Tatar, Vanek propel Red Wings past Penguins
PITTSBURGH -- Tomas Tatar and Thomas Vanek scored early in the third period Sunday to help the Detroit Red Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 at PPG Paints Arena.
The Red Wings (24-25-10) have won two games in a row following a five-game losing streak. They have beaten the defending Stanley Cup champions twice this season despite languishing at or near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Detroit took a 2-1 lead into the third period. Pittsburgh (36-14-8) has won an NHL-leading seven times when trailing after two periods, but the Red Wings avoided handing the Penguins No. 8.
The loss ended a Pittsburgh string of nine games in a row with at least one point. They became the last team to lose in regulation since the All-Star break.
Detroit, which played Saturday afternoon while the Penguins had that day off, took a 1-0 lead at 8:48 of the first. Nick Jensen, on a two-on-one with Justin Abdelkader, faked a shot coming down the right side of the Pittsburgh zone, got past defenseman Brian Dumoulin and slid the puck behind goaltender Matt Murray.
The Penguins tied with a short-handed goal at 14:09 of the first. Kris Letang got the puck in his end and opted to carry it out rather than clear it. He set up Tom Kuhnhackl, who got a partial breakaway and beat goaltender Petr Mrazek past his glove.
Steve Ott restored the Red Wings' lead, 2-1, at 16:29 of the first with a backhander from close range.
The Red Wings took advantage of a turnover by Jake Guentzel in the Penguins' end to increase their lead to 3-1 just 27 seconds into the third. Tatar finished a give-and-go with a one-timer.
Vanek followed at 2:16 when he got a loose puck in the neutral zone, moved in and scored from the slot to make it 4-1.
Just seven seconds later, Pittsburgh closed to within 4-2 on Sidney Crosby's league-leading 32nd goal, a shot from the left dot that went under Mrazek's pads.
Luke Glendening added an empty-net goal with 51.3 seconds remaining for the final score.
NOTES: Pittsburgh LW Conor Sheary (upper body) has begun skating, coach Mike Sullivan said. ... The Penguins honored C Sidney Crosby before the game for eclipsing 1,000 points last week. He received a plaque from team owner and Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux. Earlier, he received a gold-plated stick from his teammates. ... D Cameron Gaunce replaced D Steve Oleksy in the Pittsburgh lineup. The Penguins also scratched RW Carter Rowney. ... The Penguins on Saturday returned F Josh Archibald to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. ... Detroit D Mike Green missed a second game in a row because of illness. The Red Wings also scratched C Gustav Nyquist and RW Tomas Jurco. ... Detroit hosts the New York Islanders Tuesday before beginning its bye week.