Penguins 5, Devils 2
PENGUINS 5, DEVILS 2: All-Star Evgeni Malkin scored his 40th goal of the season and captain Sidney Crosby had three helpers as Pittsburgh overpowered New Jersey for its 11th straight win.
Malkin’s marker capped off a three-goal middle frame that gave the Penguins a 4-1 lead. He one-timed a cross-ice pass from Crosby while on a power play to reach the 40-goal plateau for the second time in his career.
Matt Cooke scored his second of the game at 5:56 of the third period to give Pittsburgh its decisive 5-2 lead. It was Cooke’s second consecutive two-goal game and the tally nullified an earlier goal by New Jersey’s Petr Sykora.
Cooke was credited with his first goal of the contest when Crosby’s pass deflected in off his skate. Crosby carried the puck into the Devils’ zone against three defenders, but still managed to find Cooke with a backhand pass.
James Neal opened the scoring for Pittsburgh with his 32nd goal of the season 1:59 into the contest. Andy Greene later knotted the game at 1-1 with his first of the season for the Devils.
Pascal Dupuis scored his 20th of the season at 10:10 to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead.
GAME NOTEBOOK: New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur stopped Chris Kunitz on a penalty shot in the first period. … The Penguins outshot the Devils 17-4 in the third period and 43-14 overall. … Greene’s tally – his first in 52 games – snapped New Jersey’s drought of almost 148 minutes without a goal. … Jordan Staal has 10 assists in his last 10 games. … Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury snapped a personal three-game losing streak against the Devils.