Penguins 8, Lightning 1
PENGUINS 8, LIGHTNING 1: All-Star Evgeni Malkin recorded a hat trick and added an assist, while Jordan Staal scored on the power play and shorthanded as Pittsburgh cruised over visiting Tampa Bay on Saturday.
Malkin moved to a league-leading 77 points - four ahead of Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos, who was kept off the score sheet. Malkin has eight goals, including two hat tricks, and three assists in his last three games against the Lightning - all victories.
Staal, who added a late assist, scored his second goal with the man advantage at 10:11 of the second period for a 4-0 lead after a pass from Steve Sullivan (three assists). Staal has five goals in five games.
Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury stopped two breakaways in the second period and finished with 34 saves.
Chris Kunitz, who also had an assist, and Matt Cooke scored 50 seconds apart in the first period. Staal added a shorthanded goal at 14:40 on a breakaway for a 3-0 lead after Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman was inadvertently blocked by a linesman.
Teddy Purcell scored his fourth goal in five games for the Lightning.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Lightning have allowed nine shorthanded goals. Only New Jersey has given up more (13). …James Neal had three assists to give him eight in seven games for Pittsburgh, which is 5-2-0 in that span. …Tim Wallace, picked up on waivers Thursday from the New York Islanders, played his first game for the Lightning.