with six penalty minutes in 28 games. ... Since Nov. 14, Pittsburgh C Sidney Crosby picked up at least one point in 10 of his last 13 games (eight goals, 11 assists and 19 points).

Penguins activate Murray from injured reserve

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray was activated off injured reserve on Tuesday.

Murray missed five games with a lower-body injury sustained during the Penguins' 5-4 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 27. The two-time Stanley Cup champion is 11-7-1 with a 2.95 goals-against average and .906 save percentage in 21 games (20 starts). 

Goaltender Casey DeSmith was reassigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

The Penguins face the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, SN360, ATTSN-RM, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV), when Murray could oppose goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, his teammate on Pittsburgh's back-to-back Cup-winning teams in 2016 and '17. Fleury was selected by the Golden Knights in the NHL Expansion Draft on June 21 and was activated off injured reserve Sunday after missing 25 games with a concussion.

Barberio, struggling Avalanche surprise Penguins

PITTSBURGH -- Colorado coach Jared Bednar didn't have to search hard for a way to describe his club's 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night at PPG Paints Arena.

"Gutsy. Liked it," Bednar said of a game that was scoreless for more than 45 minutes.

Defenseman Mark Barberio's goal at 6:17 of the third period broke the scoreless tie and former Penguins winger Blake Comeau added an empty-netter to make it 2-0 before Pittsburgh's Phil Kessel spoiled what would have been a shutout for goaltender Jonathan Bernier with 11.8 seconds left.

"This was a big game," Barberio said of beating the defending Stanley Cup champions. "All around, I think we committed to good defensive hockey, and we earned that one."

Barberio, just two games removed from being a healthy scratch for Colorado, equaled his goal output from last season with his second of the season. His shot from the high slot clipped the skate of Penguins center Riley Sheahan in front, and the puck deflected high past the glove of Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry.

"It changed direction a little bit," Jarry said. "I think it went off somebody's foot. I just tried to get over and get up on it as quick as I could. I couldn't get it."

Jarry made 26 saves and is on a 1-2-0 stretch plus a no-decision after getting pulled following one period Saturday.

Bernier had a heavier workload, stopping 39 shots, and was disappointed he didn't pick up his second shutout of the season.

"It's hard enough to get one when you're so close," he said. "Obviously, it's tough. At the same time, we got the big two points for us. That's what matters."

The Avalanche (14-13-2) have won two in a row following a four-game losing streak and are 2-1-0 on a road trip that ends Tuesday in Washington.

The Penguins (16-13-3) have lost two straight and three of four following a four-game winning streak. They finished 2-3-0 on their season-high, five-game homestand.

"We certainly need to evaluate what's going on and why we're losing games, especially here at home where we've been so good," Pittsburgh defenseman Ian Cole said. "We need to figure this out, and we need to figure it out in a hurry. We were preaching patience early on, but now it's getting to the point when if we didn't feel that urgency to figure it out then, we certainly should now."

Coming in, both teams were focused on the way they were opening games.

Pittsburgh had a 13-6 shot advantage in the first, but Colorado came closest to scoring.

Nathan MacKinnon outmaneuvered defenseman Kris Letang and moved in from the left point. Although he partially fanned on his shot, the puck slid under Jarry at 15:56. However, the goal was waved off when the Penguins challenged and it was ruled that MacKinnon had been offside.

"That was close, as close as it gets," Bednar said.

After a scoreless second, Pittsburgh came roaring out in the third, building a 7-1 edge in shots. The Penguins couldn't get a goal with their push, but they didn't let up.

"Frustration is a useless emotion," Cole said. "If it's something where things aren't going our way or the goals aren't going in for whatever reason, getting frustrated doesn't help the issue. You can't frustrate the puck into the net and get mad about it."

It was Barberio who struck first with an unassisted goal.

"It was a good play," Barberio said. "We were doing the right things. Driving the puck in deep. Trying to get it toward the net. The puck just popped out perfectly for me. I just tried to get it through. It obviously hit a leg, but we'll take it."

Jarry found it discouraging to give up the first goal after the game was scoreless for so long.

"It's a tough one to swallow, and it's something I'll watch video on and improve on," the rookie said.

NOTES: Colorado C Alexander Kerfoot left with an undisclosed injury. ... Pittsburgh G Matt Murray (lower body) participated in his second consecutive morning skate but was not available to dress. He could face former Penguins G Marc-Andre Fleury on Thursday at Vegas. ... Colorado D Erik Johnson, who left the Saturday game at Florida after blocking a shot, was in the lineup. ... Colorado RW Nail Yakupov (illness) missed his third game in a row, and the Avalanche dressed seven defensemen. ... The game was the Penguins' 500th straight sellout (regular season and playoffs).

Penguins prevail in OT vs. Isles

PITTSBURGH -- His team had given up a two-goal lead in the third period and he was feeling some fatigue during a long shift in overtime, so Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Matt Hunwick was relieved in more ways than one when he scored.

Hunwick slipped the puck past the right skate of New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak 1:29 into the extra session to give the Penguins a 4-3 win Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena.

Hunwick's third goal of the season and first in overtime in his career came after Bryan Rust drove through the crease with the puck. A video review confirmed he did not interfere with Halak.

The play started down the ice.

"I saw one of their guys changing, so it was a chance to create a three-on-two," Hunwick said. "You hope you score there because if I had to go back down the ice and play (defense) again, I'd probably be pretty tired."

Hunwick was on the ice primarily because Justin Schultz, often an overtime choice for Pittsburgh, is hurt, but also because coach Mike Sullivan thought Hunwick deserved to be there.

"He can really skate," Sullivan said. "He's a mobile guy and there's a lot of ice out there. The guys that tend to have foot speed have an advantage. Matt's a guy we can use in that situation because of his mobility."

Pittsburgh's Jake Guentzel scored in the first period, and Jordan Eberle tied it in the second. After Phil Kessel and Riley Sheahan scored 32 seconds apart in the third period for a 3-1 Pittsburgh lead, New York's Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson answered for a 3-3 tie.

Kris Letang added two assists for the Penguins.

"We found a way to get one (point). We battled back in the end," Eberle said. "It was a good road game. Going into the third with a 1-1 game, they make it 3-1 and we battled back. It was a weird game (from) that aspect, but I guess you can salvage a point and be happy about that."

The Penguins (16-11-3) pulled even with the Islanders (16-9-3), who began the night a point ahead of the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.

Pittsburgh has won five of six overall. It has a five-game home point streak (4-0-1) against the Islanders and is 7-1-1 against them in the past nine meetings at PPG Paints Arena.

Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry is 5-1-0 in his past six appearances after making 23 saves. Halak stopped 28 shots.

Jarry, a rookie filling in for injured No. 1 goaltender Matt Murray, got a close-up look at Pittsburgh's resilience after giving up the two-goal lead.

"In tough times the team comes together that much tighter," he said. "It's something they pride themselves on. They've taken pride in that the last couple years. That's a big thing, and that helps in overtime."

Pittsburgh put the puck in the net at 8:10 of the first, but it was immediately waved off because Guentzel got his glove on the puck, knocking it upward, and when it landed it trickled into the net before he could get his stick on it.

Guentzel got a goal that counted, a power-play version, at 12:17 of the first with a deft backward deflection just above the crease on a Letang slap shot from the right point for a 1-0 lead.

Eberle tied it at 5:53 of the second. As Jarry was trying to corral a loose puck in the crease with his glove, Eberle swooped in and jabbed it over the goal line.

A blast by Kessel from the left dot past Halak's glove at 7:29 of the third gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead and its second power-play goal. Sidney Crosby earned an assist, giving him an 11-game point streak (seven goals, 19 points) against the Islanders.

Sheahan, playing on his 26th birthday, scored his first since Nov. 16 after Halak went far out of his net to play the puck, scrambled back and was out of position when Sheahan roofed a shot for a 3-1 lead at 8:01 of the third.

Barzal swept it past Jarry from the slot at 15:07 of the third, the rookie's eighth goal and 27th point, to make it 3-2.

"That's a big goal," said Nelson, who followed by tying it with Halak pulled with 1:10 to go to send it to overtime. "We had a little bit of a push. We didn't have as many chances as we would like and that was a big-time goal to give us a little bit more momentum. We definitely fed off that. I think after that, we had a few good looks and could've won it there toward the end."

NOTES: Pittsburgh RW Tom Kuhnhackl left in the second period after a collision with teammate Ryan Reaves. There was no update on his status. ... New York C Casey Cizikas was activated from injured reserve and returned after missing four games because of a lower-body injury. ... Pittsburgh D Justin Schultz missed his first game because of a lower-body injury and was placed on IR. Coach Mike Sullivan indicated Schultz's absence could be a couple weeks. ... Pittsburgh D Frank Corrado was recalled from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton but did not dress. D Chad Ruhwedel dressed for the first time in four games.

Rangers stop Penguins in key division game

PITTSBURGH -- The Metropolitan Division has been bunched up from the start, so even though the season is only about a third of the way through, the New York Rangers sounded as if Tuesday night's 4-3 division victory over defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh came in the stretch run.

"It's a really important game for us, even though it's early in the year," said Rangers center J.T. Miller, who had an assist. "A character win is a good way to put it."

Pavel Buchnevich scored the deciding goal at PPG Paints Arena as New York halted the Penguins' four-game winning streak.

"There's no doubt that tonight's a big win against the Stanley Cup champions," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said.

Buchnevich attempted a pass across the slot, but the puck hit the leg of Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang and sailed over the glove of Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry at 11:12 of the third to break a 3-3 tie.

Letang called it simply "a bad bounce on our part," and Jarry felt about the same.

"It's tough," said Jarry, who made 25 saves but had his four-game winning streak end. He has been filling in for the injured Matt Murray.

"It's one of those unfortunate events that just goes off our own player. I tried to do my best just to get up as quick as I could and try and get over. It just went right past my head. I wasn't able to get over there."

Ondrej Pavelec, who was pegged to start in net when Henrik Lundqvist developed a flu-like illness, stopped 41 shots for the Rangers (15-10-2), who have won six of their past seven and 12 of 15.

"It was a good hockey game," said Pavelec, who withstood a good deal of pressure in the waning moments with an empty Pittsburgh net for his first win since Oct. 26. "Not so much fun for the goalies, but we got the win. That's huge for us."

The Penguins (15-11-3) took leads of 1-0 and 2-1 on goals by Conor Sheary and Phil Kessel, but New York answered fairly quickly both times with goals by rookie Boo Nieves and Jesper Fast before a goal by Mats Zuccarello late in the second gave the Rangers a 3-2 lead.

Pittsburgh's Patric Hornqvist forged another tie, 3-3, in the third.

Although New York dominated much of the first, including a 10-4 shot edge, the Penguins broke through first.

Sheary converted a big backhand shovel of a pass through a crowded slot from Hornqvist at 15:13 for a 1-0 Pittsburgh lead.

The Rangers tied it 1:36 later on Nieves' first NHL goal, a shot from the top of the right circle that made it through traffic and under Jarry's pads.

Vigneault noted that Pavelec "didn't have a lot of work in the first but did have quite a few shots after that. They're high-volume shots. They shoot from everywhere and hope to create scrambles. Against that you've got to protect the front of your net and we did that fairly well. He did give us a real strong game. I'm really happy for him. He's put in a lot of work and sure there's going to be a few more of those to come."

Kessel scored his team-leading 13th goal at 7:11 of the second for a 2-1 Penguins lead when he took a feed from Jake Guentzel and scored from the right circle.

New York tied it once more at 12:26 of the second on a Fast rebound goal.

The Rangers took their first lead, 3-2, at 17:20 of the second when Zuccarello moved in on Jarry and found a sliver of room inside the left post.

Pittsburgh went into the third trailing despite outshooting New York 23-8 in the second, and tied it 3-3 when Evgeni Malkin sprang Hornqvist for a breakaway on a power play. Hornqvist beat Pavelec to the glove side at 3:35.

That gave Hornqvist a four-game goal streak and a six-game point streak.

"This was a huge game for us," Hornqvist said. "All the division games are going to be key games, already right now.

"We know that's a tough loss, but our effort was there. We played a good hockey game. Sometimes you've got to tip the hat a little bit for the Rangers. They played hard. They got the puck luck."

NOTES: Pittsburgh D Justin Schultz limped off late in the first, returned for the second but did not come out for the third. Coach Mike Sullivan said Schultz has a lower-body injury and will be evaluated Wednesday. ... The Rangers recalled G Alexandar Georgiev, who backed up G Ondrej Pavelec with G Henrik Lundqvist ill. ... New York RW Michael Grabner played in his 500th NHL game. ... Pittsburgh G Matt Murray, who missed his third straight game because of a lower-body injury, has resumed skating without gear. ... In the annual Forbes Magazine financial ranking of NHL clubs, the Rangers are No. 1 with a value of $1.5 billion, up 14 percent, while the Penguins are No. 10 with a value of $650 million, up 20 percent.

Pens recall goaltender DeSmith from AHL, could be due to Murray's injury

The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled goaltender Casey DeSmith from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford.

This obviously means that Pens starting goalteder Matt Murray may miss some time between the pipes. Murray was hurt in Pittsburgh's game last night against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Murray exited with 4:21 left in the second period after Philadelphia’s Jakub Voracek crashed into him during a breakaway. The 23-year-old two-time Cup winner managed to skate off under his own power before limping down the runway clearly favoring his right leg. Murray will be re-evaluated on Tuesday.

Since returning to WBS earlier this month, the 6-foot-1, 181-pound DeSmith had assumed the top goaltending chores, compiling a 9-2-1 record, 2.29 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage in 12 AHL appearances. He helped backstop the WBS Penguins to the top record in the AHL at the time of his recall.

DeSmith, 26, logged his first NHL action with the Penguins earlier this season. He made his NHL debut on October 29 in Winnipeg against the Jets.

- Joey Gucciardo

Crosby's OT winner lifts Penguins past Flyers; Murray hurt

By WILL GRAVES
Associated Press

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Their young franchise goaltender was in the trainer’s room dealing with a lower-body injury and their struggling cross-state rivals were up two goals. That’s when the Pittsburgh Penguins’ erratic start briefly came into sharp focus during the second intermission on Monday night.

The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions responded with perhaps their best 22 minutes of hockey since raising the Cup in June.

Patric Hornqvist and Bryan Rust scored 39 seconds apart early in the third to tie it, Jake Guentzel’s second of the night evened it again with 64 seconds left in regulation and Sidney Crosby’s deflection 1:48 into overtime lifted the Penguins to an improbable 5-4 victory over reeling Philadelphia.

“In a lot of ways it was a microcosm of our season,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.

Meaning an inconsistent mix of dazzling offense, inexplicable breakdowns on the other end with an injury thrown in for good measure. Matt Murray exited with 4:21 left in the second period after Philadelphia’s Jakub Voracek crashed into him during a breakaway. The 23-year-old two-time Cup winner managed to skate off under his own power before limping down the runway clearly favoring his right leg.

Murray will be re-evaluated on Tuesday. Rookie Tristan Jarry picked up the second win of his career by stopping 8 of 10 shots, spending most of his 25:24 of ice time watching his teammates pound away at Philadelphia’s Brian Elliott.

The Penguins finished with 52 shots in all, the last coming when Crosby deftly redirected Kris Letang’s shot from the point over Elliott and into the net for the 11th overtime winner of his career, tied with Mario Lemieux and Evgeni Malkin for most in franchise history.

“I had a thought that (Letang) might come to me,” Crosby said. “But ultimately it’s up to the guy with the puck to see what’s there. He made a great read and I was happy to see that go in.”

Guentzel and Crosby both finished with three points, and the Penguins have won two straight following a three-game losing streak. Just as important as the victory may have been the way Pittsburgh went about it. After letting the Flyers score three times in the second to go up 3-1, Pittsburgh dominated.

“We came out hard in the third,” Crosby said. “I think we were all pretty disappointed with our second, allowing them to get back in the game and carry the play the whole period. Came out hard, got a big goal early to get us going and then just kind of fed off of that.”

Sean Couturier collected his team-high 14th goal for the Flyers. Shayne Gostisbehere and Travis Konecny each scored their third of the season, but Philadelphia let a two-goal lead going into the third period evaporate for the second time in four days. Michael Raffl’s pretty deke around Jarry put the Flyers up 4-3 with 3:41 left in regulation but it wasn’t enough. Elliot made 47 saves but could do little to stop Crosby’s 10th goal of the season and fourth in his last four games.

Philadelphia is winless in its last eight games (0-4-4), the team’s longest slide since an 0-8-2 stretch in February, 2008.

“We’ve got to finish one of these,” Philadelphia coach Dave Hakstol said. “There’s really not much more to be said other than that. We’ve got to finish one of these. We’re in position night after night and we were in position again tonight.”

The Penguins are in the midst of a stretch in which they play seven of eight at home, a time they hope they can use to make up ground in the Metropolitan Division. Jarry could get a heavier workload than expected if Murray is out an extended period.

“It’s always tough to see a guy go down, but you have to stay focused,” Letang said. “(Regardless of) whoever is in the net, you have to play the right way and play your game.”

NOTES: Penguins C Evgeni Malkin missed his fourth straight game with an upper body injury. ... Pittsburgh D Ian Cole was a healthy scratch for a third consecutive game. ... Crosby has four goals and five assists in his last four games. ... Guentzel has eight goals in his last 11 games. ... The Flyers scratched D Radko Gudas and Fs Taylor Leier and Jordan Weal. ... The Penguins went 1 for 5 on the power play. The Flyers were 1 for 4.

UP NEXT

Flyers: Host San Jose on Tuesday night. Philadelphia beat the Sharks 5-3 in the season opener on Oct. 4.

Penguins: Start a home-and-home series with the Sabres on Friday night in Buffalo. Pittsburgh won the first meeting between the two teams 5-4 in a shootout on Nov. 14.