Penguins 5, Blue Jackets 2
PITTSBURGH -- Right winger Phil Kessel ended a scoring slump with two goals, center Evgeni Malkin had two more and the Sidney Crosby-less Pittsburgh Penguins halted a five-game losing streak, beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 Monday night for new coach Mike Sullivan's first win.
Center Evgeni Malkin started a four-goal second period with a goal, then added his fifth goal in six games by scoring in the final two minutes. Rookie goaltender Matt Martin stopped 22 shots for his first NHL win as the Penguins won for only the second time in nine games.
Crosby, the Penguins' captain, missed his first game of the season with a lower body injury, yet Pittsburgh still scored one more goal than it did in Sullivan's four games combined. The Penguins' only other five-goal game was Dec. 1 against San Jose.
Martin, the Penguins' No. 3 goaltender playing in only his second career game, allowed goals by center Alexander Wennberg and center Boone Jenner bested Columbus goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, who gained his first NHL win on Saturday.
Center Nick Bonino and left winger David Perron had two assists apiece for Pittsburgh.
The Blue Jackets, coming off a shootout win Saturday over Philadelphia, took a 1-0 lead off an excellent play by defenseman Fedor Tyutin, who deftly deflected a pass off the end boards directly to center Alexander Wennberg for a short wrist shot inside the near post 5:41 into the first.
But the Penguins, who scored only four goals in Sullivan's first four games, came alive offensively for the first time under their new coach with that many goals in the second period alone.
With Pittsburgh on the power play as the result of goaltender Joonas Korpisalo sailing the puck into the stands, Evgeni Malkin beat Tyutin off the half-wall, went to the net and put in a David Perron rebound 3:06 into the period -- Malkin's 16th. At that point, the rest of his Penguins teammates had only 55 goals among them.
Kessel, held without a goal in the previous eight games, quickly changed that with a pair of goals. Using his renowned speed, Kessel streaked to rookie Scott Wilson's pass at center ice, then used a stutter step move to beat Korpisalo with a wrist shot. Wilson, playing his second NHL game, picked up his first career point.
The Penguins got a scare shortly after that when Malkin dropped to the ice in pain following a knee-to-knee hit with center Boone Jenner, who was called for tripping. But Malkin returned later in the period after initially going to the dressing room.
Kessel assured himself of his second multiple-goal game with Pittsburgh -- the other was a two-goal effort Dec. 1 against San Jose -- by scoring again on a short wrist shot with four minutes left in the period, his 11th.
Defenseman David Warsofsky scored his second career goal and first of the season in 10 games at 19:15, the Penguins' second power-play goal of the period.
NOTES: Penguins C Sidney Crosby (lower body injury) sat out his first game of the season, but isn't expected to be sidelined long, according to coach Mike Sullivan. Crosby is a career-low minus-6. ... The Blue Jackets also were without captain, LW Nick Foligno (undisclosed injury). ... RW Rene Bourque, who came off the injured reserve list Saturday, took Foligno's place on a line with C Ryan Johansen and LW Boone Jenner. ... Blue Jackets D Jack Johnson returned after missing two games with an upper-body injury and was paired with D Ryan Murray. ... Joonas Korpisalo was in net again for Columbus after gaining his first NHL win Saturday, against the Philadelphia Flyers in a shootout. Penguins G Marc-Andre Fleury (concussion) missed a fourth consecutive game. ... Sullivan, who took over the Penguins last week, spent seven seasons on Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella's staff with the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks. ... Columbus scratched RW Jared Boll, D Kevin Connauton and Foligno. The Penguins held out D Adam Clendening, RW Bryan Rust and Crosby.