Penguins 4, Rangers 1
Evgeni Malkin scored his 23rd and 24th goals of the season and Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves as the Pittsburgh Penguins won their fourth straight game with a 4-1 victory over the Atlantic Division-leading Rangers 4-1 on Thursday in New York.
Malkin notched his NHL leading 53rd point at 7:10 of the third period after picking up the puck on the side-boards, cutting into the slot and roofing a backhand over Henrik Lundqvist. Kris Letang assisted on the goal in his first game since suffering a concussion on Nov. 26.
Malkin’s 54th point of the season was into an empty net and gave him seven goals in his last four games.
Earlier in the third frame, Richard Park gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead when he finished off a 3-on-1. It was his fourth of the season.
The Rangers’ Carl Hagelin scored at 10:06 of the second period to tie the game at 1-1. He ripped a shot on a partial breakaway that slipped through Fleury’s legs and trickled over the goal line. It was his eighth of the season and first in nine games
Chris Kunitz scored the lone first-period goal for the Penguins. He started the play by fighting off a check along the boards for a 2-on-1 with Paul Martin. Martin’s shot was stopped but Kunitz cleaned up the rebound for his 14th of the season and first in eight games.